John Candy’s kids talk as they watch dad struggle with fatphobia and anxiety

John Candy children, Jennifer and Christopherconsider learning about the “crazy” fatphobia their father faced while filming their new documentary, John Candy: I ​​love me.

The film, which was released on Prime Video Friday, October 10, is a look into Candy’s life and legacy before he died of a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1994. The project is directed by Colin Hanksfeaturing an endless list of A-list stars – from Tom Hanks to Martin Short – praises the comedian’s incredible talent and giant heart, but also opens the curtain on the darker sides of Candy’s story.

Old interviews with Candy are some of the i love me The most difficult moments to watch, as journalists routinely questioned him about his weight and health. While speaking exclusively to Us WeeklyJennifer, 45, and Christopher, 41, revealed that they were not aware of the harsh press sessions their father was subjected to throughout his career.

“It was really crazy to see and see some of those interviews What he proposed“Because we know the whole story in the timeline,” Christopher said exclusively. we Before releasing the document. “And I heard a story that wasn’t in the documentary, but it was that he was very uncomfortable eating in front of people because of the photographers, so they forced him not to eat. Like, ‘Okay, but I could have a drink, or I could have a cigarette, and then when I get home at the end of the day, in the hotel room or whatever, I’ll eat.’ And we all know from simple metabolic rate, that’s terrible for you.”

He continued: “So, when you hear what he was negotiating in his mind and how he was working, those things are annoying. Because I really wish any of us (were) old enough to say, ‘Man, this sucks for you.’ No, come on, just eat, we’ll block the cameras, who cares?” Those are the things I wanted to be there and support him and give him a big hug and say, ‘Dude, fuck these guys.’

Jennifer echoed her brother’s sentiments, saying that she and Christopher, growing up, only witnessed their father’s “interesting” interview appearances on talk shows. They also saw the finished product, so watching the behind-the-scenes clips was an eye-opening experience.

“I was like ‘cool.’” “It was painful, because people knew better,” she said. we. “You can’t comment on people’s weight in that way, or just anything that someone has that is clearly challenging. Revisiting that was difficult.”

She also shared another side of Candy’s personality that wasn’t shown in the documentary: the party thrower, who is often misrepresented against her. Jennifer explained that although her father loved hosting events, “a lot of food” would be ordered, leading people to claim that Kandi “would eat all of it.”

“And like, no, he ordered sandwiches (for everyone). You don’t realize there’s a hotel room full of family and friends, and we’re all celebrating,” she said. “So, again, he wasn’t necessarily eating in front of (people). He might have been eating a sandwich, but it was so people wouldn’t misinterpret or put their own narratives on things like that. I think that was always a challenge, because people will think what they’re going to think, and you can say that, but it’s like, well, well, that’s your opinion, it’s not the reality of it.”

The documentary shows that although Candy was often resistant to anyone who criticized his health – Eugene Levy Claims Kandi pulled one friend ‘out of his Rolodex’ after they texted him about his weight – and he also filed Steps to take care of oneselfespecially at the end of his life. Candy spent time at a weight-loss center, worked out routinely with a trainer and had a nutritionist before his death.

However, he often felt that the public and the powers that be “wanted him big,” so he “stayed big.”

Kandi also suffered from a myriad of mental health issues, including panic attacks, which were highlighted in the documentary. Jennifer and Christopher explained that when the director was Colin And the product Ryan Reynolds When he approached them about the project, they wanted to make sure the film wouldn’t get in the way of their father’s struggles.

“We didn’t want this to be a softball movie that was just a highlight reel or a Wikipedia entry,” Christopher said. we. “We wanted to make sure that we talked about the trauma that he went through. In fact, our feedback on it was that he had a lot of psychological baggage that he was starting to deal with at the end of his life. We wanted to make sure that came out.”

Jennifer agreed, saying it was important that they didn’t know their father’s identity.

“You want to make sure there’s some depth to it, because no one is interested (otherwise),” she said. “Because then everyone would come out and say, ‘Well, why didn’t they talk about this?’” Like, we wanted someone to come out of it (say): “Oh, I learned something,” or “I felt something.”

It was also about exploring the circumstances that led to their father’s anxiety. “Yes, our father was a larger-than-life, overweight actor. OK, but that’s what’s been said. The question is, why? It’s deeper than that,” she said. “So let’s get to that, rather than just pointing out the obvious. It’s just like with anyone in life, you don’t know what they’re going through, what they’re dealing with, so you just have to step back and let that story unfold and tell it.”

Candy’s story certainly affected both of his children. Jennifer and Christopher were quick to agree that their father’s health battles have “absolutely” affected the way they live their lives as adults.

“I had heart disease when I was younger, and I’ve been following it since I was little,” Jennifer said. we. “I’m at the doctor all the time. And you try not to want to repeat, but you also still want to live and have a life and all that. But you know there are consequences. And you just want to better understand how things work, too.”

Christopher, who revealed in the documentary that he was “proud” to say he received “treatment” thanks to his father, said he was nudged from a “young age” to take care of his health after realizing his grandfather, uncle and father had similar problems.

“I remember looking around and saying, ‘What’s with the men in our family?'” he recalls. “It looks like they’re all having heart attacks.'” “And that’s what prompted me to say, ‘Well, maybe at 24 years old, it’s a good idea to have a cardiologist and maintain a good relationship with the cardiologist and go and get it checked out.'”

This does not necessarily mean that he is destined to experience the same thing as his relatives. “Over time, you realize that maybe it wasn’t inherited, maybe it was behavior,” Christopher explained. “It gives you more confidence moving forward. I don’t have the sword of Damocles over my head, where I’m afraid of getting older. I’m actually excited about it.”

Ultimately, the brothers said that revisiting their father’s death is something they’ve been dealing with in therapy for years — “It comes and goes in waves,” Jennifer shared — but the overall experience of making… i love me It was positive.

“You kind of forget how big of a star (our father) is, until you see Tom Hanks talk so openly about SCTV,” Christopher said. “And I think for me and Jen we were both huge Conan O’Brien fans, so knowing that our dad had a direct influence on him, and then he had an influence on us, it’s like, ‘Wow, this is cool.'”

“It’s surreal,” Jennifer added. “Like, in small doses, I can deal with it, but all of a sudden you have two hours of (praise) and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is overwhelming!’

John Candy: I ​​love me It’s streaming on Prime Video now.