The delightfully strange way in which Dan Aykroyd agreed to make the John Candy documentary

Ryan Reynolds and Colin Hanks teamed up to pay tribute to one of the best actors we lost too soonWith the documentary “John Candy: I ​​Like Me”. Hanks knew the Canadian comedy legend personally as a child and directed the film, which is now streaming on Prime Video. It chronicles the remarkable life of the comedy great, who passed away in 1994 at the age of 43. Distinguished contributors to the project include Steve Martin, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd, who was a friend of Candy’s and appeared alongside him in several films. However, in reality securing his participation proved difficult at best.

Ethan Anderton, the film’s director, attended a question-and-answer session following a screening of “John Candy: I ​​Like Me” in Chicago, where Reynolds recounted how he was able to bring the “Ghostbusters” star into the film. Obviously both Aykroyd and Bill Murray were impossible to get, or rather, they were. barely It’s impossible to get because both actors ended up appearing in the movie. However, in Aykroyd’s case, Reynolds had to wait for the legend to call him. “Nobody knew where he was,” he explained. “Nobody.” “I finally get a call, because I think there’s word that I’ve been looking for him, and all I get is this (in a voice imitating Dan Aykroyd’s quick, concise speech patterns): “Ryan, this is Dan. Well, that’s what we’re going to do, kid. Come here. Have dinner with me. Spend the night. In the morning, you do the interview, then you go out.”

According to Reynolds, Aykroyd actually picked him up at the airport, likely because, as Reynolds put it, “I guess he didn’t want me to know where he lived.” But Aykroyd didn’t just say it, he did it in one of the Lincoln City cars from the 1997 comedy “Grosse Pointe Plank.” Reynolds explained: “One of my favorite movies of all time is ‘Grosse Pointe Plank.’ (…) I said, ‘Dan, is this the car from ‘Grosse Pointe Plank?'” Reynolds explained. And he went: “Yes.” Boy, I got five of them for 50 grand from the movie. So I was in heaven.”