By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There: A Memoir (29 page)
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Authors: Tom Sizemore
Jake LaMotta was on the set that day too. It was his ninetieth birthday and the crew had arranged to have a girl jump out of a cake as a surprise for him. Now, I had become pretty fascinated with La-Motta because I’d been so fascinated with De Niro after seeing
Raging Bull,
and because I’m always going to admire a tough guy. LaMotta’s still tough, even at ninety. And maybe it’s because inside I’ll always be a poor kid from Detroit who may act hard at times but inside is scared of the dark, but LaMotta inspires the hell out of me. Through a combination of genes, coincidence, ambition, and a hell of a lot of luck, I have finally—like LaMotta—come to see what being tough actually means. So I can’t tell you what it meant to me when Jake went out of his way to find me on the set so he could say, “You look great, Tom. Just keep doing what you’re doing.”
I told him what I’m going to tell you: that’s the plan.
I’D LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE
the following people: Anna David, Aaron Sizemore, David Vigliano, Charles Lago, Maeve Quinlan, Beth Holden, Bob Forrest, the staff at 1010 Wilshire Boulevard, Antoine Fuqua, Judy Sizemore, Heather Kaden, and Sarah Durand.
—
Tom Sizemore
Thanks, first and foremost, are due to Tom Sizemore for trusting me with the task of sharing his life with the world. Thanks as well to Sarah Durand, who taught me how truly supportive an editor can be, and David Vigliano. I am deeply indebted to Aaron Sizemore, Damian Sullivan, William Smith, Heather Kadin, and Beth Holden for helping me to round out the story. Thanks as well to Hugh Gaspar, Thomas Edward Sizemore, Sr., Scott Silver, Peter Bogdanovich, Bob Forrest, Chris Steffen, Jessie Tuite, Jesse Baget, Rustam Branaman, and Peter Lenkov.
—
Anna David
My mom was and still is beautiful. She and my dad met when she was 13 and he was 14. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore)
My dad with Aaron and me. My dad’s high school picture literally said “Boy Genius” below it, and he expected the same from his boys. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore)
With my younger brother Aaron when I was six. We shared a bedroom and when noises would frighten me late at night, he’d try to stay awake until I fell asleep. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore)
With my grandparents, Blevins and Vina Sizemore. Blevins worked at a machinist shop, but they were still dirt poor. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore)
Me as a baby. I was supposedly saying complete sentences by the time I was two and reading by the age of four. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore and Thomas E. Sizemore, Sr.)
Me and Aaron with our mom, who’s holding Paul. This is our last Christmas before my mother, Aaron, Paul and I moved back to Detroit. I was 16 and in 11th grade. (Copyright Thomas E. Sizemore, Sr.)
Kissing my mom’s mom, Grandmother Mildred Schannault, at my wedding. When my mom was growing up, Grandma and my Grandpa Schannault made their house into an after-hours joint to earn extra money. (Copyright Judith K. Sizemore)
With Bruce Willis, my costar in
Striking Distance
. This was also the movie where I met Robert Pastorelli, who ended up taking me to my first AA meeting. (Copyright Tom Sizemore)
With Robert De Niro, my dad and Maeve on the set of
Heat
. My dad asked De Niro to take care of me and De Niro laughed and said he would try. (Copyright Aaron Sizemore)
With Michael Rappaport (third from left), Edie Falco (fourth from left), my then-girlfriend Vanessa Lasky (last on right) and some friends. Michael and I met on
True Romance
. It was only a week of work but starred some of the greats: everyone from Christopher Walken and Dennis Hopper to Samuel Jackson, Brad Pitt, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman and Chris Penn (Sean’s brother). The late Tony Scott directed the film. (Copyright Thomas E. Sizemore, Jr.)
Me and my dad with Gary Oldman and his kids. (Copyright Tom Sizemore)