My Happy Days in Hollywood (43 page)

One of the problems we faced during our shoot was intense attention from the paparazzi, who had full access to us because we were in the streets of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Michelle had to ride behind Zac on his Vespa, and the paparazzi had a field day taking what seemed like endless photographs. Michelle said the best direction I gave her was when I said, “Michelle, try not to give the paparazzi the bird because it will be in all the tabloids.”

New Year’s Eve
was a time for me to work with old, familiar friends, too, such as Larry Miller and Jim Belushi. Another actor
who stood out was Jake T. Austin, who played Max on the television series
Wizards of Waverly Place
. Every day hundreds of fans from ten to thirteen years old would fill the streets around our set to see him. At one point the mob grew so large that one of our producers went into a bar and hired patrons there to act as bodyguards for Jake because we didn’t have enough security to protect him.

I liked meeting many new stars on the film, such as the sexy and strong Katherine Heigl and the Cary Grant-ish Josh Duhamel, who were both terrific. I also had two stars from
Valentine’s Day
, Jessica Biel and Ashton Kutcher. Jessica played a pregnant woman, and Ashton, as I’ve said, was stuck in an elevator with Lea Michelle from
Glee
for most of the movie. It was Lea’s first film, and she was a little nervous. When she came to audition for the part, she walked into my office and said, “Garry, you have to hire me. I’m from the Bronx. Arthur Avenue.” Her family was part Italian and part Jewish, and I knew I liked her from the get-go. So did test audiences when we first screened the movie. When we asked them who their favorite actor was, the most votes went to Lea Michele.

At the end of the movie my daughter Lori came to visit.

“Are you having fun?” she asked as we sat in my room at the Park Lane.

“I had fun at the beginning,” I said.

“The beginning of any movie is fun. You always like that part,” she said optimistically.

“No,” I said. “I mean the very beginning.
The Flamingo Kid
was fun.”

Now I was ready to go home and sleep in my own bed. Also, I couldn’t wait to start editing the picture. Editing is where my story comes together, and it is my favorite part of the moviemaking process. Would
New Year’s Eve
be my last movie as a director? If you’d asked me the day I boarded the plane to fly home to Los Angeles from that winter in New York, I would have said yes.

I tried to rest, but I still wasn’t feeling any better. Of course once you have had cancer you worry when you feel sick that the cancer has returned. But when I went to the doctor, I found out I had walking pneumonia instead. It was not the best thing for me, but it was
certainly treatable. I had shot the last week of my movie (all nights) with walking pneumonia. I do not advise this.

Barbara nursed me through cancer and she nursed me through that pneumonia. When I felt better I wasn’t sure if I should direct a movie, get back into television, or do something else at the theater. Whenever I don’t have great clarity on a subject, Barbara seems to have it tenfold. I was seriously blue one day, and she came in with a stack of scripts.

“What are those?” I asked.

“Scripts,” she said. “Pick one. A movie, a TV show, or a play. You can direct or produce one of these, or write a new one. Just pick something.”

She knew I was not ready to retire and so did I.

Even though I was in my seventies, entertainment was my profession and it was not the right time to stop. If you can get out of bed each day and go to a job you love and return home to a family you love, that is the key to life, and the key to a successful career in Hollywood or anywhere.

What have I learned in my seventy-seven years? Not that much, but a lot about me. I have never been to a psychiatrist but instead have relied on my wife, family, and friends, particularly my basketball-playing psychiatrist pal Dr. Ira Glick to keep me sane. I always seemed to be confident about my own creativity and ability to work hard. Also, despite criticism, I learned how to win over difficult bosses like Jackie Gleason, Joey Bishop, Danny Thomas, and many studio heads. However, I was never completely secure about moving on to something new. I was more comfortable with the devil I knew. To combat this, I have always had ambitious partners.

The truth is that I always wanted a more stable life than my creative intellectual idols had. People like Arthur Miller, Roman Polanski, Woody Allen, Sylvia Plath, Anton Chekhov, and Albert Camus all had unconventional family lives. I dreamed of stability and a calm, low-profile family life. I was a product of the 1950s and was charmed eternally by
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, Father Knows Best
, and the drawings of Norman Rockwell. Whether they were true or not didn’t matter. I wanted to come home to a wife, children, and
a sane family dinner hour. This is probably why I have been married for forty-nine years and have three children and six grandchildren.

What I haven’t figured out is why some people face adversity and quit or stop trying, while others pick themselves up and go on time after time. Is it genetics, environment, encouragement? I have been whacked often by comedians, stars, censors, studio executives, and, of course, the critics. The critics have whacked me for so long that now sons and daughters of critics are whacking me. However, each time I feel like I can do better. So, it has been a life of ups and downs, but I will always keep going and try harder on the next project. When I figure out what really makes people go on or give up, I will let you know. But one thing I do know for certain is that I will tell you with three montages and a happy ending.

T
HE QUESTION
I’m most often asked is “How does someone become a star?” I don’t know. But having seen so many try and so few succeed, I offer thirteen helpful hints on becoming an actor or actress.