14 "Sabrina" (Greg Kinnear - Movies)
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This article is from the Greg Kinnear FAQ, by Chris Clark crclark@dreamscape.com with numerous contributions by others.
14 "Sabrina" (Greg Kinnear - Movies)
When Greg got that call from director Sydney Pollack in late 1994, he might
have thought it was just a joke--or "...an invitation to wax his car," as
he often demurred--but it turned out that Pollack wasn't kidding at all.
While assembling a lineup for his remake of "Sabrina," Pollack had been
unable to cast the role of David Larabee, the playboy smart aleck
originally portrayed by William Holden. Tom Cruise was mentioned at one
point, but, with Harrison Ford onboard as Linus Larabee (David's older
brother), Cruise decided to pass on this supporting role.
While auditioning for "Sabrina," Greg continued interviewing the "stars" on
"Later" and spooning the "Soup" on E! Accepting the fact that he was a
long-shot candidate, he said that he didn't really think too much about it.
It wasn't until several months later, hours before an interview with John
Larouquette, that Greg found out the part was his.
To accommodate his new, much-publicized temp job, Greg often taped 2
"Laters" a day to make up for his absences. (Filming began in late January
'95, and it required him to shoot on-location in Long Island.) During
breaks from "Sabrina" production and post-production, he taped away in NBC
Burbank. For months, NBC aired these on-reserve shows as well as a slew of
repeats. In addition, Rosie O'Donnell filled in for Greg for a week.
The buzz on his "Sabrina" performance was positive early on. Much to
Greg's embarrassment, "Later" guests casually included industry talk during
the interviews, and Ford and Pollack sang his praises in early (and later)
interviews. Though most Fall/Holiday movie previews didn't have high hopes
for Sabrina at the box office, a few spoke positively about 1995's
"surprise casting choice."
Come November, features on Greg hit the magazines: "Us," "People,"
"Esquire," "Vanity Fair," etc. Apparently, the story of "TV talk show
host turns big-screen actor" was just too good to pass up. When he finally
hit the talk-show circuit (Letterman, Leno, Conan, "The Today Show") in
December, it seemed as if a day didn't go by without him telling somebody
somewhere that he thought Sydney just wanted his car waxed.
On the weekend of December 15, Sabrina opened to mixed reviews, peaking at
#5 on the top-10 box office charts. The $50-million film proved to be a
financial disappointment for Paramount but it did re-coup its costs,
hanging around in the top 20 film list for several months.
Greg's performance, however, won him many good reviews (see next section).
A few weeks after the release, "Sabrina," ads began to include Greg's mug
as well of those of his costars. (The ads first featured a picture of
Harrison Ford and an art deco "silhouette" of Julia Ormond only.)
Even prior to the release of "Sabrina," there was talk of more film offers
for Greg. Reportedly, he will be starring in Garry Marshall's next film
"Dear God," in a role that Tom Hanks had once considered. Greg will be
portraying a postal worker who, while working in the dead letter office,
starts answering letters addressed to God.
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