“My first movie for Garry [Marshall] was Garry’s first movie. It didn’t take me long to realize that he’s a master of comedy and a natural mentor to budding talent. I’ve watched him time and time again inspire young people who showed an aptitude and zeal for the work, whether it was writing, acting, or producing—and always with humor and kindness.
A brief but important moment for me as an actor was when I needed an angle on the character Barnard Thompson, the hotel manager in Pretty Woman. I went to Garry. He paused for a moment and said, ‘Just create the guy you’d like to work for.’ Simple as that. No long discussion. No deep analysis. A slight suggestion and I made it my own. We’ve done 17 movies that way.”
Hector Elizondo
Forward to My Happy Days in Hollywood by Garry Marshall with Lori Marshall
P.S. Yes, after two weeks of blogging about Gary’s 1995 book Wake Me When It’s Funny, I purchased his book that came out this year—so you can expect more wisdom from a long time successful and respected producer/director of movies and television.
