John Goodman Returns to Stage

Some candidness from John Goodman in a profile in The New York Times: “I don’t know how much the old Jackie Daniels franchise ruined my memory, which is going anyway, because of my advancing decrepitude. I had a 30-year run, and at the end I didn’t care about anything. I was just fed up with myself. I didn’t even want to be an actor anymore.” Having starred in films as Babe Ruth, Fred Flinstone, and, of course, Walter in The Big Lebowski (which he says is his favorite part), Goodman is now acting in his first theatrical role in four years as Pozzo in Waiting for Godot. “Pozzo is one of those fortunate roles. It’s not quite actor-proof, but it’s been playing so well. The house is listening. The language is beautiful. You just have to trust it — a lot more than I trust myself.”