Elizabeth Perkins : Small Town , BIG Dreams
Elizabeth Perkins and her artwork .
the time , because she approached everything like an actor . She hired the great Barry Sonnenfeld as our director of photography , so she felt really comfortable leaving that side of it to somebody who was equipped to take over . She and Tom were friends , and she surrounded herself with actor friends . Jon Lovitz was a friend , John Hurt was a friend , and I had met Penny earlier , so everybody kind of knew each other . I think in casting Tom , because he ’ s so skilled , she was able to sit back and let everybody do their jobs . She loved to watch actors work , and she was keen enough to surround herself with people that were very capable at what they were doing . Penny and Tom just flowed off each other . They had a language . They didn ’ t even need to really speak to each other , like with the famous corn moment in Big . Penny just said , “ Hey — the corn .” She didn ’ t have to say , “ Eat it like a giant cob .” It was a friendship language and a friendship dialogue
that they had with each other . None of us expected the movie to take off the way that it did . Tom got an Oscar nomination out of it , and we didn ’ t really expect that , either . We were just having a really good time , and Tom ’ s work was so stunning .
Sherman : It ’ s so nice hearing one actor talk so lovingly about another , which is not always the case .
Perkins : Tom is just a consummate professional . He never complains . He ’ s never late . He knows exactly what he ’ s doing , and he ’ s in complete charge of his instrument . He ’ s just the best guy you want to have on any movie or on any project , even as a producer .
Sherman : In Big , Zoltar grants 12-year-old Josh ’ s wish . I ’ ve got a three-part question .
Perkins : OK !
Courtesy Elizabeth Perkins ( 2 )
Sherman : If your 12-year-old self could make one wish and have it granted , what would it be ?
Perkins : At 12 years old , my wish would have been that my mom would be OK . My mom had drug and alcohol issues , and she ended up being OK . She got sober shortly after that , and things did turn out great for her .
Sherman : I ’ m so happy to hear that . What would your one wish have been when Big came out in 1988 ?
Perkins : At that point , I really wished I had traveled more . I was so busy working that I didn ’ t have that sort of post-college , backpack around Europe phase before you sort of start settling into life . You have kids , and you ’ re like , “ Wait — I didn ’ t do that trip around Europe that I would like to have done .” One of my best friends went to Crete , lived in a cave with other artists , and traveled through Greece right after college . I ’ ve always been envious of the experiences she had that I could have had in my early 20s .
Sherman : What would your one wish be today ?
Perkins : I know this may sound like a “ Miss America ” answer , but I would wish for a more hopeful future for the younger generations . I have kids who are in their 30s , and I see what they ’ re going through right now . I don ’ t know what life is going to look like for them when they ’ re my age . It ’ s hard to tell them that everything is going to be OK , because it ’ s an odd moment . It ’ s hard to tell them , “ Don ’ t worry .” I would wish for more security for them . n
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