Bronson Pinchot: Bette Midler Is A B**ch, Denzel Is Cruel, Tom Cruise Homophobic

Bronson Pinchot has been best known for his role as Balki on the sitcom "Perfect Strangers" and his role in the "Beverly Hills Cop" movies, until now.

Pinchot gives a lengthy interview to the AVClub (via DListed) in which he recounts his career and gives brutally honest memories of his costars. Some are kind, some are harsh, and the whole thing is worth reading. Some samples are below.

On working with Tom Cruise in "Risky Business":

We thought Tom [Cruise] was the biggest bore on the face of the Earth... He was tense and made constant, constant unrelated homophobic comments, like, "You want some ice cream, in case there are no gay people there?" I mean, his lingo was larded with the most... There was no basis for it. It was like, "It's a nice day, I'm glad there are no gay people standing here." Very, very strange.

Years and years later when people started to torment him with that, I used to think "God, that's really fitting, because he tormented a lot of people as a 20-year-old."

On working with Denzel Washington in "Courage Under Fire":

Denzel Washington was behind the incredibly cowardly bullshit of "This is my character, not me." He was really abusive to me and everybody on that movie, and his official explanation was that his character didn't like me, but it was a dreadful experience. I spent my salary on time with my shrink just for helping me get through it... The script supervisor on that movie said it's like watching somebody kick a puppy. He was so vile.

On Bette Midler's treatment of director Hugh Wilson during "The First Wives Club":

Bette Midler was such a bitch to him. While he was directing, she would be rolling her eyes, pantomiming with her favorite actors, and she made it very difficult. And he was at his wit's end. He was actually a very nice man, but she was very unkind to him on that movie.

But it's not all bad. Bronson adores Tom Hanks:

He is a wonderful and genuine and lovely and down-to-earth person. I don't know how he does that. I first met him when he was doing his spate of not-successful movies. There was a period in the '80s when he did The Man With One Red Shoe and Joe Versus The Volcano and all those movies that weren't doing well, and that's when I first met him, and I would run into him on and off over the years. Then two years ago, I did a play with his wife, and there he was at his absolute height. He's always been a delightful person, so it's not really true that big stars need to be driven and repulsive, because he's anything but.

Read the whole thing here, for Eddie Murphy, Mischa Barton and "Perfect Strangers" memories.

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Comments

[cinemaven]

What a shame Huffpo cherry picked through this... it`s actually one of the best interviews I`ve read in a long time and if you just read the few outtakes published here, you`re missing out.

[cmk1967]

Bronson, you need to cowboy up!

[googoogajob]

These are some of the lamest and denigrating comments I've seen on HP.

Do you all even know why you are slapping this guy down?
What are you working to protect?

Is it really news to you that there are celebrities who are also a**ho1es?

Is it a revelation that Midler is an obnoxious woman with a mouth like a sewer rat?
Her entire career is based on being a bawdy wise cracking Brooklyn-type street urchin in pearls.
She's nasty and proud of it.

And Tom Cruise?
You know how many lawsuits that guy has filed because someone even insinuated he might be gay?
He's historically homophobic.
Scientologist's preach homophobia routinely..

If Denzel couldn't snap outta his role, and you were on the receiving end of his bad behavior because his 'character' hated you, do you think you would have enjoyed that experience?
An actor's crazy behavior you're willing to defend, but his target you trash?

I was in a film once, and the egos, childishness and pettiness of a few (not all) actors was like nothing you could imagine. Loony bin behavior.

What I find amusing is that the guy has been in huge Hollywood films like Risky Business, First Wives Club and Beverly Hills Cop, yet you denigrate and dismiss him as a nothing
to suit your need to prop up the egos of these boorish celebrities.

Is that it? A fellow actor 'talking out of school' about CELEBRITIES?

The lack of empathy is breathtaking.

[pawletto]

Go back your hole, Pinchot.

[HadBetterDays]

Oh man this is intolerable, a grown man whining that "Denzel was mean to me" I had to pay a therapist just to get through it". What kind of a man talks like this? We're supposed to feel sorry for this rich sissy?

[googoogajob]

homophobic much?

[LeslieAnne]

So we're supposed to believe a washed-up bitter actor blaming others who continue to have thriving careers??? I think not.

[Blackbuddah]

Bronson is full of it Denzel is a method actor who becomes the charachter on and off set. When i lived in harlem i met him on the set of Malcolm x and he was cool as hell . He signed autographs and took pictures.

[Fudgefase]

Why do we assume that self absorbed, driven, competitive people with enormous egos are nice by nature?
Sure, some are; the law of averages demands that - but most actors and actresses have to believe in themselves above all others and constantly still believe that way in spite of repeated rebuffs by a multitude of people less talented than themselves, just to survive. They can be rejected because their shape is wrong; their teeth are wrong; their laugh is wrong; their height is wrong; their face is wrong - you name it, they can be rejected because of it. Little of it involves their ability to do the job - most of it involves their look in the perception of one person. That's a cruel world. It breeds cruel and selfish egotists. Not a recipe for nice guys (or gals).

[balloonloon]

Ah--never rejected, just refused. Next!

[alwqb]

There is so much bs and insecurity on a set, it's nice to see someone who doesn't care about the Hollywood backlash tell it like it is. There is no reason to treat anyone badly because of your ego, it doesn't matter if your Tom or Denzel. Been there, seen that. Sure there is a lot a vulnerability and insecurity with actors, when your face is on the screen it can be daunting. That said there is no reason for any actor to abuse anyone. Great article.

[Sobeton]

so your assuming everything he says is true? seems a bit bias..

[IMEHO]

He has nothing to fear from Hollywood Backlash, his career was already over ten years ago. Five days ago I doubt anybody could have told you who Pinchot was. If anything this is helping him add 5 seconds onto the 15 minutes that ended with "Balki". Cue all other hasbeens to start spilling their guts in order to get a reality tv show or a book deal

[Chicago48]

That's HIS perception of the actors....how they treated HIM....maybe they just didn't like him....but they could be kind. Besides, their careers could be in the sewer too one day.

[shinjuku]

I know someone who worked for her as a personal chef at her home in Hawaii. His opinion of her is the same as Mr. Pinchot. It was the first time I'd ever heard him speak ill of anyone.

[IMEHO]

And I know someone who worked with someone who had a friend of a friend who told me that Jennifer Lopez has six toes. LOL

[django707]

Everything he says is true. Been there. Seen that.

[EvieEve]

None of the reps for the celebrities in question have commented cause none of them care what Balki thinks.

[CaptainHowdy2]

And another...

I should have said to the producers, “You get that guy in line, or I’m out of here.” Life’s too short. But the next movie I did, the director was getting a lot of cr.*p from his star, and he started to take it out on me one day, and just like a German shepherd—you know when a German shepherd stands up on its hind legs and puts its paws on your shoulders?

I put my hands on his shoulders and I very gently but firmly said, “I don’t do ab*se, and if you say one more word of ab*se to me, I’m on a plane, and you don’t have enough money to keep me here.” And that was the end of it, and I’ve never taken ab*se again. And I wasn’t v*le or anything, it just r*pped out of me. Denzel Washington cured me forever of thinking that there is any amount of money or anything that could ever, ever make it okay to be ab*sed.

[LCLA]

I assume you are referring to abuse. Why don't you just say abuse?

[CaptainHowdy2]

Because I can't always tell what words get moderated and my post was getting scrubbed.

[CaptainHowdy2]

In fact, here is a relevant quote from him...

"Am I not supposed to say these things? Because it is The Onion after all, the highest form of journalism. [Laughs.] I’m just kidding. One of the most freeing things about not being on a primetime sitcom that’s aimed at children is that you don’t have to edit so much. My God, back in the day, it was implicit that if you wanted to keep your job, you won’t say anything about anybody or tell the truth about anything."

[CaptainHowdy2]

Those criticizing Bronson should read the whole article before opening your mouths.

For those not bright enough to figure it out, this site AGGREGATES news from other sites and almost always uses the most inflammatory bits to create a buzz.

Anyway, in the complete article, he comes off very self deprecating and says many nice things about numerous people, not just critical comments.

I work in the film industry and i can attest that many well known stars are not the nicest people in the world. Most of the PR you read and hear is manufactured nonsense designed to sell product.

From my experience in the industry, he comes off as just being honest and straightforward. Something that is very rare in the business... and something I find rather refreshing.

[IMEHO]

This isn't a crew member that is coming out with these complaints. This is a failed actor who never made it. , big difference. When he was Balki or Serge was he being nice to the crew? He wasn't getting and fetching things for directors, he was on screen had a little bit of fame, couldn't manage to hang on to it, and now twenty years later he vents. Bitter much?

[Sobeton]

well said, and right on point.

[Chicago48]

Failed actor? He had quite a few years on a hit TV show....he's gay too so that may have caused him not to get work the way a Hetero actor would get work.

[fluffysue]

"Failed actor"? Seriously? If being on a hit TV show for 7 years, and having several movie roles, constitutes being a failure, I wouldn't mind being a failure like that.

What people are forgetting, is that he was *asked* these questions during the course of an interview (to which there was much more than the remarks the media has decided to jump all over.). He simply told it like he saw it, rather than sugar-coat it as so many would.

[LCLA]

Bronson Pinchot does sound like sour grapes in this article. I liked his roles in Beverly Hills Cop and as Balki (essentially the same character), but he's a one trick pony apparently. People would be smarter not to do these kinds of interviews.