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Colin Hanks is reflecting on the way comedian John Candy was treated by the press during interviews in his heyday.
During a recent appearance on the “Happy Sad Confused” podcast, the 47-year-old filmmaker discussed the insensitive ways Candy was asked about his weight during interviews, calling it “heartbreaking,” and saying the line of questioning he endured “would not fly in this day and age.”
“That, particularly, was so soul-crushing to me, to see first off, how uncomfortable John was in an interview, and it was because, deep down, he knew, ‘They’re going to ask about my weight,'” he explained. “And you go, ‘Well, why is that a big deal?’ Well, when you see how people asked him about his weight, it all makes sense.”
The director of the new documentary, “John Candy: I Like Me,” said “that kind of stuff was just heartbreaking” but was ultimately “the kind of stuff I want to explore” in the film.
Colin Hanks found it “heartbreaking” how interviewers treated John Candy when asking about his weight. (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb; Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images)
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He also discussed the topic during an interview with Esquire in October, commending him for keeping his cool despite the way he was treated.
“But the thing about John is that he had every right to tell those people off, and yet he didn’t,” he said. “If they’re going to ask those questions, that’s on them. That was a very interesting way that he dealt with that. But again, all of that speaks to what the latter half of the film explores, those pressures. All those things add up.”
“That, particularly, was so soul-crushing to me, to see first off, how uncomfortable John was in an interview, and it was because, deep down, he knew, ‘They’re going to ask about my weight.'”
In the documentary, which was also produced by Ryan Reynolds, audiences will get an inside look at the life, career and death of the legendary comedian, who died of a heart attack at the age of 43 in 1994. The documentary features interviews from those who knew him, including Bill Murray, Catherine O’Hara and Steve Martin, with his children, Jennifer Candy and Chris Candy, serving as producers.
“The documentary highlights how he did think he was on borrowed time,” Chris, 41, told Fox News Digital.
John Candy is seen here in Los Angeles, circa 1990. In the documentary, “John Candy: I Like Me,” friends described how the star struggled with crippling anxiety during his final years. (Steve Schapiro/Corbis via Getty Images)
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“One of the main things that I really appreciate and take away from this film is that he really was trying to turn the boat around toward the end of his life,” he added. “He was taking better care of himself. But it takes a long time to really do that effective work. And of course, we wish we had gotten more of that time. But the fact that the effort was there, the attempt was there on a real level, was, I think, the main goal of what we wanted to get out about our dad.”
In the documentary, audiences learn that John’s struggle with anxiety was at its worst towards the end of his life, but kept his struggles to himself. Chris told Fox News Digital that while “he never talked about it,” they “knew it was happening.”
During a Q&A and screening of the documentary in New York on Oct. 9, Chris also spoke about the way his father was asked about his weight, admitting he “was kind of shocked to see how interviewers treat him.”
“I learned through the process of this that he was so nervous about eating in front of people because of the paparazzi,” he said per People. “He developed a poor eating habit where he’d be like, ‘Alright, well I’m not going to eat all day. I’m going to eat at night when I get home and I’m in privacy.’ When I hear stories like that, I just feel so bad for him.”
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Candy made his big break into movies with Splash (1984). (Everett)
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The comedian rose to fame and established himself in the world of comedy as a main cast member on “SCTV” from 1976 to 1984, where he created many iconic characters.
After a few small roles in films during the late 1970s and early 1980s, he made his breakthrough in Hollywood in films such as “Splash,” “Spaceballs” and “Uncle Buck.” His final on-screen role was in the 1994 movie, “Wagons East!” which was released five months after his death.