INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MALLORY ASHER 

BY: TERRY L. DUFOE

TERRY: You came from a very famous family. What was it like for you growing up 
in a Hollywood family?

JOHN: Huh in a Hollywood family.....? You know what? You see for me I would say 
it was no different than a kid growing up in any other family except that my 
parents were at work all the time and I would go... Well screw it... No it is 
different! I take that back. Um, no actually it is different because you go to 
the set with your parents, and your hanging on the set with your parents. I 
actually went to school on the sets which was fun and I got a chance to learn 
every department inside and out but the love is there, that's the most important 
thing. My dad got a chance to take us out to baseball games and the whole nine 
yards and Christmas was crazy at our house because there was eight kids at the 
time so um, huge Christmas trees, and my mom was church going so that was 
interesting. We would always go to Christmas Mass and the whole nine yards but, 
back to a Hollywood family...

TERRY: Did any of your brothers or sisters become interested in the business?

JOHN: I am the only one in the family that really turned out interested in the 
film business other then my sister Rebecca. Actually my sister Rebecca is now 
writing and she's a script supervisor. She's going to script supervise a film 
that I am directing shortly. Which I'm not going to give any title of it but, as 
soon as it comes out I will do another interview and I'll pump it up huge. It's 
going to be a cross between "FARGO" and "SWINGERS" I guess and "THE BIG PICTURE" 
It's three movies in one!

TERRY: Well you get more for your money that way.

JOHN: I hear ya!

TERRY: I can imagine it is quite overwhelming being raised in a home with 
several Emmys on the fireplace mantle but, despite that you sound like you feel 
that your mom and dad went way out of their way to provide as normal of a 
childhood as possible for the Asher children.

JOHN: Absolutely, absolutely. I think it's different in the business, it's 
different you know when your dad's directing and he comes home late at night, he 
doesn't come home early you know but, we would always do stuff together, you 
know the family always did stuff together. We would take trips to Aspen 
together. I would say it was more extravagant than a normal family, you know 
what I mean. It was more going on and I would always find it fascinating. I 
think they tried to keep me away from the business as a matter of fact my mom 
sent me to chef school to get a chef's license in case acting didn't work out 
but it was my mission to show her that it would work out and also I want to 
follow in my dad's foot steps I want to direct, and I've already directed one 
feature. It's called "Counterfeit" I can tell you the name of that. Corben 
Bernson starred in that along with Hillary Swank ("The Next Karate Kid") and 
that's going to be out on video probably I guess June or something. Live 
Entertainment has it right now.

TERRY: What's the basic plot line to that?

JOHN: It's an erotic thriller. The basic plot line ummm.... girl comes home, her 
brother's a detective, her brother gets killed over counterfeit money and she 
was in the closet hiding and she saw what happened so she has to solve the 
murder, figure out who these people are, and it turns out that the police 
department is really involved in the whole thing, that their crooks so it's 
twisty.

TERRY: "Weird Science" was a comedy. Are you more interested in comedy then 
drama?

JOHN: Uh.. The movie you see that I am about to do I just wrote, which is the 
first thing I've ever written and it's laced with comedy. It's a dark comedy and 
I love comedy. I think comedy is great. I think comedy is a lot harder then 
drama you know. I can throw a cat in front of a car and make you cry or make the 
cat dance a jig, you know what I mean? Two different worlds. Comedy is very 
difficult and there are people out there like Robin Williams that just know how 
to get it out of you, how to get the laughs out of you. I used to use comedy as 
a defense mechanism, you know. When I meet people it's easier for me to make 
them laugh because it breaks the ice rather then to be serious.

TERRY: Are you afraid of getting type cast in comedy because of doing shows like 
"Weird Science?"

JOHN: No, not at all. The acting business is what you make it, you know It's a 
hard thing to say at the same time because, you know, it's like if you wanted a 
job at McDonalds, or anywhere... A fast food restaurant. You would go, you would 
apply for the application and they would say; "O.K. well thank-you, we'll call 
you in a couple of days." Well, imagine doing that all year long until you 
finally book something. So your doing it literally hundreds of thousands of 
times, you know what I mean? Or Thousands and thousands of times until finally 
someone says; "Oh, your right for this." It's a big grind. It's a major grind. 
So I am typically seen as more of a comedian because of the way that I carry 
myself and probably because of the way that I am physically built. You know what 
I mean? I think I stand out. I don't think I'm a leading man type of guy.

TERRY: Well, you never know.

JOHN: Well, you never know.

TERRY: Your wife is an actress too isn't she? She's actually been in "Weird 
Science" I believe. 

JOHN: Yep, Yep. She's done seven episodes of "Weird Science".

TERRY: What other things has she done?

JOHN: Uh.."90210", Uh.."90210". What else has she done? Help me. Uh.. She's done 
a couple of features. This is bad, this is bad P.R. for my wife. (laughs) She's 
going to star in my movie, that's a good thing. Um...but she's guest starred on 
like a ton of stuff I just can't think of it all off the top of my head.

TERRY: Now on your answering machine you mention "What If Productions." or 
something like that.

JOHN: "Whatever Entertainment."

TERRY: O.K., What is this all about? Is this your movie production company?

JOHN: Uh.. Yeah. It's the company that's basically going to do everything. 
Entertainment, all encompassing and that's the title "Whatever Entertainment."

TERRY: Do you have any fear of branching off and doing all this on your own 
rather then just being an actor?

JOHN: No, not at all. I love it. I love being behind the camera. I've also 
talked to one of the producers of the movie we're about to do and she wants me 
to act in it as well as direct it, and I think that's extremely hard to do and I 
admire people that can do it. I guess I have to find either a first A.D. or 
somebody that I can trust that's going to look at me and say; "You know that was 
a good take John." because I don't think it's fair for me to go; "Oh, that was a 
great take." and move on.

TERRY: Do you think an actor makes a better director because he can relate to 
the actors better?

JOHN: Absolutely, absolutely. There are two types of directors. There are 
technical directors and there are acting directors, and sometimes your fortunate 
enough to meet a technical, acting director which is someone that's going to 
deliver something that moves and tells the story properly which also is somebody 
that can talk to the actors, and get the emotions out of them that need to get 
out and I think being an actor it's easier for me to get the emotions out of 
actors. Having my dad has made me a technical director as well. So, I'm not 
saying I'm both but, I'm just saying that's what I hope to be, you know. I think 
um.. you know Woody Allen is a good example of that, um.. He's an amazing 
technical director at the same time he knows how to get all the energy out of 
the actors.

TERRY: Do you enjoy being in front of or behind the camera more?

JOHN: It's crazy. The first time I directed the first feature film I ever 
directed which was "Counterfeit". The first day on the set my heart was pounding 
so fast that I actually had a paramedic come to the set and check me out, 
because my heart rate was just out of control, but at the same time you can't 
get that feeling from anything else! It's like falling in love. You have that 
feeling just once. You know, when you really fall in love. So I think that's 
what a lot of directors feed off of, you know, but they like to tell their 
stories at the same time. I feed off of it because I love the energy behind 
directing. I also like the energy of acting because I like to be able to make 
somebody cry or laugh. So it's a toss up between the two! I really like them 
both.

TERRY: Your dad told me that you came to him and told him that you wanted to be 
an actor and he said that he really wouldn't wish that on anybody, but he could 
see the extreme love in you because you were always technical in the fact that 
you took everything apart and had to know how it worked and so forth. Would you 
agree with that comment?

JOHN: Absolutely, absolutely.

TERRY: I understand your mother didn't encouraged you.

JOHN: No, neither of them did. It's tough, I mean my mom, here's a good example 
of what happened to my mom. She was up for Mrs. Brady ("The Brady Bunch") and 
she had signed all the papers, she had been to wardrobe fittings, the whole nine 
yards and the next day Sherwood Schwartz called her and told her that they went 
with somebody else. (Florence Henderson) Now the bad part about this is, it 
happens a lot. It's like going to network it's you up against three people, but 
the bad thing is that they used all of my moms beats and timing from her reading 
and gave them to the other actress.

TERRY: To Florence?

JOHN: Yes. So, that is tough and I don't think she wanted to see me go through 
that. She knows how tough it is! I think my dad on the other end being a 
director knows how he is with other actors and that at the same time it's tough. 
I remember I read for one thing that my dad directed called: "Return To Green 
Acres" and he left the room when I came in to read because he didn't want to be 
responsible for the yay or the nay. So, I got it, and it made me feel better 
that he left the room because there's a lot of people out there I think that get 
breaks in the business because their parents are in the business and I really 
did not get any breaks that way. The only thing I did get is great people to 
read with. You know when I had sides and stuff I needed to learn I would go in 
and talk to my dad and he'd say; "Oh, do this, do that, do this." The only 
problem was when they both came in at the same time they would never help me out 
(laughs) because they would end up arguing with each other. "Well, I think this 
and I think that." So I was like; "Well forget it."

TERRY: Did you ever become nervous reading in front of your dad considering his 
back ground in movies and T.V.?

JOHN: In front of my dad? No. I used to read, if I had a part to read for the 
next day, I used to read it in front of them, just to get their opinion. I think 
they are the toughest to perform for, but you know at the same time I want to 
make them proud. You know another thing, I don't know, I just love directing!

TERRY: Did you have any reservations about taking on the role of Gary Wallace 
for the USA Network series "Weird Science" considering the role had already been 
established in the 1985 John Hughes movie by brat packer Anthony Michael Hall?

JOHN: Umm.. no. The only reservation I had is that Anthony Michael Hall in my 
eyes is amazingly talented. Amazing. His timing is impecible. He's his own 
entity. I think I felt like I had some major shoes to fill. If there was any 
concern at all it was that concern and then I realized well I can make this 
character my own now because it wasn't "Weird Science" the movie. It was its own 
entity and I think in the series I had to bring my own stuff to it. I had to 
make it a new Gary Wallace and a new type of person and I don't know if I did it 
as well. I would never compare it to him, because he's by far phenomenal.

TERRY: We heard that Anthony Michael Hall visited you on the set of "Weird 
Science" and he wanted a part on the show.

JOHN: Yeah, he was. Yeah actually he had mentioned if there was something guest 
starring maybe we could play brothers or if there was the possibility of 
directing an episode he'd like to direct it, but nothing really came of it.

TERRY: As fans of the show we always thought it would be great if Lisa the 
computer genie zapped Gary into aging and Anthony could have played a grown up 
you. As he is older it would have worked.

JOHN: Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

TERRY: So nothing ever happened like that? As we don't know what the remaining 
episodes are.

JOHN: No, no nothing ever happened like that.

TERRY: Can I ask you what the last episode is going to be. Do they end it or do 
they just drop it off and not say anything? I asked Dan and he wouldn't tell us.

JOHN: Oh, oh, oh, so your trying to get it from me huh? 

TERRY: As this is the last season, you can tell us right?

JOHN: No I can't.

TERRY: Oh really?

JOHN: I can't tell you, I can't tell you what the last episode is. It's very 
cool though.

TERRY: Does it do something though?

JOHN: Something happens yeah.

TERRY: Well something happens like Lee said, usually you meet girls, but...

JOHN: Well think about it. You know, Gary and Wyatt have never had sex before so 
think long and hard.

TERRY: Oh, O.K.

JOHN: No pun intended O.K.! (laughs) But anyway just think about it and, you 
know.....

TERRY: Are you sad that the series is over?

JOHN: I'm.... I'm.....

TERRY: Do you think it's time to move on?

JOHN: I think it's time to move on. It's hard to do that broad of a character 
for that period of time. Ummm, but at the same time I liked it. Umm... but it's 
time to move on. I'm sad about the people, you know, I mean you really have a 
family environment so you start to miss everybody, but other then that I'm 
ready. I'm ready to move onto the next phase.

TERRY: Your dad told me something about you that was really quite personal that 
I wanted to mention and as I know how dads are sometimes, let me know if you 
don't want it revealed and I'll delete it from the tape. I certainly don't want 
to embarrass you.

JOHN: I'll kill him.

TERRY: Just let me know if you want me to remove it and it will come off the 
tape.

JOHN: I hear ya.

TERRY: I understand that you suffered with some learning disabilities. He 
mentioned Dyslexia.

JOHN: Yeah, yeah, I don't have a problem with that.

TERRY: Do you have a hard time with that?

JOHN: I... you know, I mean....yeah. I don't have a hard time reading any more. 
Just because I've been around so many scripts that I guess my brain went;.. 
"O.K. let's figure this out." but I can't spell at all. I spell phonetically 
which is the way it sounds and, umm. It bugged me when I was younger like when I 
was 13 or 14 it was really hard to deal with because in high school I used to 
get teased and the whole nine yards. It was tough in table readings, even table 
readings for "Weird Science". I mean, I can't... I'm not very good at cold 
readings. So when I go in for an audition I have to... I have to memorize it and 
go in and just do the best I can! Table readings were always cold, they would 
hand you a script and everyone would sit down and start reading and I would be 
like: "So W-Y-A-T-T-, how's - everything going?". You know everything would be 
very dry, and that kind of bugged me, but everybody on the cast and crew of 
"Weird Science" knew that I was Dyslexic, you know, so they didn't give me a 
hard time about it. I think that people are more accepting of it now that they 
understand it. Yeah, you know, I think it's just something that you have to 
learn to cope with.

TERRY: I understand your mother Joyce has set up a foundation for Dyslexia?

JOHN: Yeah.

TERRY: Bill couldn't remember too much about it.

JOHN: She's Vice President of the National Dyslexia Research Foundation.

TERRY: That's good. 

JOHN: Yeah, so it's cool. I mean they do research, and they're trying to figure 
things out. I mean a lot of people claim that they can cure Dyslexia with a 
pill, or medicine, or an inner ear operation. It's all horse shit, pardon my 
expression, but that's the bottom line. Umm.. you have to learn how to cope with 
it yourself. I have a friend of mine, he's actually around 18 years old and he 
has another friend that's about 16 that's still in high school and she makes fun 
of this girl that can't spell. I had to sit her down and explain to her that 
there's nothing funny about that. Oh well she says; "She's weird, but she's a 
great person to talk to.". Well you know Albert Einstein, Leonardo DaVinci, 
Thomas Edison,.. 

TERRY: Some of the greatest people in the world.

JOHN: Yeah, they're all Dyslexic. Tom Cruise is Dyslexic. So, you know, a lot of 
people are Dyslexic.

TERRY: This might be a stupid comment, but in the fact that it's made it hard 
for you, do you think it's also helped you in the fact that maybe you try 
harder? In your roles?

JOHN: Yea..Yea,,,Yeah. I guess yes and no. Sometimes you know, I read... oh 
that's a tough one! No, no, I don't think it does. I think it made me try harder 
in school, when academics were involved, but I think if there is something that 
a Dyslexic is honestly interested in, then they will apply 100 percent. Anyway 
that's what it was for me. It really just took teachers that had patience and 
understanding to get me motivated. Instead of reading a history book and going 
home and reading chapter 13 to 15 I would much rather have done an assignment 
like build this model. This one teacher was great, "Build this model." I loved 
building models, what kid didn't. "Build the model and tell me about how you put 
it together, and what it took to put it together." Now that for me was a cool 
assignment. I'm still doing reading comprehension & I'm building my vocabulary. 

TERRY: Yeah, right.

JOHN: There's a bunch of stuff that's incorporated with that, and it's the same 
thing with acting. I mean I love acting, so I guess I try being the best that I 
can be, you know, but everyday your learning.

TERRY: Yeah.

JOHN: There's no actor in the world that can imitate every person on this planet 
and everyday you learn. There's new timings, etc.

TERRY: Did you ever go to any type of acting classes or was it all through 
experience with watching your mom and your dad? Did it just come natural for 
you?

JOHN: No, no, I studied acting. I studied improvisation with Bill Hudnut of 
Paramount Studios at A.C.I. (Actors Center International) I did scene studying, 
I did everything. All kinds of stuff, only to keep myself in the grind, because 
if you notice there's some actors that leave the business for a while, they come 
back and their kind of like one note actors. They come back and it's the same 
performance. You have to evolve, that's what acting class does.

TERRY: This student film that you made they were telling me about, the first 
thing you did, the first thing that you directed, what was that all about?

JOHN: "The Room Key"?

TERRY: Yeah.

JOHN: Ummm.. That was interesting..My mom was in it, James McArthur from "Hawaii 
Five-O", is in it.

TERRY: Really?

JOHN: Yep.. My wife starred in it also. Uh.. That is quite simple; Two people 
wake up in a hotel room uh.. One is obviously older, one is a younger woman. 
They wake up and they freak out because each person thinks that it's their hotel 
room. So, their trying to blame each other for who, and what, and how the hell 
they got in there. What turns out is there's a dead body in the closet. Now they 
both don't want the room, they won't take credit for the room, so they start to 
leave the room and a thug comes in, or a hit man comes in, asks them where the 
body is, they point to the closet, he checks it out & asks "Who killed it?" They 
both point to each other, they don't want to take credit for that! He seys; "Ah, 
team work. I like that." So he gives them two million dollars, plus a bonus and 
leaves. Now they're stuck with all this money! They end up deciding their going 
to split the money. We dissolve & come to her palacial estate, and she's with 
her friend she asks about George who's the other guy and it ends up that she 
kills the older man for the money. It's a twist ending!

TERRY: I said student film, am I right in saying that?

JOHN: No, it was a film I funded myself.

TERRY: Was it one that was released in theatres?

JOHN: No, no, no. It was probably 20 minutes long.

TERRY: O.K. It's a short film.

JOHN: Yeah, short film and I used some of my "Weird Science" money and put it 
together and I had help from Panavision. I have a good friend over there; Tracy 
Langnut who set me up.

TERRY: Is this anything that might be seen like maybe on Bravo or The 
Independent Film Channel or something like that?

JOHN: If I ever finish it.

TERRY: It's not really finished?

JOHN: No...(Laughs) that's embarrassing too because I had some really great 
people working on it. I did the film, we went to the avids. Once I did the avid 
transfer, I showed it to some producers and they hired me for" Counterfeit" to 
direct that. So what happended is "Counterfeit" got in the way of finishing "The 
Room Key". All that has to be done in "The Room key" is have the negatives cut. 
I just have to finish the sound, so once the sounds done it's ready to go. So I 
guess I'll finish it soon.

TERRY: Do you think you will then?

JOHN: Yeah. I think so.

TERRY: Why not, you know.

JOHN: Oh I know. It's a good little piece. It's very cool.

TERRY: "Counterfeit" would be your second film?

JOHN: "Counterfeit" is my first full length feature.

TERRY: O.K.. The one after that would be?

JOHN: Can't tell you.

TERRY: You can't tell me?

JOHN: Can't tell you. We haven't started shooting yet. (turns to daughter 
Tiffany and seys) "He's a sneaky little bastard isn't he?" (laughs).

TERRY: What was this role you had in a martial arts film?

JOHN: Oh boy, Ummm..

TERRY: Is that one of those that kind of like gets dragged out of your closet?

JOHN: Ummm.. That was called "Showdown," and Billy Blanks was the star of that 
one. It toyed with the whole "Karate Kid" idea. It was fun. I played the side 
kick. I got to do some karate. 

TERRY: Do you know karate?

JOHN: I know a little bit of karate, but if anybody's reading this I don't want 
you to challenge me because I'm a weakling. I also did "Double Dragon" which was 
another film by the same company and that was fun. It had Scott Wolfe in it and 
Mark Discacsco and Robert Patrick, the guy from "Terminator" who played the cop.

TERRY: So you had a whole martial arts thing going there for a while.

JOHN: Well, no not really. I mean I'm not... (laughs) No, I played the goofy 
guys in those movies. I did some jumping around and stuff!

TERRY: Did you do your own stunts?

JOHN: Yeah. Yeah..

TERRY: Did you ever get hurt?

JOHN: Yep..

TERRY: What happened?

JOHN: I got hurt on "Weird Science" a few times just by being too crazy. Jumping 
around and jumping on counters and I've literally got a reel that's 2 1/2 
minutes long of me getting the crap kicked out of me. Just hits left, right, 
falling, everything. It's a lot of work.

TERRY: I know you did "Return to Green Acres" and I want to talk about that, but 
was there any other movies that you were in that you can mention?

JOHN: "Frozen Assets."

TERRY: O. K. What was that about?

JOHN: Well, that's about a sperm bank. A small town sperm bank. That had Shelley 
Long and Corben Bernson. I played Shelley's brother.

That was six years ago.

TERRY: I seen a film and the name escapes me and it was a haunted house movie 
and you were there as a date and you were thanking her for fixing your coat 
because you were cold......

JOHN: Oh, yeah.. I hear you! That was called: "The Haunting" That was a M. O. W. 
(Movie Of The Week) I just finished a cool series that I think is neat. I did 
the new Robert Ultman series, "The Gun Series." and that's with Daniel Stern. 
That's just a cameo, a small role. I play a stonier, so that was fun getting 
harassment.

TERRY: Do you like playing roles like that where it is really stretching?

JOHN: Oh yeah.. yeah! Absolutely yeah. I like anything that's challenging, 
goofy, or fun & I'll do it.

TERRY: Your dad said that in "Weird Science" he felt that they were doing all 
his old "Bewitched" scripts. What do you think of that?

JOHN: (Laughs) Oh, man dad.

TERRY: Of course he might have said the same thing about "I Dream Of Jeannie."

JOHN: Yeah.. I think that applies more to "Sabrina, The Teenage Witch"

then "Weird Science. I think, I don't know. You know, my dad he set such a 
legacy with "Bewitched", and "I Love Lucy" it's hard because life imitates art & 
art imitates art if you've noticed lately. Like I said, my film is going to be 
like "Swingers", "Fargo", and "The Big Picture." So, you know I'm not creative, 
but everything is just a new twist on an old story. That's what it is and I 
don't think we were ripping him off, but if we were, "I'm sorry dad." I had no 
idea.

TERRY: Do you think it would have been easier for you to break in to film as a 
director in your fathers drive-in movie era of the fifties and sixties?

JOHN: It would have been fun back then, I think, just because of old Hollywood! 
The attitude was so cool back then. The producers and everything, the companies, 
it was different. Everybody was there for the art. I thought that was cool, but 
I think the advantage of today is the technical advantage with all the things we 
can do with computers, and the risk people are taking. I think that's why 
independent films are so popular.

TERRY: Especially now.

JOHN: That's what old Hollywood was, and the big ones aren't doing it as big as 
they should and the little ones are doing a lot better.

TERRY: I don't know if you know about it, but I understand Lee Tergeson just had 
a film play at Sundance.

JOHN: Yeah he did. 

TERRY: So he's kind of into the independent thing there too then?

JOHN: Absolutely. Absolutely. As a matter of fact I got to get in touch with 
him. Maybe he'll do a small part in my thing, we'll see.

TERRY: You know that's a good question. Would you also give roles in your films 
to other "Weird Science" cast members or would you be afraid that fans of the 
series would label it as a "Weird Science" reunion?

JOHN: Absolutely I would. It would not happen that way. I wouldn't put all four 
of us in the same movie. I think that would be a little strange for people. You 
know Lee is a brilliant actor, Michael is a great actor, & Vanessa is a really 
talented actress. They're all great and they were all fun to work with. There 
wasn't a day that went by when they weren't there for me!

TERRY: You've got to have a great wife working with Vanessa the way you did. 
Vanessa Angel.

JOHN: Yeah, have a great wife, you mean not a jealous wife?

TERRY: That's the way... Well you put it the way I wanted to.

JOHN: I don't know, you got to talk to me here baby!

(LAUGHS) I'm right here! You know, it's all work. You know what I mean? I know 
people say "Oh, your so lucky", but you know it's like being married. After a 
while you get used to the person that's there. The first day Michael and I saw 
her (Vanessa) we were both flabbergasted, and wow!! Boy, oh boy, oh boy! She 
just ended up being a real professional and someone that was fun to work with. 
Just like work.

TERRY: I understand your wife's name is Vanessa which is a real coincidence 
because that's also the name of your co-star from "Weird Science" Vanessa Angel. 


JOHN: Yeah. 

TERRY: How long have you been married?

JOHN: For 2 years.

TERRY: For 2 years.. Do you ever plan on having any children yourself?

JOHN: I would love to someday, yeah.

TERRY: What about them in the business?

JOHN: Oh, I think if they want to do it, great!

TERRY: You would encourage them to be what? A director, producer, actor?

JOHN: What ever they want to do in the business I would definitely support.

TERRY: What part do you play in "Return To Green Acres?"

JOHN: I played... Gees Wees. Actually I play one of the kids in Hobart, that is 
the town. Such a long time ago. I played like an MTV fashion victim, and every 
time you saw me I had a different hair do. Whether it was a big pipe on the side 
of my head or a big pompadore.

TERRY: You've had a big thing throughout your career with hair haven't you? 

JOHN: Yeah, I guess people like to screw with my hair a lot. I've actually had a 
mohawk for "Double Dragon". I'd like to keep it steady for a while, for at least 
a year. (turns to Tiffany and asks; "Does this look alright?") 

JOHN: Yeah, I guess people like to screw with my hair a lot. I've actually had a 
mohawk for "Double Dragon". I'd like to keep it steady for a while, for at least 
a year. (turns to Tiffany and asks; "Does this look alright?") 

TERRY: Did you watch "Green Acres" as a kid?

JOHN: Yeah.

TERRY: How old were you when you were in the movie "Return To Green Acres"?

JOHN: Uh.. 17.

TERRY: Did you watch any of the reruns of "Green Acres" before you did the 
movie?

JOHN: Yeah, yeah, of course my character wasn't in the original "Green Acres". 
This was just like showing what has happened to "Green Acres" as time went on.. 
and they don't really tell who my parents are. I'm just kind of this goofy, 
moronic, kid running around. It was fun. Working with my dad was awesome!

TERRY: Your dad was telling me about the problems he had with Eddie Albert. Were 
you on the set when that happened?

JOHN: You mean with him falling asleep?

TERRY: No, well that's a new story there. What happened?

JOHN: Uh.. don't print that either!! Ummm. I have nothing to say about him. He's 
a great actor. What does my dad say?

TERRY: Well, Eddie Albert didn't want to do it and he had already signed the 
contract, so he had a heck of a time. I think Eddie was concerned that it wasn't 
going to be as good as the original "Green Acres" T.V. show. I was wondering if 
you were around when anything happened on the set where it might have influenced 
you and the way you treat actors today as a director.

JOHN: Umm.. no. Not at all. I really didn't notice anything.

TERRY: Your not copping out on me are you?

JOHN: No. I'm not copping out on you. I didn't get to work with Eddie all that 
much. TERRY: So did Eddie fall asleep on the set?

JOHN: I don't know... (Laughs) Is there an ATM around here?

TERRY: Well, he works hard.

JOHN: I hear ya. I hear ya.

TERRY: I understand you did a commercial for IBM?

JOHN: Oh yeah.. Joe Pica. I think he's the greatest commercial director in the 
world. I also did another one for him right after that, an Infinity commercial. 
Which was quite morbid. It's about a guy that wants to be buried in his car. So 
we're at the grave sight and he gets buried in his car, but his wife is crying 
and one guy turns to the other and says "Wow, she's really taking this hard." 
and the other guy says; "Well, she really loved that car."

TERRY: Are these commercials going to be airing now nationally?

JOHN: The IBM one is and I'm not sure what they're going to be doing with the 
Infinity, but they're both with Joe Pica.

TERRY: What are you doing in the IBM commercial?

JOHN: In the IBM commercial, I'm just one of the office guys. I come in and tell 
them what's wrong with the computers. Simple stuff. Good money, simple stuff.

TERRY: A lot of actors are doing commercials.

JOHN: Well, you know who Joe Pica is?

TERRY; No, not really.

JOHN: You don't? You don't know who Joe Pica is?

TERRY: Well, tell me. I'm here, talk to me!

JOHN: Joe Pica? Look at Entertainment Weekly, the guy is unbelievable! He did 
"Space Jam", he directed "Space Jam." He does all the Nike commercials. He does 
all the Pepsi commercials.

TERRY: Including the Michael Jackson one?

JOHN: That's correct. I believe. Don't quote me on that, because I'm not sure he 
did that one. I know that he's been doing them for ever. He has done every cool 
Nike commercial you've seen including the one with Air Jordon going in slow 
motion. I mean he's the ultimate director, he's awesome!

TERRY: Let me ask you this, a lot more well known actors are doing commercials 
now days. There was a time when actors wouldn't do commercials at all. Do you 
think it hurts or helps your career in any way what so ever? Or don't you think 
it matters?

JOHN: I don't think it matters. I don't think it hurts it at all.

TERRY: I've noticed that Michael's doing a commercial now too.

JOHN: Yeah, for Foot Locker. 

TERRY: Is there anything else you want to say?

JOHN: I'm better looking then Manasseri. I think. That's all I wanted to say. 
(Laughs) That you can print!

TERRY: Let me ask you, would you be interested in doing another sitcom?

JOHN: Absolutely, Absolutely! I would love to.

TERRY: More so comedy then something like "90210"? I know you've been on that 
show.

JOHN: Oh, blah! Yeah definitely. I would much rather do a comedy.

TERRY: Well, thank-you very much.

JOHN: No problem!

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