Gary Coleman’s unlikely role on ‘Bowfinger’
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We noted Friday that former child star Gary Coleman had a very tenuous connection to the feature-film world. But we neglected to mention one role: as a security guard on the 1999 Hollywood parody ‘Bowfinger.’
Like, an actual security guard.
Coleman wasn’t in the film -- he was guarding the area where it was being shot. Few were more surprised to find Coleman in that position than comedian and actor Jamie Kennedy, who costarred in the movie. On Friday afternoon, when Coleman died in a Utah hospital days after suffering a brain hemorrhage, we spoke to Kennedy -- who is promoting his new film, ‘Finding Bliss’ -- and asked him to elaborate on his encounter with the diminutive actor.’That was like the most star-studded movie I had ever been on as a young kid, and I’ll never forget getting on set and seeing Gary Coleman was our security guard,’ Kennedy recalled. ‘I was like, ‘What are you doing here? You should be in the movie.’ And he said, ‘I need a job, man.’ I was like, ‘But you’re Gary Coleman.’ And he said, ‘That don’t mean [crap].’’
Kennedy said he admired Coleman, who he grew up watching on TV as a child. ‘It’s so sad,’ he said. ‘The poor kid was tortured. He was burned by this world.’
-- Amy Kaufman