r/todayilearned 1d ago

TIL Rob Lowe was uncredited in Tommy Boy (1995) despite having a major speaking role because at the time he was contractually obligated to a miniseries of The Stand. Instead of going through legal hoops to get out of it, he essentially agreed to be in the film as a favor to his friend, Chris Farley.

https://screenrant.com/behind-scenes-facts-about-making-of-tommy-boy-1995/#:~:text=Despite%20having%20a,friend%2C%20Chris%20Farley
3.1k Upvotes

51 comments sorted by

416

u/chillguy44 1d ago

“Did you eat a lot of paint chips when you were a kid?” He was great as the villain in Tommy Boy, still quote that sometimes when people do or say questionable stuff lol.

124

u/MechanicalTurkish 1d ago

“hahahahha!…. Why?”

72

u/No-Satisfaction9594 1d ago

"These shoes are worth more than your life."

31

u/dumperking 1d ago

Hey chuck-o! That doesn’t smell like mud

9

u/Clyde-A-Scope 1d ago

I quote this quite often.

7

u/Nakedsharks 1d ago

Whenever anyone ever asks me this question, I always respond "oh, you mean wall candy?"

153

u/myersjw 1d ago

Lotta people go to college for 7 years

Yeah they’re called doctors

34

u/Boboar 1d ago

Don't worry, they have a thin candy shell.

Your brain has a thick candy shell.

25

u/Kongbuck 1d ago

Did I catch a niner in there? Were you calling from a walkie talkie?

121

u/eastwest413 1d ago

Brothers don’t shake hands, brothers gotta hug!!

83

u/Black_Otter 1d ago

“Tough break, get drunk on me. Use the bucket to ice down your marbles, Yours, Z.”.

85

u/Petunio 1d ago

During production Farley & Spade got into a few arguments over who got to hang out with Rob Lowe, which seemed silly to Lowe but was apparently a huge deal to the guys.

"How's your precious Rob Lowe!" Went one of the arguments, "Guess who I was in the jacuzzi with? [...] Me and Rob" and that was another argument, and so on.

In hindsight they were both young, had to be together all the time on insane schedules and were definitely burned out.

99

u/jacksonvstheworld 1d ago

This reads like two guys doing a bit and Rob not understanding that it’s a bit

51

u/SneedyK 1d ago

Dudes name was literally RAW BLOW during the 1980s and he couldn’t understand why he was so popular

12

u/Ctotheg 1d ago

I feel like I missed the entire 80’s even though I was definitely there because I never realized this. 

2

u/rnilbog 10h ago

As soon as I saw the word literally I started reading this in Chris Traeger voice. 

8

u/Complex_Professor412 1d ago

They were filming Tommy Boy in Canada and flying back to New York for SNL twice a week. I can’t imagine the burn out.

208

u/Cool-Presentation538 1d ago edited 1d ago

And he doesn't have many speaking lines in The Stand

76

u/twoworldsin1 1d ago

Wait, wasn't he the deaf/mute guy?

94

u/thisisredlitre 1d ago

M-O-O-N, that spells deaf and dumb

12

u/pn_dubya 1d ago

This phrase has never left my head

34

u/BuffaloSoldier11 1d ago

He talks in a vision at the end I think

10

u/pygmeedancer 1d ago

Doesn’t he speak in like a hallucination or something?

12

u/Nayzo 1d ago

He has a Mother Abigail dream where he speak, and then I believe later Tom Cullen has a dream where Nick tells him what Stu needs for medicine.

9

u/pygmeedancer 1d ago

M-o-o-n spells amoxicillin

32

u/po3smith 1d ago

Even his characters introduction punching the kid through the glass, throwing them empty milk carton into the baby stroller... classic!

17

u/TekkenCareOfBusiness 1d ago

His friend? David Spade tells a story about a physical fight he and Chris had on the set of Tommy Boy that stemmed from Spade hanging out with Rob the previous night and not inviting Chris (because they assumed he was too jetlagged or something). Chris was jealous that Spade got to meet and hang out with Rob Lowe by himself. It ended up with Chris stepping on Spade's hand while he was crouching down eating a sandwich, and Spade tried to quit the movie before they eventually roped him back in.

It sounded like it was the 1st time either of them met him.

10

u/redditsuckz99 1d ago

He had good powder. I'd wanna chill with him too lol

6

u/AngkaLoeu 1d ago edited 1d ago

From what I've heard, David Spade had a wicked temper, so him and Farley must have been a volatile situation on that set.

4

u/LunarPayload 1d ago

But, Lowe was Farley's friend

33

u/almo2001 1d ago

How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe could rob Lowe's?

51

u/diegojones4 1d ago

Rob Lowe was on Wait Wait once and I was impressed. He seemed like a really nice guy and he was really funny.

24

u/blackadder1620 1d ago

wait wait don't tell me?
npr has a few bangers.

26

u/diegojones4 1d ago

Yeah. I got hooked on Car Talk, then Prairie Home Companion, Wait Wait, This American Life, All Things Considered. When I was single that was my weekend.

8

u/blackadder1620 1d ago

yeah same when i delivered pizza. i have a long commute now, no such thing as a fish is great too.

12

u/dkyguy1995 1d ago

NPR made me realize talk radio could actually be fun and not just Bob and Tom laughing because someone said boobs

3

u/blackadder1620 1d ago

Yup, also makes me irrational when a pledge drive happens.

-1

u/Theofeus 1d ago

Fun fact: he made a sex tape with a 16 year old when he was 24.

7

u/MyOtherRideIs 1d ago

That's not fun

-1

u/Theofeus 1d ago

The fun part is that this whole thread is loving him but people don’t seem to care.

6

u/-Wesley- 1d ago

You make it seem like it’s the same behavior as R Kelley. 

Why bother judging him based on his early 20s, when he’s literally been a good actor, sober and married for nearly 4 decades? 

1

u/LadybugGirltheFirst 7h ago

The stupid part is you thinking that his is relevant. It’s a 40-year-old story, and the girl lied about her age. Go be edgy somewhere else.

1

u/Theofeus 2h ago

As in she lied to him about it? Didn’t realize that was an excuse. Josh Giddey still gets booed every time he touches the ball in the nba

1

u/mitchkramer 20h ago

Rob was a little radioactive at that point. But then he leaned into it and made Bad Influence as the antagonist. I haven’t seen that in years but I remember liking it.

It was all good after that.

17

u/Greene_Mr 1d ago

They shot the movie in Ontario, and you can probably die of cirrhosis by taking a shot of vodka every time a Canadian actor appears in the film.

8

u/usernamegoodenuff 1d ago

"Honey , look at this human bomb on the news..."

"Huh...oh yeah, I buy brake pads off him. I thought we were watching cartoons...."

5

u/Hi-Scan-Pro 1d ago

Wait a minute, Lee Harvey.

1

u/EntertainmentQuick47 1d ago

Wasn’t he also in the 2000s version of Salem’s Lot?

-1

u/CiderMcbrandy 16h ago

money under the table is still a payday