LOS ANGELES — Actor Jim Belushi made a special appearance at The Landmark Theatres in West Hollywood at the end of his new film, “Wonder Wheel.” There was a special question-and-answer session between Belushi and an entertainment journalist from The Hollywood Reporter.
The plot follows the wife of a carousel operator, and her husband’s estranged daughter as they pursue the same man. The film is set in a 1950s amusement park on Coney Island. (Source: Wikipedia)
“I think the movie should be called ‘Love, Hope and Future,’ Belushi said during the Q&A session. “He wants it so badly. Then the Wonder Wheel goes around again. I thought I’m gonna have to gain some weight. So tough for me. I had one more piece of pizza and got my weight. I’m a little chatty because I’m excited to be in this film.”
Belushi was asked about working with director Woody Allen.
“He’s small–he was 81 and was very gentle and sweet. He’s particular. He said, ‘you’re going to work in the 1950’s on a carousel.’ I really had to prepare myself. I looked at the script and I went, ‘I got this.’ I walked in, I read it, and I got it.”
He also talked about working with fellow actress Kate Winslet.
“I walked up to her and said, ‘How do you do? I’m Jim Belushi.’ It was so beautiful to watch her act. I take my job very seriously as a supporting actor. My job is to make her look as good as possible. I studied for three months and walked on the set and there they are. Kate and I acted our asses off. Kate and I looked at each other and said we were just so damn good. Woody said, ‘Pick it up and act like normal people.’ He doesn’t want to see any acting and he was right.”
He also discussed why he chose to take the role of Humpty Rannell in the film “Wonder Wheel.”
“The hardest part of doing a role was that I personally had to go into my losses in life. I saw this character as Humpty Dumpty–big, hollow inside, kind of an eggshell, fragile. Humpty fell off the wall and was shattered when his wife died. It felt like a play to me. My ex-wife’s name was Shirley. The loss of Humpty’s wife shattered him. Then, the daughter leaving after that put Humpty off the wall. He was a drunk, he tore things apart and was a bit violent. Kate tried to put Humpty back. I was grateful for that. I don’t know if they had a great love or not–but they certainly saved each other’s lives.”
The final question was…what did you learn about yourself after doing this movie?
“I’m worthy to be with those people. You’re out of breath. I also learned that I have very very high standards for what I do and how to conduct myself. It was the most professional situation I’ve ever worked in. There was no chit chatting. It was so beautiful.”
Look for “Wonder Wheel” in select theaters nationwide. 101 minutes. Rated PG-13.