14 DAY TRIAL // Those who remember Balki on the sitcom “Perfect Strangers” will be happy to hear that the actor playing him, Bronson Pinchot, is again in the spotlight. This time, though, it has nothing to do with his funny side, as The Huffington Post can confirm, since Pinchot is out to draw some blood and has set his sight on his former co-stars, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington and Bette Midler.
Working with A-list stars can be difficult, it was said in the past. However, from what Pinchot reveals, “difficult” is quite an understatement, as he can confirm from his own experience after working with the above-mentioned stars. Fans might believe that they are all very professional and kind on the set, he says, but the truth is that they’re a pain to be around because they can’t and won’t see anyone aside from their own person.
Tom Cruise, for instance, with whom Pinchot worked on “Risky Business,” would always make homophobe jokes on the set, which would put everyone involved in the hot seat, not knowing how to react. He has also been considered “the biggest bore on the face of the Earth” and “tense,” making even the smallest thing awkward for everybody else. The same goes for Oscar-winning Denzel Washington, with whom Pinchot appeared in “Courage Under Fire,” yet another A-lister with a good reputation, who is a horrible person on the set, Pinchot says.
“Denzel Washington was behind the incredibly cowardly bull[expletive] of ‘This is my character, not me.’ He was really abusive to me and everybody on that movie, and his official explanation was that his character didn’t like me, but it was a dreadful experience. I spent my salary on time with my shrink just for helping me get through it... The script supervisor on that movie said it’s like watching somebody kick a puppy. He was so vile.” Pinchot recollects.
Bette Midler also gets a lot of flack for basically being a diva and rolling her eyes every time the director would offer indications on the set of “The First Wives Club.” The only star that Pinchot admires is Tom Hanks, whom he describes as the sweetest, most kind-hearted person to have ever walked the earth.