Elvis is Dead, but James Dean, Marilyn Monroe and Freddie Prinze Aren't

On a recent sunny afternoon, Jeffrey Lantos met Freddie Prinze in Venice, California. Lantos told us, "He's a big man, bigger than he looks on screen. He's also a musician, and before the afternoon was over, he jammed with two street musicians using, as an instrument, only his fingers, his lips, and a rubber band. Prinze looks more at peace than at any other time in his long career. Gone are those involuntary tremors and the hollow-eyed look of terror. This is a man who's finally capped the runaway gusher of his life."

Movieline: Freddie, take us back in time, if you will, to the days and weeks immediately following the hunting accident...

Freddie Prinze: Well, the show was cancelled...

Q: "Chico and the Man."

A: Right.

Q: The only show in history to be axed after winning the top spot in the Nielsen ratings.

A: Yeah, you know my getting shot led the networks to rewrite all their contracts. Now no stars are allowed to pick up a gun, or wear orange vests, during the run of a hit show. It's called the Prinze Rule.

Q: That was 1977, and for several months, you dropped from sight. What did you do during that time?

A: I took a long rest. I had my body realigned, I changed my eating habits, and I did some regional theater.

Q: Where?

A: I'm not sure. It was a wet region, though. I remember that.

Q: And then you got the lead in Saturday Night Fever. How did that happen?

A: It's strange the way things go down in the business. I've never told anyone this story before, but - yeah, what the hell, why not? I'd known Travolta for a few years. You know, we'd both hit the jackpot on television, and we were hanging out in the same joints. So anyway, I'm dating this chick who works at Paramount, and one night I go over to pick her up, and who should open the door? Travolta, and he's wearing nothing but a doily. So I tell him to get lost, and he tells me to sit on it and rotate, and I throw a punch, and he counters, and next thing I know, we're dukin' it out, and then I get him down and am whopping the shit out of him with this big book - a catalogue from the Edward Hopper retrospective. And finally John yells, "Stop!" He says to me, "Look, I was just offered the lead in Saturday Night Fever. You take it, and leave me the girl." I agreed, and that's how I broke into features.

Q: You not only broke in, you ended up with an Oscar nomination.

A: Yeah, that was a great moment, not only for me but for all the people of Latin America. And while I have a moment, I just want to say, Viva Fidel! Viva la Sandinistas! Viva la Revolucion! [pause] I shoulda won that Oscar, too. Those old farts in the Academy just didn't dig disco.

Q: Your dancing in the film was magnificent. Are you a trained dancer?

A: No, I worked with Hermes Pan for three months before shooting began.

Q: How did you find Hermes?

A: In the Yellow Pages.

Q: C'mon.

A: It was a joke, okay. Take it easy. I'm nervous. When I'm nervous I make these little quips.

Q: What are you nervous about?

A: I guess, even now, I'm not completely comfortable with myself yet. Part of me is still that little street urchin from San Juan. The whole Hollywood trip is unreal. I keep waiting to be arrested for trespassing.

Q: Are you in therapy?

A: Yes, and I think everyone else should be, too.

Q: You followed up Saturday Night Fever with American Gigolo. Why?

A: I'd always wanted to work with Lauren Hutton.

Q: What did you see in her?

A: Nothing. So I figured I'd really stand out. No, I'm joking. I love Lauren. I slept with her a few times, and she showed me some wonderful new positions. We discussed doing the sequel together, but then the film kind of fizzled. I think there was too much emphasis on the clothes and the cars and the interior decorating. Paul [Schrader] forgot that he had to tell a story.

Q: How did you like working with Paul?

A: I didn't. He takes no joy in the little things. One day, I said to him, "Paul, look at that sunset." And he looked and just shrugged. I can't relate to that. Where's the passion? There's no passion in his films. There's just violent retribution.

Q: Then you demonstrated your versatility by directing Zoot Suit. Was that your first directing job?

A: I had directed a few spots for Greenpeace, but that was my first feature.

Q: In 1982, you surprised everyone by moving back to New York and doing Waiting for Godot, off-Broadway.

A: That happened because Sam Beckett called me and said he had me in mind when he wrote the role of Estragon. It was a lie, of course, but I was willing to believe it, because I wanted to do the play. Afterwards, we became good friends, and Sam was one of the principal investors in my restaurant.

Q: That's "Chico's on the Strip."

A: Right.

Q: Why the restaurant business, Freddie?

A: Preston Sturges did it, so I figured why not me? And you know for someone, like myself, who doesn't like to go home to an empty house, it's good to have a place to hang out with young committed actors like Lou Diamond Phillips.

Q: Why don't you like to go home?

A: Lotta demons, man. It's tough to be a rich Puerto Rican, okay? I feel best when I'm giving it away. I just sent Cesar Chavez $1 million and a decent sport coat.

Q: Chico's does not serve alcohol. Is that a result of your stay at the Marilyn Monroe Clinic in Rancho Mirage?

A: Yeah. Any recovering alcoholic gets a 20 percent discount at Chico's. Chevy and Liza were in the other night.

Q: What contributed to your drinking problem?

A: I took on too much. You know, when you've been poor, there's always this feeling that you can never have enough. So I was reluctant to turn anything down. I had just come off Romancing the Stone...

Q: From what I hear, you were not the first choice for that project.

A: Right. Michael Douglas was signed, and they were two and a half weeks into shooting when he came down with dengue. They couldn't wait for him to recover, because Kathleen [Turner] had to go right onto a Ken Russell film. Tom Berenger wanted the role and was lobbying hard, but the producers didn't want to risk putting another gringo in the jungle.

Q: And two years later, you did the sequel...

A: Yeah. The Jewel of the Nile. Mediocre script. The best part of that shoot was that I got to meet President Sadat, and I gave him $1 million. But you know, even Jewel of the Nile was a great experience compared to doing "Miami Vice" - I compare everything in my life to that low point.

Q: No one thought you'd tackle another series after your experience on "Chico and the Man." What attracted you to "Miami Vice"?

A: The only series I'd ever done had been shot on location, and Universal told me I'd love doing "Miami Vice" because it was done on location. I didn't know what to expect. I never really adjusted to the difference. It was hot, the shootouts and chases required a lot of energy, there were drugs on the set, there was no live studio audience, and then I made the mistake of falling in love with Don Johnson. Don is a narcissist, so there was no room for me in the relationship, and I took his rejection hard. I left the show after one season, and Eddie Olmos took my place. I went into rehab, and when I came out I was finally aware of my limitations. I could say no.

Q: You reportedly turned down several plum roles.

A: A vegetable I could play, but not a plum.

Q: Were you offered Old Gringo?

A: Yes, but I just wasn't ready. It was hard to pass that up, because I was dying to work with Greg Peck. We met during Gore Vidal's senate campaign. Greg's a wonderful human being, and a terrific lawn bowler.

Q: Did you also say no to "L.A. Law"?

A: Yeah, Steve [Bochco] sent me a blank check, and told me to fill in the amount. I had to say no, because I wasn't ready to get back into the weekly grind of a series. Also, I was six weeks into writing a script that's been very close to my heart for many years. Now, the script's almost done, and I hope to direct and star in it.

Q: Can you give us a hint?

A: It's The Geraldo Rivera Story.

Jeffrey Lantos interviewed Penny Marshall for our December issue.

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Photography by Gary Taylor, Collectors Bookstore

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