Sly, Arnold, Stella, and Timothy – A Legacy of Movie Greats with Robert Davi
Los Angeles, CA (April 16, 2024): A mentee to Frank Sinatra and Stella Adler. A friend to Sylvester Stallone and Timothy Dalton. With credits in over 130 films, a chart-topping jazz album, and a career spanning nearly 50 years, actor, musician, filmmaker, and all-around Renaissance Man, Robert Davi, has truly done it all.
This week, he joins Hollywood at Home to share captivating stories and sage advice from a life at the forefront of show business. Davi’s prolific filmography includes leading roles in defining hits such as The Goonies, License To Kill, and Die Hard, as well as new contributions to the cultural lexicon like Bardejov and Inside Man. His stories today go beyond a cursory behind-the-scenes glimpse of these famous sets. With his trademark no-holds-barred candor, he reflects on the movies and performances that have shaped the modern era of film.
Listen now at:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-storied-career-with-guest-robert-davi/id1521900273?i=1000652597431
For planned coverage, please link to:
http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast
Highlights from Hollywood at Home featuring Robert Davi:
When Ol’ Blue Eyes gave him life advice: “I did my first film in 1977 with Sinatra. He brought me into the business and mentored me over the years…The first day on the set, I had already shot, and he came up to me and said, ‘Your stuff is terrific.’ And he also said that I ‘was a forceps baby,’ because he had scars on his neck, and I had some scarring. He said, ‘Don’t let those things bother you. They’ll make you who you are.’”
On the powerful message of his new film, Bardejov: “I play this character who uncovers that they’re sending…over 300 girls to a work camp, a shoe factory. But it’s not a shoe factory; it’s a death camp. It’s Auschwitz. And then we come up with a plan…They form a resistance and they fight back. They don’t accept what’s happening…I read that script and it was just very powerful.”
The time he turned down Sylvester Stallone: : “I knew Sly for many years because my cousin – Richie Giachetti – was one of the greatest boxing trainers of all time. Sly and I came up at the same time…He wanted me to do Rambo, but I wanted to do Goonies instead. He was…disappointed for a couple of years. And then – finally – Expendables 3, he called up and said, ‘Hey, come on in and do this little bit. I’d like you to be part of this thing.’ And we had a great time. And he’s been a friend for many, many years.”
Creating a new kind of Bond movie with Timothy Dalton: “It was like a family – [with Albert] Cubby Broccoli, and John Glenn directed…Timothy [Dalton] was a terrific Bond, ahead of his time…because it was the first edgy Bond. We had gotten back to Fleming’s initial book, “Casino Royale,” and Fleming talks about how Bond and the villain are mirror images of each other. And that was the approach Timothy and I agreed on.”
Watching Die Hard with Arnold Schwarzenegger: “We became very good friends. We go see…Die Hard and…he leans over to me, and when my character makes that entrance,…he goes, ‘This is fantastic. You look great. I love this. Yeah, it’s great.’ And then as the character became dumber and dumber, he looks over at me, [and] keeps doing these double takes. He goes, ‘What’s going on with you? You idiot. What happened here? This is stupid now.’ I say ‘Arnold, it’s a movie. It’s the script.’ But that became a huge hit. And it continues on.”
On his mentor and Hollywood legend, Stella Adler: “Stella Adler used to stress: ‘Never feel less than or more than anyone else. I don’t care if it’s the Queen of England or the Prince of England or whatever.’ She said, ‘Equate with everyone you meet. We’re all the same.’”
More about Hollywood at Home:
Hosted by The Creative Coalition CEO Robin Bronk, “Hollywood at Home” brings listeners intimate portraits, key moments of discovery, and “art and soul” conversations with iconic entertainment industry personalities from the big screen to the boardroom, from L.A. to D.C. Listen now at http://thecreativecoalition.org/podcast.
Previous guests include Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), Marlee Matlin (“CODA”), Jason Alexander (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”), Alan Cumming (“Schmigadoon!, “The Good Wife”), Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond,” “The Middle”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Willie Garson (“And Just Like That…”), Colman Domingo (“Euphoria”), Kerry Ehrin (“The Morning Show”), Wendi McLendon-Covey (“The Goldbergs”), Ken Olin (“This is Us,” “Thirtysomething”), Anthony Rapp (“Star Trek: Discovery”), Grace Caroline Currey (Shazam!), and Alfre Woodard (Clemency, “Luke Cage”), among others.
More about The Creative Coalition:
Founded in 1989, The Creative Coalition is the premier nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization of the arts and entertainment community. The Creative Coalition also creates award-winning public service campaigns, including #RightToBearArts, to promote the efficacy of the arts. The Creative Coalition is dedicated to educating its members on issues of public importance. Actor Tim Daly serves as the organization’s President. For more information, visit https://thecreativecoalition.org.
Media Contact:
Max Jordan
mjordan@thecreativecoalition.org
C: 240-506-7913
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