In 2000, actor and comedian Connor Ratliff booked a small role on HBO’s Band of Brothers. But the day before he was scheduled to shoot his scenes, he was fired from the miniseries supposedly because creator Tom Hanks thought he had “dead eyes.” Ratliff, understandably, has spent the last 20-plus years thinking about what one of the world’s most famous actors — and a famously nice guy, at that — has against his eyes.
So, he made a podcast about it.
Over the course of 30 episodes of Dead Eyes, Ratliff has spoken to Rian Johnson, Seth Rogen, Jon Hamm, D’Arcy Carden, Aparna Nancherla, and Judd Apatow, among others, about why Hanks fired him. It’s also a podcast about rejection, and although “not everyone has one that is so star-studded,” Ratliff told Vanity Fair, “everybody has some story like, ‘Boy, I really was feeling good and confident. And then I got thrown for a loop.’”
On Wednesday’s episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, Ratliff revealed that he finally got in touch with Hanks and booked him for an episode of the podcast. “On March 10, for our 31st episode, our season three finale will feature my conversation with Tom Hanks,” he said, adding that “we hash out everything.” Here’s more with Vanity Fair:
“I was always of the mindset that if he remembers — great, because we’re gonna hear his side of it. If he doesn’t remember, then that’s also great. As long as we can unpack it. What we arrived at in the interview is completely satisfying to me. It was not what I expected. He did not hold back.”
You can watch the Late Night interview above, and listen to Dead Eyes here.
Also, be sure to check out the hilarious The George Lucas Show, where Ratliff plays “retired filmmaker” George Lucas. Here’s the kind of madness you should expect:
(Via Vanity Fair)