Liza Minnelli Helped Todd Field Get His Start In Movies Because She Liked His Coat
Todd Field's "Tár," easily one of the best films of 2022, was a long time in the making. It is the first feature film Field made since "Little Children," which came out in 2006. In the intervening 16 years, Field attempted to make multiple projects, most of them based on his favorite books, to no avail. Among the filmmaker's unmade projects were an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian," a political thriller he co-wrote with Joan Didion, an autobiographical film about his childhood experiences working for the defunct Portland baseball team called the Mavericks, and a biography of Bowe Bergdahl, an American prisoner of war. It wouldn't be until "Tár" that his filmmaking career would finally pick up again, his third feature as a director, having made his debut in 2001 with the Best Picture Oscar nominee "In the Bedroom."
Prior to 2001, Field appeared in numerous films as an actor. Most notably, he appeared as the jazz pianist in "Eyes Wide Shut" — the one who directs Tom Cruise to the film's masked orgy — as well as Jan de Bont's outsize 1999 remake of "The Haunting." Field began his acting career in the mid-1980s, appearing in the Canadian hockey drama series "He Shoots, He Scores" and, more notably, Woody Allen's nostalgia piece "Radio Days." In a recent interview with the New Yorker, Field, now 58, recalls his early days in the business. He tells a story about how when he was just starting out, he caught the eye of one Liza Minnelli who, thanks to his dapper coat, literally put him in a potential manager's field of vision. The coat, and a little white lie, got Field his leg up as an actor.
I make martinis all the time
The story goes that when Todd Field was 19, he moved to New York to pursue acting. Sometime in 1983, the aspiring performer went to the Safari Grill to apply to be a bartender. The Safari Grill was a swank California-style restaurant that was frequented by New York's celebrities at the time. By 1988, the restaurant was transformed by owner David Keh into a Chinese bistro, but when Field was seeking a job, it was still the hot scene for the Broadway theater crowd. It offered beluga caviar for $36 a serving. Field said that he was waiting for about an hour to be interviewed for the bartending position when Liza Minnelli, then working on "The King of Comedy," took a look at him and called him over. Minnelli complimented his coat. Field didn't say what kind of a coat it was. Regardless, he also found himself standing in front of Minnelli's dining companion, showbiz manager Jimmy Connors.
The manager at the Safari Grill saw that Field was talking to Minnelli and Connors and was intrigued. When Field talked to the manager, he declared that he already knew how to mix a martini, even though he had no real bar experience. He was hired as a bar manager on the spot. As the Safari's bar worker, Field was now frequently in contact with many celebrities. In Field's own words, "It was a big celebrity hot spot. Mike Nichols would come in. Meryl Streep would come in and hand me scripts and say, 'Would you put these behind the bar?' So I met everyone."
Becoming recognizable by the New York acting scene — even as a member of the waitstaff — led directly to Field's first major film gig.
'Todd! I've been trying to find you!'
Of course, working as a bartender gave Todd Field an opportunity to listen for any upcoming auditions. When he heard that "Radio Days" was casting nearby, the young actor decided to give it a shot. Field was not yet a member of SAG, however, and wouldn't be permitted to act in a major studio feature film unless he paid to become a member. Once again committing an act of harmless subterfuge, Field went to the "Radio Days" audition, snuck into the side of the building, and slipped his headshot to the casting director.
He was recognized. As it so happens, the casting director of "Radio Days" was a man named Todd Thaler, who frequently held parties at Field's place of employment. "Todd," he said, "I've been trying to find you." Another fashion choice of Field's — his slicked-back hair — immediately put him in the front running for the role of "crooner," a Frank Sinatra-like role. The next day, he met with the film's director, sang a song, and landed the part. To give credit to Field's actual talent, he must have acted and sung quite well. It wasn't completely happenstance that landed him his role.
Field would go on to act for notable directors like Dyan Cannon, Carl Franklin, Roland Joffé, Nicole Holofcener, and Penelope Spheeris, among others. He also appeared in episodes of "Roseanne" and Tales from the Crypt." His last acting gig was voicing the anthropomorphic mound of kitchen mold named Ol' Drippy in "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." He then stepped away from acting to work on his writing and directing. If Oscar buzz is to be trusted, "Tár" will be nominated for multiple awards.