The Brutally Funny Only Murders In The Building Scene Steve Martin Personally Pitched
If "Only Murders in the Building" really is the end of the line for Steve Martin (so far as his acting career goes, mind you), then he'll certainly bow out strong. The thoroughly delightful mystery-comedy series had doubled as a showcase for the multi-hyphenate's many talents as an artist, from his musical skills to his knack for slapstick.
"Only Murders in the Building" takes place in the fictional Arconia, an apartment building in New York City's Upper West Side with a sordid history that belies its opulent exterior. The show follows three of the Arconia's residents — washed-up 1990s TV star Charles-Haden Savage (Martin), overly-ambitious Broadway director Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and troubled young woman Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) — as they bond over their shared love of true-crime podcasts. When one of their neighbors dies under suspicious circumstances, the unlikely trio take it upon themselves to start a podcast about their subsequent investigation.
As it turns out, their home (like the real-life building that inspired it) is way more susceptible to homicides than the three of them could've ever imagined.
Among the most memorable moments in the show so far is a scene in the season 1 finale, wherein Charles has only just deduced the identity of the killer he and the others have been tracking all season ... but not before they manage to drug him, leaving him in what could best be described as a cartoonishly drunken state. What follows is a genuinely hilarious sequence that proves Martin hasn't lost a step when it comes to physical comedy, even now in his mid-70s.
The best part? It was Martin's idea to do the whole thing himself.
'Please, let me just try this'
Are you familiar with the scene in "The Wolf of Wall Street" where Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio), high on quaaludes, is no longer able to walk or talk and has to flop his way down a flight of stairs before dragging himself across the ground to reach his car? Think that only with Steve Martin grunting and flopping about on the floor of Charles' apartment in the Arconia as he attempts to make his way into the closest elevator, his neighbors passing by and turning their noses up at what they presume is merely drunken conduct on his part.
This sequence would have been hard enough for any actor to perform, much less one Martin's age. Nevertheless, he was determined to do it himself when the "Only Murders in the Building" writers ran it by him. He explained to The Hollywood Reporter (laughing as he did):
"They write these things high, essentially, and then you have to do it. I didn't want it to just be a funny walk. So I was lying in bed at night thinking about it. And I started imagining myself upside down, elevator doors closing on my crotch. I laughed to myself for about 20 minutes. I went in the next day and said, 'Please, let me just try this.'"
Making it even better, Charles remains stuck in his inebriated state for much of the rest of the episode, resulting in the equally funny sight gag of Oliver and Mabel maneuvering him in a luggage cart around the Arconia. Kudos to Martin for committing to this wonderful bit like a champ.
"Only Murders in the Building" is streaming on Hulu.