Movies - TV
Brian Dennehy Saw A Career For Chris Farley That Went Far Beyond Comedy
By TRAVIS YATES
Comedy legend Chris Farley transitioned from "SNL" fame to comedic movie star when he starred in the 1995 hit, "Tommy Boy." However, even though comedy came naturally to the "SNL" alum, his "Tommy Boy" co-star Brian Dennehy believed that Farley was meant for bigger things beyond comedy.
In the biography "The Chris Farley Show," Dennehy said, "There was a sadness and a vulnerability and a fear that existed in his eyes [...] a sense that 'the world can never take away the pain that I feel, pain that I know I have, but that I don't fully understand.' You can see a little bit of it in 'Tommy Boy' but he hadn't even really begun to explore it."
Perhaps that tragic quality in Farley that Dennehy recognized could have been utilized outside of the realm of physical comedy. According to the biography, the actor's manager Bernie Brillstein met with award-winning playwright and author David Mamet before Farley's death to discuss the actor starring in the biopic of scandalous silent film star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle.