"Hugh Wilson made it so real and he took us and it was almost when he was directing it, the way he would do it was funnier than the way we did it. And I just developed a regard for him that was unbelievable"
About this Quote
There is an athlete's plainspoken awe in the way Bubba Smith describes Hugh Wilson: the marvel isn’t just that a director improved the material, but that his presence changed the room. Smith is basically admitting a hierarchy that performers rarely concede out loud. The director wasn’t merely calling shots; he was modeling the joke so vividly that the cast felt like they were trying to keep up with the idea of it.
The key phrase is “made it so real.” Comedy, especially the broad, physical kind Smith was often associated with, lives or dies on commitment. Wilson’s “real” isn’t naturalism for its own sake; it’s the realism that makes the ridiculous land. If the situation feels true, the punchline feels inevitable instead of forced. Smith’s comparison - “funnier than the way we did it” - carries a little self-roast, but it’s also a compliment with teeth: Wilson understood rhythm, perspective, and escalation at a level that actors inside the scene can’t always see.
The subtext is mentorship and trust. Smith isn’t praising “genius” in abstract terms; he’s describing a craftsperson whose process was itself entertaining. That detail hints at a set culture where leadership isn’t authoritarian but performative: the director demonstrates, seduces, and dares you to match the standard.
And when Smith says his “regard… was unbelievable,” it reads like gratitude for being taken seriously. For an athlete crossing into entertainment, that kind of respect - being guided, not patronized - can feel like a second career being legitimized in real time.
The key phrase is “made it so real.” Comedy, especially the broad, physical kind Smith was often associated with, lives or dies on commitment. Wilson’s “real” isn’t naturalism for its own sake; it’s the realism that makes the ridiculous land. If the situation feels true, the punchline feels inevitable instead of forced. Smith’s comparison - “funnier than the way we did it” - carries a little self-roast, but it’s also a compliment with teeth: Wilson understood rhythm, perspective, and escalation at a level that actors inside the scene can’t always see.
The subtext is mentorship and trust. Smith isn’t praising “genius” in abstract terms; he’s describing a craftsperson whose process was itself entertaining. That detail hints at a set culture where leadership isn’t authoritarian but performative: the director demonstrates, seduces, and dares you to match the standard.
And when Smith says his “regard… was unbelievable,” it reads like gratitude for being taken seriously. For an athlete crossing into entertainment, that kind of respect - being guided, not patronized - can feel like a second career being legitimized in real time.
Quote Details
| Topic | Respect |
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