Also had a lil jab with the whole, " well OLIVER is actually smart..." hahaha the way he said it basically sounded like "well Segal was a fucking bufoon soo..."
As a father to a son with Down-Syndrome and a massive John C. fan long before my son was born, I was blown away for him to show up at our Buddywalk as the M.C. It was truly one of the coolest things. The man is incredible and an inspiration to us dads to special needs kids.
The fractured personality of O'Neil character in Platoon is unforgettable. Exceptional acting. The way he stutters and shakes his way through the movie, one more bullet crack from a breakdown. Terrible yet brilliant.
Well written mate. That moment at the end he’s told at the end that he’s got promoted. All the way through wanting to go home. And then the audience is told he’s got more of a 70% chance of not making it out
I watch it at least once every year or so. Saw it the first time with my Dad who was in the 25th infantry, at the movies in 1986. I pick something new up every single time. Incredible film and a testament to what people were willing to do for this country a very short time ago n
Love how eloquent McGinley always is in interviews. For a dude that has played his share of meatheads, hearing him speak with consideration and presence of mind is always great.
Shows he is a very good actor. Some really dumb characters are done by smart actors. Peter Sellers did a range of characters in Dr Stangelove. Then played a savant in Being There.
I'm Portuguese. My father spent 2 years of his life (1961-1963) fighting our colonial war in Angola. "Platoon" was the only film I've witnessed him watching and not falling asleep, and almost without blinking.
Every former imperialist country has had its own Vietnam. The French with... Vietnam (Dien Bien Phu) and Algeria. The Portugese with Angola. The Dutch with Indonesia (smaller version of the American Vietnam: not much air power but still 100,000 killed)
@@IF_u_Never_comment_again_u_win As I said, I did, he just did not *watch* them, he would *sleep* through the screening. (BTW, he's 85 now and quite debilitated, signs of dementia, forgets what he's doing - but he comes to life when the phone rings and it's one of his few surviving "boys" from Company 123.)
My Dad was a Vietnam combat veteran (71-72) He said “ out of all the movies about Vietnam, platoon was the most authentic in depicting what actually happened”.
Watch. “Charlie Mopic”. VERRY SIMILAR in format to Platton. This film I regard as looking trough a window in to a recon mission gone wrong. Also VERRY authentic
“I got a bad feeling about this Bob”. This was a great interview and it turns out that one of Platoon’s most selfish characters is in real-life actually so selfless.
His "nothing says Christmas like 'Platoon'" made me think of The Naked Gun, when Drebin and his girlfriend are shown walking out of a movie theater, laughing their asses off, and the camera pans up to the marquee and Platoon was the movie they just watched.
Hands down one of the best actors of our time. Low key has had an amazing career. Yes, he was great in many things but his portrayal of Perry Cox was perfect. As someone who survived a four-year surgical residency and later became an attending I can honestly say that he captured the ferocity, occasional cruelty, exasperation and inspiration 100%.
I remember seeing platoon in the cinema when it first came out, when the film ended everyone just sat there in stunned silence, no one said a word or moved out of their seats.
There were a couple of Viet Nam veterans and their girls sitting in front of me when I saw it when it first came out. When the soldier finds the booby-trapped maps, etc. One of the veterans leant over to his girlfriend and said "watch this" just before it all blew up in the soldiers face. Later, after the final firefight was over and the lights came up, that veteran was gone. Just an empty seat next to his gf right in front of me. I never even noticed him get up and leave, even though we were both in the middle of our rows.
The first time I saw him was in Platoon. I knew then that he was destined for greater things. I know of his work with special needs kids and adults and that's his reason for life. God bless him. He's one the best, and most likable people ever.
Wow. Thats. WOW. Maybe the smartest thing i’ve ever heard an actor say. “If you can reduce the profundity of a lie, in front of a lense, it experiences that as good acting.” Thats like a lyric from a poem. And he spit-balled it! Thats incredible
@@SOCORROGM Speaking a a former Enlisted Man...The worst thing an officer can do is try to be "One Of The Guys"....Therein lies Madness, Breakdown of The Chain Of Command, Insubordination & Likely, If They're In Combat, Somebody, maybe Lots of folks Get Dead as the end result of his Failure to be A Leader. The "LT" may be a friend that you like & share Goodies From Home With, but He Is Never Just One Of The Guys.... he's Always The LT/Ensign/Capt/Warrant Officer/Whatever......IOW, He's Always The Boss
Yeah, really. That bit about the older actor really pissed me off. But I’ve been impressed with John C McGinley for years, and learning about his personal commitments to help those in need really was a good thing to hear.
Epic. Awesome interview. The real man that played the character we all hated. So glad I saw this. I saw Platoon when it came out with a regular army foot soldier when it came out and he cried. Awesome
It is now obvious to me that I've been seriously remiss in my awareness of this Actor. This is the most eloquent explanation of the a director's process I've ever heard. I'll be looking for more of Johns work. John to me, is one of those actors who play a character in any given film that enhances the story in some way that if it had not been in the film would have diminished the story to the viewer. He does it so well that when asked, many movie goers would say "Who? I don't remember him in that one!"
Although his look of stunned disbelief after the Captain informs him he's now in command of the platoon, tells him the impossible happened... Barnes is dead
I will always remember him for his role in platoon. Even when he was training Newbee, it took me a minute to change my focus with him. He became a big reason why I kept watching Scrubs
John C. McGinley is one of my acting heroes. He's so good in every damn role and commits so hard to each and every one of them. Topping that off he's an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. 🤌 every media personality should be so full of talent and grace.
I will never forget the Platoon Trailer. The staggering, heartfelt music peace as the camera panned from actor to actor as they starred at what we would find in the theater, the slaughtered and hang body of one of their own. Chilling..
Many people forget Salvador with James Woods and Jim Belushi, which IMO is one of Stone's best films, came out the same year as Platoon and thus was overshadowed and forgotten.
A great movie. I first saw it Guatemala in 2001 I think. Struck a chord because of the similarities between the history of the two neighbouring countries. Major Max’s real life equivalent, Roberto d’ambuisson, had a son who was murdered with two other el Salvadorean politicians while in Guatemala. They caught 4 policemen who were charged with the murder. A few days later all four policemen were murdered in their cells during a prison riot. I was there in guate when that happened and the general opinion is that they were drug trafficking. The movie still resonates with me... James woods was great.
Shane UFO mate, all my times there in Central America I was constantly aware that that level of violence was still there, simmering away below the surface.
@ Steven Frost: Totally agree. Salvador is my favourite Oliver Stone movie and in my top 10 movies of all time. The story of how it was made equals in its craziness that of Platoon.
What a great interview! When I saw Platoon in the theaters, I saw it in Monterey Park, which at the time had a large Asian population. There was a scene where a young Vietnamese boy was being beaten by an American soldier. From the back, a woman started wailing and yelling (I believe in Vietnamese). That freaked the hell out of everyone there. She was having flashbacks in the movie theater. I thought of leaving, but her relatives took her outside. Just an amazing movie.
I love these interviews of actors reminiscing on the production of classic older movies. It’s so cool to have a piece of the perspective of what’s going on behind the scenes.
I love this guy. He's unforgettable in everything he is in. And I'm really glad to see that IRL in person, he's actually the most noble, most kind, most decent, and most brave guy you could ever hope to meet. Class act. A real CHIEFTAIN!
Wow, Great segment. JCM is so impressive, from everything he said about Platoon and Stone to his Special Needs work. Honestly, this is who we need as a politician. Too bad he's not who we're getting..
I remember when Platoon Came out, I went to the Theatre to watch it. I had friends in High school who were boat people that had experienced the end of the war. This was a gripping movie that led me down the path to join the Army. One of the best movies of that time!!!
This is the clip that made me subscribe, and the side effect was my newfound level of respect for McGinley. I knew he was good, but he sounds like he was the second or third "smartest guy in the room" when he worked with Stone. He came across very perceptive, sharp, witty and funny. As Pam Poovey would say, "Sploosh."
Not only did he survive, his character was given command of 2nd platoon (much to his dismay, as he had just managed to cheat death in the climactic battle).
His face in the end when he (the "coward") is given command of the unit is one of the single best perfomances of acting i've ever seen. How much he can say with a blank face is overwhelming. McGinley is a master of his art.
How well he played a character everyone hated is testament to his acting ability. Think about that every time you watch a movie in which you hate 1 of the characters, and do like I do in researching other films in which that actor worked to see another side of them and you will truly experience a new level of enjoyment in watching movies.
@Ian Dixon "Well Goodie for you Bob, Because No one can kill you but yourself!" - proclaimed a day before "chris" aced barnes hole. Look up that characters back story for a bit. Several tours in 'Nam. Survived a bullet to the head and put back together like Frankenstein's Monster. i mean Ho - ly - Sheet!
He was smart enough to survive by hiding under a dead body in a losing battle. He probably managed to stay alive for another month or two or however long of his tour had left
Wow. I never considered this guy as having significant depth, but, man, is he intelligent and able to communicate with precision and eloquence--a rare combination. Would love to hear more...
Good of Rich to allow John the space and time to articulate his experiences so well....without any constant interruption or attempt at getting laugh. John C McGinley...what a damn good actor and solid human being.
I've never seen that side of Platoon. The way I remember it, is that it depicted what it was like over there with a massive dose of "this is what you're getting into"
It’s hard at times, but it’s also the greatest thing in the world to do. As a single parent I can’t have been more blessed to be surrounded by TRUE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE 24/7
@A D He's a wealthy man alright, and that does not solely translate into having money, it's about having so much more, money alone is not the only metric of wealth; it is but one aspect of it. True wealth is having a sense of abundance - one that we experience rather than possess. Wealth may also mean seeking deeper relationships, more personal growth, or ways to create more meaning in life and possessing the ability to enjoy the small, ordinary pleasures of our existence. ☺
It is amazing how he went from just a simple role in Platoon to all that he was in Scrubs. Really liked him in Platoon but never really watched any of his material after that but did see some bits of Scrubs and honestly glad he found more success.
Absolutely. You can see the love he shows when talking about the films he's made but you can see the fire in heart ignite when talking about his work with down syndrome and special needs.
There are 1000's of actors with notable talent through the years,this guy is WAY UNDER APPRECIATED..can go from serious roles in Platoon to comedic roles of Scrubs with ease. Hard to do.
Platoon had really great actors, even the ones that were detestable were so well done. I especially love this guy and Elias as the are so diverse and believable in everything I’ve seen them in.
" that's just great Bob..Whaduya want me to do.? Send one of my guys out to get zapped so some lameass just in from the world can get his beauty sleep..? Nah!"
Even though I'm a billion hours too late, WOW Mr McGinley, what wonderful, respectful and accurate account of the making of Platoon. Much respect, God Bless.
I love this man! His acting is superb……his comedic timing is unmatched….his off the cuff ab lib is untouchable …..his swag is next level……and loyalty and integrity is admirable with a heart that can wrap around that building 20 times over! Buddy buddy! “I’m offering you the Knicks and chicks ! “ -Wallstreet 1987
I still hold that the character of Sgt. O'Neill and Dr. Cox are canonically the same person. O'Neill came back from 'Nam, changed his name and became a doctor.
