Stephen Park breaks down his Fargo character 

*were such a super lady.

I know! Son of a Gunderson! Lol....I love that 😂

He always breaks my heart.

Hard to believe that this guy got his start on In Living Color!

"son of a Gunderson!" has been my go to swear word replacement for years..

Yeah, really a depressing (but great) scene.

I feel like the reason he lied about that was to use the sympathy it generated in Marge to deflect the embarrassment of hitting on her when she clearly stated that she's married.

And very pregnant!@@TheTrueNarthumpulous

​@@TheTrueNarthumpulousand pregnant! But he doesn't seem to care and hit on her anyway

THe Asian guy is just a distraction character who has nothing to do w/ the story. It borders on offensive but this was pre-Woke era movie making

Mr. Park is the proof that there are no small parts.

Well said! Park's ability to make the scene tragic AND comical is pure gold.

The sheer territory traveled in one short scene, from hilarity to profound, desperate sadness… I don’t know if I’ve ever experienced a scene like that. It’s one of my favorite movie scenes of all time as well, and I remember thinking that when I first saw it in the theater decades ago.

@@sthubbins4038 yes great points there! LOTS of emotional ground covered in such a small scene....unreal

@@sthubbins4038 I also remember distinctly thinking how uncomfortable he made me feel watching the scene and still kinda sorry for him at the same time. His effort and art brought me into the scene with him and her. It was like I was there. Thats a gift that only a good movie with masters of acting and direction can bring. Its rare, but sooooo special. It may have been a small looking scene on paper, but Mr. Park and the Coen boys found a way of bringing it into life in a BIG way.

He reportedly gushed over a shot in the music video for the Kinks' "Come Dancing". Near the end, singer Ray Davies' character is standing glumly watching the crowd. Ray Davies wasn't (isn't) an actor, though maybe he should have been.

He was perfect.

He was such a super actor

around 5:50 Ethan Coen praised him for that scene. Peter Stormare, who acted in many Coen Bros films, says they rarely do that because they dont want the actor to feel comfy on that level. That they could give more to the scenes.

Definately, agree 100%

no...

and racist .

@@fffwe3876 That's a nice attempt at a thought. Better luck next time, Champion.

you are so right - another great little scene, the old man shoveling slush out of his driveway when the cop comes to question him that ends "...so I phoned it in, end of story"

Wow! Well Said. I can totally relate to that!

Me too, doesn't matter that I've seen every scene dozens of times, and this particular scene always stood out to me - amazing piece of acting by Mr Park.

@@philipgior3312 Indeed.

Yeah it's one of those movies that comes on and you say "Well I've seen it before so I'm just gonna watch a few minutes of it," and before you know it the woodchipper is running.

one of my all-time favourite movie characters too - and in less than 5 minutes onscreen!

THIS ASN GUY STUCK HIS HEAD OUT FOR THE BLK COMMUNITY AND ENDED UP STALLING ASN AMERICAN PROGRESS FOR A GOOD 25 YEARS....NEVER STICK YOUR HEAD OUT FOE BLKS....THEY WONT RECIPROCATE...FFF YHE JOULS AND WHTES IN HOLLYWOOD TOO.

Yes, he plays that scene so well, and the scene resonates more as I see it again. The character is desperately lonely, lost, self-critical and ends up telling a series of lies that seem intended to both win Marge over and make his own life more bearable to him. His desperation and awkwardness come across as funny, but that's the audience being uncomfortable with how emotionally wrecked he is inside. What made him think that he could basically seduce the woman he knew long ago who is now married and advanced in pregnancy? That alone is demented. Yet he comes across as emotionally raw and sympathetic in his breakdown at the restaurant. Marge tries so hard to calm him down and avoid things getting even more crazy.

You can really tell how often you're rejected.

@@surfwriter8461:Yes. McDormand's reactions reinforce Park's cues.

It has less to do with the plot and more to do with the theme. Some people were DESPERATE for the good life she had. And the criminals had no awareness at all that it was a beautiful day...and there is more to life than a little bit of money.

@@greyeyed123 I share your take on this film as well. A menagerie of characters struggling with inner demons but still trudging forward in life.

It taught Marge that people can lie to her face and do it convincingly. It made her interview Jerry for a second time.

​@@greyeyed123 The scene works in a few ways. Like many scenes in Fargo, it is a slice of life moment, and starts as a detour for both Marge and the audience. From Marge's perspective she's taking a break from her investigation. From the audience's perspective, its not directly related to the films plot. Marge- while being incredibly cluey- is for the most part naive to the true extent of the crime she is investigating. This characteristic is also on display here in this scene where she takes Mike's words and social awkwardness at face value, and feels sympathy for him. Once she learns that he was lying, she realises that Jerry might also be lying too- albeit in a much more subdued way- leading her to zero her sights back on Jerry. This then of course, sets up her realisation in the climax that the world can seem so nice and yet have such horrible things happen, and she will soon be welcoming a child into it.

At face value, it doesn't fit but as the movie progresses, it makes sense. The character of Marge is at the core a decent human being. But Mike, an old friend, lies to her, and she doesn't see it. Once she learns of the lies and how she fell for it, it makes her view Jerry differently and changes the investigation. So the scene is pivotal. Park is great in this scene.

Fake politeness vs real politeness

That’s interesting. I’d love to hear you expand on that.

@@jrizzy626 The main character played by frances mcdormand is an actual nice person so she assumes people are just like her . When Jerry acts nicely she thinks that he must be honest although she has some doubt's. When she meets Mike, he also acts nice but then she learns that he was lying. That makes her question Jerry as well.

I just left a comment after seeing this. That the film could have been called The Almost Men.

Mike was the doorway to understanding Jerry from Marge's perspective.

Woody Harrelson said it best: with the Farrelly Brothers, you CAN go out of script. With the Coen Brothers, there is NO leeway. It has to be almost exact on the lines.

@@luigivincenz3843sauce

I strongly disagree. In a lot of films this character would be a dangerous sociopath who would become a secondary threat to Marge, so it makes it much more interesting that he ISN'T. He's just incredibly needy and his mental health is gone, to the point that he's oblivious to all the social cues right from Marge being married and pregnant on out and he's convinced he can charm her and get the validation and love he needs out of her, even as it's just so clear that's not happening. My feeling is that they did perhaps have a crush of fling going on in the past and he was smart, well-spoken and impressive. Her instinct to turn him down is interesting too because it shows her loyalty to her somewhat dependent and boring husband, even when an apparently richer and more interesting guy is available. Her life isn't perfect, but she isn't always reaching for something better like just about every other major character we see, so his act quickly falls apart and turn into a new kind of grab for her emotional support. We SHOULD genuinely feel bad for this character just as we feel concerned for her. His scheme is incredibly interesting to me in the film because it DOES seem unnecessary to the plot, but also, here is this desperate man with a scheme who is looking for money and status just like everyone else, but kind of reminds us that, above all, all these characters are largely desperate out of loneliness, as well as a sense that they've failed at the success game. And yet, nobody but him is reaching for relationship first and money/status second or as a route to it. He's a pretty socially toxic character, grabbing all the affirmation he can get out of her, but what do we make of his contrast to all the other men? In any case, I've known encountered more than one person with mental health issues who is emotionally grabby in this way and it's a trap for caring women who need their emotional resources.

Genuine mutual love can grow out of these relationships if the man actually gets her. I've seen it. Certain women are good for that special care role and then once it works all's good. I can write a novel about something like that I ended up on the sidelines of. Eventually he died and of natural causes and she was devastated.

Lots of local Twin Cities actors-great to see.

Fargo is filled with superb minor characters: Mike; the tru-coat couple at the car dealership; the guy in the parka shoveling his driveway while talking to the cop about "going crazy up there at the lake." On and on.

thank you Kae, and yes, it's really special to hear from the actor involved all the nuances and moments that go into crafting a scene like this.

good to hear, Jagi and thank you!

@@L3i6HSin63R No problem at all!

It hooked me immediately. I'd gone to school in MN just a few years before that, and loved the way the Coen Bros. captured subtle little things about the people, and the state. It became one of my all-time favorite films, and led me to an addiction to their work. When both Gene Siskel _and_ Roger Ebert chose it as their 1996 movie of the year, I knew that others had seen the same brilliance that I thought I had.

Yep! Especially when he was at the car dealership with a customer and went to talk to his manager. Who hasn’t been there when buying a car. Last time we bought a car I couldn’t get that scene out of my head when the salesman went to talk to his manager!😂@@kurtkensson2059

Oh you betcha yaa. You’re darn tootin.😅

i know what you mean.

Right? No wonder people don't recognize him in real life--he's dreamy.

"Don't know him, don't vouch for him."

@@marcuscato9083 perfect witty reply! Lol 😂 literally