An Extra Elizondo Anecdote
When you’re a writer, your control over an article ends the moment you submit it for publication, and if your editor decides that some portion of the piece needs to bite the dust, then away it goes. Maybe you’ll get an explanation for its absence, maybe you won’t, but the end result is the same: it’s gone.
For me, though, the weirdest vanishing acts are when something disappears from a specific spot within a piece…like, say, the very end.
Such was the case with my recent Random Roles interview with Hector Elizondo, which originally concluded not only with a callback to an earlier point in the conversation - when we were talking about Norman Lear - but also with a perfect full-circle moment, one which returned us to discussing the impending conclusion of Elizondo’s current series, FOX’s Last Man Standing. When the piece went live, however, the interview concluded with Elizondo’s remarks about Century City, and while those were entertaining remarks, it wasn’t so much an ending as it was that the interview just…ended.
I don’t know about you, but I love a good ending. As such, it seems like the least I can do is let you see how Elizondo’s interview was supposed to have concluded.
Guess Who Died (2018)—“Murray”
I neglected to mention this when we were talking about Norman Lear earlier, but you actually worked with him only a few years ago.
Hector Elizondo: That’s right! Norman and I did a pilot, right before [Last Man Standing] got picked up again, that he talked me into doing the lead in. I said, "No, no, I don't like to do leads. I'm too bloody old! It's too much work! Get out of here!" [Laughs.] I said, "Nobody my age does the lead in a television show. Make me the second or third banana, but I don't want to carry all the water for you! I'm not interested!" But, of course, Norman starts talking and quietly chips away. "We'll take care of you, we'll shoot it in the valley." They know I don't like to travel a long way to locations...because I don't have to, for heaven's sake! I want to have some fun in my life! But he convinced me to give it a shot, and it was a terrific idea.
I wish it had gone. When I mentioned on social media that I was going to be talking to you, Peter Tolan [writer / executive producer of Guess Who Died] immediately piped up to offer praise.
Oh, he's wonderful. And so was the idea. It was terrific. But when I saw the screening with my peeps, as they say, I said, "You know, this is terrific, but it's not a network show. It should be on another platform. I don't know where it should be, but not network. This could turn into something really quite terrific and touching. It's kind of a humanistic show, but it's not a laugh-a-minute show."
Well, the title alone should indicate that it's probably not going to be laugh-a-minute.
[Laughs.] Exactly! And yet with a title like that, it'd better be funny!
Also true.
Yeah, so it wasn't that it wasn't funny, and it could've been quite successful on some other platform, I think. But anyway, working with Norman and Peter Tolan was just terrific, and the actors who played the other leads were wonderful. But then out of nowhere Last Man Standing got picked up again. And I figured that was the last season...and then it got picked up again! So I kept saying, "Of course I'm still on board!" Because I just love that whole ensemble.
Not to mention the fact that it's like real estate: location, location, location. It's not far from my home. That helps! I mean, I've been doing this for 54 years, but I've still gotta take care of business at home. In case I'm needed, I've gotta zip right back...and it takes me 10 minutes on surface streets to get there. I never have to get on a freeway. And I love working at Radford. It's my favorite studio to work in.
It's gonna be very difficult for me to accept that Last Man Standing is finally going to end. I'm making peace with that. I think it still has some more blood in its veins. It's got life in it yet. But...here we are!
Maybe they'll bring it back for a special now and then.
Maybe so, maybe so. If there’s one thing for sure with this show, it’s that you never know!