Kevin Pollak recalled late actor Rip Torn as the most unpredictable actor he had worked with, describing incidents from the production of “Canadian Bacon” during an appearance on “The Rich Eisen Show.” The 1995 comedy, starring John Candy, was released after Candy’s death.
Pollak said Torn would sometimes become convinced that someone among the cast or crew was trying to harm him. He also recalled that Torn regularly mentioned having been placed on former President Richard Nixon’s enemies list. Pollak joked that the repeated references became familiar to those around Torn, but said no one had asked what had led to Torn’s alleged inclusion on the list.
Pollak also told a story involving actor Kevin O’Connor and O’Connor’s new bride, who, according to Pollak, stayed in a room beside Torn’s at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. Pollak said the couple could hear Torn shouting through the walls over a period of weeks. They eventually put together a list of the 10 most memorable things they heard him say.
Pollak recalled one line from the list as Torn yelling, “I said milk it like a cow,” while addressing a woman Pollak described as a hooker. The account is Pollak’s recollection of what O’Connor and his wife reportedly heard; the supplied material provides no separate confirmation of the hotel incident.
Torn died in 2019. His career included work in film, television and theater. He received an Academy Award nomination for “Cross Creek” and was known to television audiences for playing Artie on “The Larry Sanders Show.” That role brought him six consecutive Emmy nominations and an Emmy Award in 1996. He also appeared in “Men in Black.”
Pollak’s comments focused on his memories of Torn’s behavior away from the screen, rather than an assessment of Torn’s full career. Pollak has also appeared in “Tulsa King” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”
