Stories, stories, and more stories, one better than the next, all fantastical! Peter Riegert exceeded my high expectations and that’s an exceedingly tall order.
Somehow 2 hrs and 45 min flew by in an instant, yet at the same time, we got to know so much about Peter, his life, his work, his thoughts, his heart, and his art.
From the Bronx boy playing stickball to marching with Martin, who had a dream, to an underachieving student, teacher, and waiter, Bella Abzug, to improv, War Babies to Peter’s first resume and headshot––hysterical story! From Off-Broadway, a Marx Brother, to Mamet, aligning lives and love with Bette Midler, Mash, Coma, to the game changer, Animal House, how he got it, so many stories from there to here… Bette, F. Murray Abraham, Tom Matheson, John Belushi, Karen Allen, Mark Metcalf, Chilly Scenes of Winter, John Heard, an Academy Award nomination, Crossing Delancey, Amy Irving, the pickle man––a chick magnet, Local Hero, how that came to be, what it meant to him, crazy stories, one of which brought a tear or two to both our eyes. Burt Lancaster, with whom he shared a long ago historical memory, to Tony Soprano and how James Gandolfini allowed Peter a searingly horrifying yet graceful exit from The Sopranos to Succession and the Amazon crime drama he begins filming on Friday.
We hit highlights of Peter’s work, dug deep into the man, and I hope, gained a new friend. As accessible and fun as Animal House’s Boon, as charming and emotional as Crossing Delancey’s Sam, and as savvy, transformative, and thoughtful as Local Hero’s Mac, Peter Riegert is a warm, complex, fiercely talented human whom I’ve adored since first sight, and respect and appreciate even more now. This time with him was a gift. He's a mensch beyond measure. I so needed the laughs and the eggs.
Peter Riegert Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson
Wednesday, 9/7/22, 5 pm PT, 8 pm ET
Streamed Live on my Facebook
Replay here: https://bit.ly/3QojuLN
