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‘The Conners’ Star John Goodman Reflects on Early Film Starring Nicolas Cage

American actor John Goodman comes with a long list of accolades surrounding his impressive acting career. The Roseanne star has made a name for himself collaborating on a number of films alongside the infamous Coen brothers. Goodman’s first movie working with the notorious filmmakers was the 1987 American crime-comedy Raising Arizona starring Nicholas Cage.

In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, John Goodman remembers his experience working on the film. “I went to New York to audition for Joel and Ethan and I never saw Blood Simple, their first film,” he began.

The Connors actor was star-struck going into the interview. “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” said Goodman. “[But] we were locked into the casting room for about an hour just laughing having the best time goofing around, and that would have been good enough. If I hadn’t got the film, I had a good time with those guys. They made me laugh a lot.”

The Coen Brothers are American filmmakers consisting of Joel Daniel Coen and Ethan Jesse Coen. They’ve worked on a wide variety of films from Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, to O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and No Country for Old Men. Little did John Goodman know when he was auditioning for Raising Arizona that he would star in a number of films by the Coen Brothers.

“The writing was so damn good,” Goodman said of the filmmakers. His first experience working alongside Joel and Ethan was quite memorable. “It was so much fun that I’d show up at work even when I wasn’t shooting just to see what they were up to. They really fascinated me,” said Goodman.

John Goodman has a deep admiration for the Coen Brothers

The brother’s artistic abilities stemmed from their apparent lack of financial resources. At least in the early stages. “They didn’t have a lot of money to work with so they’d invent shots, invent how to do things,” Goodman said in the interview.

Overall, it’s clear that John Goodman’s acting career wouldn’t be the same without his first encounter with the Coen brothers in Raising Arizona. “And it was just a wonderful place. Just being there and being a part of something.”

Instead of shifting his focus to please film critics, Goodman simply took pleasure in getting to work alongside the talented duo. “I got the idea that it doesn’t really matter about reviews because I had a good time and I thought I did a good job,” he said. “I pleased those guys and I really looked up to them because they were so funny and so smart.”

John Goodman fans can stream the Coen brothers’ Raising Arizona on Amazon Prime or Hulu Plus. It’s also available to rent or purchase on Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Instant Video, and iTunes.

Watch the entire Vanity Fair interview on YouTube below.