Paul LeMat Discusses his Role as John Milner in American Graffiti.
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- Опубліковано 7 бер 2011
- A 20 minute insightful conversation with Paul LeMat about his role in American Graffiti. I was lucky to catch Paul for this interview because afterwards and to this day he no longer does interviews about Graffiti. This was filmed at the Sacramento, CA Autorama, Feb 13, 2011. Toby Hart is the cameraman. There was no planning between us in our interaction. I walked up to him at a booth where he was signing autographs, showed him my clipboard full of questions and said, "Can I video tape u while I ask u these questions?" He looked over the questions and then he said, "Sure, let's go outside where it's less noisy." So we did. Paul had been indoors all day sitting down, signing autographs and wanted to stretch his legs & have a smoke while we chatted. A bench was available but he chose to stand. We talked for at least an hour, while my best pal, Toby Hart video taped us. I was star-struck for several days after our encounter. Completely high. I thought to myself, "Wow, 'I actually talked to the actor who played Milner!!!" Sooo.., that's the backstory. If there's one thing I learned about the actor it's how serious he is about method acting. I had no idea the thought that went into the role. -Mark aka Kip Pullman aka Markybgoode.
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Great interview.
American Graffiti is one of the greatest movies ever made.
A great film indeed
I always thought that the whole dynamic of John Milner and his fear of becoming old and outdated was fascinating. His reluctance to drag race was so realistic that it encapsualted his worries of losing his reputation as the fastest in the valley.
Paul Le Mat is almost 70 years old but he's still young he'll never get old! He's still bad ass. I have American Graffiti on blu ray.
HEY MAN , I SAW AMERICAN GRAFFITI 23 TIMES THE SUMMER IT CAME OUT . I LOST TRACK OF HOW MANY TIMES I'VE SEEN IT SINCE 👍, ALL BECAUSE I LOVE THE JOHN MILNER CHARACTER YOU BROUGHT TO LIFE 👍👍👍👍. GOD BLESS YA BROTHER 💪❤🙏
YOUR A VERY COOL GUY PAUL 👍, I REALLY LIKE LISTENING TO YOUR INTERVIEWS 👍💪❤🙏
This is a really good interview with a great guy and a fantastic actor. Paul's character, John Milner, has been my greatest hero since I fist saw the movie's premier back in 1973. I was 16 years old and working in a drive in theater in San Antonio, Texas. When I saw the coupe pulling into Mel's, it was like I got hit with a sledgehammer. I vowed to build a copy of the car some day. I had the good fortune of meeting Paul and Rick Figari (the car's current owner) back in 2002. I was building my Graffiti coupe clone and Paul and Rick gave me a lot of insight into the car and allowed me to take over 200 photos of the car. My Graffiti clone is in my garage about 30 feet from where I sit. On Saturday nights, I'm out cruising around Phoenix in my coupe listening to oldies and having a ball. Thanks Paul, for your role as John Milner, a real American hero!
what I find so fascinating about this film is that it was made in 1973 as being a nostalgic movie of a night in 1962......yet.....1962 was ONLY 11 YEARS AGO. Look how drastically things changed in the USA in only 11 years....the cars the music, the attitude. It is pretty amazing that 11 years ago seemed so nostalgic
LeMat is still totally cool. Very funny and I think he is totally Milner. Great interview.
Paul lemat in American graffiti is and always will be my greatest ever hero the epitome of cool ,, legend !!
Thank you for posting this, Paul LeMat is a real nice guy. I wrote to him after I saw the movie, and he actually wrote back, (was not expecting that). He still seems like a nice guy.
Paul LeMat and Mackenzie Phillips were great together in this movie. Mackenzie turned in a brilliant performance for a young girl. I thought this couple was really cute/good together and really contributed to the success of the movie. Terry and Debbie and of course Curt with the Pharaohs (Bo Hopkins.) Great story and a great cast... thanks for posting.
Paul was great in Graffiti. Loved both movies.
An American classic, that's for sure. He was the right man for the part. He had the looks and the attitude. The music in the movie is the second best thing about this movie.
One of the greatest movies of the 20th century! Still boss! God keep ya, Paul LeMat and the rest of the cast!
I once asked Paul LeMat if he had ever owned a 32' Deuce Coupe and he responded saying "Naw, I never had a street rod. I used to have a pretty cool, blue Mustang, though!". I was somewhat disappointed. However, Paul is a very awesome, approachable guy! He has a great sense of humor. A quality that is hard to find in a celebrity.
I agree that 'American Graffiti' is Lucas' best film.
I was stationed at Lackland AFB in 1973 when the movie was on its first run. I thought I had died and gone to heaven. At that time I had a 1970 Plymouth Road Runner and I burned rubber all of the way out of the movie parking lot! I grew up on Long Island in the 50s and 60s and had guys like Milner living on my street. One, Henry Mueller, had a Henry J with a 58 or 59 fuel injected corvette motor. He was the terror of the town...lol. These were the best years of my life. Great interview.
i never get bored with it ,either. ive watched it well over 200 times.could watch it at any moment.its amazing what this film has done,for the car culture and social events.i own and operate a street rod shop, the name is milner's speed and custom .a tribute to my favorite movie and character.most people never forget meeting me,either,because of the name.look at the what the movie did,it created happy days,lavern and shirley,chochie show or something like that.many spin off shows from happy days
The scene in the salvage yard is one of the best in that film
"Ok toad,we'll take 'em on!" Great interview! What I liked about American Graffiti was that you could hear the radio playing through the entire movie,no matter where they were or who's car they were in.Awesome flick! Paul Lemat stole the show in this one! Long live John Milner! The fastest car in town for eternity! Great job!
martindx1961 I like the radio thing too. Its a thread that ties the separate stories together. I love the way you can hear the same radio station in cars passing by. "The Wolfman is everywhere!"
I've never understood why Paul LeMat never went further than he has.
Maybe he was ahead of his time. Also some actors are so good, most people don't understand how impressive their acting skills are because they seem so natural.
He starred with Farrah Fawcett in The Burning Bed.
He was the best in this film
Paul is just awesome. I honestly think that my dad is like John Milner's twin. He's always been into hot rods, used to drag race for awhile and still wears jeans & a white shirt. It's cool that you got to interview him. He an interesting person. Love your video btw.
I had a British Racing Green '55 Chevy with a stroked 327 and 4 speed when this movie came out. Went to the drive-in to watch the movie. When I left, people were honking their honks and waving. I was street racing in the San Fernando Valley at the time. We met at midnight behind the Bank of America on Van Nuys Blvd. Best movie for me of all time.
Best hitch-hiking story ever. Paul LeMat was The first Fonz!
Hi Jose. Sorry I didn't respond sooner. Actually the drag race scene was filmed on Frates Road in Petaluma, CA. It looks pretty much the same today with the exception of a golf course that was built on one side of the road. There has been some talk by the city council to change the name to "Paradise Road" in honor of the famous movie.
All elements converged in this film to create the timeless masterpiece that it is. The casting was brilliant, the dialogue flowed naturally and effortlessly due in part to the improvising that was permitted to the actors.The end result is classic cinema.
The interviewer was correct, "American Graffiti" was/is Lucas' BEST film.
As I've said to others, $3,600 was scale back then for an unknown actor. Considering the success it now seems like pennies (and for all intense purposes it is) However, once the film began to make a huge profit, the top 10 actors in the flick began receiving a percentage of the profits which was an enormous amount!!! Paul didn't mention that part.
Paul LeMat is my favorite actor, I love all you guys and your comments here, we'd get along so well!!
"I ain't nobody, dork!"
I met Paul in Moultry Ga a few years ago . He is a very nice man and a wonderful story teller!!
NO ONE ELSE COULD'VE DID THIS PART OF MILNER,HE BRINGS THIS CHARACTER ALIVE I like him in DOVE
He was the best part of the movie!!
Great interview! Great actor. Boss car. Paul looks as if he just finished his day in a garage (working on a hot rod).
The end credits: John Milner - Killed by a drunk driver 1964. I was like ,damn. Just a big let-down.
I know its four years ago and Ive only just come across this, but great you had the balls to approach Paul and record this Mark. I can imagine how blown away you must've been.. I only got to chat briefly to Paul when he came to England and just that made my year. I originally saw the film here in 74/5 aged 18 and the hot rod thing was only just getting going in the UK. Me and my buddies went from cinema to cinema paying to watch it 18 times until we knew all the lines by heart. Even snuck a tape recorder in so we could re-live it as it never came out on VHS till years later. So fascinating to listen to your interview and many thanks for all the effort put into your amazing blog. Cheers. Roy
Set back when times were fun. Cars were bad to the bone
I liked American Graffiti, I continue to watch American Grafitti, Hollywood Knights, Hot Rod. They bring back the memories of a time when cars were the life and heartbeat of many young men. I spent many late nights working and learning cars with Jack and Richard Buhrts. My favorite memory of a car was in high school and a man named Dan Sells had a blue 57 Chevy with short drag pipes coming out behind the front wheels. I still love cars and enjoy driving and working on them. Thanks!!
that was great. loved those movies. paul was great, damn drunk drivers
My wife teases me every time AG comes on. It's one of my favorite movies. So what i have the dvd, ... & i've seen it a couple of million times, so what, lol.
+Savadorason1 i hear ya :]
+Savadorason1 Me too!
I agree with you, I worried that I was the only one
Yea wives just don't get it!
Savadorason1 same here, I had it on vhs...then dvd..😂😂
loved that movie. Have watched it several times. Paul Le Mat was great in that movie. I loved all the cars and the great songs in the movie. I was married in1955 and my wife and I bought a 1957 Bel Air Chevy Hardtop and used to cruise around like they did in American Graffiti. I watch it every so often. It had a great cast of characters. Thanks for posting this interesting interview!
Thanks so much. Your compliment means a lot.
I met Paul LeMat at the Syracuse Nationals car show 2 or 3 years ago. Every year they have a movie or TV star that has something to do with Cars. Paul was the nicest guy out of any of the other ones by a long shot. I asked him if he minded posing by the yellow Duece coupe he had behind him with my adult nephew. He just said "sure", got up from the autograph table and let me take a few pix. He even shot the breeze with us for a minute or two. The year before was Adam West. He was a prick.
Insightful, intelligent guy. One of my favorite films.
Being born in London in 1970, I'm pretty well removed from early 1960s America - but American Grafitti is JUST how I like to imagine it. The cars, music, chicks, etc. It's a fantastic film that on the surface is a basic romp through town on a late summer's night, but underneath touches on so many deeper topics in a beautifully gentle and innocent way. Even after hearing Paul LeMat's views on the fight scene, I still can't find fault. Milner is a (slightly flawed) superhero after all.
Thanks Mark for putting this together. Paul is still a pretty cool guy and it was great to listen to the interview you did with him. American Graffiti will always be the best movie for Car Guys and will always be my favorite. And thank you Paul for the great work you did in the movie.
Henry Winkler made a good Fonzi but l wonder if Paul LeMat would of been better? At any rate, American Graffiti is my all time favorite movie. Thanks to all the people that made it happen.
"The best movie George Lucas ever made..." love the pause after that. As if to say "Anyone got any objections? Nope" I kinda have to agree with him :) I love American Graffiti and John Milner's character is so good.
Enjoyable interview. Good to see him not afraid to discuss the money aspect. Most actors will not say how much they were paid for their roles. I presume he got a lot more for American Graffiti 2.
Great interview! Thanks for posting. Paul was great as John Milner. I enjoyed hearing his insight to the film and his character.
Man what a Great interview and Paul was just a real nice honest guy !
Thank You for both of You . By the way You asked great questions .
John Milner was the sexiest performance of all time! I was 16 when the movie came out, i was dying over him, now im 67 and i still get weak in the knees when i watch it, as i do often. Just so freaking sexy!! He had it all, the face, the smoking hot body, the voice and the charisma! When he saves toad from the bullies, omg, my hero!!! I love you Paul Le Mat for bringing to life the greatest character in cinema history😉❤️❤️
😃
I DO agree with you there.Another thing is movie profit is unknown when a movie is made and paid for.Paul does deserve more respect as well.
I had such a crush on Paul Le Mat in the old days...from this, and also Aloha Bobby & Rose...now he looks like a "good ol boy" who has lived a very cool life!
Great interview.
Paul was perfect for the role of John Milner. I knew a guy who resembled him. He built rails and altered coupes back then. He made one run at Bonneville. The last time I saw him was just before he rode to CA on a righteous 1947 H-D Knucklehead chopper. Whenever I hear anything by Eddie Cochran or Link Wray, I think of that guy.
Hi. Yes, I think Mr. LeMat did such an excellent job of adding a lot of humanity to what could have been just a one-dimensional character, of a tough guy. Your dad sounds like he was a pretty cool guy too. Thanks for the comment.
What a really nice guy! Rock N Roll! Great interveiw too! Thanks for shareing
What a neat guy he is. I watch American graffiti pretty much once a year still, there is no other movie that has the "feel" or atmosphere. I find it quite mind blowing to hear the amount payed versus the revenue created. The money earned from this movie is no surprise whatsoever, so yes I agree completely with an earlier poster that Paul is worth millions for his role in the movie, not to mention royalties. All the best Paul from just 1 of your fans in New Zealand. Cheers for posting Mark.
Thanks for the memories...
This was great! I enjoyed every minute of it. I went to Northern California in 2011 to visit my nephew I hadn't seen in seven years. We passed by Petuluma, and I asked if we could quickly enter the city and look around. We didn't have a lot of time, and unfortunately I didn't recognize any of the areas from the movie. In any event, American Graffiti is one of my favorite movies, and I don't know how many times I watched it. Again, I really enjoyed listening to this interview! Thanks for posting.
Shame you didn't recognize the filming spots. They're pretty obvious once you know where they are. You can get a map on the PETALUMA CELEBRATES AMERICAN GRAFFITI web page
Very good interview, excellent.
Thanx I'm glad you liked it. I agree that the DVD or even the newer, BluRay didn't have more in-depth interviews with those involved. Yes, Paul was really good about opening up and making you understand the depth and complexity of himself as an actor and how he prepared for the role and how he viewed it.
greatest movie ever made, paul lamat rules
I have "American Graffiti" & its sequel "More American Graffiti" on dvd. I bring this up cos, I stumbled across a true "American Graffiti" classic. Its a 2 cd set with 50 tracks 25 on each cd called "Music From The Motion Picture American Graffiti" It has all the great music from the movie. The Crest, The Platters, Chuck Berry & so many more are on this set. I always said that, "American Graffiti" had the best soundtrack there ever was, as far as movies go. And who could ever forget the best damn DJ in radio, in Wolfman Jack? It even has a picture of Mel's Drive In with a bunch of hot rods parked in front. I don't know what I loved more, the music or those cars. Both are CLASSICS!!! So if your a true die hard "American Graffiti" fan like myself, you owe it to yourself to add this cd set to your collection. I know I did. Damn. Now I'm gonna have to dig out my dvds of these two movies & watch it again. What a great movie. One word to describe it, CLASSIC!!!
I have it on vinyl....I'm old...lol
Thanks for posting - this is some great insight on Milner. One of my very favorite movies and one of my favorite characters.
im acually from the area this film was based on and im ony 14 but the crazy part is that my grandma went to school with george lucas plus my grandpa raced on the real paradise road over a dozen times and between 1962-1965 my grandpa was one of the fastest guys in the stanislaus area my grandpa has even told of stories of him and his friends doing all the stuff as in the movie. its amazing how realistic this movie was.
I hope you come out with part 2 soon.....pretty interesting to watch. I liked how you were asking not the same old questions but different ones.
This is fascinating. Good interview Mark.
this is so awesome. thanks
@markybgoode Wow I'm a bit blown away to be honest. A man who has talked to the pivotal actor in my all time by far fav movie has sent a letter to my private e-mail over here in NZ. I feel a tad connected by this albeit indirectly etc. The first time I saw the movie it was just new and played at 1 of our older more traditional huge theatres which had a sound system for its day to die for. From the second the scene changed with 16 candles starting I was absorbed into the screen (I'm still there)
I always thought "Milner" was an interesting character. Kind of like a "Fonzie" character, yet more realistic, secure, and modest. Much more believable. Anyhow, thanks again for posting.
Well said
@ddescvvb You're, first person to comment on the very thing I like about Graffiti: the atmosphere. I love the positive feeling and the world we (me) are pulled into when watching it. the large number of funny and dramatic events that take place in the embellished version of Modesto, as well as the beautifully lit up cars with flashy chrome, and fantastic (most of it) music swirling around our aural perceptions create the atmosphere that we want to return to again and again. -Peace!
great interview my friend thanks. god speed.
He seems like a real nice guy, would like to meet him if I get the chance.
Man did I have a crush on Paul Le Mat after seeing AG. Then Aloha Bobby & Rose. Swoon. But AG was where my love for classic cars started and then muscle cars. What a great movie and funnily enough I got to see it again on tv the other night. I've seen it that many times including about 4 X at the movies when it came out here in 1976 I think it was. It really captured us I'm not sure why as it wasn't our era and I don't think any of us had seen those sorts of cars and that culture. A group of about 10 of us went, 14-15 yr old boys and girls. So yeah, it may have been a small movie back in the day but it made a mark on me and worth way more than Paul Le Mat's $3800 measly pay cheque. Great interview by the way. I love how your fan-ness couldn't be contained. 😉
A guy who lived below me has (had) one of the cars that was in the movie (the coupe) he almost never took it out of the garage, but I finally had the courage to go up and ask him about it (1978 or so). He had a ton of pictures of the movie set (most signed) and told me it was used in the Movie and that he got 5000 from the producers to use the car. I saw this in upstate NY. I don't know what happened to it, but It may still be there!! Wonder how many were used in the film??
Yah, Bitchin" interview! Paul, everyone knows someone like your character. Your portrayal of "John Milner" was perfect. None of the other characters in the film perpetuated an era as yours did. Don't pick on the nuances, even as you see them as errors in the film, because people in life aren't perfect, and that's what made Graffiti so perfect. The cars weren't gods, but the guys that built them and started the hot rod trends were.
I agree. So much changed in such a short period of time. It seems more like a century transpired between the time the film takes place and the time it was released in theaters.
Paul was a better actor than H Ford,just a damm pity he never got a break..Met him when he came to England,with the cars etc,great guy God Bless You Paul..
Nice man and good luck to him...
Thanks for the video post! I loved hearing the background info!!!!
sucker really this man even though I was a kid at the time today his character brings back memories of always wanting to be the fastest or the coolest his portrayal of the character deserves much more than to be refered to as a sucker hey Paul thanks for the memories
Great interview. Well done.
Great interview!!!!
Rather a pity that this interview with Paul, or another like it, wasn't included as a "special feature" on a DVD issue of American Graffiti. It's interesting to get the actor's view on what kind of person his character was meant to be.
That is really neat! Thanks for sharing! :)
I've been watching American Graffiti over the weekend and LOVE the movie.It's good to see Paul LaMAT still doing well.He did such a good job for his role in the movie.What is he doing now?
'i'm not quite as cool as he is, not quite as tough..but..close'
hehe great video post man, appreciate it
@markybgoode Thank you for writing back about this, American Graffiti I personally feel was one of the most important American movies of all time sort of the "great american novel" if you will, no other film has ever capturped a time in this country so perfectly, the music, the clothes, the mores and attitudes than George Lucas did, as far as I am concerned, it is his masterpiece.
@MrDavearama: He IS a great method actor & he brings a lot of warmth and authenticity to his work. I too wonder why more popular roles didn't come his way.
people were always trying to race my 56 chevy ..gee it was a 265 poweglide ,,but funny thing it was fast in its time ...back in 69 ....did win some lost some ..my dad bought it new when i was 4 the car was the family car ,,,ok i am 62 now i still have the 56 black an white chevy...still a built powerglide 327 with disk up front ..wish i had this set up in 69 lol
That was Awesome!
😃
John milner was my Movie character Idol. even though i dont have a Deuce coupe i have a 1949 Chevy Styleline Deluxe. i roll my Camels in my sleeve and i blare 50's 60's music on my way to school :D
Cool interview......THANKS!!!!!!
that was awesome
@ddescvvb: I saw Graffiti on its first release. It had been out several months already and it was playing in the smaller of 3 theaters. I was McKenzie Phillips' [Carol] age. It was the first movie that really stuck with me. After I saw the movie, I would watch Happy Days always expecting to relive the film but I was always disappointed. I had to wait 4 yrs until it was re-released in the theaters again to relive the magic. Now we have DVDs and we can enjoy the film anytime. Bitchin'
It shows how iconic the character of John Milner is, that people would come up to Paul Le Mat and talk to him like was/is John Milner:"What are were talking about? You were beating him!"
Wow - Markybgoode, that's some great work you did here. You must have planned to do this days before you attended this Auto show. He seems like a down to earth-easy-going-guy?. He was my favorite character in the movie, as I like Hot Rods. I always wondered what happened to him as far as acting roles? Anyway Cheers to you, the cameraman and Paul!
Thanx. I wrote the questions in my hotel room in Sacramento the night before. I asked Candy Clark the same question but got a completely different vibe. Se was concerned about selling her pix. I don't blame her. What's a shame is the day before I interviewed both her and Bo Hopkins and they spoke to me for a long time. But then like a dumby i accidently erased over my conversations with them to interview Le Mat. *SIGH*
That's for sure!
Hey J.......YOU ARE A REAL DEAL " TRUE FAN " !!! I am impressed ! Perf clips are in the works..Takemall .