From Humble Beginnings

Just caught the last ten minutes of Death Wish, the original, which is still a classic. Early roles not only for Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs (Freddy "boom-boom" Washington) as one of the last muggers Bronson's Paul Kersey takes down, but also Jeff Goldblum as "Freak 1" and Christopher Guest as "Patrolman Riley." Goldblum I knew about, although I never saw that was his credit. Riley was a surprise, kind of like Richard Dreyfus in The Graduate saying, "should I get the cops?"

You have to wonder what Goldblum's conversation was like with his agent.

Agent: "Hey Jeff, I think I got something for you, it could be good."

Jeff: "Awesome, what is it?"

Agent: "You play a nut who rapes a mother and daughter."

Jeff: "Gee, I'm not so sure this is what I had in mind when I took that course at the Strasberg."

Agent: "It's gold man, gold."

Jeff: "Does my character have a name?"

Agent: "Oh yeah (hear pages rustling). It's `Freak One.'"

Jeff: (sigh) "OK, when does it shoot?"

Agent: "Shoot? Jeff, baby. You gotta audition to be Freak One."