Unraveling the Mystery of Copycat: Harry Connick Jr. Opens Up About His Experience
Harry Connick Jr., the renowned actor, and musician, has shared a fascinating anecdote about his experience on the set of the 1995 crime thriller Copycat. In a recent interview with SiriusXM’s The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham, Connick revealed that his co-star, Sigourney Weaver, refused to speak to him during filming.
“Sigourney Weaver, she’s so unbelievable. She wouldn’t talk to me,” Connick, 56, confessed. “I didn’t meet her till the premiere. She would not — every time I came around, she went the other way. She was like, ‘I don’t want to be around that guy!’”
Connick humorously compared the situation to his high school days, saying, “I remembered what it was like to be in high school.”
In Copycat, Connick played the role of serial killer Daryll Lee Cullum, who becomes obsessed with psychologist Dr. Helen Hudson, played by Weaver, 76. The film, directed by Jon Amiel, also starred Holly Hunter and Dermot Mulroney as detectives trying to track down the killer.
Connick shared that Copycat was his first major role as a young actor, and he had previously faced rejection in several auditions. “I was like, ‘Actually, I think I’m done for a while,'” he said. However, his manager convinced him to meet with director Jon Amiel, which ultimately led to his casting in the film.
During the audition, Connick recalled that Amiel asked him about his knowledge of serial killers, and he responded by sharing some southern expressions, which seemed to impress the director.
“I started, like, giving him some southern expressions and he said, ‘Okay, thank you,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh, well there’s another one!’” Connick said. “Then my manager calls me like an hour later and says, ‘He wants you for the role,’ and I’m thinking, like, what did I possibly do to convince this guy that I could play that guy?”
Connick’s candid admission about his experience on the set of Copycat has shed new light on the making of the thriller, which has become a cult classic over the years.