Anthony Edwards’ Nervous Jaguar Journey
As the ER television series’ 30th anniversary approaches, my wife recalls an amusing vignette with one of its stars.
Three weeks from now is the 30th anniversary of the television show ER’s debut.
The series was an instant hit1 and launched multiple show-biz careers, particularly that of George Clooney. But what people may not recall is that when ER started, easily the best-known actor was Anthony Edwards.
By that point, his acting credentials included playing Nick “Goose” Bradshaw (above) alongside Tom Cruise in Top Gun. As even casual movie observers likely know, Goose’s death in a training mission plays an integral role in not only that film but its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, two years ago.
Though ER’s production happened primarily on a studio lot in California, a couple of times a year the cast and crew would travel to Chicago to shoot scenes. After all, it was set in the Windy City, with the fictional Cook County General Hospital based on the actual Cook County Hospital.
Back in the series’ infancy, my wife Bridgett worked as the assistant production coordinator (APOC) during those local stints. For this week’s column, I am turning The Inside Edge over to her recollection of an amusing behind-the-scenes vignette.
She actually wrote it yesterday, in the Facebook group Crew Stories (composed of over 97,000 movie and TV industry crew professionals globally). She was prompted when someone, mentioning ER’s 30th anniversary, asked if anybody had worked on the show and could share a story.
Bridgett offered this one:
“I worked on the show multiple times the first few years as the APOC in the office when they'd come to Chicago for a week at a time. The first time they came, they were a bunch of nobodies (except Tony Edwards, who I saw in Revenge of the Nerds and Gotcha! and Top Gun), and we were winging it, and we didn't have any Transpo to pick Tony up at the airport. And no money and no time to send a car.
The Chicago Production Coordinator (my mom) had the nicest car of any of us, a Jaguar. So the Chicago accountant (my aunt) nervously drove that car, and (this was before 9/11) I went to meet Tony at the gate.
I was in my early 20s but looked like I was 14 years old. When he got off the plane, I approached him in my best I’m-not-a-crazy-fan demeanor and let him know I was there to pick him up. We bantered about Chicago and other non-industry topics as we walked through the O’Hare labyrinth and got to the waiting car. Because I’m 5-foot-2 and he’s a full foot taller, I offered him the front passenger seat.
My aunt barely spoke. Between driving her sister’s luxury car in Chicago traffic and having a famous actor sitting right next to her whose safety she was now responsible for, she was beyond stressed. She was clenching the steering wheel and riding the brakes. Not smooth sailing.
Tony was visibly nervous, and I had to act all professional and not let on that she was my aunt, as the setup already seemed Podunk and lame.
I spent the whole time in the back seat, leaning forward to do my best to distract him by asking a bunch of questions about his life. Tony’s acting was really good—his voice only slightly revealed his nervousness, but his fidgety legs were telling the tale.
About 45 long minutes later, we got him to the hotel. He was super nice—and couldn't get out of the car fast enough.”
ER was on the air for 15 years and 331 episodes.
