3 Roles John Ritter Would Have Nailed
John Ritter in the 1981 comedy ‘They All Laughed’
Steve Carell walked the Oscar red carpet this weekend, deservedly staking his claim as one of the year’s best for his performance in Foxcatcher. Carell, for years known as the inept boss on The Office, followed the well-trodden path of mid-career TV funnyman-turned-dramatic thespian.
From Jackie Gleason to Jim Carrey, Bill Murray to Tom Hanks, Robin Williams to Woody Harrelson, small-screen comedic actors have earned the respect of critics and peers, and often awards glory, for playing against type on film. One person tragically absent from that list: John Ritter.
September will mark the 12th anniversary of Ritter’s death at 54 from an undiagnosed heart condition, a death that robbed us of an extraordinary talent. Like those stars above, Ritter is exactly the type of versatile actor who would have been able to excel in the right dramatic roles.
Forever remembered as the lovable airhead Jack Tripper from the 1970s sitcom Three’s Company, Ritter had a mixed track record on film, starring in a handful of poorly reviewed box-office duds. Chief among them, Peter Bogdanovich’s 1981 comedy They All Laughed — a film that, with age, has won fans like Quentin Tarantino and Wes Anderson. In 1996, Ritter offered a glimpse at what might have been, appearing opposite Billy Bob Thornton as a gay dollar-store manager in the Oscar-winning Sling Blade. The New York Times deemed the role “strong, solid work … [from] a surprising Mr. Ritter.” The actor later reteamed with Thornton in the 2003 black comedy Bad Santa, which won warm reviews. It was his final film role, one that might have been his pivot toward even more surprising parts on screen.
What if Ritter had the opportunity to take on more adventurous film work during hiatuses from his final hit TV series, 8 Simple Rules, or what challenges he may have embraced once that sitcom ran its course? It doesn’t require a leap of imagination to envision Ritter playing against his affable, self-effacing everyman persona, transforming his unique physicality into something more menacing, or harnessing his gift for empathy and channeling into a sober drama. If fate had taken a different turn, these are three roles Ritter would have nailed.
John du Pont, Foxcatcher
Considering his abundant pranks and pratfalls as Jack Tripper, Ritter could be cartoonish. Turn that down about eight notches, add a prosthetic nose, and the late performer could have been pretty convincing as the twisted multimillionaire heir and killer John du Pont. Director Bennett Miller has said he cast Steve Carell, with a strong background in comedy — namely TV comedy, like Ritter — for similar reasons.
Bernie Rose, Drive
It was sure exciting to see the neurotically comic Albert Brooks play against type as a cold-blooded gangster in the 2011 drama Drive. Just picture Ritter doing the same thing. This parody sketch from Late Night With Conan O’Brien, despite played for laughts, casts Ritter in a similarly sinister light.
Matt King, The Descendants
Not to knock George Clooney’s Oscar-nominated performance in Alexander Payne’s 2011 island-bound drama The Descendants, but Ritter could have really embodied the disillusioned dad role, opposite Shailene Woodley’s irritable daughter. While a few degrees more satirical, his role as a stuffy mall manager in Bad Santa, seen here, gives an idea of what might have been.
Watch John Ritter in a scene from Sling Blade:
Photo: Everett Collection
