Role Recall: Danny Glover Remembers 'The Color Purple,' 'Saw,' and His Classic Line in 'Lethal Weapon'

Just as Christmas is a time for family to gather around and share a meal, the cast of Almost Christmas enjoyed plenty of bonding time around the dinner table while shooting the new holiday comedy. Led by Danny Glover, the star-packed ensemble — which also includes Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Mo’Nique and J.B. Smoove — spent over a week filming the big family meal that comes towards the end of the movie. “The relationships [between us] became enriched,” the veteran actor tells Yahoo Movies. “In terms of the characters in the film, but also the relationship between people who knew each other. That moment was central to the wonderful feeling we had [making the film].”

We got the opportunity to bond with Glover, 70, as well during our Role Recall interview while we walked through his extensive filmography. Watch the video above and read his comments about some of the films on his resume.

The Color Purple (1985)
For Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated adaptation of Alice Walker’s 1982 novel, Glover acted opposite two future stars in their first high-profile screen roles: Whoopi Goldberg and Oprah Winfrey. “Whoopi was so phenomenal,” he remembers. “I felt she was destined to go on and do something special. And Oprah was already on her path. I think she would have been who we know her as even without The Color Purple.”

Lethal Weapon (1987)
One of the defining action movies of the 1980s, the Shane Black-written, Richard Donner-directed Lethal Weapon birthed a popular action franchise (which recently came to television with Damon Wayans in Glover’s role) and awarded the actor his signature catchphrase: “I’m too old for this s—.” Even Glover is impressed by that line’s longevity. “It’s one of those lines that’s become this phenomenon!”

Predator 2 (1990)
When Arnold Schwarzenegger declined to return for the sequel to John McTiernan’s 1987 sci-fi rumble in the jungle, Danny Glover got the call to go mano-a-mano with the extraterrestrial bounty hunter. “It was the first and only time I’ve ever done upper body weight lifting,” he reveals. “It gave it this different kind of feeling — like I’m the toughest guy on the block and I’m fighting the toughest guy on his block.”

Saw (2004)
“I had never done a film like it before,” Glover says of James Wan’s 2004 horror blockbuster, which spawned a seven-film franchise. “Something about that detective character at that particular point attracted me to it.”