By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
November 19, 1995
During lunch at Spiaggia, Steve Guttenberg tells a reporter of his fantasy: waking up at 11:30 a.m., getting a massage and then going for a swim. That sounds simple enough for a movie star, but it’s one Guttenberg can’t indulge in these days. With three films out this year – including “It Takes Two,” which is in its opening weekend at
local theaters – he has had to spend his time working the press. (“The Big Green” came out a few months ago, and “Home for the Holidays” is continuing in Chicago.)
Since starring in “Diner” (1982) with Tim Daly, Kevin Bacon and Mickey Rourke, Guttenberg has worked steadily in comedies such as the “Police Academy” series, “Cocoon,” “Short Circuit,” “Three Men and a Baby” and its sequel, “Three Men and a Little Lady.” With “It Takes Two” – which stars twin moppets Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, formerly of TV’s “Full House” – Guttenberg gets to play the romantic lead, torn between Kirstie Alley and Jane Sibbett.
In between bites of shrimp and tortellini soup, Gutterberg chatted with Showcase about those twins, horses and bizarre interviews.
Q. Did working with the young Olsen twins just grate on your nerves?
A. Absolutely not! They were wonderful. They’re really well behaved little girls and are really good actresses, so it was a lot of fun. They teased me a lot, and I would tell them that I didn’t like them because they smelled like salmon and tuna fish.
Q. There’s a scene in the film where you have to save Kirstie Alley when the horse she’s riding gets scared. You look pretty comfortable galloping after her. Are you a rider?
A. I worked at a horse stable when I was 12 to about 14. I’m not an accomplished rider, but I’m comfortable around (horses). Not comfortable enough to not use a stunt double for some of the chases, but good enough. Kirstie hadn’t spent as much time on a horse.
Q. Speaking of Kirstie, was her husband (Parker Stevenson) around during filming of any of the smooching scenes?
A. That’s a funny thing – kissing someone else’s wife, and it’s OK! He’s a great guy, and he’d visit the set, and I’d be like, “Nice to see you again, Parker. I’ve got to go kiss your wife for a couple takes.” This is the only business where you can get away with that.
Q. You’ve done a lot of interviews over the years. Is there one that particularly stands out?
A. There are two, actually. One was with this male reporter who obviously was having an affair, because this woman showed up at the hotel room where we were doing the interview and started throwing everything in sight at him. (Laughs.) We never finished the interview. Another time, a female reporter who had just had breast
surgery flashed them at me. We finished that interview.
