Fred Willard Gets The Most Out Of His Death Scene(s) On “Pushing Daisies” Wednesday Night

By Tom Rose
Fancast.com

The rumor mill is working overtime when it comes to reports about the future of “Pushing Daisies” the ABC fantasy sleuth series with a lead character Ned, the Pie Baker (Lee Pace) who has the ability to bring back the dead for one minute. The idea is great as a plot device, and as a niche in the private eye marketplace, but maybe the show itself needs a little magic to help it along.

That’s why there’s so much anticipation about Wednesday’s episode with Fred Willard as The Guest Star. In it he plays “The Great Herrmann” a side show magician with a curious problem lately keeping his show animals alive. When Ned and Emerson investigate, they solve that mystery but you’ll have to see for yourself how Fred’s part plays out.

I caught up with Fred Willard on the phone and he played the character he does best: himself. With a show business career stretching back nearly four decades, Fred has done his share of quirky, memorable characters, but this time he gets to play a part never offered before. Let’s find out more:

FC: I gotta say, it’s a real pleasure speaking with you. Thanks for taking my call!

Fred Willard: It’s a pleasure talking about “Pushing Daisies” which is such a fun show and with me on it, I like to think it’s a little bit better!

FC: And right now they’re hanging by a thread so maybe your appearance can put them over the top.

Fred Willard: Yeah, thanks for putting a little pressure on me. Well if it doesn’t put them over the top I can say, “well, I got ‘em a little closer to the top.” You never know. A lot of comedy shows this season aren’t doing well and everyone seems to be blaming the Writer’s strike. I don’t know what it is. A lot of people switched over to reality shows, or switched to cable. Because last year “Pushing Daisies” came out blazing. I was on “Back To You” and they were beating us in the ratings for awhile, but now it seems that people don’t pay as much attention. A year goes by and they think “what was that show about again?” but it is an interesting show, the characters are really very interesting and it’s a very colorful show. I’ve never played a character like this.

FC: Tell us more about it.

Fred Willard: I play The Great Herrmann a Magician and Escape Artist. He gets buried in a box and covered with cement and he escapes. But he tries to get them to figure out why his pets that he uses in the act are all dying off one at a time, so it’s an interesting character.

FC: Do any of the pets come back to life for a minute?

Fred Willard: No they don’t and it’s interesting that they didn’t do that because they could have. In my scene, when they bring me back to life, I realized “this could be a very sad moment” but I played it like “ah well, another adventure, let’s get it over with” so there’s something very upbeat about it. The way they wrote the scene it’s a lot of fun, it’s a character that loves living and he doesn’t really mind dying.

FC: Sort of sounds like you’re playing yourself again.

Fred Willard: That’s right! (laughing) Except for the dying part. Only on TV and in the movies. It’s fun to die in the movies!

FC: Have you ever died in a movie or on TV?

Fred Willard: I did. I was in a TV movie “Salem’s Lot” and I was disappointed because I couldn’t come back as a vampire, I would’ve loved to because I love vampire movies. But technically, the Director explained to me “you don’t get bit by a vampire, you die of a heart attack” since I was scared by the vampire. So I didn’t get to come back with the fangs and all that.

FC: Have you ever played a magician before?

Fred Willard: No, I never have. But I’ve noticed that for some reason magicians are always very colorful and over the top, I don’t know why that is, with capes and pretty assistants, which I have a pretty assistant in this. But it’s all part of the drama of magic, and I’m always like a little kid when I watch a magician. I like to almost believe that it’s really happening and I try to figure out the trick, but I can never figure out how the heck they’re doing that.

FC: I saw the production stills with you in full character and I thought “Oh yeah, Fred Willard. Perfect!” You look like you’re really playing it to the hilt.

Fred Willard: I am. The last scene they filmed, they had to put me in a box to pour this cement on me and I had two fears when we did it. My first fear was that we would do it and then it would take an hour to clean me up to do it again, but the Assistant Director said “we’re only gonna do this once” so then I really got into it. I said “Okay, pour that cement right on my head.”

And then they lifted up a big, heavy camera so that it was looking right down on me, and they were waiting for the Warner Brothers safety person to come and OK the whole thing. But she was more concerned that the stuff wouldn’t get in my eyes, so I was very happy when that scene was over.

FC: So you’re still doing your own stunts.

Fred Willard: (laughing) I insist on it!

FC: I thought you were going to tell me that they got the whole shot ready and then announce “That’s Dinner. One Hour!”

Fred Willard: Yeah, that’s happened to me before. But they used a stunt man for some things and I did my one scene, where they poured cement on me, so I still had a lot of fun.

FC: Do you have any inside information about the future of “Pushing Daisies” you can spill for us?

Fred Willard: No, just what I read in the papers. I did “Worst Week” too and they’ve been picked up for a couple more scripts but I don’t know who makes the decisions. You know I was on “Back To You” last year, and it was going along, it was a wonderful show. They didn’t pick it up, they put on a show called “Do Not Disturb” that ran twice and canceled that. I think they’re a little quick on the trigger with these things. I could never figure out how a network executive can take a show from the pilot, put it on the air and suddenly say, “this is no good, let’s take it off. ” I guess that why I’m not a network executive.

FC: It’s a problem that’s plagued television right from the very beginning.

Fred Willard: Yeah, I mean, how many great shows are shaky at the start? “Everybody Loves Raymond” they were terrible the first season. And “Seinfeld” - people weren’t watching in the beginning. It’s so frightening the way they blew off the show and bring another one on.

FC: That’s why you gotta keep the movie career going. Tell us about your upcoming movie “Youth In Revolt”

Fred Willard: Well, Michael Cera is the Star - you know from “Juno” and all that. I really had a lot of fun. I play his dad’s friend who helps him out. It’s a dysfunctional family, I don’t know if you’re familiar with the book, but his mother and father are divorced and his mother is dating just awful people, and his father has got some young tramp living in the house. So I save the day, I’m the good guy.

FC: Oh you play Mr. Ferguson.

Fred Willard: Exactly!

FC: So you’ll be playing another version of yourself.

Fred Willard: I think I am. I’m a bit clueless in this. I rescue him and his friend, and they lose their shirts. So in the next scene I’m in the car with no shirt on, just so I can relate to this kid, and who knows, it may be good. When I read the book I knew they would have to leave a lot out of the movie, but it should be a lot of fun.

FC: Well we’ll be watching on Fancast.

Fred Willard: And I’m on the “Larry The Cable Guy” Christmas show. Fans might wanna watch that. A naughty but nice Christmas Show.

FC: Well we’ll be pushing that for you as well.

Fred Willard: You don’t have to push it. I got paid. And it was great fun. And maybe I’ll come back as my evil twin brother on “Pushing Daisies” you know?

FC: Sure! You never know, they could write something like that.

Fred Willard: How do you spell spin-off?

FC: Hey! It could be a whole new career for you! Magician!

Fred Willard: That’s right!

FC: Thank you Fred and good luck with the magic act! We’ll be watching on Fancast.