For Chris Candy and Jennifer Candy-Sullivan, sifting through old footage of their father for the documentary John Candy: I Like Me felt like detective work.
“I didn’t realize that there’d been so many traits, and behaviors and perspectives on how he treated people that I had. You know, he wasn’t around to tell me how to do that stuff,” Chris tells ABC Audio. “That was … spooky, almost.”
John Candy was known for his extensive comedy career, which included time on the sketch series SCTV, and starring roles in movies like Splash and Uncle Buck. John died from a heart attack in 1994, when Chris and Jennifer were still children.
“For me to rewatch, and watch new interviews, was — I enjoyed a lot of them because they were fun, but some of them I was like, ‘Man, this was really uncomfortable,’” Jennifer says. “He had to endure a lot in his business.”
The documentary details John’s struggles with anxiety while often facing pressure for his weight. Sometimes he’d slip into a character he’d call “Johnny Toronto,” who would pay for extravagant nights out — even if the real John couldn’t pay for it.
“Johnny Toronto is also just like a way to avoid anxiety, a way to avoid conflict. I’ll pay for everything so you don’t need to worry about it, we don’t need to worry about it, and maybe we don’t have to talk about it. So I think that that talks about the schism within our father,” says Chris.
The documentary, directed by Colin Hanks, features interviews with comedy legends like Bill Murray, Steve Martin and Catherine O’Hara. All of them reference John’s generosity, on and off the screen.
“It may have looked like all fun and games — but there was a lot that went into it,” says Jennifer. “He had to make sure the crew was taken care of, and everyone was taken care of.”
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