Josh Mostel Talks His Biggest Role Before King Herod: Wally The Bus Driver
Every actor has to start somewhere, and for Josh Mostel (Jesus Christ Superstar, Billy Madison, Sophie's Choice, Big Daddy), that was the short educational film ...and Then It Happened.
It's a short film from 1972 that was shown in schools to show kids why sitting down and shutting the hell up is important to everyone's safety.
The film follows the final bus rides of fictitious bus drivers Wally Vega and Emma Hammer.
As far as the crashes went, neither of the crashes were the fault of the drivers, but the rowdiness of the kids on the bus.
The disturbances in the video range from knife fighting, smoking and drug use to dogs and mice being let loose on the bus.
We got Mostel on the phone, and he said, "I have no memory of this whatsoever. I mean literally, I remember nothing! I have no idea where it was shot. Looking at it, there's no question, that's me!"
Hear the full interview with Josh Mostel here:
Mostel is known for a variety of roles, like Principal Max Anderson in Billy Madison.
But the role that he truly hit it big in the 1972 staple, Jesus Christ Superstar. Mostel played the original King Herod.
With 67 acting credits to his name, he's been in something that everybody has seen; Sophie's Choice, City Slickers, Law & Order, Big Daddy, Beverly Hills 90210, and many more.
We asked him the question that started our whole spiral into this rabbit hole. Josh said "Ida, a Polish movie nobody's ever heard of. That, or Other People's Lives, a German film that was nominated for Foreign Film of the Year. Ask me later this week, I'll give you a different answer."
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