Photograph courtesy of Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library
Shortly before John Goodman turned 2 years old, his father died of a heart attack, leaving Goodman’s mother, Virginia, to raise her three children. After growing up in Affton, Goodman left St. Louis around 1975. He went on to star in the TV show Roseanne and films like The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? He recently appeared on NBC’s Community, as well as in the critically acclaimed silent film The Artist. Though Goodman now lives in New Orleans, he still occasionally returns to his hometown. SLM talked to the 59-year-old actor in mid-October, when the Cardinals were playing in the postseason.
I grew up right across the road from Affton High School. Dad paid less than $10,000 for the house. It was part of a new subdivision, carved out of a farm, and all of our neighbors were World War II vets. There were two bedrooms upstairs and one bathroom in the whole house. My sister, Betty, and I would take turns tormenting each other. We shared a room for a while, and then I slept in the kitchen and on a foldout bed. I’d fall asleep listening to Johnny Rabbitt, with a transistor under my pillow. My brother finally built a bed for me in the basement—that was about the time I started sneaking Playboys into the house, so it was a good thing.
At Mackenzie Junior High School, I was a terrible student—they hadn’t invented ADD yet, so I guess I didn’t have that. But I would stare out the window or try to get attention however I could. My teacher directed me in a production of You Can’t Take It With You, and I was Grandpa Vanderhof. I was supposed to make this huge speech and I promptly forgot it, so I just started making shit up. It felt like 40 minutes, but I got a big kiss on the cheek from my teacher afterward.
My first job was at Sandy’s Chicken Coop, where I made $10 a week. That is, until I discovered the miracle of the carwash: Crestwood Car Wash. I’d wash cars and look for loose cigarettes, change, tapes. I was also a salesperson at Broadstreet’s. I’d borrow my brother’s clothes, which probably pissed Broadstreet’s off because they weren’t making more money off me. I couldn’t afford a car, so we’d hitchhike everywhere we went. We went to Crestwood Plaza and did a lot of major-league loitering. When someone would get a car, we’d pile people in and go to the burger joints, like Chuck-A-Burger and Tote’s. During summers, I’d go to the CYC [Catholic Youth Council] dances at St. Mary Magdalen, St. James—I spent so much time going to Catholic dances that my brother thought I was going to convert. I’d tell girls it was my birthday, so they’d give me a kiss. It was great, when it worked.
At [St. Louis Community College] Meramec, I did a few plays; I didn’t have anything else going for me—I couldn’t work on cars, couldn’t play golf, no luck with the girls. I also couldn’t get into the theater at SMSU [Missouri State University] right away, so I fell back on the frat. Once I discovered what acting really could be, though, the scales fell from my eyes, and everything fell into place.
After I graduated, I did summer theater, and within two weeks, I was headed for New York. It was overwhelming at first. For a long time, I had a love-hate relationship with that city. I wanted to stay in St. Louis and work at the Rep; I actually remember auditioning for the Rep, but they had other ideas.
I constantly miss St. Louis. When I’d go on the road, I would try to pick up KMOX. I wish I was there now—it’s beautiful, with the leaves turning—but I don’t want to jinx the Cards.
