Encounters With Gary Busey
Actor Gary Busey is known for his intensity, both on and off screen. I discovered this firsthand in 1987 while working as 3rd Assistant Director on the film Act Of Piracy. The movie was shot on the Greek island of Skiathos. Two days before production, I was sent to the island airport to pick up Gary as his plane arrived. He’d just finished shooting a film in Mexico and he’d had a horrible experience. As we drove back to the hotel, he began rambling.
“This place looks just like Mexico. The trees, the ocean. This feels like déjà vu. I can’t go through that again. Tell me this place is not like Mexico.”
“We’re in the Mediterranean, Mr. Busey,” I said. “It’s nothing like Mexico.”
“Thank the lord,” Gary answered. He was quiet for a moment then said, “So what kind of crap do these Mexicans eat?”
This was Gary Busey in a nutshell. Outspoken, hyperactive and strangely likeable.
During production, there was a nationwide hotel strike in Greece. The staff at our hotel walked off the job and crew members were left to fill the void. The production manager assigned me to Gary duty. It was my job to shadow him and tend to all his needs. He was not drinking alcohol at the time so there was no risk of drunken antics. But his food needs were precise and demanding. He gave me a detailed list of his desired meals.
