If film evolution worked out differently, Pauly Shore would've played Encino Man's caveman, Link
Pauly Shore discussed his career and the Encino Man film's breakthrough in a new interview
You know a chat with Pauly Shore is off to a good start when it opens with the following exchange:
“Hey, how it’s going?”
“Good. Rock and roll, bro. Wow, you’re even crustier than me, dude, look at your bed. That’s funny. I like Zooms, because you can find out who the fuck people really are, you know?”
With this tone-setting introduction, Shore gets us all in the right headspace for his latest interview, which marks the 30th anniversary of cinematic classic Encino Man and includes trivia about the movie—like the fact that he was once meant to play its caveman instead of Brendan Fraser.
While speaking to Uproxx, Shore looked back on different aspects of making the film. We learn that he played his Encino Man character, Stoney, by taking his MTV and stand-up persona, which Shore says is “69%” based on him in real-life, and trying to give him a bit more heart. We learn that Shore considers the movie “very much like ET” because “we didn’t treat the caveman like it was the caveman, he became our friend.” We also learn, most interestingly, that the original concept for the movie would have had Shore play its caveman, Link.
Shore recalls going to a meeting and explaining his opposition to the idea. “So we meet and I say, ‘I’m not playing the caveman,’” he says. “I go, ‘Cavemans don’t speak. I have a language. I have a style. I have a persona.”
Swayed by this argument, Shore was allowed to rework parts of the script so he would play the best friend of Sean Astin’s character, Dave. Ultimately, Brendan Fraser would be cast as Link, which worked out for everyone.
Shore praises his co-star, saying that “when he played the caveman, he became the caveman” and calling him “a really good actor.” It goes without saying that viewers benefited as well because if things didn’t happen the way they did, we may never have even considered engaging in the time-honored practice of Wheezing The Juice.
The rest of the interview is well worth reading for more on Encino Man and Shore’s very candid assessment of his own career to date. Kick back, grab some grindage, and get the words in your melon by checking it out over here.
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