Nicholas Hammond: Bringing It In Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

By Erin Free

An Aussie resident since 1985, US actor Nicholas Hammond has been an on-screen fixture for over five decades, first appearing on cinema screens in 1963 in Peter Brook’s powerful adaptation of William Golding’s Lord Of The Flies before finding international fame as Friedrich in the much loved musical The Sound Of Music opposite Julie Andrews. The iconic pop culture moments continued for Hammond in the 1970s when he played the eponymous Marvel superhero in TV’s The Amazing Spiderman after guest shots on iconic shows like The Waltons and The Brady Bunch. Now, Hammond scores another plum role, playing real life actor/director Sam Wanamaker in Quentin Tarantino’s 1969-set Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. Directing Leonardo DiCaprio’s washed up TV star in an episode of the real life western series Lancer, Hammond’s Wanamaker is a charismatic ball of energy, draped in late sixties finery and waxing lyrical on Shakespeare and the art of acting.

Let’s start with a very, very obvious question: what was it like working with Quentin Tarantino?

“It was wonderful working with QT. He is generous, and a great filmmaker. He called and asked to meet me, and after that he asked me to play the role of Sam Wanamaker.”

Your Sam Wanamaker is such a high-energy, impassioned figure…is that purely creation, or based in fact?

“It’s a little bit of both. He was a high energy man. The Lancer pilot in this film is one that he did direct, and he has a theatrical part – one that I portrayed.”

What kind of research did you do into Sam Wanamaker? Did you ever happen to meet him during your career?

“No, I never met Sam Wanamaker. I was very well aware of who he was because of his creation of The Globe Theatre in London, but also because I had seen his work as an actor. I have seen him in a number of films and television series in America. So I was certainly aware of who he was but I hadn’t realised that he had been such a prominent director. My research really consisted of the films of his that Quentin gave me to look at, both films that he directed and films that he had acted in. I refer to them somewhat in the deleted scenes in the DVD. I mention a couple of the things that Sam Wanamaker himself actually did.”

Sam Wanamaker is presented as something of a figure of fun in the film…does that bother you at all considering some of his extraordinary achievements, like his work at The Globe Theatre in London? Or do you like the fact that it might direct people to look a little more into the life and career of Mr. Wanamaker?

“I don’t actually think the intention was to portray Mr Wanamaker as a figure of fun. I think what we were all trying to do was show the contrast between a director who is passionate about his own project and is highly informed about Shakespeare and theatrical allusions and the comedy that comes from his conversations with Leonardo DiCaprio’s character, who has no real clue about what he is talking about when he starts talking about Hamlet and Shakespeare. The comedy comes out of the situation rather than him being a figure of fun. Yes, he has an exuberance and an energy that Quentin very much wanted to highlight and that is something that we did have fun doing, but it was certainly not intended to be a disrespectful portrayal of Sam Wanamaker. I hope that his family are pleased with both the film and my depiction of their farther.”

You have an incredible look in the film! Can you talk about working with wardrobe, hair, and make-up on the film?

“It was a huge help to me that people like Greg Funk the makeup man and Michelle the hairdresser really created a wonderful look for Wanamaker. That was helpful for me because it was so far removed from myself that by the time I was finished in the makeup and hair trailer, I kind of felt like I had become Wanamaker in tandem with the clothes that were really actually picked out more by Quentin himself. Quentin came to the wardrobe fittings and made every single decision. His attention to detail is enormous, and came right down to choosing what sunglasses to wear and what medallion to have around my neck. Everything was always carefully discussed and chosen by Quentin and I know that was true for most of the other actors also. They were a great team and deserve richly to be acknowledged for their contribution.”

It must be quite a thrill literally charging into a big film like this, and going toe-to-toe with Leonardo DiCaprio! Can you talk about how you worked up to the scene, the rehearsal process etc?

“It was a big thrill, there’s no question about it. There’s a big thrill being with all those people. Of course, the fact that most of my scenes were with Leonardo was great, and he is a marvellous actor to work with. It was always serious work, and we just worked together really effortlessly. He, Quentin and I talked through the scenes and just did them – the great thing about working with a first class actor is that it’s simpler. They are also there to do the work, and they aren’t there to muck around. It was a pleasure, and we just worked the way that you work with any actor, except that in his case, he brings his own interesting and wonderful kinds of skills as an actor. I didn’t feel any kind of difficulty at all and found that it was just like working with somebody who was there to do the best that they can do – that’s what I was also doing and that’s what Quentin was doing. Between the three of us, it was a really positive experience.”

You don’t share any actual screen time in the film with the late Luke Perry, but did you work with this gifted actor at all on the shoot?

“Yes, I did, and in fact I did have screen time with Luke Perry, but those scenes didn’t make it into the theatrical release of the film, along with a lot of other scenes that unfortunately couldn’t be included for time reasons. On the DVD, one of the deleted scenes features me directing him on the set of Lancer. He was always there on set, and I worked with him every day. He was the sweetest, dearest, kindest man – we had a common point of interest because he had worked for [producer] Aaron Spelling on Beverly Hills 20210, and I had played Aaron Spelling in a mini-series about the making of [his TV series] Dynasty, so we talked a great deal about Aaron. Luke was so humble in talking about how if it weren’t for Mr. Spelling, no one would’ve given him his job as an actor. He was just a lovely, lovely guy, and it was a terrible loss.”

You have an amazing resume that boasts some absolutely enormous moments in pop culture history…is there one film or TV show that has a special place in your heart?

“I don’t think there is one, but there are a few of course. There’s something about every job that you do that you like, and you try to take something away from every job in some way or another. Whether it’s a great actor that you worked with, the director, a great script or the role that you had. There’s been a few where those things have really combined. Of course, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, The Sound Of Music, The Lord Of The Flies and The Amazing Spiderman are big ones. It was a huge thing for me to be the star of my own prime time American television series and I think it’s one of those things that every actor in the back of their mind kind of hopes they will get an opportunity at one point to do and I did. So between being in the most successful musical movie and having my own series and now playing a role in a Quentin movie, I would say that they rate very, very highly on the list for me.”

You’re very much an honorary Aussie now…do you enjoy that? Do you like moving between work here and overseas?

“Yes, I do enjoy it. I’m an American and of course I always will be an American, but I love Australia and have become very fond of the people here and being here. I also love the work here; it’s really what made me stay and keep coming back. I found the work in the film and TV industry here to be first class, with a wonderful group of actors and film craftsman. I love it when I work in Australia and I love it when I go home to work in Hollywood. I have a very lucky life that I’m able to go back and forth between the two places, and although there are similarities between them, they have very lovely differences. It is a nice way to always stay fresh. I am now very familiar with the Sydney to LA flight!!!”

You delivered one of the most famous lines in TV history – “Something suddenly came up” – on The Brady Bunch. Have you ever used that line yourself? And what are your memories of working on the show? Doug Simpson was probably the only guy in America who would cancel a date with Marcia Brady, even with a horribly swollen nose…

“Hah ha! No, I have never used that line myself, I would like to think that I’m a nicer person than Doug Simpson, but it was huge fun to work on the show! The Brady Bunch was so huge at the time that I came on that I felt like I was walking onto a set with a number of American icons. All of the characters were very famous on American TV at that time, so to come on and play a guest role was huge fun. I was probably the oldest high school student in the history of the world – I mean, until they made Grease – but it was an episode like so many things that you do in film and television, that no one knew at the time would be turned into a Broadway play. It was a great pleasure to do at the time, and you’re very right, I don’t think anyone in their right mind would turn down a date with Marcia Brady.”

We’ve heard that the famous Japanese version of Spider-Man will likely make it into Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 2…any idea if your much cooler Spider-Man (so beloved by many folks who grew up with the show) might be making it in too?

“Gee, I have no idea, but I think that would be really fun and is something that I would love to do! I just think it would be really cool if it went in and I hope it does. It’s got nothing to do with me, but I would love to sit in a theatre and watch that. Let’s all think good thoughts and get my Peter Parker up there!”

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital. Click here for our review of the film.