Actor John Larroquette admitted that he once took a role in a horror movie in exchange for “a matchbox” of marijuana.
According to a recent interview for Parade Magazine, the “Night Court” actor explained that he had taken on the role — narrating the opening sequence of 1974’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” — as a favor to his friend, director Tobe Hooper, and that he hadn’t expected to be paid for the work.
John Larroquette confirmed the rumor that Tobe Hooper paid him in weed to narrate his 1974 film 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.' https://t.co/mFTeL8as7q
— Entertainment Weekly (@EW) January 13, 2023
Larroquette told Parade that he had actually met Hooper several years earlier when he was working as a bartender in Colorado — and when he later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting, Hooper called him and asked if he could spare an hour to narrate the beginning of his latest project.
“Tobe heard I was in town and asked for an hour of my time to narrate something for this movie he just did. I said ‘Fine!’ It was a favor,” Larroquette said — but he admitted that, on his way out the door, Hooper had slipped him a little something for his trouble.
“Totally true. He gave me some marijuana or a matchbox or whatever you called it in those days. I walked out of the [recording] studio and patted him on the back side and said, ‘Good luck to you!'” the actor added.
According to Botanical.com — which has published a lengthy list of street-terms for marijuana and other related paraphernalia — a “matchbox” refers to approximately “1/4 ounce of marijuana or 6 marijuana cigarettes,” or the amount of marijuana that might fit in a matchbox.
The Louisiana native said that he has never even seen “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” explaining that horror movies are not really his thing — but he did appreciate the fact that the movie did well and netted him roles narrating sequences in the sequels as well.
“You do something for free in the 1970s and get a little money in the ‘90s,” he said.
Larroquette, who is part of the NBC “Night Court” reboot, famously withdrew himself from contention after four consecutive Emmy wins for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series — from 1985-1988, during the show’s original run.
He was not the only star to take that step either — Candice Bergen bowed out after winning five times between 1989-1995 for her role in “Murphy Brown,” and Oprah Winfrey withdrew her name after winning seven times in 12 years.