John Candy’s children, Jennifer and Christopher, recently opened up about a shocking discovery. While working on the new documentary, ‘John Candy: I Like Me,’ they learned about the “maddening” fatphobia their dad dealt with throughout his life.
This film, which debuted on Prime Video on Friday, October 10, offers a deep look into Candy’s life. He passed away from a heart attack in 1994 at just 43 years old. Colin Hanks directed the project. It features many big stars like Tom Hanks and Martin Short. They all praise Candy’s amazing talent and kind spirit. However, the documentary also brings to light some of the darker parts of Candy’s journey.
Some of the toughest moments in ‘I Like Me’ involve old interviews with Candy himself. Reporters would constantly question him about his weight and health. Jennifer, 45, and Christopher, 41, shared with Us Weekly that they had no idea how harsh the media was on their father. He faced constant scrutiny about his body during his career.
“It was truly maddening to watch those interviews,” Christopher told Us Weekly before the film’s release. “We saw what he went through, because now we know the whole story.” He added a detail not in the documentary: “People said he felt so uneasy eating in public. The paparazzi made him avoid food. He’d think, ‘Okay, I can have a drink, or a cigarette.’ Then, when he got home to his hotel room or wherever, he would finally eat. And metabolically, we all know that’s just terrible for you.”
Christopher continued, “Hearing how he made deals with himself and handled it all is really hard. I truly wish one of us had been old enough to say, ‘Hey, that’s messed up. Just eat, we’ll block the cameras, who cares?’ I wish I could have been there to support him. To give him a big hug and tell him, ‘Look, forget them.'”
Jennifer agreed with her brother’s feelings. She explained that as kids, they only saw their dad’s “funny” appearances on talk shows. They also only watched his finished films. So, seeing the raw, behind-the-scenes footage was a truly impactful experience.
“I just thought, ‘Wow,'” she told Us Weekly. “It was painful. People should know better. You shouldn’t comment on someone’s weight like that. Or on anything someone is clearly struggling with. It was hard to watch it again.”
Jennifer also shared another aspect of Candy’s personality not fully shown in the film. He loved to host parties, but this often backfired. She said her dad would order “lots of food” for these gatherings. Then, people would wrongly say Candy “ate everything.”
“No, he actually ordered sandwiches for everyone,” she clarified. “They didn’t realize a whole hotel room was packed with family and friends. We were celebrating! So, he didn’t necessarily eat much in front of people. Maybe he had one sandwich. But it was so people wouldn’t get the wrong idea or make up stories. I think that was always a challenge. People will think what they want. You can say anything, but it’s like, ‘Okay, that’s your opinion, not reality.'”
The documentary makes it clear that Candy often pushed back against health criticism. Eugene Levy mentioned that Candy even cut off a friend after receiving a letter about his weight. Despite these moments, Candy also tried hard to take care of himself, especially later in life. He spent time at a weight-loss center. He worked out regularly with a trainer. He even had a nutritionist before he passed away. Still, he often felt that the public and those in power “wanted him to be big.” So, in a way, he “kept being big.”
Candy also dealt with mental health issues, including panic attacks. The film brings these struggles to light. When director Colin Hanks and producer Ryan Reynolds approached Jennifer and Christopher with the project, they had one goal. They wanted to make sure the movie didn’t sugarcoat their father’s difficulties.
“We didn’t want this to be a shallow movie,” Christopher explained to Us Weekly. “Not just a highlight reel or a Wikipedia entry. We really wanted to talk about the trauma he went through. We felt he carried a lot of psychological baggage. He started working on that later in his life. We wanted to make sure that came across.”
Jennifer agreed. She pointed out that it was important not to “sugarcoat” who her father truly was. “You have to make sure it has depth, or nobody cares,” she said. “Then everyone leaves saying, ‘Why didn’t they talk about this?’ We wanted someone to finish watching and say, ‘Oh, I learned something,’ or ‘I felt something.'”
It was also about looking into why their dad had such anxieties. “Yes, our dad was a larger-than-life, overweight actor. Okay, that’s already known,” she said. “The question is, why? It’s something deeper than that. So let’s go into that, instead of just pointing out the obvious. You never know why someone is going through what they are, or what’s bothering them. You need to step back and let that story unfold and be told.”
Candy’s story clearly shaped his two children. Both Jennifer and Christopher agreed. Their father’s health battles have “completely” influenced how they live their adult lives.
“As a child, I had a heart condition,” Jennifer told Us Weekly. “I’ve managed it since I was very young. I go to the doctor often. You try not to repeat the past. But you also want to live and enjoy everything. Still, you know there are consequences. And you want to better understand how things work.”
Christopher shared in the documentary that he’s “proud” to say he’s gone to therapy because of his dad. He said he learned early on about taking care of his health. His paternal grandfather, uncle, and father all struggled with similar health issues. “I remember looking around and thinking, ‘What’s up with the men in our family? They all have heart attacks,'” he recalled. “That made me think, ‘Okay, maybe by 24, I should have a cardiologist. Keep a good relationship with them. Go get checked.'”
But that doesn’t mean he’s bound to follow the same path. “Over time, you realize, ‘Oh, maybe those weren’t inherited genes. Maybe they were learned behaviors,'” Christopher explained. “That gives you much more confidence to move forward. I no longer feel that doom hanging over me. I don’t fear getting older. In fact, I’m excited about it.”
Ultimately, both siblings said that revisiting their dad’s death is something they’ve worked on in therapy for years. Jennifer noted it “comes and goes in waves.” But the overall experience of making ‘I Like Me’ was positive for them.
“You forget how big our dad was until you see Tom Hanks talking so casually about SCTV,” Christopher said. “Both Jen and I were big fans of Conan O’Brien. To know our dad directly influenced him, and then he influenced us, it’s like, ‘Wow. That’s amazing.'”
“It’s surreal,” Jennifer added. “I can handle it in small doses. But then you have two hours of praise, and you’re like, ‘This is overwhelming!'”
‘John Candy: I Like Me’ is now available on Prime Video.