Tim Robbins has revealed that he knew Howard the Duck had a major problem almost immediately after arriving on set. Appearing on the latest episode of Josh Horowitz’s Happy Sad Confused podcast, Robbins looked back at the infamous 1986 film and recalled the exact moment he realized the title character was not right for the movie.
Tim Robbins Knew Howard Was Miscast On The First Day
Horowitz asked Robbins whether there was a particular moment when he realized the production was heading in the wrong direction. Robbins did not hesitate with his answer. “The first day. The tipping point was seeing that puppet,” he told the host.
Robbins explained that Howard looked very different from the character he knew from the comics. “So, I knew the first day that the duck was miscast,” he said. “In the comic book, he’s a rough, scrunched-up guy,” adding that Howard was portrayed as someone smoking a cigar and trying to attract women.
What Robbins saw on set was something completely different. “And what I saw on set that day was a cute-ass puppet. Too cute. Too cute. Not dirty enough,” he said.
While Robbins believed the puppet’s design was wrong, he praised everyone who worked to make it function, including the puppeteers and director Willard Huyck. He also singled out Ed Gale, who performed inside the Howard costume, saying his physicality was exactly right for the character. For Robbins, though, the face remained the biggest issue.
The experience also proved unusual for Robbins because he sometimes had to wait an entire day to film a single line. “I had never been on a film that I would wait on a set for a whole day before I’d shoot one line,” he recalled.
To pass the time, he brought a video camera with him and started making short films. One of those projects eventually became Rough Day in Duck Land, combining footage he shot in 1985 with modern digital technology.
Despite everything, Robbins said he remained fully committed to the movie and described it as a “high-risk, high-wire” experience.