Life after comedy: From Hamilton to Hollywood and back again
Harris Goldberg chats with actress Jennifer Morrison on the set of his upcoming feature film, 'The List.' Goldberg, a McMaster alumnus and Hollywood screenwriter and director, will return to campus March 26 for a speaking engagement and film screening.
Most screenwriters are lucky to get one shot in Los Angeles. Harris Goldberg got two.
On March 26, the McMaster alumnus and Hollywood writer/director will return to campus for an in-depth conversation with Theatre & Film Studies professor Peter Cockett, followed by a screening of Goldberg’s award-winning 2007 film, Numb.
Unlike his earlier comedic output (including feature films such as Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalo, Without a Paddle and The Master of Disguise), Numb offers a frank and forthright look at one man’s struggle with depersonalization disorder, inspired by Goldberg’s own experiences with the condition.
Starring Friends veteran Matthew Perry in the lead role of Hudson Milbank, the film debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival to rave reviews and critical acclaim. For Goldberg, who wrote and directed the project, the shift was more than stylistic. Working on Numb afforded him the time and space to reevaluate his entire life and career path.
“In Hollywood, I became known as this go-to guy they would give all the Saturday Night Live alumni to, people like Rob Schneider and Dana Carvey. I was really unsatisfied, but I was afraid to stop working,” he explained.
“I eventually came back to Canada for a break, and just released everything I had been holding onto for so long. I sat down and started writing a movie about it all. It was almost journalistic.”
When Goldberg returns to McMaster next week, it will be a homecoming in more ways than one. Born and raised in the shadow of the campus, he attended nearby Westdale Secondary School before enrolling at Mac — a path carved by industry heavyweights and fellow Westdalians Martin Short, Eugene Levy and Len Blum.
Even at an early age, Goldberg dreamed of venturing out to California to find success.
“I was brought up on the west side of Hamilton, just a few blocks from McMaster. I knew Mac very well. I would sneak around the campus a lot as a kid, and it always felt like home to me,” he explained.
“I watched The Tonight Show religiously, and I used to create my own version at home. All of the entertainment in my life seemed to come from somewhere else, and there was a sense that you had to go elsewhere to find it.”
His older brother — fellow McMaster alumnus and Hollywood mainstay Dan Goldberg — was first to find success abroad as a screenwriter, lending his talents to a string of ’80s comedies and cult favourites such as Stripes, Meatballs and Heavy Metal.
All the while, the younger Goldberg “held court” in Mills Memorial Library with a community of like-minded of musicians, artists and actors, and developed his chops as a screenwriter. He also excelled as a varsity tennis player, and at one point was ranked second overall in the Canadian junior standings.
However, not long after graduating from the Faculty of Humanities in 1984, the allure of Hollywood proved to be irresistible.
“When I saw Dan’s success, I really looked up to him and I wanted to replicate it,” said Goldberg. “The first time I landed in Los Angeles, it was a major culture shock. It seemed endless. To this day, there’s still something that seems magical about this place.”
Goldberg’s latest project — a romantic comedy called The List starring Jennifer Morrison (How I Met Your Mother), Karen Gillan (Dr. Who) and Patrick Fugit (Almost Famous)— is currently in post-production, and slated for release later this year.
Members of the McMaster community can register online for the March 26 event, which will take place in Room 1A1 of the Health Sciences Centre from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m.
On March 27, Humanities students are invited to attend a career conversation with Goldberg, which will take place from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. in MUSC 230. Email htlc@mcmaster.ca to register.
