They Say About Him

"All I can tell you about C. Thomas Howell from a directing standpoint is
that he is a charming gentleman, in the true sense of the word. He is
generous and fun to work with and a complete professional. When we made
Killer Bees, it was a demanding 14 day shoot (a movie of the week is often
done in 21 days). He had to do many scenes a day, often complicated ones. He
never complained, was always on time and gave everyone a gift at the end of
the shoot. Working with actors like C. Thomas is wonderful and I hope to do
it again. We developed a great working relationship and a great friendship"

Penelope Buitenhuis

^***

"When I first met Tommy it was at a hotel in L.A. He looked like he had stepped out of a bad 70's show. He explained to me that he was shooting the Hillside Strangler and assured me it was just temporary. After dinner and a few drinks it was clear to me that I had found my leading man. We got along wonderfully. We had a blast working together and it was nice at the end when we kept in touch. We have since vacationed in Hawaii together and comunicate almost every week. I'm sure we will see each other soon to do marketing on Killer. I have a part for him in my next film and him and his family will always have a spot in my heart"

Brad Keller

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^{I had the great pleasure of interviewing director} 

^{John Putch}

^{A very nice and funny guy, who's been so kind to also provide some great pics of CT!}

(check also my Poseidon Adventure gallery page and Friends page)

^***

Was CT your first choice when you did the casting for his
character Dr. Ballard? If not, what was the thing that most impressed you
when you first met him and made you decide to give him the part?

Tommy was on the list at the Production Company, I merely seconded that emotion. Very happy to finally work with him.

From a director's point of view what's his best quality as an actor?
And the worst?

Best: easy going, there to work. Always on time, and always helpful.
Worst: Tommy worries about how he comes off. He's constantly self
checking and monitoring his performance.That's why I'm there and I
would often remind him to let me be the critic. He'd laugh and tell me
to fuck off, then I'd jump on him and we'd roll around on the set and
scare the crew into thinking we were fighting.

From your personal point of view, as a friend, what's the
adjective you would use to better describe him?

Gregarious

(look he's got his arm around me already!)

Did you leave him freedom to improvise?
Did he ad-lib any of his lines, bringing new ideas in the development
of his character?

Yes, he did ad-lib alot. But the quips were so x-rated, I couldn't
incorporate them into the film. So instead we're writing a porno movie
together to best utilize the material.

Did he perform any stunts?
Was it helpful to you that he had a stuntman background?

He did do stunts and it was great to have someone of his background
doing that role. It saved me time and made things look better. More
real.

Did you know his father, Chris?
If you had the chance would you have hired him to coordinate
stunts in your movie?

Never had the pleasure.

How was his reunion with Rutger Hauer?

Pretty funny. You should of been there. We had a dinner with some of
the other actors that showed up early on location. Plus our executive
producer (Steve Squillante) was there also. So it was him, me, CT,
Guttenberg, and Rutger. And none of us could understand Rutger because he speaks so softly. Plus it was kind of loud in the restaurant. but no one, not even Tommy had the guts to ask him to repeat because we didn't know him well enough. So we did a lot of nodding and laughing
whenever he said something.Tommy took over the table and told a lot
of Hollywood stories. We found out later that Rutger blew out his
voice years ago and he can't project that loud. But they hugged and
told a lot of 'hitcher' stories. Then later in the shoot Rutger had a
screening of it at the local film lab. We had our own Q&A afterward.

(pic below, I'm in the hat)

Did you hang out off set?
What did you do for fun in your spare time?
Was there any local food you liked to eat?

We had alot of meals together and a couple field trips to visit the
chetahs. But I was too busy to pay attention to him. He was working
on his golf game anyway. He must have logged 85 rounds while there.
You're welcome, CT.

Do you have any funny memories of him from the set
that you could share?
Would you work with him again if you had the chance?

He once remarked to one of the actresses that she should give up the
'I'm under 40' bag and go with the 'I'm looking good for under 50'
ploy. It came at the right time and we all cracked up. Funny sum
bitch!

(actress pictured at left)

And yes, aside from our porno, I hope to work with Tommy again in the
near future. Always fun, always solid, he always delivers. Good
actor. We need more like him.

^***

"I worked with Tommy on The Glass Trap. I didn't talk to him much, but it seems like I did give him a high-five at one point because I thought it would be cool. He was a nice guy and easy to approach. I felt like going up to him and saying, "Wolverines!"

Eric Spudic

^***

"Tommy was a dream to work with. Although he had a small cameo role in my film, he was extremely kind, helpful and supportive of the project. I hope to be on a film with him again soon"

Kayvan Mashayekh

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"Tommy is in the shiniest, smartest place I have seen him. I know him over 17 years, and his charisma and talent are at their highest since he started acting. Knowing him and working with him is one of the highlights of my career"

Steve Guttenberg

^***

"Yeah, C Thomas is a character (!) ;) I loved the way he played the bad ass in Sleeping Dogs – it kept me “in the pocket” so to say, for my bad girl role too! C Thomas is not only a very talented and unique individual but I find him profoundly intelligent with quite a bit of ‘impishness’ to him! He’s always cracking jokes and keeps everyone on set in light spirits - I laughed a lot! The way he played the character (Boon) was hilarious too; lots of melodramatic gestures and poignant strength. I love him!"

Kiara Hunter

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"CT has got to be the funniest guy I've ever worked with. He was always making us laugh on set. I remember one day laughing so hard, I had to excuse myself from set for a few minutes! I just had to regain my composure before they were ready to shoot the next take. My character simply wasn't supposed to be teary-eyed with laughter, and I couldn't help it"

Danica McKellar

^***

"I found CT to be very charming, very generous with his other actors, a superb actor, and I have wanted to work with him again"

Sam Irvin

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"I worked with CT for 2 short days four years ago and I remember him being a great guy -- totally professional -- and wonderful in our scene together. I wish I had had a longer shoot with him and gotten to know him better. He's a wonderful actor, and I've been a fan of his since THE OUTSIDERS =)"

Susan Egan

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"Tommy is one of those actors who can span a wide range of roles, and do it very well. I had the pleasure of working with him in " A Killer Within".
He is very serious about his craft and strives to deliver his all out best, no matter what is asked of him. He's a great Talent, a credit to our industry, and a good friend. This man has "personality", "presence", and a good "sense of humor" (not to mention, his little dog "Maggie", his almost constant companion). I look forward to talking and working with CT in the future"

Rick Herod

^***

"I worked with Tommy on "A Killer Within." Most of the scenes were very
intense, and Tommy would entertain everybody with jokes and stories while the crew set up. Then the camera would roll and he'd jump into character and get the shot. It was a pleasure to work with him. I wish him continued success and I hope to work with him again"

Mark Hanson

^***

"I'm happy to say that Tommy Howell was a doll to work with. He was also
cute. A little young for me, when we did SIDEOUT, but cute
nevertheless. Our characters didn't interact a lot, so we didn't spend a lot of time together, but he was a lot of fun. I wish I could say something more profound, but that's the trouble when people are nice to work with . . ."

Harley Jane Kozak

^***

"I was on the set everyday as the set documentary film and stills shooter. We went to some very harsh and desolate terrains to shoot this film.
The amazing thing about Thomas was that he usually got to the site before me and many nights worked until the wee hours after I had retired.
Despite the grueling 10 and 12 hour days he was kind and generous with his humor and collaboration. Most notably, he often hung out with the crew and other cast members in between takes keeping us light hearted and laughing with his sharp and biting wit. He is soooo funny! It made the time fly! Then, when the director would call, he would jump into character, hit his mark, and deliver yet another sterling performance. A true, dedicated pro. Besides being a great talent with a sweet and gentle disposition, he was also very generous with collaboration ideas, always trying to create the best, most compelling scene. I have been on many sets for many films. I can report that Thomas is by far a cut above most as a talent and genuine human being. And, best of all, it seems as though I have made a new friendship"

Lee Hinton-McLaughlin

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"Before I worked with Tommy I remembered him from "The Outsiders" and loved that slack-jawed quality about him. What I discovered is that Tommy is just as relaxed in front of the camera as he is behind it. I admire his complete ease. He's devilishly funny, kind, spiritual and gives some good advice. He's dedicated to making a scene work the best he sees fit, even if that means tweaking and reworking it 'till it's right. He has a defined sense of what will play and what won't and I really enjoyed working with him"

Siri Baruc

^***

"Tommy is a total scream. We had a great time laughing our asses off on
the set of The Poseidon Adventure, shot in Cape Town. He got the South
African sense of humour straight off and really appreciated my comments
on Noddy, of Big Ears fame. He loves to try out accents, and there are
many in SA, so by the end of the three month shoot, he had perfected all
of them and rolled them into one, which left him sounding strangely
Eastern European-Irish. He wrote me some very kind words, when my
husband and I were involved in the tsunami on our trip to India. 'Tommy,
we all know what the C in C. Thomas Howell stands for. Love ya!'
xx"

Nathalie Boltt

^***

"This was the first time I've worked with Tommy (though friends of mine made HILLSIDE STRANGLER), and I must say that it was non-stop fun. Tommy kept everything pretty light - despite the crazy schedule - and yet managed to give an amazing performance. I felt that I made a great friend in the process. My promise to him and you on the boards is that this is the start of MANY films that we will make together. Tommy is amazing"

David Michael Latt

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"Tommy Howell did an excellent job on Hoboken Hollow. He brought the character "Clayton Connelly" to life. His performance is definitely worthy of industry recognition. I couldn't have found a better actor for the part"

Glen Stephens

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"C. Thomas Howell is one of the all time great people to work with. I challenge anyone who ever meets Tommy to try and beat him at chess. I tried about 20 times during our shoot and he would beat me almost every time"

Rudolf Martin

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"Tom displays an easy going style that makes his performances smooth and natural. You never get the impression that he's acting. He seems to become the character and responds exactly as that character would in a crisis. I think it's this ability to morph into the role that has made him so successful"

Fred Olen Ray

^***
"Watching Tommy work was amazing. He brought so much life to his performance and so much joy to the set. He really reminded everyone of us why we do what we do"

Jarrad Hewett

^***

"Mr. Howell and I did not work on camera together in the film - but the
set had a great energy while he was there. He was very gracious to
those meeting him for the first time and a consummate professional when
it was time to work"

Nick Holmes

^***

"Tommy is a true professional...he was well-prepared, easy to work with, and brought a positive, fun energy to the set. As a fellow actor, I felt safe working with Tommy, and that is a great commodity"

Mary Votava

^***

"I had the tremendous pleasure to work with CT on the indie-film "The Stolen Moments of September". He was a lot of fun to work with. Very real and down to earth and always the professional. I can't say that I've ever met a better person. I hope to have the pleasure of working with him again very soon"

Chriss Anglin

^***

"To watch Tommy work, is to understand how an actor is able to stretch usually short-lived career to span a lifetime. There's a very good reason he's been able to do it for over 25 years. I don't think the average actor, movie goer, or anybody will ever be able to fully appreciate the exhausting amounts of dedication, experience, and creative ability Tommy has available for his work. I was fortunate enough to see first hand, just how much this guy truly loves to make movies. Every scene, every line, every step of the way, he never accepted that anything couldn't be done better, and he made sure the cast and crew was fully aware that no option can be left unexplored if you expect to produce the best work you possibly can. Before I met him, I was just a fan, but now I'm lucky enough to say, I've learned from one of the best. Thanks again for all the laughs, brother..."

Phong Tran

^***

"Working with Tommy on the picture "Cold Ones" was very cool. Tommy is a real actor's actor and knows the camera like no one else, he's sharp as a tack and nothing gets by him. You can be sure if you're in a scene with him, he's gonna make you look good. I like Tommy's straight forwardness and professionalism and his work with our military vets families. I can go on, but I just want ya all to know Tommy's a great talent and an even greater guy...take care partner and best to ya..."

Patrick "Puppy" Thomas

^***

"CTH. High energy. Good focus. Stays on target. Creative ideas that ENHANACE THE SCENE AND HIS CHARACTER, GREAT HAIR. COULD BE A LITTLE HEAVIER. I'd work with him AGAIN"

Geoffrey Lewis

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"I really enjoyed playing Tommy's wife, Lucinda, in the movie "Fuel".
He's very funny and excellent with ad-libs.  In one scene, we were in our backyard cooking on an outdoor grill with another couple, getting drunk on cheap beer (pretend, of course) and dancing, and he kept us all laughing.  Then, in a another scene that we shot a little later, he was crying and yelling, completely invested in his character and what was happening in the scene.  I love his professionalism, sense of humor, dedication and passion for acting.  Hopefully I will have the pleasure of working with him again!"

Anne Marie Howard

^***