John Goodman Talks Returning to Missouri, ‘Chili Finger,’ ‘Digger’

Hinzugefügt: 2026-04-30

[00:00:03]All right, that is the lights, camera, Springfield mural here in Springfield, Missouri. Our next guest [music] just happens to be among those icons.

[00:00:13]Award-winning actor >> [laughter] >> Goodman.

[00:00:17]>> [cheering] >> He is a Hollywood legend. Once upon a time though, he was a student right here at Missouri State University.

[00:00:23]>> That's right. John is returning as host of the Centennial kickoff celebration concert, a showcase of American music and hometown pride. But before all that starts tonight, he is stopping by, giving us a few moments to catch up with us. Good morning.

[00:00:37]>> Good morning.

[00:00:38]>> have you here.

[00:00:39]>> Been a while.

[00:00:40]>> [laughter] >> So you you're a Missouri boy, born and raised. What do you love about coming back here? Uh, I love the drive. I I just This place is so peaceful and the people are so friendly and nice and it grows every time I come down.

[00:00:55]Uh, a lot of stuff ain't there no more than [laughter] when I was here.

[00:00:58]>> a little bit. Yeah. Well, you know, but Missouri State University was in in a sense a really pivotal point for you because you were thinking you were going to do one thing and ended up coming out with a whole different passion. I ended up coming out, Al. Uh, >> [laughter] >> Yeah, I I I came down here was planning was to try to walk onto the football team, maybe get some scholarship money, but I I was full of myself and I didn't have the grades anyway and I got involved in a one-act play here and I met a teacher who kind of opened things up for me and the more I learned about acting, the more I wanted to learn about everything.

[00:01:36]Uh, and it yeah, it made a real big difference in my life. Well, we're so glad that you did and you got some exciting projects this year.

[00:01:44]>> Yep. So Chili Fingers, you got huge stars in it. Yeah.

[00:01:48]>> you got John Goodman, but you also got Brian Cranston, Judy Greer, but it's the director who is quite the star.

[00:01:56]>> I had to I I really had to fight for this role as my son-in-law.

[00:02:00]>> [laughter] >> One of the co-directors, but we we shot it up in Champaign, Illinois last year.

[00:02:05]Uh, another college town. People were great. Uh, and it it works. It's a good movie.

[00:02:11]And another movie there's a ton of buzz around. It's uh, Digger with co-star Tom Cruise.

[00:02:16]>> Co-star.

[00:02:17]>> [laughter] >> I know it's like a a lot you can't tell us, but can you give us any any nugget, anything? We just got We just got the keys to the city, so I feel like that can unlock something.

[00:02:28]>> uh, it's different. It's probably the most different film I've ever done. There's a lot of twists and turns and that's why they won't let me talk about anything.

[00:02:37]Uh, yeah, I was over in London for 6 months shooting it. Um, a wonderful cast, a wonderful time and about a month away from wrapping, I slipped in my stocking feet on set and broke my hip.

[00:02:50]But Tom's doctor was on set that day, so we we got it operated on the next day. We.

[00:02:57]>> [laughter] >> What about Queen Victoria?

[00:03:00]The universal we. Yeah. [laughter] You know, usually usually Tom Cruise is the one who injures himself on these sets doing stunts.

[00:03:06]>> think he can get injured.

[00:03:08]>> [laughter] >> It's impossible. Iron Man. The guy's He's amazing. You know, you were driving around town and you you went past your your old high school and said thought about stopping in, but said there's nobody here left that that I know, but in fact, your high school drama teacher, Judy uh, Rothwich is still there. Yeah.

[00:03:28]>> And and she left a little message for you.

[00:03:33]Hello, John. This is Judy Rothwich from the Affton School District.

[00:03:38]And I just wanted to say that you've made some wonderful contributions to our district and we're so proud of you and all the things you have done.

[00:03:49]I'm particularly proud and I remember when you had the lead in Hello Dolly and we got a standing ovation for that show and I saw I saw the light in your eyes and I knew that's what you were going to do the rest of your life.

[00:04:08]Wow. Special.

[00:04:10]>> That's got to be special.

[00:04:11]>> Yeah. Yeah. She She saw it in you.

[00:04:14]>> Well, she had to fight to get me into a couple of productions cuz I was on the D list of >> [laughter] >> Well, you're on the A list now. Well, let's not go nuts.

[00:04:26]>> [laughter] >> 100 acting credits, I think you're on that. You made it.

[00:04:30]>> Really? Yes.

[00:04:31]>> Yep. Counted them up. Great comeback.

[00:04:33]Could you list them all for us? No, I'm kidding.

[00:04:35]>> [laughter] >> John, thank you so much.

[00:04:37]>> Oh, thank you.

[00:04:38]>> to be sticking around. You're going to help us out with some trivia, right?

[00:04:40]>> Yep. Some Springfield trivia is coming up in [music] just a sec. Then later, since we are in the birthplace of Route 66, we are going to have our own classic car show [music] with some hot wheels from years past. Look at those pretty cars. [music] We'll be right back.

[00:04:58]I know it does. Welcome back to the third hour of Today live from Springfield, Missouri. We are sitting here right at the birthplace of the iconic Route 66, which turns 100 this year. Our good friend John Goodman stuck around, lucky for us. Right now we're going to test our knowledge with a little friendly local trivia.

[00:05:17]>> Okay, so in honor of this epic road trip, we've got three paddles, green, yellow and red light. Each question, uh, you hold up the paddle you think is the correct answer. Okay, so we're going to give it a try. Uh, one. Hollywood legend, Mr. Brad Pitt. Okay, he was raised right here in Springfield, Missouri. What high school do you think he attended?

[00:05:38]>> [laughter] >> Red, Glendale High School. Yellow, Kickapoo High School. Uh, green, Hillcrest High School.

[00:05:46]Uh, I like I just like saying Kickapoo, so I'm going to going to go with Did we just get the answers? Okay, and the answer is The answer is Kickapoo.

[00:05:55]>> Kickapoo High School.

[00:05:57]>> [cheering] >> AND GUESS WHAT? BRAD PITT IS HERE. CAN WE GET A SHOT OF BRAD? Brad's here.

[00:06:02]Right there he is.

[00:06:04]Wow.

[00:06:06]Wonderful man. Wonderful man. Uh, you know, they've always said he's kind of a one-dimensional actor though, so that's uh, >> [laughter] >> But he dress as well.

[00:06:15]We are sitting in the heart of Springfield, Missouri. The name Springfield is one of the most popular names in the country. How many cities and towns are there named Springfield in the United States? Uh, red is 41. Uh, yellow is 62. Green is 138. I'm going with green.

[00:06:33]Okay, uh, and the answer is 41. 41.

[00:06:41]That's right. You guys got to get going naming your towns. That's it. And of course The Simpsons would tell you it's probably more than that. In fact, it would be 42.

[00:06:50]DONUTS. CHECK OUT THIS MAP, BUT OF COURSE none of them are com- compare to the birthplace of Route 66 in Springfield, Missouri. Yeah.

[00:06:57]>> [cheering] >> What's your favorite part of Springfield, John? Uh, uh, STEAK 'N SHAKE PROBABLY. YEAH. YEAH.

[00:07:06]WHATEVER IT WAS, it ain't there no more.

[00:07:08]That's right. And well, it actually Andy's Frozen Custard, fan favorite here in Springfield.

[00:07:14]>> [cheering] >> Franchise is celebrating a milestone birthday this year. What year did Andy's Frozen Custard start? Uh, was it 1946, 1986, 1996?

[00:07:27]>> 46. Uh, yeah, I think red, 46.

[00:07:31]And the the answer in fact IS YELLOW, 1996.

[00:07:35]>> [screaming] >> WOW, THERE YOU GO. Franchise Hot dog.

[00:07:40]And we got it. An hour and a half away in Osage Beach, Missouri, quickly taking Springfield by storm. It was named after the founder's son, Andy. Custard always served within 1 hour of making it, okay?

[00:07:52]You Laura and I have the butter the cookie butter crunch concrete made with vanilla frozen custard Biscoff cookie Yeah, baby.

[00:08:02]Uh, and then you and you and John have the Reese's Monster Mash Jackhammer.

[00:08:07]It's got Reese's peanut butter cups, Reese's Pieces. Bakers Jackhammer.

[00:08:11]>> [laughter] >> Waiting for the also.

[00:08:14]This is delicious.

[00:08:15]>> This is good.

[00:08:16]Nobody touch that.

[00:08:18]Earlier, [laughter] the Missouri State University mascot helped bring the party to Park Central Square. What is the official name of the MSU mascot?

[00:08:27]Is it Barney Barnaby the Bear, yellow Barry Bear or green Boomer Bear?

[00:08:34]Well, I'm going green cuz I'm a boomer.

[00:08:36]Okay, the answer is Yes.

[00:08:38]>> [cheering] >> Boomer. Come on out, Boomer.

[00:08:48]Obviously, Boomer, the most popular guy here. All right, last one.

[00:08:53]>> [cheering] >> Last one. Last but not least. Oh, no, we're not going to do the We're going to do it anyway. The brewery. Okay, what was the brewery? Holdens brewery in in Missouri. Holdens brewery. Was it a Hold Fast, Mothers Brewery or Springfield Brewing Company? I'm going to go with Mothers.

[00:09:09]Mothers. Okay, and the answer is Answer is Oh, Springfield Brewing.

[00:09:17]And what goes best with AN ANDY'S FROZEN CUSTARD?

[00:09:20]BEER. ALL RIGHT.

[00:09:24]YOU HAVE THE very wrongest guy here.

[00:09:27]>> [laughter] >> There's no off switch. That's it. There you go. You had one or two of these while you were here. Okay, just a couple. John, thank you so much.

[00:09:36]>> Oh, it's my pleasure. Thanks for having me, guys. Have a good time tonight.

[00:09:39]Thank you so much.

[00:09:41]Hey, thanks for watching. And don't forget you can catch the Today show every morning on NBC or take Today when you're on the go. Just follow the Today podcast on Apple podcast, Spotify or wherever you listen.