Richard Simmons criticizes Pauly Shore biopic – The Hollywood Reporter
Richard Simmons (left) and Pauly Shore
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage; Jimmy McCarthy/WireImage
Richard Simmons is distancing himself from a biopic that would star Pauly Shore as a fitness guru.
“Hey everyone! I heard they might be making a movie about me with Pauly Shore. I never gave my permission for this movie. So don’t believe everything you read,” read a post on Simmons’ verified Facebook page. “I no longer have a manager; And I no longer have a publicist. I just try to live a calm life and be peaceful. Thank you for all your love and support. “Richard.”
Schur announced the project Wednesday morning, though he did not claim Simmons was involved. The Wolper organization supports the film. Schur has already shot the short film “Court Jester,” which will debut in Park City, Utah, during Sundance, though he is not part of the festival.
The filmmakers responded to Simmons’ concerns in a statement of their own on Wednesday.
“Although we would love to share him, we respect his desire for privacy and plan to produce a film that honors and celebrates him and tells his dramatic story,” Wolper’s organization said in a statement. “We know he is very private and we would never want to invade that. No matter how wonderful a person he was, he changed the lives of millions of people and the impact he had on the world should be recognised.”
Mark Wolper of the Wolper Organization said in an earlier statement that the goal of the biopic was something honest, with a tone Little Miss Sunshine.
The project came together after a meme went viral noting the physical resemblance between Shore and Simmons.
“I’ve noticed all the reactions to me playing Richard Simmons in a new biopic,” Schur wrote on Facebook in September. “I heard he lives deep in the Big Bear. We’ve been playing phone tag (yes, he still has a phone). I’m trying to make it happen for you guys. Be optimistic.”
Earlier on Wednesday, Schur said in a statement announcing the project: “Simmons represents mental health, makes people feel good and is his true silly self! When he was on TV, you couldn’t take your eyes off him, he brought such joy.” Great for his appearance being nothing but a good time.
Simmons was one of the country’s best-known fitness motivators, rising to prominence in the 1970s with his workout books and videos. He was once a fixture on talk shows and at Slimmons’ workout studio in Beverly Hills, but exited public life in 2014.
