We checked in with the director and his cast to see how it all went down.
Francis Ford Coppolawas feeling depressed.
They had chosen me to direct it.
‘The Outsiders’ director Francis Ford Coppola, with C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio, and Matt Dillon.Warner Bros.
The reason the letter was so fat was because it had pages and pages of kids' signatures.
They more than come through.
I’d rewrite some dialogue and Francis would say, “Susie, is this in the book?”
Leif Garrett and Darren Dalton in ‘The Outsiders’.Everett Collection
I’d say, “No, Francis, but it’s better.”
He said, “No, we’re doing this for the kids who love the book.”
That was my big problem working with him he wanted to make it just like the book.
Matt Dillon, Diane Lane, and Michelle Meyrink in ‘The Outsiders’.Everett Collection
So I went off to Tulsa.
I make it my business to shake everyone’s hand and look them in the eye.
Leif Garrett was probably the most famous guy who walked in.
C. Thomas Howell, Ralph Macchio in 1983’s ‘The Outsiders’.Everett Collection
Scott Baio came in one day.
No one loves acting and actors more than actors.
But it only spurred them on.
Everett Collection
It would be Val Kilmer.
I really wanted to be Ponyboy, because that’s the role.
But I wasn’t right for it.
I’m not that greasy.
So my whole plan was to just be a real professional cowboy.
I wasn’t a young actor being pushed by Hollywood stage parents into acting class.
I mean, I was wearing a frickingSesame Streetshirt in my audition.
Everybody there looked like John Stamos with dark hair and blue eyes and they were taller than me.
I turned to my daddy and said, “I’m not going to get this.
Let’s just go.”
I was intoPaper Moonso I reenacted it for Francis.
When I was 18, I wrote to Francis.
I auditioned for the role of Cherry and got Marcia.
I graduated high school in Abbotsford, BC outside of Vancouver.
It was a huge adjustment.
Filming took place on location in Tulsa.
MACCHIO: I worked very hard and was maybe a little too serious.
LANE: I just remember there were lots of pranks going on.
You know, like flaming dog poop.
GARRETT: We used to have rumbles in the lobby.
Tom Cruise and I used to a box in the area by the elevators.
I do remember it was a dry county.
We had to have bottle socks!
That tells a little bit about my personal debauchery.
MEYRINK: I remember Rob Lowe braiding my hair.
It was just so unusual.
I never had a guy braid my hair before.
Everyone would gather in Patrick Swayze’s room and talk about their roles.
Guys wanted to beat him up because all the girls liked him.
Tom Cruise was very serious, very focused.
I remember that right after he had gottenRisky Business, I had an audition and I was nervous.
I told him I didn’t know whether [she should mention her small role inThe Outsiders].
He said, “Just lie.
Tell them you had this major role.
If you get the part, it doesn’t matter.
They won’t care.”
HINTON: I had a lot of fun.
I was the boys' den mother.
I just took care of them.
Francis asked for my opinion.
I didn’t volunteer one.
I’ve heard him saying that’s what he likes about Susie.
She always has an opinion, if you ask her it.
She loved those boys that were playing her characters.
She became very much a part of the inner sanctum.
Even spur-of-the-moment accidents on set ended up making it into the movie.
MACCHIO: Tommy could not wait for his chance to get back at me for cutting his hair.
Even though the knife was sharp, it’s still not scissors.
There’s a reason why when you get a haircut, they don’t pull out a switchblade.
I turn and laugh right into the camera.
I thought they would cut, right?
Well, of course, Francis doesn’t, because those are the moments that he searches for.
LANE: We were lucky nobody broke character.
I turn and stare right at him.
And in that moment, I turned back to Johnny and [said], “Are you awake?
I think there’s a monster outside,” because I don’t know how to ad-lib.
That’s what I learned from Francis at a young age to hunt for those accidents.
Francis took me aside and said “never break, no matter what happens.”
It was the greatest acting lesson I ever received ever in my life, to this day.
He was nice and warm.
Meanwhile, I’m laying on the ground soaking wet going “dude, let’s go.”
He says, “can you not shake as much hey?”
I’m like, “I’ve got hypothermia.”
It clocked in at just 90 minutes.
That’s what compelled Coppola to restore 22 more minutes and releaseThe Outsiders: The Complete Novelin 2005.
(Lowe declined to comment for this article.)
Francis got so many letters from kids saying, “Why did you leave out this part?”
Poor Rob Lowe must have thought [his performance] was horrible.
It depressed him for a long time.
MACCHIO:A big part of his third-act monologue was cut.
All those scenes that I was a little frightened of?
I understood that I was naive in my views.
The subject that we’re speaking of is more complicated but beautiful, more human.
So I happily put back some of the scenes.
MACCHIO: My brother and I are a couple of years apart.
There was some form of affectionate comfort.
I did not find that scene out of the realm of reality.
Are they gay?"
How do you answer that?
And why does it even matter?
These kids are hurting.
They’re trying to figure out who they are.
HINTON: In 1966, guys were not concerned about showing each other affection.
Although I must say that the songfrom Stevie Wonder, Stay Gold, is absolutely beautiful.
I did that in the new version.
MACCHIO: It’s great for the fans.
That was very good taste on their part.
GARRETT: There are two things that I’m very proud of in my life.
The other isThe Outsiders.
HOWELL: I see so many Stay Gold tattoos.
It’s still a very important part of my life.
A version of this story appears inEntertainment Weekly’s January issue.
