One Of Alan Arkin's Last Great Roles Was A Brilliant Turn On Bojack Horseman
Alan Arkin, one of the crown princes of character actors, has passed away at 89 and American cinema is lesser for his absence. While Arkin played his fair share of leading roles over the years and won an Oscar win for his memorable turn in "Little Miss Sunshine," he often functioned best as a secret weapon — an actor capable of transforming a supporting role or a bit part into something instantly memorable. And while he was a dramatic force to be reckoned with, it was this side of him that also made him a brilliant comedic presence. There was no situation too silly to survive Arkin's deadpan. If you put him in front of a Muppet, he'd treat that Muppet like a fellow human being and make the ridiculous even more ridiculous by treating it like it wasn't ridiculous at all.
While Arkin had his fair share of memorable roles in the last decade of his life, I can't help but dwell on one that makes me laugh just thinking about it. A role so ridiculous, and a ridiculous role played so straight, that it could only have been played by him.
I am, of course, talking about his work as elusive author turned game show producer J.D. Salinger on the brilliant animated Netflix series "Bojack Horseman."
The great J.D. Salinger
Like some of the best gags on "Bojack Horseman," the joke begins with the viewer's knowledge of pop culture in general. In reality, J.D. Salinger wrote the classic novel "The Catcher in the Rye" and then largely vanished from the public eye, continuously writing but rarely publishing, a phantom of the literary scene and one of the grand enigmas of American culture. When we meet up with the animated version of Salinger on "Bojack Horseman," he's very much the recluse we know from actual history (albeit, one who is working in a bicycle shop in a world largely populated by talking animals, because this is still "Bojack Horseman"). Naturally, he's told that the world is hungry for his work, and he is slowly coaxed out of retirement by film and TV agent Princess Carolyn.
And soon enough, the great J.D. Salinger, literary icon and self-exiled genius, reveals his new magnum opus: a star-studded trivia game show called "Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let's Find Out!"
Yes, the author of "The Catcher in the Rye" is back, baby, and forget the next great American novel. He's here with a game show where B-list movie stars answer trivia questions.
Alan Arkin, did he know things? Of course he did
So much of "Bojack Horseman" is an exquisite balancing act between the wryly intelligent and the profoundly, proudly stupid (and also the show's sudden and blistering left turns into tragedy), and in the years since it ended, it's become clear that it's the greatest American animated show ever made. Arkin's casting as J.D. Salinger, reclusive author turned game show host, is an example of the magic coursing through its veins. It's such a stupid idea, one built upon a foundation of the viewer understanding Salinger and his legacy well enough to fully appreciate the ridiculousness of Salinger creating a TV show called "Hollywoo Stars and Celebrities: What Do They Know? Do They Know Things?? Let's Find Out!" To have the role played with even a shred of goofiness would have been putting a hat on a hat. It would've paralyzed a joke already walking a tightrope.
In short, Arkin saw the assignment, understood it, and delivered the goods like the pro he was.
The J.D. Salinger of "Bojack Horseman" is portrayed with a casual gravitas, a high-minded artist who is committed to his craft. Sometimes that craft is writing one of the most famous novels of the 20th century. Sometimes that craft is helming a game show hosted by a talking dog. Arkin buries the joke so deep that you may not even detect it at first, only for the sheer ridiculousness of it to emerge from the earth like a blast of oil. Only an actor of true and serious talent can make a joke funnier by hiding the joke.
Like "Bojack Horseman" itself, Alan Arkin was something special. And I'm glad the stars aligned for them to cross paths.