Jeff Goldblum Was 'Shamed' on “Death Wish” Set After He Stopped Bathing to Play a Thug: 'You Stink!' (Exclusive)
The 'Wicked' actor made his film debut in the 1974 Charles Bronson thriller 'Death Wish'
The 'Wicked' actor made his film debut in the 1974 Charles Bronson thriller 'Death Wish'
Jeff Goldblum had just begun filming on his first major movie when someone on set sideswiped him with a negative review: “You stink.”
No, it wasn’t Goldblum’s performance, rather his body odor. To convincingly play a menacing street thug in the 1974 Charles Bronson thriller Death Wish, the normally fastidious Pennsylvania native thought he should stop bathing in what he calls a “misguided” attempt at Method acting.
“I didn't shower in order to play this street thug. Because I was a nice boy from Pittsburgh, I was like 19 or 20, something like that. And I was rather well-behaved. I had to be this dangerous street criminal,” he recalls to PEOPLE.
“The assistant director came up to me and said, ‘Jeff, we’re in a small space here. You smell. Can you do something about that?’ ” recalls the Jurassic Park actor, 72. “Please, please go home and et cetera, et cetera.”
“I was shamed, but it was a good lesson: In show business or any collaborative, close area, keep your hygiene up.”
Related: Jeff Goldblum's Life in Photos Courtesy Everett Collection Hope Lange and Jeff Goldblum in 'Death Wish'
It’s one of many nuggets of wisdom the proudly quirky actor, now starring as the Wizard of Oz in the blockbuster Wicked, learned through the years.
Asked for his rules to live by, Goldblum, who shares sons Charlie, 9, and River, 7, with his wife, former Olympian rhythmic gymnast Emilie, 41, offers up a few more.
Among them: If you’re not the boss, have trust in the boss. “I don’t mean Bruce Springsteen,” jokes Goldblum. He means directors, like the greats he’s worked with: Steven Spielberg (Jurassic Park), Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel) and most recently, Jon M. Chu (Wicked). 
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“You can't be good unless the movie's good, and it's hard to make a good movie even if you have a good director,” continues Goldblum, who says he’s “lucky as all get out” to have had the experience on The Wizard of Oz prequel.
“Jon made a very beautiful movie that I'm proud to be in," he adds.
For more on Jeff Goldblum, pick up the new issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.
Wicked is in theaters now.
