After a career as a radio DJ, reporter, and film critic, what’s next for Duane Dudek? WTMJ’s Libby Collins sat down with him to find out, and to learn more about how he got where he is today. Listen in the player above.
A partial transcript is provided below, courtesy of eCourt Reporters.
LIBBY COLLINS: You were doing this at a time when film critics became pop culture —
DUANE DUDEK: Yeah.
LIBBY COLLINS: — celebrities, Roger Ebert, Gene Siskel, Rex Reed. How influenced were you by them?
DUANE DUDEK: Well, I resented them.
LIBBY COLLINS: Did you really?
DUANE DUDEK: Well, the thumbs-up/thumbs-down thing, I think really kind of — and stars, we didn’t do stars at first, you know, how many stars is that film. And I really resented having to use them, I thought read the content, it will explain the film to you, you don’t want to see the — the stars don’t tell you anything. So, you know, and I never — I saw Ebert around at the film festivals and things, and I actually had an encounter with Siskel that’s kind of unusual.
LIBBY COLLINS: Okay, well, you have to stop right there and tell us about that.
DUANE DUDEK: It was at the screening of Braveheart in Chicago at a screening room, and he came in — they held it for him because — it was a critic’s screening, and they held it for him because he was watching the Bulls play. So, you know, and I had to drive back to Milwaukee and then come back the next day to interview — what’s his name from Braveheart?
LIBBY COLLINS: Mel Gibson.
DUANE DUDEK: Mel Gibson. And it was a good interview, too. But I had to leave early — I mean, I didn’t leave early, I watched the whole movie and just as the credits started, I hopped out of my seat because I knew I had to get home. And I went to the elevator, but they hold the elevator for Siskel. And so, I get on the elevator and I’m the only person on the elevator was Siskel. And so, it’s like four floors and we go down together, he doesn’t say a word to me, he doesn’t say a word to me, he doesn’t say a word to me. And then we get out at the lobby, and we get out to the street, and as I turn to go to my car, he asks me if I needed a ride home. So, I said, no, I’m parked over here. It was just weird, I have no explanation for it, he was being very nice, but I’m sure that he was going home to watch another movie or a basketball game or something, but it was weird.