I catch up with T.J. Miller on the phone from his Manhattan digs Sunday night. He’s watching E! News, which is reporting that his movie, “Cloverfield,” is going to gross more than $40 million in its opening weekend.
“This week has been absolutely crazy, nuts,” says the 26-year-old.
Miller, who was head boy at East High School in Denver, later went to school in Chicago, spent some time with Second City and then landed a part in ABC’s “Carpoolers,” where he’s a slacker who walks around the house in his underpants all day.
But “Cloverfield” is his breakout moment. It’s the story of five attractive 20-somethings in NYC when the city is attacked by a giant monster and lots of bad little monsters. It’s short and it’s jarring and you’re going to hear a lot more about it. “Blair Witch” meets “Godzilla.”
It’s shot completely by Miller’s character with a hand-held camera (with the world’s longest battery life). About three minutes into the movie, he’s handed the camera, and you hardly ever see his face again, because he’s shooting the movie. But he’s talking all the time, he’s the narrator of the flick, and he’s very funny.
“When I was told I was the person behind the camera, I wasn’t completely pleased,” Miller tells me. “I thought it was to be a forgettable character, but it’s an integral part of the piece. And I’m not good looking enough to get on the cover of Men’s Health. My interest is always to bring comedy to what I do.”
Miller was spotted for the flick at last year’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen. He signed on for the movie without knowing what it was about. He didn’t even know it was a monster movie. He only knew that J.J. Abrams, creator of “Lost,” was the producer. And that was enough.
Miller’s character is the one the audience reacts to and with. “I just wanted to be funny in a real way, funny and scared and freaked out.”
He’s freaked out all right.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you,” he says. “I’m going to be on ‘Letterman’ Thursday night. This is amazing.”
Celebrate:
The worst ad on TV this past weekend came from ARC thrift store. Hyping a Martin Luther King Day Sale, it shouted at you, “CELEBRATE THE MAN! CELEBRATE HIS LIFE! CELEBRATE THE SAVINGS! 50% OFF MONDAY!”
Rickey:
Jimmy Breslin, the first recipient of the Denver Press Club’s Damon Runyon Award, has a new Denver connection. He’s writing a biography of Branch Rickey, the legendary Brooklyn Dodgers general manager. The Rotary Club of Denver sponsors the annual Branch Rickey Awards every November, “recognizing professionals in Major League Baseball for exceptional community service.” The 2007 Rickey went to Atlanta Braves pitcher John Smoltz.
City spirit:
So long, old pal. Dick “Klingy” Klingenstein died Saturday of pancreatic cancer . . . Sez who: “You can’t exercise and be high. It’s impossible.” Tommy Chong
Bill Husted’s column appears Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. Husted also appears Tuesdays and Fridays on “Good Day Colorado” on Fox 31. You can reach him at 303-954-1486 or at bhusted @denverpost.com. Take a peek at Husted’s next column at .
