Howie Mandel Regrets Making 80s Cult Classic Little Monsters

Little Monsters may be considered a cult classic by kids of the ’80s and ’90s, but comedian Howie Mandel said he wishes he had never agreed to star as main monster Maurice. The movie, originally released in 1989, found a following on cable and home video, but most fans would probably be surprised Little Monsters was a box office bomb when it first hit theaters, earning less than $1 million. At the time, Mandel – who recently celebrated a decade as judge on NBC’s America’s Got Talent – was primarily known as a silly stand-up comic, but was about to become a superstar to kids of the ’90s as the creator/star of the animated Bobby’s World, which premiered a year later.

For Little Monsters, Mandel had to spend four hours a day in the make-up chair to transform into Maurice, a monster who befriends human kid Brian, played by ’80s child actor icon Fred Savage (The Wonder Years, The Princess Bride). Fans have long wondered how Mandel – who’s been open about his decades-long struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) – could have possibly handled spending all those days covered in the latex makeup it took to play Maurice, not to mention the time it took to apply and remove. Now, those fans have their answer: not well.

“Physically, it almost killed me,” Mandel says in a special feature included in the movie’s new Blu-ray released last week (via Gamespot). The comedian insisted his regret was not based on the quality of the movie. “Maurice is a wonderful character,” Mandel said. He continued:

“Everybody was great, and there were funny scenes, but I was wrapped in latex. Do you know what humidity and latex does? After I did that movie. I wouldn’t even put a condom on, I was so anti-latex. I know that doesn’t sound safe, but I was married and happy but I would not – I don’t even want to say the word latex anymore. But now I feel like I wouldn’t do that again.”

But it wasn’t just the makeup – it was also the hours he had to sit still in the makeup chair and let the makeup artists touch him – both of which couldn’t have been easy considering his ADHD and OCD. “I can’t sit,” the star explained. “But you have to sit. Not only was it four hours of sitting, but four hours of – I don’t want to be touched. And four hours of [being touched], I thought I was going to snap.” The process also made it difficult for Mandel to get into character. “Once I was finished, I had to be this happy and joyful Maurice,” he explained. “I really wasn’t that happy and joyful. I didn’t know what I had gotten myself into. They cut like, ‘Oh my god. I’m gonna die.’ At night, it’s an hour to get it off; it was glued on me and my skin.” 

Difficult makeup transformations have remained a problem on Hollywood film sets through the decades, with Jennifer Lawrence more recently revealing it originally took eight hours to apply the Mystique makeup and costume in the X-Men prequel films. That was eventually cut down to three hours, and there was a noticeable decrease in the amount of time Mystique spent in her true form as the prequel franchise continued – perhaps due to the star being uncomfortable with the makeup process or in the costume. Since Little Monsters was a one-off movie, there was little opportunity to improve the process for Mandel, and it seems to have left a lasting impact on him. It may be disappointing to learn that Little Monsters wasn’t as fun of a movie to film as it may be to watch, but it’s true to form for Mandel to be open about his experience and it’s no doubt appreciated.

Source: Little Monsters Special Features (via Gamespot)

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