Rob Lowe Brings 'The Outsiders' to JBFC

On Wednesday night, Rob Lowe appeared at the to promote his new book, Stories I Only Tell My Friends, and discuss his life and career following a screening of The Outsiders: The Complete Novel.

“This is the script we shot and the movie we thought we were making,” he said.

Almost 30 years later, Lowe said he's still too intimidated to approach Francis Ford Coppola to find out why so much of the original film fell on the cutting room floor. A deleted scene with Lowe and C. Thomas Howell exemplified what was lacking in the 1983 version. So poor, the parent-less brothers shared a bed, while the elder comforts the younger, was not agreeable to test audiences of 13-year-old boys.

“Adolescent boys went berserk, he says, because it seemed 'too queer' to them," said Lowe.

Despite the disappointment, the film was his first role and laid the ground for his career.

With Coppola at the top of his game, he said, “It was like the super bowl.”

At the same time, working with the famed director was interesting to say the least.  Going in, Lowe received some insight from his neighbor.

“Martin Sheen was supposed to film Apocalypse Now in 90 days,” he said. “Instead he was away for two-and-a-half years and had a heart attack at 35.”

Still, Coppola allowed plenty of latitude for these young actors to tell the story.

“That’s why he's so great,” said Lowe.

On the other hand, the actor wasn’t necessarily enamored with Coppola’s dedication to the method.

“He thought we were a bunch of Hollywood pansies, so we had to visit real greasers in Tulsa and spend the night,” he said. “I thought we were going to get murdered.”

The greasers turned out to be harmless, but Lowe was still glad to have drawn Tom Cruise for the study because the out of control character depicted onscreen wasn’t so far off in real life. As could be expected, the testosterone levels extended pretty seamlessly to the rest of the cast.

“It was very competitive–kill or be killed,” Lowe revealed.

For instance, with smaller roles, Cruise and Emilio Estevez went out of their way to standout. Tom removed one of his front teeth and Emilio wore a Mickey Mouse shirt and made it part of his persona. He had to pay royalties to Disney, he said, but that was besides the point.

Nonetheless, there was a tightness that unusual for any set.

“We even showed up every day to watch each others' scenes,” he said.

As for the eager girls on location, it was C. Thomas Howell who got the nod.

“That’s saying a lot–especially when you have Matt Dillon in the area,” joked Lowe.

Following The Outsiders, Lowe made an additional four films in two years, but continually had his head in the next project.

“It was just a blur,” he said.

He went onto to host Saturday Night Live, which led to roles in Wayne’s World and Tommy Boy.

“SNL was huge to me,” he said, “and to be accepted into that club was one of my proudest achievements.”

Otherwise, he considers his finest work to have come in the first two seasons of The West Wing. Unfortunately, the storylines began to thin and he came to be the only main cast member to not get a raise. It led to a decision that broke his heart.

“Things might look good on the surface, but if you’re underappreciated in any aspect of life, you have to move on,” he said.

Given the glossy glares from a very female audience, the appreciation has not waned in that regard. His book details some of these exploits.

Back then, he said, “A lot of celebrities were using MTV to date. I was using C-SPAN.”

Lowe's claim of being “more brainy” seemed to fit since he was soon dating Fawn Hall–Oliver North’s secretary.

“I was watching her testimony and thought: 'She’s hot,'” he said.

Basic cable aside, he fell from afar for Princess Stephanie of Monaco via a magazine cover. They dated her for a while and he made Oxford Blues of the premise.

“I tried to get her into the film, but the royal family would have none of that,” he said.

Finally, the obvious question of how a Mrs. Rob Lowe settled him down into family life came from the audience. With an extra ticket for an affair in France, he searched his mental Rolodex for a taker. He arrived at a woman who he realized was a friend, and the first person who saw him “differently.”

Sitting down to dinner with a placard that read, “Rob and Sherrill,” he had an epiphany.

“I saw my whole life unfold before me,” he said.

But before all that gloss turned to water, Janet Maslin ended the evening where it began.

“Have you ever watched Rob Lowe is beautiful on YouTube?” she teased.

Playing along, he seemed resigned to his fate.

“I guess people have too much time on their hands,” he concluded agreeably.