George Hardy and fan
George Hardy is a graduate of UAB Dental School and has more to show in his portfolio than fillings and bridges. Hardy, along with several others, is known for his role in one of the “worst movies” ever made.
After graduating from dental school, Hardy moved to Salt Lake City to further his career. However, while he was there, his career path took a turn in a whole different direction; moving him into the artistic realm of acting.
“I was actually in Salt Lake City in the 1980s with the intention to work and also enjoy the Wasatch Range,” said Hardy. “I practiced part time, skied part time and traveled. You know the single guy thing, not committed.”
“After returning from a six month stint in Cambridge, New Zealand where I was participating as a temp dentist in a needed area for Kiwi Teens, I came back to a situation where I was back in a start-up position in Salt Lake City, so I had time to shoot off and do crazy things,” he said.
One such crazy thing was the chance to audition for a B-rated movie in Park City, Utah. One of my patients said to me, ”Hey, George you have that California look; you ought to audition for a movie.”
The B-movie Hardy auditioned for was “Troll 2,” the sequel to the terrifying 1986 classic “Troll.”
“I got to do this audition before going back to Alabama,” said Hardy. “I thought it could be my last hurrah before getting serious.”
“Troll 2″ was directed by Italian native Claudio Fragrasso. Working with Italians was one of the things Hardy liked most about the filming process.
“I really enjoyed just hanging out on set and watching how you make a movie, Italian style. No one from the set spoke English except us non-actors from Utah,” said Hardy.
The film wasn’t what most would consider a major success for its time. However, that didn’t stop a band of cult followers from forming and giving praises to its poor plot. The film was rated by the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes as being the worst movie ever made.
“‘Troll 2′ is a train wreck that just happened to turn out to be one of the most enjoyed, best worst movies ever made. It was not a cynical movie,” said Hardy. “We were innocent making the film. All the cast was trying to make a good movie. Now it’s known as one of the most-watched, worst movies ever made and people love it.”
Hardy, along with “Troll 2″ child star Michael Paul Stephenson, decided the cult following to Fragasso’s 1990 masterpiece was too great an anomaly not to be captured on film and documented for all the world to see.
“The Best Worst Movie” is a documentary that delves deep into the heart of the cult classic followers exposing the failed film in all its glory.
“I think this is one of the best documentaries to come along in decades,” said Hardy. “It’s very funny, and yet, at the same time, deeply layered. I think people will take home so many things to think about. Not only to laugh about, but how things just don’t work out the way you may have planned them.”
“The Best Worst Movie” was recently played at the Sidewalk Moving Pictures Festival in Birmingham and is continuing its screenings all around the world. Hardy hopes to one day have a major theatrical resale, DVD distribution, and of course, a TV airing.
For more information about the documentary and UAB graduate George Hardy visit www.bestworstmovie.com.
