As far as Hollywood bigwigs go, Andy Fickman’s a bit of a goof. His company “Oops Doughnuts Production,” which operates within Disney Studios in Burbank, Calif., is brimming with pop tarts, abnormally oversized action figures, piles of scripts and, naturally, bedazzled cell phones and footballs — props from his 2007 box office hit, “The Game Plan.” In addition to “The Game Plan,” Fickman, the man alternatively known as Randy Flickman (a common mistake), Herr Direcktor and Ficky (but never Mr. Fickman), has directed box office hits such as “Race to Witch Mountain,” “You Again” and “She’s the Man.” He’s even got Betty White’s approval.
“Andy is wonderful because he’s just as nutty as the rest of us,” White said.
Fickman will stop by Stanford this Tuesday to give students a glimpse into Hollywood’s inner-workings and advise them on breaking into the biz. But before all that, he’s kindly taken a moment to warm us up with some silly answers.
Enter
AF: Andy Fickman.
Eye Color
AF: Skittles.
Smile Size (S, M, L)
AF: Medium, but willing to try Small and/or Large.
Favorite director who’s not you:
AF: Again — endless, endless, endless list… but if looking for a rogue’s gallery — Capra, Hitchcock, Ford, Peckinpah, Allen, Spielberg.
Favorite actress/actor to work with:
AF: I have been lucky to have worked with amazing, wonderful, creative, talented folks — no favorites — though Dwayne “The Fick” Johnson has the most muscles.
If you were a piece of candy, what kind would you be?
AF: Tootsie Pop or gravy. Is gravy a candy? Maybe gravy-flavored candy.
On a typical Saturday night you’re most like to be found…
AF: I think on a typical Saturday night I am like most normal folks — I am home alone, in a thong, drinking beer I brewed in my bathtub, cooking up some stolen Omaha Steaks, Googling “Chinese Kitten Fetish Singers” or “other hit songs from that girl who made that ‘Friday’ song” and then waiting until around midnight when I normally drive over to the medical marijuana store and get my prescription for my glaucoma, then go home and Google “how do you get glaucoma,” then drunk dial old girlfriends and cry that they never understood me, then sleep until the people whose home I broke into come back and I have to run.
Pick one quality you find absolutely irresistible in a woman?
AF: Smart and witty. Oh crap, that’s two… okay narrowing that down to one… boobs.
Edward or Jacob?
AF: Tough one — I mean Edward II of Caemafon was the sixth Plantagenet king who pretty much was the toast of England from 1307-1327, which is impressive given health, dental and hygiene issues during that time, but Jacob was the son of Isaac & Rebecca, and he was Abraham’s grandson and fathered Joseph who had that amazing technicolor dreamcoat which was awesome. It is hard to pick — I think with these two it really is historically about who had the best abs, so I say Jacob.
If you could have any super power what would you choose?
AF: To truly be “silent but deadly.”
What’s your fondest college memory?
AF: I enjoyed all six years of it!
When did you first know you wanted to go into entertainment?
AF: When I was arrested for performing psychic surgeries in Thailand and realized I should give up on my dream of being a doctor.
Were you more excited or scared on your first day in LA?
I was too drunk to have experienced either feeling.
You already direct, write and produce — have you ever considered acting?
AF: For years, I auditioned for the adult film industry but due to performance anxiety and what I assume is a pervasive anti-Semitic trilateral conspiracy within the adult film community, I was blackballed. Literally.
If you could give one piece of advice to those looking into careers in entertainment, what would it be?
AF: Trust me — just because a cab driver says they are a powerful producer, you should not sleep with them. And if you do, you should at least get a receipt and see what they thought of your script.
For real advice, Andy Fickman is speaking Tuesday, May 10 in building 200, room 002 at 7 p.m.