Having a career that spans 40 years means the age range of actor Matthew Modine’s fanbase is wide. While some of his older fans know him best as Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam War-era film “Full Metal Jacket,” some of his youngest fans are kids who think of him as Dr. Brenner from “Stranger Things.”
Modine touched on the significance of these roles and more during a Q&A panel with fans at Salt Lake City’s FanX Saturday afternoon, but the first thing the actor talked about had nothing to do with his career.
Instead, Modine acknowledged that being in Salt Lake City was a homecoming of sorts — his grandmother, Zella Vanola Fairbanks, was from the small town of Annabella in Sevier County, and his parents moved to Utah when he was 5.
Over roughly 45 minutes, Modine reflected on his childhood in Utah and some highlights from his career — including his relationship with “Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown, being rejected for Tim Burton’s “Batman” and how he influenced the ending of “Full Metal Jacket.”
Matthew Modine remembers childhood in Utah
Growing up, Modine lived in a few different areas of Salt Lake City.
With a glimmer in his eye, he recalled a stunt he pulled at the now-defunct Cottonwood Mall in Holladay. His mother was a bookkeeper and had an adding machine that he used to create a fake receipt. As a 7- or 8-year-old, he then entered the store Skaggs with a brown paper lunch bag, filled it up with Hot Wheels and showed his “receipt” as he walked out the door.
He got caught.
“They didn’t give me any credit for the ingenuity,” he said.
Modine praised the people of Utah and the state’s overarching “pioneer spirit.”
“One of the things that I loved about growing up in Utah is that pioneer spirit ... was very much part of the state and the character of the people that lived in the state, that if you got a flat tire on the freeway corner on the Point of the Mountain ... it was my responsibility as a fellow traveler and human being on this planet to pull over and help you because next time it might be me, next time it could be my grandmother, and I hope that somebody would be kind enough to pull over and help her in that situation,” he said to loud applause from the audience.
‘Stranger Things’ and his friendship with Millie Bobby Brown
Modine initially turned down his role in “Stranger Things” multiple times.
When brothers Matt and Ross Duffer, the “Stranger Things” creators, approached him about Dr. Brenner, they only had the pilot episode and there wasn’t much concerning the character. But Modine eventually changed his tune.
“Boy am I glad I said yes to the Duffer brothers,” he told the audience at FanX. “What an incredible journey.”
On set, Modine predominantly worked with actor Millie Bobby Brown, who plays his patient, Eleven. He met Brown when she was 11 and was immediately impressed with her focus, gratitude and professionalism, he said.
The pair have remained close throughout the past decade — last year, Modine even officiated Brown’s wedding to Jake Bongiovi, the son of Jon Bon Jovi (he approves of the marriage and called Bongiovi “an absolute gentleman”).
“I’m really honored to have her a part of my present day life,” he said.
One fan dressed as Elliott from “E.T.” (wearing a red University of Utah hoodie) asked Modine what it meant to officiate the wedding ceremony.
“When you realize the significance of what is that you’re doing, joining two people in holy matrimony ... suddenly it’s not just some words, but it’s a holy bond. It’s a beautiful thing,” he said, noting that he told a couple of jokes but overall kept his tone “pretty solemn.” “I stayed on my script — no improvising."
Working with Christopher Nolan on ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
The first fan that got in line to ask a question, dressed as Ken from “Barbie,” asked Modine about working with legendary filmmaker Christopher Nolan on “The Dark Knight Rises” (he plays Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley).
Modine said he actually auditioned for Tim Burton’s “Batman” and was fairly confident he’d landed the role because he thought his take on the superhero went over well with the director — a man who one day discovers that in putting on a mask, he can hide his fragility and cover up the hurt from the loss of his parents. Hard on the outside, but soft and broken on the inside.
“I thought that I got the job. I left that meeting thinking Tim Burton’s going to hire me, I’m going to be the new Batman,” Modine said with a laugh.
The film went another direction, casting Michael Keaton in the role.
“He (Burton) didn’t make that Batman, but Christopher Nolan, I believe, did,” Modine said. “His went much deeper into the emotional life of Bruce Wayne.”
Modine praised directors like Burton, Nolan and Kubrick for the thought and care they put into casting.
“If you put a star, a wonderful actor, in the wrong role, there’s no guarantee that the film’s going to be successful,” he said.
How Matthew Modine influenced the ending of ‘Full Metal Jacket’
Before talking about “Full Metal Jacket,” Modine took a moment to acknowledge veterans who were in attendance and thanked them for their service.
Modine recalled how Kubrick had a “no bad ideas” rule on set, encouraging his actors to consider an idea presented to them or offer up an alternative suggestion.
Throughout filming, Modine recalled how Kubrick would often ask for his thoughts regarding the film’s ending where his character, Private Joker, dies. Modine would always respond by saying he thought it was an impactful ending that showed the tragedy of war.
But eventually, after a few of his fellow actors shared alternate endings that he didn’t appreciate, Modine offered up his own suggestion.
“He should live, Stanley,” he recalled telling Kubrick. “Because that’s the real horror of war, is spending the rest of your life with those images in your mind.
“Stanley leaned into me and said, ‘That’s the end of the picture,’” he continued.
Matthew Modine on his charity work
Before there was “Full Metal Jacket” or “The Dark Knight Rises” or “Stranger Things,” there was Modine, a struggling actor in New York City who struggled to pay the subway fare to travel to his auditions.
Under his apartment — which he rented for $250 a month — there was a delicatessen that sold lemons. He would buy a bunch on sale, make lemonade and go out on 42nd Street and Lexington to sell it.
One day, Modine recalled, a man abandoned his Rolley Beach Cruiser bike near his lemonade stand. The up-and-coming actor took the bike and leaned it against a nearby building, telling himself he’d “adopt” the bike if the man didn’t come back and claim it.
Modine ended up leaving with the bike — and because he didn’t have to pay subway fare anymore, he was able to attend multiple auditions in a day.
Riding a bike everywhere, everyday, also eventually led to him forming the initiative Bicycle For a Day, which encouraged people to bike as a means of transportation and physical activity while also introducing bike lanes and cycling infrastructure to the city.
‘I’ve had a really amazing career’
As Modine’s panel came to a close, he didn’t immediately leave. Instead, even as people were coming in for the next panel, he took a few minutes to take selfies and give a few of his fans hugs.
“I’ve had a really amazing career where I’ve played all kinds of different characters,” he said at one point during his panel. “And the fans have embraced them all.”