For most, That Thing You Do! is a sweet musical comedy drama starring and directed by Tom Hanks about a gang of guys who make it big with a one hit wonder and then slowly fall apart. It's got heartbreak, but it’s also pretty fun, as most Tom Hanks romps are…unless you consider the disgusting thing Ethan Embry just bravely revealed he did while filming. I don’t think I could put it into words, so I’ll just let this Tweet from Embry speak for itself.
Hopefully he was wearing his brown pants. Talk about that thing you do-do (last one, I promise). Okay, a couple questions here. Did anyone know this was happening? His castmates had to have known something funny was in the air. Was it like a one-time thing or did Ethan Embry just keep pooping all day? Why did he have a pet duck? Unless you live in Friends, that’s not a normal pet by any means. What exactly was he doing with the duck that gave him dysentery (which I thought was mainly an Oregon Trail thing)? Did he poop while standing next to Tom Hanks? So many questions that will probably never be answered.
I can just imagine being on the set of what was probably one of his first big movies and he’s all excited to work with Tom Hanks. He suits up in the red jacket after a night of playing with his pet duck, and then he gets into position, the director yells action, and then he just poops right there. I don’t blame him for not saying anything. When you gotta go, you gotta go. If I got to work with Tom Hanks, a.k.a. Woody from my childhood, then I don’t want him thinking I need a diaper!
If you can’t remember who Ethan Embry played in the movie, despite being a part of the main band, he didn’t really do much. He was the bass player that ended up going to Disneyland and never coming back. The epilogue at the end of the movie reveals that he won a Purple Heart for injuries suffered in Khe Sanh.
If you need a reminder of the scene in question, you can catch a glimpse of it in this trailer for That Thing You Do!, which oddly enough, has a dramatic voice over.
What did you think of Ethan Embry’s big reveal? Will it change the way you watch That Thing You Do!? Did he do the right thing by not telling anyone for 20 years? At least he's finally wiping away the guilt. Sound off in the comments section below.
