Walking the Mile

Hit the lightning, boys.

While there's a feeling. . .

. . .in The Green Mile...

. . .that the human spirit is alive and well. . .

. . .even under the most difficult circumstances. . .

. . .l think the more difficult life becomes. . .

. . .the more the human spirit has a chance to shine.

lt's not the kind of. . .

. . .story that people think of. . .

. . .when you hear Stephen King mentioned.

lt didn't have the fur and the fangs and the haunted cars. . .

. . .but it had this really rich. . .

. . .world that it presented.

lt felt like the Stephen King l really love. . .

. . .humanistic writer that he is.

This is what Stephen King does so well.

He somehow is able to really create these characters. . .

. . .that are flawed but good. . .

. . .by and large.

Throw around the name Stephen King, you think you'll be getting. . .

. . .a horror story. This is not.

Frank's script for The Green Mile...

. . .is the best film adaptation l've ever read, hands down.

Not only was there a screenplay. . .

. . .that nothing should be touched. . .

. . .it was absolutely like the Holy Grail.

But Frank had already had a relationship with Tom.

While l was writing. . .

. . .Tom simply came into my head and wouldn't go away.

Not that l wanted him to, because he seemed like a marvelous fit.

l tried to say, " Give me a minute. . .

. . .let me finish. "

But there he was in my head going, "l'm Paul Edgecomb. "

You know, you're always looking for something that is. . .

. . .unexplainable. And there it is, like lightning in a bottle.

He's truly a funny and talented man.

Many times, we haven't even had to say a joke.

He'll look at me, something's happening in a scene, and we're gone.

We had to get it out of our system.

The biggest question l think we both had was. . .

. . .who was gonna play John Coffey?

Ah, the hunt for John Coffey. Oh, yes.

We were in great shape with Tom. . .

. . .but unless we found John Coffey. . .

. . .l don't know how this would've turned out.

Bruce Willis told me about it.

He said, " They're gonna be making a movie about this dude. "

He said, " l'm gonna call Frank and tell him l found John Coffey. "

And Michael came in and read for us.

l ate, slept, used the bathroom, almost showered with that script.

Michael's screen test was amazing.

But not as amazing as the performance he eventually laid down on the set.

That essence that is a part of Michael Clarke Duncan. . .

. . .somewhere in him is John Coffey.

l called my mother, " l'm working with Tom Hanks. " We started crying.

Frank Darabont has no life.

This is it.

His life is one long death row experience.

The best part of working with Frank. . .

. . .is watching him watch the monitor.

Because he looks like a little, like, cherubic, excited boy.

Our sets. Our sets.

lt was really quite breathtaking to walk down the mile. . .

. . .for the first time. . .

. . .and see how they've re-created this death row E block penitentiary.

How's this for a set? l love this.

Tomorrow we have Stephen King visiting the set of The Green Mile...

. . .which will be very cool.

He was really floored. . .

. . .by the incredible care. . .

. . .that Terence Marsh had put into designing this thing.

Frank took me and said:

" l wanna introduce you to a friend of yours. Here's old Sparky. "

You got the braces on the elbows.

l did what anybody wants to do when they see it.

l said, " Strap me in it. "

Frank, could l get out now?

And once you get in it, you say to yourself:

" Oh, boy, this is like being too far in my own head. "

Mr. Jingles is the last living. . .