Hollywood, CA It’s not often that telling Robert De Niro to “go f*ck yourself” gets you a Hollywood film role, but for John Ashton, such boldness paid off and became his ticket to a memorable performance in the cult classic Midnight Run from 1988.
In a recent interview, Ashton recounted the unconventional audition process that ultimately secured him the part of Marvin Dorfler, a bumbling but memorable bounty hunter who added both tension and comedic relief to the film. According to Ashton, his fiery yet authentic reaction during an improvised scene with De Niro won over both the legendary actor and director Martin Brest.
Ashton revealed that in the audition scene, he and De Niro were asked to improvise a scene, just to test their chemistry between each other. “I did not really think about it; I just reacted in the moment,” Ashton said. “De Niro said something to provoke me, and without hesitation, I fired back, ‘Go f*ck yourself!'”
Instead of an awkward silence, Ashton’s outburst earned hearty laughs from De Niro and Brest. “It was raw, real, and exactly what the character needed,” Ashton said. “I thought I might’ve blown it, but De Niro leaned back, nodded, and said, ‘That’s Marvin.'”
Martin Brest, the film’s director, later stated in an interview that the uninhibited response by Ashton best typified the offbeat, volatile energy they wanted for the film. “Midnight Run thrives on the tension and interplay between its characters. John brought an authenticity that was impossible to ignore,” Brest said.
Indeed, perhaps the smoothest addition to the Midnight Run dynamic was Ashton’s Marvin Dorfler; everything about him was so soft and fitting that he seemed readymade to star alongside De Niro’s Jack Walsh and Charles Grodin’s Jonathan Mardukas in a cult classic movie. His comic or chaotic injection into tense situations basically assured the movie of this status.
Ashton reflected on the experience: “It was one of those moments where you just have to trust your instincts. I am just glad mine paid off—and that Robert didn’t take it personally!”
The anecdote serves as a comic illustration of the unpredictable nature of Hollywood auditions but also as a testimony on how authenticity outshines polished performance at times. As his story becomes a special chapter in the making of Midnight Run,—and a reminder that, in the right context, even profanity can be an art form—Ashton’s story is a classic reminder to stay grounded and believe in yourself.
