‘Caddyshack’ Star Michael O’Keefe Recalls Cocaine Use, Budgeted Costs on Set
The actor, who played Danny Noonan in the 1980 comedy, described drug use on set as pervasive during the 1970s.
Michael O’Keefe, known for his role as Danny Noonan in the 1980 film “Caddyshack,” has claimed that cocaine was prevalent on the film’s set and was even accounted for in the production’s budget.
"It was the 70s," O’Keefe, 71, told Page Six in a recent interview. "That’s what was happening back then. People were just treating it like it was toothpaste, and you had to do it twice a day to stay healthy."
The filming of the comedy, which starred Ted Knight, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, and Rodney Dangerfield, took place over 11 weeks in the fall of 1979. O'Keefe admitted to using cocaine before filming scenes for the movie.
"It was not my favorite memory because in retrospect I can see those moments on camera and I’m not too happy about them," he said. "But I can report to you that right after that movie, during that movie, was the last time I ever did anything like cocaine. I realized that it was a terrible thing to get involved [with], and like so many things in the drug world, it looked like fun, but in reality, it wasn’t."
O’Keefe cited the death of Doug Kenney, a co-writer and producer of “Caddyshack,” as a significant turning point. Kenney died at age 33 in 1980 after falling off a cliff in Hawaii, an incident ruled a suicide.
"It was truly a result of drug addiction, and that was a huge wake-up call," O’Keefe recalled, describing Kenney as "one of the most affable, intelligent, funny people in the world."
O’Keefe, who received an Oscar nomination for his role in “The Great Santini,” has had a long career appearing in shows such as “Roseanne” and “Your Friends and Neighbors.” He is currently promoting his latest film, “A Break in the Rain,” where he plays a man reconnecting with his family after a decade on the road following his wife's death.
He stated that he was drawn to the role in “A Break in the Rain” because of its emotional journey and themes of family reconnection. O’Keefe, who became a father at age 57, finds these themes particularly resonant.
Reflecting on his five-decade career, O’Keefe expressed gratitude for his experiences and the people he has worked with, noting, "And I’ve really, really had some great experiences over the years and worked with some amazing people. So the fact that I’m still standing is kind of the happiest thing that I have to report."