John Leguizamo based his The Menu character on Steven Seagal

Last Updated on November 28, 2022

John Leguizamo took some interesting inspiration for his latest role as a cocky former movie star: a cocky former movie star. For his character in The Menu, Leguizamo looked to none other than Steven Seagal as a case study.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Leguizamo went on the offensive against Seagal. “I’ve met lots of these stars like that, maybe before they were washed up,…I mean, now they’re washed-up. I kind of based mine on Steven Seagal. I had a bad run-in with him. We did a movie together. It was Executive Decision. He’s kind of a horrible human.” Leguizamo got an early laugh against his co-star, as Seagel earned (and we do mean earned) a Razzie nomination for his performance.

John Leguizamo is actually doubling down on his disdain for Steven Seagal. Last week on The View, Leguizamo said, “I worked with a lot of action stars that became washed up and failures. That’s what I based it on. I’m not gonna name names, but if one pops into your head–Steven Seagal, by any chance…”

While other character inspirations haven’t been made explicitly clear, viewers can develop their own conclusions as to who Ralph Fiennes’ celebrity chef character might be most similar to.

While John Leguizamo may have a good point about Seagal, he has generated some controversy over other remarks as of late. Regarding the voice casting for the upcoming The Super Mario Bos. Movie. “For [the studio] to go backwards and not cast another [actor of color] kind of sucks.”

The dark comedy The Menu is in theaters now. It has proved quite popular with critics, with our own Chris Bumbray calling it a “black-hearted, cynical satire” (you can read his review here).

How do you feel about John Leguizamo taking down Steven Seagal?