Many actors have added multi-hyphenates to their resumes, dipping into other facets of auteur filmmaking. But no one has done it quite like Crispin Hellion Glover. For that, and many other reasons, he remains one of the most unique artists in the Hollywood sphere. Since the early 1980s, he has logged nearly eighty acting credits, all of them indelible characters in their own right. Mainstream audiences will know him from high-profile studio fare, like Back to the Future, Hot Tub Time Machine, Charlie’s Angels, and as Andy Warhol in Oliver Stone’s The Doors. But it’s in the Indie realm that he truly blossoms. From the Christmas-obsessed, prolific sandwich maker “Jingle Dell” in David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, to an exceptionally burnt-out office worker in Bartleby, to one of cinema’s most disturbing troubled teens in River’s Edge, Crispin Glover is a character actor who is also a character himself. When he’s not producing his own films and books, he continues to turn out top-notch performances in indie films, such as the existentially tormented titular character in the upcoming labyrinthian surreal drama, Mr. K.
At the moment, Glover is full steam ahead on No! YOU’RE WRONG or: Spooky Action at a Distance, a film he spent a decade writing, shooting, and editing himself. Glover wrote it, in part, with his now-late father, Bruce Glover (Diamonds are Forever, Chinatown), and they both perform in it as multiple characters at different ages and eras. If you’re familiar with Glover’s previous Volcanic Eruptions releases (Parts one and two of the “It” Trilogy), you’ll be (somewhat) prepared for No! YOU’RE WRONG.
Glover has always shunned the traditional distribution routes, instead opting for the hands-on approach of touring his films around the world within the framework of something he calls “The Big Slide Show”. The program begins with a stylized audio-visual reading from his books (i.e. the slide show), followed by a presentation of his latest film, and a Q & A with the audience. You will never see these films without Glover’s involvement, making the experience not only unique, but also elusive. This is why I had to conduct the following interview, having only seen a trailer for No! YOU’RE WRONG. or: Spooky Action at a Distance. But, having previously experienced What is it? and It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE! by way of The Big Slide Show, I can assure you that if he does come your way, you should do everything in your power to attend. No matter how you feel about the film itself, you’re guaranteed a transformative and unforgettable cinematic experience.
The day after the world premiere of No! YOU’RE WRONG, I spoke with Glover about the why he likes people-watching during screenings, working with David Lynch, the beauty of Formalist production design, why he doesn’t like to give concrete answers about his work, and how he was surprised to learn – after the fact – that David Lynch executive produced his first film. This interview has been edited for economy and clarity.
Hammer to Nail: It’s lovely to speak to you. I don’t expect you to remember this, but I did meet you twice before: once in 2006 at Sundance…
Crispin Hellion Glover: It was probably 2005, 2006, or 2007. I was there in 2005 with What is it? and again in 2007 with It is Fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. I think I went in 2006 for something. Not for an official film release. Maybe some follow-up media stuff.
HtN: Yeah, I don’t think I saw your film there, but I have seen “The Big Slide Show” since.
CHG: Good. Were you able to see the film last night? [It premiered at New York City’s Museum of Modern Art on October 2nd, 2025].
HtN: No. I’m in Seattle. I’ve only seen the trailer and read the credit scrawl provided by P.R. But I’m gonna do my best to ask about it. I know you had your premiere last night so I’m dying to know how it went because it was your first time showing it to an audience.
CHG: It was a very nice reception. I’m very glad to have premiered it at MoMa. It was interesting for me because I’ve shown it to individuals before, but I’ve never shown it to an audience before and there are different things that an audience will react to as a whole [rather] than individuals. And there is some humor to it. Which… I can’t tell what reads as humor even to people I’ve shown it to as individuals. But when you get hundreds of people together, laughter and that kind of thing become more apparent. So, you’ve seen one or two of the other films [I directed]?
HtN: Yes, I’ve seen What is it? and It is Fine!
CHG: Oh, great! Very good. So those films have humor within them… and it’s pretty dark humor, for the most part… There are things with What is it? that the audience will laugh at sometimes – or certain people in the audience – that are not necessarily things that I think of as being funny. And it isn’t like they’re being mean or anything like that. It’s interesting to me. Sometimes they’ll laugh at things I think are funny. But sometimes not. And then there are things that I think are very funny that nobody laughs at…
[Both laugh]
CHC: What makes me laugh is that I know the audience is in a sort of an internal turmoil of how to react to certain things… But the new film isn’t operating that way. It’s a different kind of humor. And I was actually surprised at how much there was. Because I thought it was the kind of thing people would maybe internalize and have an internal [reaction like], “this is amusing”. But there was actually out-and-out laughing in places that I have thought of as being humorous. But I [didn’t expect] as much outward audible laugher [as there was]. Now, it could have been a super enthusiastic audience, being premiere night at MoMa. Maybe I won’t have that as much [at future screenings]. But it was nice to hear. And then I genuinely was interested to hear how people reacted to the film because it was my first audience. And it was very astute. I was surprised at how much people picked up on. Many of the people I [had previously shown it to] are filmmaker types, who have a certain kind of… I suppose, sophistication within cinematic… what-have-you. And I don’t know, maybe 90% of the people that came last night were filmmaker types. [I knew] some of the people who were there. But it was a very nice response. I was very pleased…
Effed by the Wind 