“American Carol” shows Hollywood who’s right

Casting was a snap–Zucker’s lunch pals filled most major parts, along with tinier ones (look for Gary Coleman as a plantation slave). He wanted Dan Whitney (Larry the Cable Guy) or Wayne Knight (Newman on Seinfeld) to play Malone, but they weren’t available. Then Zucker saw Farley on an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm and set up a meeting–despite knowing nothing about his leanings. “He asked about my politics,” Farley recalls. “I said to myself, ‘Okay, this is where I lose the job,’ and told him that I was a longtime conservative.”