I Found A Funny Connection Between Billy Crystal’s New Show And His Classic Film City Slickers, But He Swears He Had ‘Nothing To Do With That’

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As a long-time fan of Billy Crystal’s work, I can’t help but feel a sense of camaraderie with this talented comedian as we both share a love for New York baseball teams. The fact that his character Eli uses a Mets pen in “Before” is a delightful Easter egg for fans like me who have been following Crystal’s career since the iconic “City Slickers.

On AppleTV+, there’s a continuous flow of engaging dramas featuring former movie stars transitioning towards more compelling scripts in both limited series and upcoming shows. Cate Blanchett is dealing with a troubling past secret in director Alfonso Cuaron’s “Disclaimer”. Rebecca Ferguson has swapped the intrigue of the “Dune” franchise for the sci-fi thriller “Silo”, which is now in its second season. Viewers have been eagerly waiting for the comeback of “Severance”, a show that director Ben Stiller feels has been absent for far too long. This show will return in January 2025.

AppleTV+ has provided numerous talents with the chance to explore new dimensions, such as when Tom Holland starred in the mental health drama “The Crowded Room,” or Chris Evans switched from Captain America’s shield to the legal procedural “Defending Jacob.” To this list, we can now add veteran comedian Billy Crystal. His supernatural, psychological mystery drama “Before” premiered on October 25. In the series, Crystal portrays Eli, a child psychologist and recent widower who becomes entangled in a web of perplexity when a disturbed child (Jacobi Jupe) appears at his doorstep. It appears that their past lives may be linked, but with only three episodes aired so far, there is much mystery yet to unfold.

As a dedicated gamer, one thing that’s not hard to figure out is why Billy Crystal, a known New York Yankees baseball enthusiast, is using a Mets pen in a crucial scene in Episode 4 of Before. In this episode, Eli, who believes Noah’s visions hold the key to what’s unfolding, asks him to draw something. When it’s time for Noah to sketch, Eli hands him a New York Mets pen. The camera focuses on it, so it’s no accident. During my interview with Crystal for Before, I couldn’t help but ask about this. And surprisingly, even though he’s an executive producer of the series, he claims he has nothing to do with the choice of pens! Crystal shared with TopMob that it wasn’t his decision.

As a die-hard Yankees fan, just like in the movie City Slickers, my character sported a Mets hat – a writer’s creative twist, mind you. But rest assured, I had no hand in that decision! (Laughs) I knew the Mets cap controversy would surface at some point, and you, Sean, are the first one to bring it up! Still, as much as I cheer for the Yankees, I secretly root for the Mets. Who knows when this interview will air? But let me tell you, I can’t wait for a Subway Series – that would be fantastic!

Before the end of the Major League Baseball playoffs, Billy Crystal and I had a conversation. At that point, he wasn’t aware that the Yankees would eventually lose to the Dodgers in the World Series. He was still hoping for a Subway Series between the Yankees and their nearby rivals, the Mets.

What I find very funny is that Crystal mentioned this brand confusion happening once before in his career, and that’s when he had enormous success as the star of City Slickers. As he points out, this character proudly wore a Mets hat in those movies, and it sounds like Crystal caught a lot of flack for that. It was fun to gently rib him for the Mets inclusion in Before, one more time.

Make sure your AppleTV+ subscription is current as we’re gearing up for more exciting episodes, running through December 20th! Don’t miss out on diving deep into this intriguing mystery before it reaches full speed.

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2024-11-06 18:07