Michael Clarke Duncan is gone...

I first met Michael Clarke Duncan on the set of Michael Bay's ARMAGEDDON, which was shooting at NASA in Houston.  His massive frame was contained in that rather magnificent space suit.   As it happened, I was a huge fan of Stephen King's THE GREEN MILE serial story.   When I had a chance to meet Michael and he opened his mouth and out came that voice...   Deep resonant tones filled with kindness and the soul of an angel  on Earth.  That was the thing, I've met Michael many times.  His mother once gave me a hug because of my very vocal and loud campaign to make sure that Michael Clarke Duncan played John Coffey.   The role he was born to play.   But in the 6 or 7 times I've had the great fortune of meeting Michael, I was always taken with his spirit.   When we spoke, I was entranced.   His eyes smiled and when he laughed, you had to join in.   That his heart gave out, it's a tragedy.   But if you knew Michael only a bit, it is what you came away with.   He was a great spirit.   One of the sweetest humans I've gotten to meet.   I didn't love every movie he was in, nor did I love him in everything he did.  But I always looked forward to his next work.   I love him so much in THE GREEN MILE.  There are few times that we have a perfect physical translation from fiction to screen, but Michael Clarke Duncan, walking on apple boxes down the green mile on that old Warner's Hollywood set.   Dwarfing Hanks and David Morse...  and both of those guys are tall.   We've lost a great guy today.   This is a really terrible day.  My heart goes out to all who were blessed to know him and love him.