Díaz took a trip down memory lane while on the ‘McBride Rewind’ podcast
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NEED TO KNOW
- Guillermo Díaz recalls receiving a signed topless photo from Louise Fletcher during the filming of High School High
- Fletcher, known for her Oscar-winning role as Nurse Ratched, gave Díaz the black-and-white photo as a keepsake
- “It’s just like one of my favorite things that I have,” he said
Guillermo Díaz has one very specific piece of memorabilia from his time on High School High.
Joining Josh McBride for the McBride Rewind podcast, Díaz, 51, reflected on filming the 1996 comedy thriller, noting that he was in Los Angeles shooting a pilot season for another show when he booked the movie.
“I was like, ‘Oh s—, I guess I’m doing this.’ It was such a great experience with John Lovitz and Louise Fletcher, who played Nurse Ratched in One Flew the Cuckoo’s Nest,” Díaz shared.
Credit: Herbert Dorfman/Corbis via Getty
“I remember her giving me an autographed picture of her topless, like, turned over the shoulder with her nurse hat on, and she’s topless, and it’s a black-and-white picture, and she signed it for me,” he added. “It’s just like one of my favorite things that I have.”
Fletcher’s portrayal of Nurse Ratched — the cold-hearted head nurse at a psychiatric ward — in the 1975 psychological movie earned her a triple crown of major awards: the Academy Award, BAFTA Award and Golden Globe Award.
Decades later, she joined Díaz in the Hart Bochner-directed movie about a high school history teacher who leaves his job at a prestigious academy to teach at an inner-city school. The film also starred Tia Carrere, Mekhi Phifer, Malinda Williams and Lexie Bigham.
Díaz told McBride that he still has the photo of Fletcher, who died in September 2022, to this day.
Two years after High School High, Díaz booked Half Baked and noted that it was a real turning point in his career as he started getting “noticed” more.
He went on to star in projects like Scandal, Law & Order, Weeds, ER, Broad City and Girls.
