How Sean Penn Became ‘Spicoli’ in ‘Fast Times at Ridgemont High’

Fast Times at Ridgemont High arrived in theaters in 1982 and struck a chord with movie fans, in part because of the characters. Stoner surfer Jeff Spicoli, played by Sean Penn, is just one particular example which helped to make the film relatable to their own high school experiences. Because who didn't know a "Spicoli" while going to school?

It was a part that Penn took very seriously -- something which was to become a trademark element of his work -- but at the time Fast Times was released, he only had a couple of prior film credits to his name. "He was in character the whole time," Cameron Crowe shared in a new interview with the Naked Lunch podcast, which you can watch below. "He never said, 'Hi, my name is Sean,' until after the movie had wrapped. He came and visited us in a black leather jacket and introduced himself. I thought it was hilarious, but he played it so seriously that you couldn't really tell and it was just so real, which of course, is the funniest stuff."

The Moment They Finally Heard Spicoli's Most Famous Line

Crowe recalls that he was on pins and needles, waiting to hear Penn deliver what he says was his favorite line in the script, the moment when Spicoli indignantly replies to his teacher, Mr. Hand, played by legendary actor Ray Walford, "You dick!" Though he tried, Penn refused to deliver the line prior to filming it. "I would always say to him, you've got to say the line, 'you dick.' I will die if [the line] doesn't come out perfect, because it's my favorite thing in the script. Just say 'you dick,'" he told hosts Phil Rosenthal and David Wild. The actor, after many requests, simply said, "I'm not going to do it. You'll know it when we do it."

READ MORE: How 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High Revolutionized Teen Movies

The moment of truth finally arrived and a number of people were on hand to witness it. Future Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis was behind the camera with Crowe, while his then-girlfriend and eventual wife, Heart's Nancy Wilson, was also in the room. All were anticipating the delivery. "Ray Walston, the only celebrity in the cast, is there and he set Sean up for the line," he reflects. "Sean goes, 'you dick!' We looked at each other and we're like, 'Oh my God, Eureka! It's better than we even [expected]....it was spectacular."

But the Famous Line Caused Drama on the 'Fast Times' Set

Walston, as it turned out, wasn't pleased. "[He] stomped off the set and said to [director] Amy Heckerling, 'I won't have a young actor talk to me like that!' Sean was so confident. He was so on fire with [the line] that he would do a take where he'd say to Ray Walston, 'You red-faced mother-effer!' We would be dying behind the camera," Crowe recalls "Ray Walston at a certain point was like, 'I didn't do all that I did in the business to be talked to by a 21-year old kid [like that]. I didn't work with Bill Bixby and Billy Wilder to be told I'm a red-faced MF by this little guy who also calls me a dick!' Meanwhile, we're high-fiving behind the camera. Because this is our shot at Spicoli and that's Sean. He knew he had it the whole time."

Watch Cameron Crowe on the 'Naked Lunch' Podcast

Tom Petty Saw Himself in Jeff Spicoli

Once Fast Times at Ridgemont High was released, Crowe learned he had a very famous fan of the movie, Tom Petty. The moment came to light as the pair were working on Heartbreakers Beach Party, his accidental directorial debut, which recently surfaced for its first-ever theatrical showings.

"[The movie] had just come out and the studio didn't like the movie or believe in it. They cut [the number of] theaters [screening it] at the last minute. Basically, Fast Times was only seen by people on VHS later," he shares. "It was bombing in the theaters, but he knew about Spicoli. He was [telling me], 'I felt like Spicoli when I was in Gainesville. People would see me with my long hair and immediately assume that I was stoned and incapable of thought.' That was when he said, 'Pick up the camera, I'm going to play this song for you that you're going to love' and that was the beginning of my directing career. 'I'm Stupid' [in Heartbreakers Beach Party] is his ode to his own Spicoli-ness, which is crazy. I was going nuts when he was doing it. I'll never forget how that felt."

READ MORE: The Gift That Tom Petty Gave Cameron Crowe

Jennifer Jason Leigh (Stacy Hamilton)

Born into a Hollywood family (her mother is screenwriter Barbara Turner, her father character actor Vic Morrow), Leigh was already racking up accolades for her commitment in juvenile roles like the acclaimed TV movie The Best Little Girl in the World (where she dropped to 87 pounds to play a character with an eating disorder) when she was cast as Fast Times’ main protagonist, sexually curious good girl Stacy. Critic Roger Ebert protested at the time that Leigh was too good for what he perceived as just another raunchy teen comedy, and while Fast Times has risen in critical estimation since its release, it’s undeniable that Leigh inhabits her naive, oft-abused character with a knowing complexity that she's carried into a varied and eclectic career.

Since graduation: Leigh has been sought out by A-list directors including Robert Altman (Short Cuts, Kansas City), Alan Rudolph (Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle), David Lynch (Twin Peaks: The Return), the Coen Brothers (The Hudsucker Proxy), the Safdie Brothers (Good Time), Taylor Hackford (Dolores Claiborne), Agnieszka Holland (Washington Square), Sam Mendes (The Road to Perdition) and David Cronenberg (eXistenZ). Turning in nuanced, daring performances in films as diverse as Last Exit to Brooklyn and Georgia (where Leigh performed her own songs as a self-destructive singer), the multitalented actress finally received her first, long-overdue Oscar nomination in 2015 for her role in Quentin Tarantino’s chamber Western, The Hateful Eight. In 2022, she was also cast as Lorraine Lyon in the upcoming fifth season of the FX anthology series Fargo.

Sean Penn (Jeff Spicoli)

The breakout star of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Penn’s guileless stoner Spicoli wowed audiences with his mix of amiable rebellion (he has pizza delivered to history class, infuriating Ray Walston’s Mr. Hand) and blissed-out California surfer dude. Constantly and happily high, Spicoli is the quintessential high school burnout, his too-cool-for-school attitude unfazed by either the fact that he’s just wrecked the star football player’s prized Camaro, or that punctilious teacher Hand shows up at his house the night before graduation, demanding that the goof-off make up the eight hours of class time the teacher estimates he's wasted over the year.

After graduation: One of three Best Actor winners to emerge from Fast Times’ cast list, Penn quickly shed his fan-favorite comedy persona in favor of becoming one of the most intense, acclaimed and chameleonic leading men in Hollywood. With five Best Actor nominations to date (and two wins, for Mystic River in 2004 and Milk in 2009), some might say the dedicated Penn went too far in the opposite direction of the free-spirited Spicoli, both in his choice of roles and his infamously humorless and allegedly abusive personal life. Also a creditable director (his efforts as novelist are less well-received), Penn’s journey from lovable teen layabout to towering, glowering dramatic lead is perhaps Fast Times’ most unlikely success story.

Phoebe Cates (Linda Barrett)

As Stacy's (allegedly) more experienced best friend Linda, the 18-year-old Cates was one of the youngest members of the Fast Times cast. As the chatty, precocious object of lust of Stacy’s older brother Brad, former teen model Cates broke onto the scene in 1982 with eye-catching performances in both Fast Times and the risible Blue Lagoon knockoff Paradise. And while both roles emphasized Cates’ beauty (most notably in Fast Times’ endlessly rewound topless pool fantasy scene and the sequence where she offers graphic oral sex advice to Stacy in the school cafeteria), she brings an endearing energy to Linda, who responds to Robert Romanus’ cad Mike Damone impregnating and abandoning her friend with ferocious loyalty.

Since graduation: Cates enjoyed a healthy start to her post-Fast Times career, appearing in Joe Dante’s beloved and bananas Gremlins films, indie drama Bodies, Rest and Motion and historical fantasy Princess Caraboo. However, her marriage to actor Kevin Kline in 1989, motherhood and a preference for stage work saw Cates essentially retire from the screen, the main exception being her supporting role alongside Kline in 2005 indie drama The Anniversary Party, co-directed by longtime friend Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Judge Reinhold (Brad Hamilton)

After Nicolas Cage (who, then 17, lied about his age) was passed over for the part of Stacy's responsible but beleaguered older brother, the sleepy-eyed, cheerful Reinhold got what would be his first major role. (He had previously amused in a small part as a perennially stoned soldier supporting Bill Murray in 1981’s Stripes.) With the sensible and cheerful Brad nonetheless suffering a series of all-too-relatable teenage workplace and personal humiliations through the film, Reinhold still comes out on top thanks to an indefatigable optimism and brotherly understanding. Easy to root for, even after Linda catches him masturbating in a pool house, Reinhold ultimately triumphs by basically just being a nice guy.

After graduation: It appeared as if Reinhold was heading for stardom after appearing alongside Eddie Murphy as the scene-stealing, goofball cop Billy Rosewood in 1984 mega-hit Beverly Hills Cop and its sequels. Comedic leads in Vice Versa, Off Beat and the edgier Ruthless People followed, but Reinhold soon settled back into supporting roles more suited to his lower-wattage presence. He did pick up a 1994 Emmy for his guest role as obsessive “close talker” Aaron on Seinfeld, and he amiably parodied himself on Arrested Development, hosting a courtroom reality show as the Honorable Judge Reinhold.

Forest Whitaker (Charles Jefferson)

A small but memorable supporting role saw this burly, intense young actor playing Ridgemont High’s football star, a bruiser who becomes even more merciless after Spicoli frames the school’s arch-rival team for wrecking Charles’ car on the night before the big game. Whitaker is equal parts hilarious and frightening, and the football sequence gave the burgeoning actor his first shot at the spotlight.

After graduation: Whitaker never looked back, becoming the young cast’s second Best Actor winner for his fearsome portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in 2007’s The Last King of Scotland. Throughout his career, Whitaker has mined that unnerving streak of serene menace, bringing offbeat charisma to roles as diverse as jazz great Charlie Parker in Clint Eastwood’s Bird and the raspy-voiced, honor-bound hitman in Jim Jarmusch’s Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai.

Eric Stoltz (Stoner Bud)

Being one of Jeff Spicoli’s bong-hitting sidekicks in his first big-screen appearance didn’t give the gangly, red-haired, young Stoltz much to do other than goggle in a stoned haze.

Since graduation: Despite several ups and downs throughout his career, Stoltz has become a reliable and compelling actor. A potentially career-making turn as Marty McFly in Back to the Future almost ended his ascent instead, as Stoltz was deemed too serious for the action-comedy shenanigans and was replaced by Michael J. Fox once filming was underway. Stoltz rebounded and garnered acclaim (under heavy prosthetics) in Mask, took a shot at John Hughes teen stardom in Some Kind of Wonderful, then became a patron saint of the burgeoning '90s indie film scene, lending his talents to young filmmakers’ projects including Bodies, Rest and Motion alongside Cates.

Brian Backer (Mark “Rat” Ratner)

Backer had only been in one film (1981’s camp slasher The Burning) when he was cast as the inexperienced, lovelorn Mark Ratner, whose idealized infatuation with Stacy forms one of the more grounded storylines in the film. Betrayed by best friend Damone, he and Stacy wind up in a “passionate love affair,” even though they “haven’t gone all the way.”

After graduation: Backer sadly never broke out (unlike fellow The Burning co-stars Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens), with his turns in lackluster post-Fast Times comedies like 1985’s Moving Violations and Police Academy 4 perhaps cementing him as the overlooked, ineffectual nerd.

Nicolas Cage (as Nicolas Coppola) (Brad’s Bud)

Then-17-year-old Cage’s turn as Reinhold’s pal Brad didn’t give the actor much to do. (Nor did lying about his age help him score the role of Brad.) This is also the only film where Cage used the birth name of his illustrious filmmaking family onscreen. (An unaired TV pilot was the young Coppola's only credit up to that point.)

Since graduation: C’mon, it’s Nicolas Cage. Winning a Best Actor Oscar for 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas, Cage has become one of Hollywood’s most eccentric, unpredictable actors. And even if financial woes led Cage to star in a truly shocking number of low-budget action thrillers at times, it’s rare that his live-wire energy doesn’t elevate even the humblest proceedings.

Robert Romanus (Mike Damone)

Younger brother of actor Richard Romanus (Mean Streets, The Sopranos), Robert Romanus is the closest thing Fast Times at Ridgemont High has to a bad guy. Romanus plays Mike Damone, the ticket-scalping hustler whose ladies’ man advice to timid best friend Mark “Rat” Ratner doesn’t prevent Mike from seducing Stacy, despite Rat’s obvious crush. Impregnating Stacy and then refusing to chip in for an abortion, Mike gets his comeuppance in the form of some profane and embarrassing spray paint on his car and locker from Linda.

After graduation: Romanus had stints on TV’s Fame (as Miltie “Psycho” Horowitz) and The Facts of Life (as “Snake” Robinson), his characters’ names indicating just how closely associated the actor had become with being a creep. Maintaining a consistent career as a character actor, Romanus’ oddest credit is for an obscure Los Angeles Film School remake of British classic sitcom Fawlty Towers titled Fawlty Tower Oxnard, with Romanus playing John Cleese’s exquisitely unlikable innkeeper Basil Fawlty.

Amanda Wyss (Lisa)

Amanda Wyss plays Brad's girlfriend Lisa, who makes the decision to end their relationship and sends the formerly confident Brad into a tailspin of terrible fast-food jobs and frequent humiliations.

After graduation: Wyss would, for a brief time, corner the market on girlfriends who send their high school beaus into tailspins, dumping John Cusack in 1985’s Better Off Dead (which also featured Fast Times’ Vincent Schiavelli and Taylor Negron). Wyss was also the first onscreen victim of horror icon Freddy Krueger in 1984’s A Nightmare on Elm St. before turning in a busy career’s worth of character roles.

Next: How 'Fast Times at Ridgemont High' Soundtrack Ushered in the '80s