Without Tom Sizemore, who knows what we would’ve called our podcast, or if we even would’ve done one. Sure, Mann also deserves credit for the line that inspired our podcast’s name, “the action is the juice,” but it was Sizemore’s delivery that brought it to life. And it’s that very enlivening of certain bits of dialogue, something that Sizemore perfected, that helped instill the deep love of movies that Isaac and I share. It’s because of that shared love that the Action Juice Podcast exists, so thank you, Tom Sizemore.

Sizemore was so important to Action Juice that in just twelve episodes, we’ve already raved about his acting in three separate conversations (about Heat, Lock Up, and Point Break). In no way was that intentional; the guy was simply prolific, especially in the kinds of movies we grew up enjoying. I texted Isaac, and we singled out his roles as Michael Cheritto in Heat and Sgt. Mike Horvath in Saving Private Ryan as our personal favorites. That said, I can’t help but to also reflect on his performances in Black Hawk Down, Natural Born Killers, Enemy of the State, and even Red Planet. In his prime, the guy was a sure bet.

At the same time, Sizemore was an extremely troubled individual who struggled with drug addiction his entire life. I remember how good he was doing a decade ago, around when his memoir released, but that clearly didn’t last. That’s so very tragic. He was also sentenced multiple times for domestic abuse, and there was an allegation of sexual molestation that was eventually dismissed by a judge. Because of these transgressions, it’s quite difficult to outright love the guy. But there’s no denying he was a gifted actor in his heyday. This is certainly a case of art vs the artist.

Rest in peace, Tom Sizemore (1961-2023).

As I wrap up here, I’m remembering that Isaac and I were going to record an episode focusing on Sizemore’s short-lived cop show, Robbery Homicide Division (2002-03). We pushed the topic to our back-burner, but with his passing, the idea intrigues me once more. Let us know if that sounds like something you might want to listen to.