Mark Metcalf Was Cast After Lying
… About riding horses.
Landis tried to convince Universal to hire more popular and dramatic actors or include other interesting casting choices, like Meat Loaf, but the film ended up with actors no one had ever heard of at the time. Because they didn’t get their first choices, the filmmakers went with mostly unknown actors who were desperate to find work.
Source: IMDb
Mark Metcalf (Neidermeyer) was asked if he knew how to ride horses. He didn’t, but he just made up stories to get the part – like how his father worked as a trick rider in the circus.
Metcalf had recurring roles as “The Maestro” on Seinfeld and “The Master” on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. “Maestro” by the way is Italian for “Master”.