Polishing Silver

In 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit, producer Joel Silver had a cameo role as a screaming director; since then, he has kept his legendary screaming behind the cameras, producing action pictures like Die Hard, Hudson Hawk, and most recently, The Last Boy Scout.

But in Lawrence Kasdan's new Grand Canyon, Silver seems to be on screen again. This time, though, he's in the guise of Steve Martin, who plays an over-the-edge director sporting a full beard, brightly colored clothing, and a blowhard attitude — all trademark Silver accessories. Add in a Frank Lloyd Wright house and you've got a pretty good facsimile.

''People have told me it's an action filmmaker who lives in a Frank Lloyd Wright house, so it sounds similar to me, but I have no idea if it is me,'' says Silver. Kasdan denies that the Martin character is based on Silver: ''It's me and a lot of people I've known.''

And there is one difference: During the course of the film, Martin's character attempts to give up the action genre — and can't do it. Silver too once said he wanted to change his image from bad boy to good guy. But he still swears by action: His next film will be Lethal Weapon 3.