Ted McGinley Reflects on Revenge of the Nerds’ 40th Anniversary

The Baxters star Ted McGinley has looked back on the enduring legacy of Revenge of the Nerds as the movie nears its 40th anniversary.

In an interview with ComingSoon, McGinley was asked about his thoughts on Revenge of the Nerds all these years later. The actor was quite proud of the comedy film, though he revealed that when he first signed on to the project, he was embarrassed by the title. This would quickly change.

“I’m very proud of it. I think it has held up. I think what’s really interesting is that it actually happened. The nerds took over the world and they won and they’re going to continue to win,” McGinley stated. “I just think that that’s exciting. When I first started on the film, I was so embarrassed of the title that I wouldn’t say it out loud — Revenge of the Nerds. After I went to dailies the first day, we had a big party. We had pizza and sandwiches and beer, and we sat in this room and they showed the dailies from the first day. And that was the last time I had an issue saying Revenge of the Nerds.”

McGinley even revealed the exact scene that changed his mind that day, then explained that the movie tends to find a new audience every once in a while.

“I saw right away — it was the scene where the dad is taking the kids to school in the station wagon, or Jamie [Cromwell] loads them up,” he said. “And the boys developed that laugh — that was hysterical. I knew right then, that day, it was going to be a hit and it would be popular and it would work. For years, there’d be a certain point where kids weren’t allowed to see it until a certain age, which is right. But once they got to that age, a whole new audience would rediscover it, so it was fun.”

Who else starred in Revenge of the Nerds?

Revenge of the Nerds also starred Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Bernie Casey, Julie Montgomery, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese, John Goodman, and more. The film was originally released on July 20, 1984.