Shirley Henderson says she'd have loved to have starred in classic scene with John Candy

By JOHN PAUL BRESLIN, WEEKEND NEWS EDITOR - SCOTLAND Published: 19:47, 20 June 2026 | Updated: 19:56, 20 June 2026 She's been in some of the highest grossing movie franchises ever made, such as Harry Potter and Bridget Jones. However, despite her undoubted success, Scots actress Shirley Henderson claims that if she could choose to be in any scene ever shot, it would be a classic comedy moment that starred John Candy. The clip in question was in 1987’s Trains, Planes and Automobiles, and sees Candy’s character Del Griffith unknowingly drive the wrong way down a freeway in the US. As the realisation dawns on him and his passenger Neal Page – played by Steve Martin – the two characters are seen screaming in terror, with Griffith suddenly appearing as a devil to comedic effect. The scene ends with the pair pulling their fingernails out of the dashboard following their terrifying ordeal. Discussing the ‘dream scene’ she would choose to be in, the 60-year-old actress said: ‘I would be with John Candy in Trains, Planes and Automobiles. In the car. Scots actress Shirley Henderson has starred in Harry Potter and Bridget Jones Shirley says she would have loved to be in the middle of this film scene ‘It just always moves me. I would be right in the middle of them both in that car crash, in the whole thing.  'I’d just be like “This is wonderful”. I think he was amazing. It’s a very funny, moving film.’ Ms Henderson went on to liken the movie to I Swear, a film about the life of Scots Tourette’s sufferer John Davidson which she recently starred in, saying: ‘You get a mix of all emotions – everything is churning.’ Candy’s son Chris previously revealed the iconic scene, which featured his father dressed as the devil, was improvised. It came after Candy, who died in 1994 aged just 43, had dressed in the costume for a joke on set.  Chris said: ‘The director John Hughes and my father came up with it in that moment, and that’s how that shot ends up in the movie.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.