- - Henry Czerny Shares the One 'Lovely' Thing Steve Martin Did Between Takes on “Pink Panther ”Set That Put Cast at Ease (Exclusive)

Meredith WilshereFebruary 7, 2026 at 7:00 AM

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Jean Reno, Henry Czerny and Steve Martin in "The Pink Panther"

MGM/Columbia

Henry Czerny had a great time making 2006's The Pink Panther

Ahead of the film's 20th anniversary, the actor talks to PEOPLE about what it was like behind the scenes

"I find the movie charming, and I'm profoundly grateful to be a part of it," he tells PEOPLE

There was a lot going on behind the scenes of The Pink Panther.

Henry Czerny, who played villain Yuri the Trainer in the Shawn Levy-directed movie, took a trip down memory lane ahead of the film's 20th anniversary, telling PEOPLE about some of the best moments that the audience didn’t see.

According to Czerny, the most memorable part of making the film was the moments when Steve Martin would bring levity to the set through music.

“Steve was wonderful. There were times between takes while they were setting up, and Steve would pull out his banjo and play to himself and others who cared to listen,” the Mission Impossible actor shares.

Henry Czerny.

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

Czerny says the 80-year-old's musical relief was much appreciated “in the midst of trying to cobble together a comedy that had a great history behind it.”

“The original Pink Panthers were something tender to play with because they are so great, and one wanted to live up to that," Czerny, 66, shares. "In the midst of all of us trying to make sure that whatever we were coming up with was profoundly entertaining, every once in a while, you would hear this banjo, this seemingly relaxed leader of the acting troupe, playing his banjo in the corner. It was a lovely juxtaposition. It was a lovely addition to the day."

One of the scenes that Czerny still vividly remembers was when his character, who had a Russian accent, and Martin’s Inspector Clouseau, a Frenchman, ran into each other in the hallway of a soccer training facility, yet they couldn't understand each other's accents.

The scene, he notes, was a late addition, as they wanted to keep Yuri in the story without giving away that he’s the killer.

“We did work on the scene with the accents confusing each other. We tweaked that as we went along, to see what works," he remembers. "That's what you usually do in comedy. It's on the page, you put it up, and sometimes it works as you hope it would, and sometimes you realize there needs to be a tweak here and there.”

Steve Martin in 'The Pink Panther.'

Moviestore/Shutterstock

Overall, he says, it was a "very charming" and "fun movie.”

"It pokes fun at the tropes, and he uses the tropes," Czerny says. "Kevin [Kline] is terrific in it. Steve, of course, has his amazingly funny pieces. Jean [Reno] plays a beautiful line between his stoic quality and being a comedic foil for Steve. Emily [Mortimer] is wonderful."

"It was a lovely thing to be a part of, and it's a lovely thing to be a part of in perpetuity," he adds. "I find the movie charming, and I'm profoundly grateful to be a part of it."

The comedy, which also featured Beyoncé and Kristin Chenoweth, was written by Martin and Len Blum.

The Pink Panther — which came out on Feb. 10, 2006 — is available to stream on The Roku Channel and Kanopy.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”