Moviestuff Q & A, Part I

with Mike Farrell november 1998

What made you want to become an actor in the first place?

It's complicated. The easy answer is that 'if you live in a lumber town you go to work in the mill'. I was raised in Hollywood and knew, from as early as grammar school, classmates who were in the business. (For example, Natalie Wood was in my grade in grammar [elementary] school, and I had a big crush on her). Also, my father worked in the studios as a carpenter so that connection was there. My uncle was apparently star-struck as well, though I don't have much memory of it (he was killed in an auto accident when I was very young). He was a skater, worked with Sonia Henie and evidently had ambitions to do more.

On a deeper level, I saw all the attention people in the business got and think I felt the pull that many insecure, love-starved people do. The promise (an empty and dangerous one) of adoring fans showering you with love and attention is the subtext of show-business for many.

As a starting actor, how did you get the parts in films? Did you just audition for whatever part there was available or were you then already selective in what you wanted to do?

Oh, no. I'd have been happy to play whatever was necessary to get a part. Witness the fact that my first role, or one of them, was won because I was big enough to fit into the gorilla suit necessary for a gag on the Red Skelton Show.

In order to get parts, or course, one had to have some training and then some exposure - usually via plays - and hopefully an agent who knew what parts were available. It's a long, frustrating process to build up one's resume, to demonstrate that one has the ability to handle the bit parts that are available to unknowns, so that you can (hopefully) eventually move up to the bigger parts.

Which film of this period ['60s] do you remember best and what was it like working in films with big stars like Karloff, Bancroft, etc? Did you see them at all on the set, or were the extras kept separate from the big stars?

First, I wasn't an "extra". Important distinction. Even the bit players, which I was, were clearly actors and not extras. Extras, now known as "background artists", don't say lines and are really there to provide an atmosphere of reality in which the scene is played.

As to the rest of the question, it was thrilling to be working at all. One day's work was a great breakthrough. But I often didn't get to see the stars at all, much less work with them. I never saw Mr. Karloff when I did "Targets", for example. Nor did I see Ann Bancroft when I did "The Graduate" (though I've since met her a few times). Dustin Hoffman was on the set and was very pleasant, very friendly, very "normal". I think it was his first big break and he probably identified with the struggling actors around him.

How old were you when you got your first part in a movie?

I don't remember exactly. 21 or so, I think.

What is the most idiotic thing you ever did to get a part [besides dressing up as a gorilla]?

I don't think I really did anything idiotic. It's really pretty straightforward. You get on the interview - if you can - and you hope to get lucky.

After playing bit parts in films in the 60s you moved on to playing bigger parts in what seemed to be mostly thrillers and murder mysteries and not all of them with the best reviews ever. Wasn't there the fear of ending up as an actor who probably would play parts like that for the rest of his life?

Not at all. I was making money, building a resume and getting experience.

But surely you must have had dreams and fantasies about bigger parts, more publicity, etc.?

Of course, but that's part of what (hopefully) comes as a result of having gotten experience and developed a resume.

What film would you say had the first 'big' role for you? You already had your breakthrough in series like "The Interns" and "Days of Our Lives" and later in MASH of course, but with what film do you think did the public start noticing you?

If by "film" you mean feature, I'm not sure there has ever been one. In terms of television films, "The Questor Tapes" would probably be the first one that got some notice.

With some actors you played more than once in a film. Was this coincidence or did it work out so well that producers decided to hold on to that combination?

Purely chance. The fact that certain actors become what are known as "working actors", a category that differentiates them from the vast majority who work very little, creates the likelihood that people will cross paths once in a while. On the other hand, some never do. I remember Johnny Carson once pointing out that we had never met before, even though I had been in the business (by that time) for quite a while. He made the point to the audience that although people outside the business assume everyone knows each other and that it's one big "happy" family, that's hardly the case at all.

With your part in MASH you 'suddenly' became famous as BJ. In what way did this fame effect you? Not just on the level of getting swamped with fan mail and being recognized in the streets, but on a more deeper level?

Having done the soap for two years and two prime-time series before going to MASH, I was in some small way prepared for the unexplainable phenomenon of "celebrity", so it's hard to say in what way it was different except in terms of quantity and intensity. There was some silly stuff, of course, but there were quite extraordinary moments of contact with people during which it became clear that my attention or my presence could make a significant difference, either in their own lives (or in a couple of cases deaths) or in some situation, case, cause or need. That's a tough thing to handle, needless to say, and I'm not sure I always handled it well, but I did what I could.

Have you ever experienced such responses after MASH ended?

Sure, but again, not in the same quantity or level of intensity.

You made some pretty touching documentaries and films about some very problematic subjects such as child abuse, political issues, etc. What kind of feedback did you get from all that?

Mostly very moving demonstrations of appreciation from those who have benefited in some form.

What's your favorite film ever? You can't pick your own work.

Don't have one. There are many films that move me, many that I remember with great pleasure, but I don't think I have a "favorite".

Are there coming any new films soon with you starring in them? If so, could you give just a little 'preview' of what to expect?

Nope. The next thing upcoming will be the series, "Providence", which will begin airing on NBC in the U.S. on January 8th.

to moviestuff index | to the 60s