General Hospital Interviews!
A Look Back with Brooke
Broadway, the movies, and our beloved Diana Taylor
By Gary Bennett
![Brooke Bundy](../../../../images/daytime/gh/qa/brooke-bundy.jpg)
"I would walk into Ralph's - people thought I was Diana!"
It's a week before Thanksgiving and I'm seated outside of
Susina's, a West L.A. bakery and cafe. It's an unusually beautiful
day - warm, slightly breezy, cloudless. I glance upward to take
in the pristine, blue sky when I hear "Gary?" My glance falls
onto the familiar, still lovely, still blonde Brooke Bundy. I rise
to greet her and she offers a smile and a friendly handshake.
Her eyes meet mine. Talk about blue! I follow her inside and
we debate where to sit - inside or outside. I mention the
pleasant weather. "But there's the traffic", she offers. "I picked
two o'clock to avoid the lunch rush," she continues. Still, there's
an array of patrons inside. I spy a free table. We order two
large iced teas and take our seats.
I first discovered Brooke Bundy back in January of 1979. I was
16, home sick with a miserable flu and channel surfing. This
was in the days before cable and VCRs, so there wasn't much
to surf. I wound up on GH and happened upon Brooke's alter
ego, Diana Taylor. She was quite upset. You see, she was in
the middle of receiving a vicious phone call from a threatening
man. And I'll never forget the look of horror in Diana's eyes.
Sick as I was, I stayed on her terrified face, partly to see who
was on the other end. Who was this guy? They cut instead to
a tape recorder, its speaker blaring into a pay phone. As the
camera pulled back, it revealed the face of another attractive
blonde, her face framed in bangs and a page boy; her icy stare
coupled with a nasty smirk. I learned later that this was Heather
(the wonderful Mary O'Brien) and she was out to drive "friend"
Diana insane so she could reclaim custody of her son, whom
Diana had adopted. I was hooked from then on.
In the following years, I began to spot Bundy in movies
("Firecreek") and primetime shows. Some were new, some
reruns. I noted how skilled and thoughtful an actress she
was. Never a false note or a cheap gesture. It wasn't so
much what she was doing, but rather what she was choosing
not to do. Namely, reaching for outside theatrics to call
attention to herself at the expense of the character. Many
young actors could learn from her wise choices. As it turns
out, many have, for Ms. Bundy is also a noted talent scout
and agent. Reviewing her impressive list of credits and
accomplishments with clients, I decided an interview was
long overdue. GB: We've met before. Around 1991, I was doing some banking near
CBS studios. As I waited in the long line, I heard a woman chastise
a guy for cutting in line. I turned around and it was YOU.
BB: (covering her face) Oh, no...was I rude? How embarrassing.
GB: No, no, you were just - miffed.
BB: (laughing) Oh, okay. Well, look, there's a rule of courtesy in banks -
don't cut in front of people.
![Brooke Bundy at 15](../../../../images/daytime/gh/qa/BrookeBundy-1959-Aug-Amer-Girl-Mag.jpg)
GB: So where were you raised?
BB: In New York. Manhattan. And I spent a year in Stamford, Connecticut.
GB: When did you first realize you wanted to act?
BB: I didn't. I started out modeling when I was still a teenager.
GB: Really.
BB: Yeah, and through my friend Christopher Walken, I got into the
Broadway play J.B. Chris was already in the play and told me
a cast member was leaving the show. So I auditioned for Elia
Kazan, not knowing at all who he was, and I got the part! We
both looked like we were from the same family - blonde, blue-eyed. And the lead actors, Nan Martin and Christopher Plummer,
were so incredible. Chris Walken and I would just sit there
every night and watch them. They were amazing. And so was
Elia Kazan. We used to call him "Gadge!" Everyone did.
GB: Any particular actors whom you admired?
BB: (thinking about it) Well, British actors mainly. My favorite is
Maggie Smith. GB: By the way, how do you stand on the whole "actor/actress"
labeling? Are you okay with the word "actress," or do you
prefer "actor" for a woman?
BB: Either is okay with me.
GB: You started very young. Were your parents supportive?
BB: Well, by that point my father had passed away, and I don't remember
it ever being an issue with my mother.
GB: So you went from modeling into acting. Where did you study?
BB: I didn't. I never did.
GB: You're kidding! You were so good early on. You looked like
someone who would've studied.
BB: No, it was all natural. I didn't study until after the soaps. And I
remember being told to do things differently. And I thought,
do what differently? I can cry on cue, bring up all the emotion...
But I realized there's a different method to acting on soaps. I'm
not knocking the genre, but you get accustomed to a certain
way of acting, such as holding your expression for the fade to
a commercial. But it was strange hearing that at that point in
my career, and I said, "Look, I've made my living doing this - and
a very good living."
GB: Do you recall your first professional job? Was it
"Ozzie and Harriet"?
BB: No, that came later...(thinking about it). I'm trying to remember...
I think it was "The Donna Reed Show." I played Paul Peterson's
girlfriend. GB: Clearly, you were a strong, solid actress from the beginning.
Did you know you were good?
BB: I think so, sure. I mean, I worked a lot and
I was treated as a professional from the beginning. But in those days, there
were maybe five us going around to these different jobs. And you could do
the same show multiple times. Today, you guest on a show once and that's it.
And there were no faxes. I'm not even sure if there were breakdowns (script
excerpts). Your agent would simply tell you they were casting a role and to
go down and read for it. And we'd all see each other - the same girls
reading for the same part. And we were friendly.
![Brooke Bundy and David Cassidy](../../../../images/daytime/gh/qa/brookebundy&davidcassidy.jpg)
GB: Despite all the dramas, you did your share of situation comedy -
"The Brady Bunch," "The Partridge Family." And, of course, many
fans remember you as "Inga" on "Gidget." Would you have liked
to have done more comedy?
BB: (smiling) Ah, yes, "In-ga." Yes, I love
comedy. And it's much harder to do than drama, absolutely.
GB: Elizabeth Montgomery said comedy was harder because if an
audience sees a puppy hit by a car, it's guaranteed they'll
be upset. But if you tell a joke, there's no guarantee even one
person will laugh. BB: Wow. That's a great comment. And, yes, it's true.
GB: A lot of actors get their roles because of EITHER their looks
OR their talent. You were obviously someone blessed with
both. Do you recall times when you got roles because of one
of those reasons instead of both?
BB: That's a great question. (smiling) I remember - oh, what was
that show..."20,000 Leagues Under the" -
GB: "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea."
BB: "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea," yes. The show was
produced by Irwin Allen, a very nice man. I was reading
for a character named "Gundi." and I remember he was
just sitting there across from me at the reading. And he
looked at me and said, "Gundi", huh? I could almost see
him looking at my forehead thinking, "Gundi", Bundy. And
I got the role. You have to see this, it's hysterical. I'm not
statuesque - I'm 5'3 - and I had to wear these big heels and
falsies and push Victor Buono around in a wheelchair!
GB: How much time did you have to prepare for roles when
doing dramatic guest appearances?
BB: Just a week. You'd read for a role on a Monday, maybe
get a callback for Wednesday, and if you got the part
you'd get the script by Friday to begin the following Monday.
GB: In 1967 you were featured in the movie
"Firecreek" with two
legends - Henry Fonda and James Stewart. Was this
your first feature film?
BB: Yes, it was.
GB: Very auspicious company. What was James Stewart like?
BB: He was wonderful. Such a gentleman. I remember I was
going through some personal issues at the time. And he
said to me, "How're things going?" And I said they were
okay. And he said, "That's not what I hear. What're you
doing here? Shouldn't you be home taking care of some
things?" And I said, "Well, yes, but I have to shoot today."
And he said, "No, you don't. You get outta here."
GB: In other words, he had the clout...
BB: Exactly. So I didn't have to work that day.
GB: Fonda had a reputation for being somewhat cold. What
was he like? BB: No, I don't think he was cold. I think, if anything, he was
just sustaining a character. He was also a gentleman.
Very polite. GB: This was a great cast all the way around. Besides Fonda
and Stewart, there was Ed Begley Jr., Jack Elam -
BB: Oh, Jack Elam was great! He had that eye - always
betting. Betting on who would enter the room, what
the food was, everything. He loved to play cards.
GB: And Gary Lockwood?
BB: He was wonderful also. The whole company was. I
think when they cast it, they wanted also to make
sure everyone would get along. Make sure there
were no divas. GB: There was also the gifted Inger Stevens, easily one of
Hollywood's greatest tragedies, not unlike Monroe
or Jean Seberg. Did she seem troubled?
BB: (thinking about it) No...I really didn't have any scenes
with her. I just remember how beautiful she was.
GB: Your character Leah was essentially an abused child,
subjected to regular beatings. It was natural for her
to gravitate towards Lockwood's character, as she
was so starved for affection. You were obviously
more sophisticated than Leah. As an actress, where
did you go internally to relate to her?
BB: (laughing) We all want the bad boys!
GB: Your accent was flawless. Did you have a dialect
coach? BB: No. They just told me what they wanted and I did it.
I mean, they had people there that would've told
me if I didn't have it right. It was more a Western
accent than Southern. GB:
"Firecreek" was such a desolate town. Did they use
a backlot? BB: Well, we shot on location in Sedona,
Arizona. The town
itself was shot at the Warner Brother's North Ranch.
And we were on location in December - that
creek I was in was freezing!
GB: This is a really good film. Everyone is just terrific
in it. BB: It is, isn't it? I just saw it the other night. And it
wasn't a big box office hit. I think the studio
was really pushing Camelot, which came out
the same year. GB: You also did a film called
"The Young Runaways" with
Patty McCormick. This film is so of its era in that it
really captures the angst young people felt in the
late '60s. 1968 - the year we lost both Robert
Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. - was so
tempestuous. BB: Yes, it was. I mean, John F. Kennedy came into
office in November of 1960, and we just came out of
a decade in which our president was a four-star
general! And two terms!
GB: Okay, so during "Runaways" did you relate to the
younger people or, because you had been working
for so long, identify more with the establishment?
BB: Well, I was dating a doctor at the time. And we had
completely opposite political philosophies. I was
very against the war. I was out there marching. I
guess I was working during the day and sort of a
hippie at night! The '60s were a very tough time
if you think about it, it really didn't end until 1975.
GB: When Vietnam ended.
BB: Yes.
GB: It seemed you worked constantly. Let's talk about
some of your primetime TV work. You were
featured in the pilot for "The Mod Squad."
BB: I did the show several times.
GB: Right. In the pilot, you were "Tina," the LSD-imbibing daughter of a politician. Did you
have any idea while shooting it that the show
would become a ground-breaking classic?
BB: Oh, no. Well...(thinking about it) It had that great
cast. GB: Yeah, three cops - which included a woman and
a black guy. BB: And they were all so young. They looked like
teens. And Aaron (Spelling) was very kind. He
used me a lot. GB: You gave a terrific performance in an episode of
"Dragnet" called "The Little Victim." This was a
complex part, as you were playing a young
woman whose husband was literally beating
up their infant son. BB: My character kills him.
GB: No, it's your husband. It was, I would think, a
tough role, as your character came from an
orphanage, and we're supposed to sympathize
with her low self-esteem, even though she
keeps protecting her husband.
BB: I remember reading the script and there
was the scene where they put the yellow blanket
over his body. Hard to remember. That was a
long time ago. GB: What was Jack Webb like?
BB: Oh, he was great - a real cool, laid-back guy.
Someone you'd hang out with. Then he'd
get so serious once the scene started.
GB: You appeared, too, in one of my favorite series
of the '70s called "Ghost Story," also known as
"Circle of Fear." In the episode, six young artists
rent out an empty art store and soon become
possessed by their paintings, sculptures, and
so on. Harlan Ellison conceived the story.
BB: Wow. I don't remember it at all.
GB: It was a short-lived series and now has a big
cult following. Tyne Daly was in the cast.
It's really spooky. I'll send you the DVD.
BB: Yeah, I'd like to see it.
GB: You also did "Travis Logan, D.A." with Hal
Holbrook and Brenda Vaccarro.
BB: Yes.
GB: Chris Robinson, whom you'd later work with on
GH, played a cop who has to pretend
he's a crazed inmate in order to extract a
confession from Holbrook. He was really
wild. I was surprised, as I never thought of
Robinson as that kind of actor. Do you think
actors in general are better than they're
given credit for? BB: Yes, I do. Because there's a tendency to place
them into a certain category based upon the
roles they get cast in.
GB: You did two episodes of "Emergency!" where
you played troubled mothers. In one, you
portray the mother of a little girl hit by a
drunken driver. Your character has already
lost one child previously, and now you have
to decide whether to go ahead and let her
risk surgery. You yourself were then the
mother of a little girl. As an actress, did you
employ this? BB: Well, I was never a Method actress but, yes,
certain situations do help you relate to the
character. I think the little girl had swelling on
the brain or something.
GB: You also did the show "Chips."
BB: Yes! (laughing) Eric Estrada is the nicest guy. I
remember one day I came on the set and he
said, "You're a very good actress." And I said,
"Well, thank you, I feel the same about you."
But then he said, "But you sure do dress funny."
And I looked down, and I was wearing two
different shoes!
GB: In 1972 you co-starred in the TV movie
"Short Walk
to Daylight" with James Brolin. It was about a
group of people trapped underground in a
subway after an earthquake.
BB: Yes. We shot in New York in a real underground
tunnel. GB: It wasn't a set?
BB: No, it was all shot on location. I think we did a few
pick-up shots and close-ups at Universal.
GB: The effects are really impressive for television.
BB: Yes, and we did our own stunts. They were going to
use stunt people at first, but then we ended up doing
our own. I remember wardrobe first put me in a
mini skirt, but I fought to wear the long dress as I
thought it would be effective to have it tear later
on. GB: In 1975 you made the transition to daytime when you
debuted on "Days of Our Lives," portraying Rebecca
North, a nanny. Was this taped in L.A.?
BB: Yes. NBC.
GB: Was this your first soap?
BB: Yes, it was.
GB: How did you feel about the transition to daytime and
the quicker pacing? BB: It was very, very scary. And I'm glad Days came
before GH, as it made the jump to that show easier.
GB: In what way?
BB: Well, it
was much more mellow. And there was the
wonderful French actor Robert Clary, who played my
character's husband. He would always have his
lines down. Sometimes I would still be on book when I would
arrive and he took note of this. One day we were having
lunch and he was advising me - in a nice way - about the
show. I remember - and I get very emotional when I
think of this - he reached out his hand and I saw these
numbers on his arm. GB: You
mean... BB: Yeah,
he was a prisoner in the second world war.
He would later give lectures about his experiences
in the war. He was such a beautiful human being.
GB: In
1977 you left DOOL and joined GH, replacing
Valerie Starrett as Diana Maynard Taylor. Do you
know why Starrett left?
BB: You
know, I don't. I think she went into teaching.
GB: Tom
Donovan was producing GH at the time and
there were big changes in casting. Genie Francis
and Kin Shriner came on board, and Chris
Robinson, Leslie Charleson, and Mary O'Brien
replaced Michael Gregory, Patsy Rahn, and
Georganne LaPiere respectively.
BB: That's right.
GB:
Gloria Monty came on board in early 1978,
redesigning sets, hiring new writers. Several
cast members and crew had a hard time with Monty's
taskmaster ways. I even went to college with one of
the extras who told me about the fear people
had when they'd hear Monty stepping down those
steel stairs from the control booth - click, click,
click... BB:
(laughing) Click, click...yes. Well, I know she was on some
people's cases, but my relationship was
somewhat different with Gloria. She was fair with me and she
was a great visionary.
GB: No
disputing she was a great producer.
BB: Oh,
absolutely. I mean, she would take the plots of
these old movies and incorporate them into
storylines. Movies like "It Happened One Night." And "All
About Eve." I think some of the theme of that was used
with Mary and me in the storyline about the baby.
GB: You and
Mary, of course, looked nothing like your
predecessors Starrett and LaPiere. Why do you
think ABC went for such different types?
BB:
(thinking about it) I think that using people who
looked
physically different somehow allowed the new actor to
claim the role as their own. In other words, the
pressure was gone to take on the mannerisms of
the previous actor.
GB: Craig
Huebing, of course, played your husband, Dr. Peter
Taylor. He had been with the show for eight years
when you joined the cast. Was he welcoming towards
you? BB: I think
so, sure. And Craig was so funny! He was real
avant-garde. And he would memorize the
scripts days in advance. He really knew how to compartmentalize.
GB: As I
wrote you in an email, you made Diana so
three-dimensional. Because she was so sweet and
had lost two children, the character could've been
sappy. You didn't allow this. What was your
approach? BB: Well, I
played against playing it soapy. I kept things
low-key. If you're sitting there crying all over the
place and feeling sorry for the character, the
audience won't feel sorry for her. The very first
show I did, Diana was burying one of her children - or
was it her mother? Anyway, it was at a gravesite,
and I thought Diana should be wearing dark glasses.
But they said, "No, you're the new Diana - people
need to see your face." Many soap actors are trying
hard to bring a reality to it all. And the days are
long. There's a certain staidness that sets in.
GB: In my view,
as well as many fans' views, 1978-79 was the
pinnacle of GH. Great writing by Douglas Marland and
the characters were so fleshed out and - dare I say it
- mature. Other than Genie Francis, who was
exceptional, the show wasn't dominated by
teenagers. The cast was great - David Lewis, Anna Lee,
Jane Elliot, Emily McLaughlin, Leslie Charleson, Rachel
Ames, Stuart Damon, yourself...so many
seasoned pros. BB: Oh, yes,
Rachel Ames was wonderful and, of course, Anna
Lee. Stuart Damon was a real gentleman. Genie was
great. And Leslie had a heart of gold.
GB: What makes
soaps such a unique art form is that,
unlike movies or primetime, viewers focus on the
characters more than the actors themselves. These
characters are in living rooms five days a week. On
weekends, fans would wonder how Diana was doing, rather
than which party Brooke Bundy was attending.
BB:
(smiling) That's funny, I never looked at it that way. And
don't forget, too, that one day could be spread out
to two weeks of shows on a soap.
GB: You and
Mary O'Brien had such chemistry. There
were layers there. Diana wasn't stupid, she was
just... BB: She was
very trusting. GB: That's
right. And I think Diana knew, deep down, that
Heather was way too attached to P.J., but she felt sorry
for Heather, who was childless. Heather took
advantage of Diana's kindness and, as I said to Mary, I
think it was more than Heather plotting to get her son,
Steven Lars (P.J.) back...I think Heather was jealous of
Diana because she was a professional and clearly a
better person. Both you and Mary were exceptional at
bringing out these facets.
BB: Well,
because we were on day after day, we had the
time to develop those layers. Each episode would
take the storyline up to a certain point.
GB: Mary
told me she had a hard time doing all those
terrible things to your character, as you were so
supportive of her on the set.
BB: Mary
was amazing. She would come in every day
and be off book. She would have her lines highlighted, and
she would have it down cold.
GB: Mary,
of course, left the show in July of '79 with
the classic LSD show. Robin Mattson took over the
role of Heather a year later. When you started,
you were part of the "new cast." Now you had to
play opposite a different actress. Was it strange
playing opposite Mattson's Heather?
BB: In a
way, sure. She and Mary were so different.
Robin was much more angry in the role. And it
must've been tough for her as well, being the new
kid on the block. GB: Craig
Huebing left the show late in '79? Was it tough
to see him go? BB: Oh, of
course, but he was great about it. He was so
macho! His attitude was, "Hey, don't worry about it,
let's not talk about the elephant in the room." He
retired and moved to Oregon. He was a real
fisherman. He loved to fish.
GB: As the
'80s moved in, the show took a tremendous change
in course with all the Luke and Laura stuff. Many
fans, not to mention certain cast members - John
Beradino among them - resented their virtual
takeover of the show. Did you feel pushed aside?
BB: Not
really. I think the main objection a lot of us had was
that their whole relationship was conceived from
a rape. I mean, that was just sending the wrong
message all the way around. I told Gloria this,
and she just said something like "Well, that's the
way it is, Dear." GB: You
told me Gloria warned you in late 1980 that
Diana would be killed off the following March.
You mentioned that Gloria acknowledged how
you like to shop big at Christmas, and you
thought she was looking out for you financially.
![Brooke Bundy with Richard Dean Anderson](../../../../images/daytime/gh/qa/brookebundy.jpg)
BB: Yes. What happened was
that Gloria kept leaving me notes, telling me
"we have to talk." This happened repeatedly. Finally, we
sat down, and she told me what they were planning. It
made sense. Ricky Dean (Anderson) wasn't going to
resign at this point, and Heather was involved in another
storyline, so there was nothing for my character to do. But,
yes, I do think she was trying to protect me by telling me
early. I don't think Gloria was as heartless as people have
made her out to be. I remember, too, that my last scene
was supposed to be Diana lying in a pool of blood, while
little P.J. walks through it! I told Gloria I couldn't do
it. I had developed a relationship with that little boy
who played my son, and I felt it would be very traumatizing
for him to know it was me lying there. I told Gloria
she had to get a double, because I just couldn't do it.
GB: Was it tough saying goodbye to the
show?
BB: Sure. I mean, you get used to a
certain way of living. But they were just great. They threw me a
party and the crew gave me this beautiful necklace. What was
strange, though, was that after seven years of soaps, I
began to audition again for primetime
work. I would go to Universal,
for example - GB: You did a lot of work there.
BB: Oh, yeah. And the guard would
remember me and say how great it was to see me again, and so
on. Then I'd meet with the new casting directors and they'd
say, "And you are?..." Everything had changed so much.
GB: You appeared in a number of shows
after GH, though - "Moonlighting," "Star Trek: The Next
Generation." And you were effective in an
episode of "Trapper John, M.D." where
you played a counselor at a
group home for the
developmentally disabled. You have this
brief, but strong scene where
you try to describe what it's like
for these people to live day to
day. You never played her before
those two minutes, nor did you
ever play her again, but you
convinced me you did this kind
of work, for years, despite
minimal dialogue. It was in
your phrasing of it. BB: (smiling) That's nice to hear.
GB: You also became part of cult movie
history when you appeared
in two of the "Nightmare on
Elm Street" films.
![Brooke Bundy on "Nightmare on Elm Street"](../../../../images/daytime/gh/qa/brooke-bundy-nightmare.JPG)
BB: (laughing) Yes. And it's funny
because I vowed I would never
do anything like that. I
wanted to keep my ideology, so to
speak. I never paid
attention to Freddie Krueger or those kinds
of characters. But I needed
to work. And Robert Englund is
a very intelligent man -
articulate, reads four or five newspapers
a day. And I don't mean the
Enquirer.
GB: You were beheaded!
BB: (laughing) Yes! And we did that
in one take - with REAL razors!
GB: You're kidding!
BB: Freddie had to reach me from
behind and run his fingers across my neck.
GB: Wasn't that a little
dangerous?? I'm surprised the unions would
allow that. BB: Well, we really choreographed
it. We rehearsed it and rehearsed it. I had to keep my feet
firmly in place. And I'm the biggest klutz - I'm always
tripping! They ended up putting tape on the soles of my shoes to keep
me in place so his razors wouldn't touch me.
GB: Is it strange being part of
such a well-known film series?
BB: Well, it's interesting.
Patricia Arquette played my daughter. And I just filmed some
commentary for the new DVD.
GB: For a time, your daughter,
Tiffany Helm, was an actress. How did you, as a mom, feel
about her career choice?
BB: Well, first of all, my daughter
is very beautiful. And a much better actress than I am.
But I was always strict. I gave her an allowance, but at age
16 I told her she needed to get a part-time job.
Well, she got a job bagging groceries at Gelson's. And I
remember asking her one day how the job was going. And she
pulled out a pile of business cards from scouts - CAA, MCA.
And she said they wouldn't stop giving her these cards!
They wanted her for commercials, television and so on. And
she started booking right away.
GB: She later became a
photographer. BB: Yes, she enjoyed the "acting"
part of the business, but
didn't like the process
of auditioning for parts. The business
side of it. GB: In the '90s, you became a
scout and agent yourself.
BB: Yes, it was very rewarding.
GB: You've witnessed a lot of
changes in the industry over the
years. Gone are the
ubiquitous dramatic shows like "Mannix"
and "Mission: Impossible."
It's all reality shows. Not exactly
an actor's paradise. How
do you feel about the changes?
BB: Well, I think it's very sad.
There's less work, the unions are
trashed. There's a lot
of great stuff on cable. Today, I
admire actors like Cate
Blanchett. And Anna Paquin is
just wonderful. GB: So much of your work is
turning up on cable, DVD, and YouTube.
If something like "The Big
Valley" comes on, and you're in those
pigtails and with the
horses -
BB: And wrestling with Lee Majors!
GB: Right. If you come across
something like this flipping channels,
are you able to watch it?
BB: Sometimes. It depends on
what it is.
GB: Is it because you feel you're
watching a different person, or
because
you're uncomfortable watching yourself from so
long ago? BB: Well, it's both. I remember
not being happy with a "Mannix" I did. I just
cringe when I think about it.
GB: Did you watch yourself on
GH? BB: No, not at all. I had no
interest. I mean, it was done, it aired, and that was it.
If there was something I didn't like, it was too late to change
anything in it. GB: In July, I sent you the LSD
show with you, Mary and Craig Huebing. I also
sent it to a number of fans. I found it weird that each of us -
actors and audience - were watching this 30 years, to the
month, after it aired. Again, your work was so thoughtful. The
scene where Peter tells you Heather had been gaslighting
you all along was so well-acted.
BB: Well, you find ways to
relate. I mean, we've all been betrayed. You
just use it. (laughing) But my hair! I kept running a towel
through it, saying how wet it was when it was obviously set
and dry! GB: According to
imdb.com,
your first credit was in 1959. This means you marked
your 50th year in the industry.
BB: Gosh, that's so hard to
believe... GB: Will you ever act again?
BB: (grinning) No
way, Jose. I've been there, done that. I'm much happier
managing and guiding new talent.
GB: So that's your life today.
BB: Yeah. I'm busy, busy,
busy. GB: You're gonna make a lot
of fans happy. Thanks for a great
interview. BB: And thank you.
Gary Bennett is a freelance writer and an independent filmmaker. He can be
contacted at: garywillwrite@aol.com
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