Well, it’s been a year now of me sitting in this yellow chair pulling out untold stories from the stars in Hollywood. But before we start year 2 of STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD, we want to show you a few highlights from our most written about episodes. This is STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD. I’m Steve Kmetko. Join me today with some of our favorite guests, as they reveal the secrets that top magazines, newspapers, and websites have grabbed and run away with over the last year. Now it’s on to year two, of STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD.
Well, it’s been a year now of me sitting in this yellow chair pulling out untold stories from the stars in Hollywood. But before we start year 2 of STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD, we want to show you a few highlights from our most written about episodes.
This is STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD. I’m Steve Kmetko. Join me today with some of our favorite guests, as they reveal the secrets that top magazines, newspapers, and websites have grabbed and run away with over the last year.
Now it’s on to year two, of STILL HERE HOLLYWOOD.
BRECKIN MEYER
BRITTANY MURPHY STORY
Breckin Meyer
Brittany was one of the, be Brittany Murphy was one of the greatest people I know, and I knew Britt way before Clueless. We played boyfriend and girlfriend I think four times before Clueless. So when they, when we auditioned together, it was like, oh, this is easy. And then Brit and I did King of the Hill together for eight years. And then I took over for a role. She did not, when she passed away before that, like the character's voice changed and I took over, but she was still Luann on King of the Hill. So I see, you know, after Clueless, Brittany and I worked together for another eight years and she was, you know, Brit passed away as an adult. But she's one of those people who I always think about. I wish I could see what she would've done now. Because again, Brittany was so crazy talented and only the surface had been dealt with. Like, she's, she was such a good singer and seeing how many people now cross over into music and movie that was like, I would've loved to have seen Brittany do that.
Steve Kmetko
Did her death hit you hard?
Breckin Meyer
Yeah, it sucked. It was yeah, it was really bad. I wish I could say I was, I, I wish I could say I was more surprised when it happened just because of that. It's her business or whatever. But that toxic guy she was with, Simon was just a. And so I knew Brit before I knew during, and then when she passed away, and it was the, the amount of things that, just a small, it's a small world. Philippi Ryan, who was a very, who was a very close friend of mine, lived five houses from Brittany. So literally we were there when the sirens were going on. We didn't know what it was, but we were hanging at Phil's house when the sirens were going up to, I think it was Brittany Spears's old house, Brittany Murphy's new house. When we all heard it was terrible. I mean, Brittany was, I mean, she was a bottle of soda. She was the son. She was so effervescent and great and for her to be, for her to, you know, pass away like that and in such a way and in such a toxic relationship, it just was terrible. It was not only because your friend, but because of what everyone else doesn't get to see anymore. But yeah, that was, that was, that sucked in the same way. Yeah, it was terrible.
PENELOPE ANN MILLER
ARNOLD PRANK STORY
Steve Kmetko:
And then you have an Arnold Schwarzenegger who loves the limelight.
Penelope Ann Miller:
Yeah, he was a big prankster. Yeah. I got my first car that I'd ever bought new, I bought on kindergarten Cop, and I had it delivered to the set. And we were filming at Universal in the Valley, and I got this shiny red BMW and I said, oh, here's my car. You want to come out and look in my car? And it was by my trailer and our trailers were across from each other. And he's like, this is new. And I was like, yes, it's new. I just got it. He's like, oh, I don't know Penelope. I'm not doing exact right, Penelope. And he would go, he started going around the car looking underneath it. I said, but the odometer is like 0, 0, 0, whatever, 1 to 2 or something like that. He goes, ah, they changed that all the time. They just put it back, you know, could have had a lot of miles on it and everything. So, I'm sitting there thinking to myself, oh my gosh. Like, they sold me a used car. They've lied to me, and I'm about to go run in and call the dealer to say like short secrets telling me --
Steve Kmetko:
Short secrets told me.
Penelope Ann Miller:
He sold me a used car. And then he is like, ah, Penelope is so gullible. You know? So, I mean, he would do things like that. Like, he was constantly joking around and he seems to love being on set and love having a good time.
TED LANGE
HANDSHAKE
Steve Kmetko
What was your worst experience with a guest star?
Ted Lange
Worst experience is after Gavin told us, go up to the guest star, shake their hands and welcome him to the show. I went up to a guest star. I said, hey, my name is Ted Lash. Welcome to the show. Anyone like this and walked away. Well, who does that? To anybody? Who does that? To anybody? But I had on my little red jacket, there's a couple of other guys with red jackets. I guess he thought I was an extra. And even if he did, why would you do that to an extra? Hmm. Right. So, about a half hour later he comes up with the director and he says Ted, I want to introduce you to your scene partner here. So and so, so and so. And the guy looks, I'm nice to meet you. I went, yeah. And this guy was a fairly big guy and he used to have a golf and tennis thing--
Steve Kmetko
Tournament.
Ted Lange
Tournament. And every year he would invite me, but I already know who you are. Why would I go?
Steve Kmetko
Yeah.
Ted Lange
I know who you are.
Steve Kmetko
You want to let us in on who it was?
Ted Lange
No, I don't want to do that.
Steve Kmetko
I thought I’d give it a shot.
TED LANGE
GENE KELLY / DIAHANN CARROLL
Steve Kmetko
It was a good double what it normally is, you know? Did you have any favorite guest stars who appeared on the Love Boat?
Ted Lange
Oh God, yes. Yes. Gene Kelly. Gene Kelly appeared on our show. And the, the mucky Muck said, don't talk to Gene. He's a grumpy guy. Okay. So don't just leave him alone. When you do your scenes fine, but don't talk to Gene. And so, every-- we all said, okay, yeah, fine. So, we were in Hong Kong and we're sitting in a little van and we're waiting, I'm waiting to shoot a scene with Gene Kelly. So, he's sitting there, he's reading a magazine, and he wore contacts and glasses. Okay. So, he's sitting there and he's reading, and I said, screw this. I'm going to go talk to Gene Kelly. So I go, he's sitting in one chair and I sit across and I go, hi, and he's kind of, he's reading and he looks up at me and he, yeah. And he goes back to reading. I said, can I ask you a question? You can see him go. What? I said, what was it like dancing with the Nicholas Brothers? Now for your audience that don't know who they are, there are two Black Tap dancers out of the Cotton Club back at Harlem Renaissance. And he put, gene put them in his movies. So--
Steve Kmetko
He did and they did some wonderful numbers together.
Ted Lange
Oh my God. They were incredible dancers. So, he did like this. You want to know about the Nicholas Brothers? And I said, yeah. So, he told me this wonderful story about the Nicholas Brothers. And then they call us on the set. We go on the set, we do a scene together, then we're done. And we come, go back to the bus, the little bus. He says, hey, you want to have a drink with me at the hotel? I said, yeah. Sure.
Steve Kmetko
Do I?
Ted Lange
Do I? And so, we I hooked up with him after we'd finished our day's work. I hooked up with him, sat down in the hotel, and he was wonderful. It was totally different. And then on reflection, I said, I bet everybody, when they get a chance to talk to him, talks about singing in the rain. I had no interest in singing in the Rain, because I knew the Nicholas Brothers --you know-- so that was, it was great.
Steve Kmetko
Well, also it would be I don't know what I would do if I was put in that situation and then told You can't talk to this person about whatever. Because I mean, sitting across from Gene Kelly, you'd have a million questions to ask about. Who else besides Gene Kelly?
Ted Lange
Oh, Diahann Carroll. I kissed Diahann Carroll. I'm sorry, Mary. I kissed, that's my wife--
Steve Kmetko
His wife--
Ted Lange
I kissed Diahann Carroll about 15 times before she realized I was messing up on purpose. So, then she says, hey, hey, cut that out. I said, okay, I'm sorry. You're just so beautiful. You're just so--
Steve Kmetko
she was one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen.
Ted Lange
Oh Man.
Steve Kmetko
Dropped dead. Stop you in your tracks. Yeah.
Ted Lange
And she could kiss.
Steve Kmetko
That I never learned.
Ted Lange
That's my claim to Famous. And she could kiss. So yeah, it was fun. So, she was a delight.
TED LANGE
SEX COLUMN
Steve Kmetko
Ted, one of the other things that really caught my attention when I was doing my research on you was something you did with Jenna Jameson.
Ted Lange
Yes. One of my fun things I did with Jenna Jameson.
Steve Kmetko
Jenna Jameson, for those who may not know I used to run into Jenna every year at the Can Film Festival because she was--
Ted Lange
Oh, did?
Steve Kmetko
Yes, she was there selling her wares.
Ted Lange
Yes.
Steve Kmetko
I mean, professionally.
Ted Lange
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko
But she was a very well-known and a very well-liked adult film star and you did--
Ted Lange
Yes. Some people say pornographic, but adult will work
Steve Kmetko
Adult sounds much nicer. You did a Sex and advice column with her?
Ted Lange
Yes, yes.
Steve Kmetko
Called Ask Isaac.
Ted Lange
Yes.
Steve Kmetko
Why Ask Isaac?
Ted Lange
Because I was the bartender. And from the television show, love Boat, people would come into the bar and they'd ask Isaac, hey Isaac, I got it done. And I would say, hey, do this. Now, what I did, my goal was to make sure it was a men's magazine, first of all. So, you got young men reading the magazine. So, my goal was, first of all, to make sure if they were having sex, that it was protected sex. So, I was a big advocate for condoms and then I tried to add humor into the advice. So, whatever you said, I was looking for the joke, whatever the question was, I was looking for the joke. So, I did that for a couple of years and they would fly me into New York and not with Jenna. Because What happened is Jenna's things. I said, what happened to Jenna James? Because they let her go and they got Beth Ostrosky Stern.
Who was Howard Stern's wife now, but back then she was dating Howard Stern. So, she got how they got her Beth to take Jenna's place because Jenna, everything she did, she would turn it around and it, if it was a question where she could hit on a girl, she would hit on the girl and say, and if that doesn't work, call me, you know. So, I think every once in a while, Beth used a Howard Stern joke because it was, Beth is much younger than Howard, and it was a joke I would've made being of this, of a certain age bracket. And but Beth, and so, I said, hi, how did you meet Howard? How did, so she told me the story. But that happened for when I would fly in to New York, they'd put me up and they'd take pictures of me with a sailor cap and a pipe, Allah, Hugh Hefner. And I would take pictures and Beth would be in the 90 of some kind. And she was gorgeous, almost as pretty as my wife. But--
Steve Kmetko
Nice Saved. Nice Saved.
Ted Lange
Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. But yeah, that's, I did do that for a while, but the, my main goal was condoms and humor. If I could work those two things in the answer, then we were doing all right.
Steve Kmetko
Condoms can be pretty funny.
NOAH WYLE
CLOONEY PRANKS
Steve Kmetko
And a lot of people who were in the cast and associated with the program spun off into other things, perhaps most notably George Clooney.
Noah Wyle
Yes. Mr. Clooney's done quite well for himself.
Steve Kmetko
Yes. He has.
Noah Wyle
Liquor business, I believe.
Steve Kmetko
Among other things. He likes to play practical jokes on people. Did he ever do anything like that to you?
Noah Wyle
Well, I,
Steve Kmetko
He's a jokester.
Noah Wyle
I sort of pegged him early as, as one to watch and made sure that I was more of an accomplice than a victim. And that's best served by not leaving the table first. Whoever leaves the table first, inevitably George, go, you know what we should do. So even if you have to use the bathroom, you hold it, you hold it, hold it, hold it until somebody else gets up.
NOAH WYLE
REMAKE
Steve Kmetko
Has there ever been talk just curious about doing a reboot with ER, I think I've stumbled onto something.
Noah Wyle
Yeah. This has not been talked about, but that's kind of the road we had started down in 2020. I was getting all this mail from first responders and I had this desire to pivot the compliments to John Wells. So, I emailed him and I said, hey, I'm getting all this lovely sort of mail from people that are thanking us for keeping them entertained or inspire them to go into the careers that they're in the first place. And I just have to say thank you. That without, except for my children, this is probably the best thing I've ever done with my life. And I just want to say thanks. And then I went on and I said, I know you don't want to reboot the show. I don't either. I thought it was very smart not to franchise it and to dilute what we did. But if you ever wanted to do something much smaller and much sort of more contained, more of a character piece, kind of catching up to an old character and just finding out how they feel about what's happening right now in healthcare, kind of use them as a Jeremiah opportunity to say what you want.
I would vote for that. I would be on board for that. And he thought about it and we talked about it, and then we ended up bringing in a couple of the e old Dr. Writers, Scott Gamal and David Zabel. We talked about it. And we came up with a concept and it really never got out the starting gate. We had some issues with the Creon estate and the negotiations became a non-starter. So, in a lot of ways, it was a Dodge bullet and a blessing because that would've been the focus. It would've been on, hey, it's the brand again, and who's coming back to play? And oh my God, he looks great and oh my, you know and I really want the focus to be on the content of what we're trying to put across. And so, I think this will be a pure delivery system in a lot of ways than it would've been if we had done the reboot. But we came close.
NOAH WYLE
MOM NURSE
Steve Kmetko
Your mother was a nurse, right? Orthopedic nurse,
Noah Wyle
Yes. She 10 years or 10 years orthopedics.
Steve Kmetko
Did she ever give you any advice about your work?
Noah Wyle
Advice or,
Steve Kmetko
How to approach something?
Noah Wyle
Criticism, advice, criticism. It's fine line sometimes, isn't it? No. She would call 1101 and it's, you never touch your face with bloody gloves. What do you want to get AIDS? I'm going to go to the hospital tomorrow and answer for that. And I'd say, okay. Okay. Point taken.
Steve Kmetko
That's cool. At least she had an interest.
Noah Wyle
She had,
Steve Kmetko
A vested interest.
Noah Wyle
Yeah. Vested interest. She was yep. She, because, she would know what was coming up on the storyline, so she was very in the know. Yep.
Steve Kmetko
Is it true that you once had to give a dog mouth to mouth?
Noah Wyle
Only because Mr. Spielberg demanded to be done. He took an interest in our show and the first season he was executive producer and shared an anecdote about how when he was a teenager, he worked in an emergency room in Phoenix and had seen some physicians stop what they were doing and give mouth to mouth resuscitation to a German shepherd and save its life. Thought it would be fun to do on the show. And I drew the short straw, and that was sucking on snout for a couple hours.
Steve Kmetko
Well, interesting. But I suppose when Spielberg says. Do it.
Noah Wyle
Don't how high.
Steve Kmetko
Yeah. How High. Exactly.
JULIA DUFFY
AGING
Steve Kmetko:
Has aging in Hollywood affected you?
Julia Duffy:
Oh, not at all, Steve. It's been fine. Yes. It's very awkward because, oh my God. Well, I'll tell you something that drives me up a wall because it's symbolic of all of it. I have read for an act actually played the role of a woman who's older that they have named Myrna that takes place present day. Now I know what people were named who are my age now. We were Patty and Kathy and Susie. That's these women that they write in older roles could have been at Woodstock. If you are having them, be 70 today in 2024, you have to write the person and not the type. And it is very disappointing to me how much even younger writers seem to be writing Aunt Bee or something when they write an older person and not an individual. And I hope they're listening and I know you have the talent to do it, make that a real person.
JOELY FISHER
BOMB THREATS
Steve Kmetko
Yes, you do. One of the things I'd like to ask you about, Ellen, you were working on Ellen when all the stuff came out about her being gay. Do you remember what that was like at that time? About all the uproar and she was on, what was it? Time Magazine, the cover of time and…
Joely Fisher
Yeah. I often say, you know, it was so great of Ellen to be the star of my show. You know, like I had the time of my life. I was on a magic carpet ride. And people were coming up and saying, you know, oh my God, it's the show's so great. We you're my favorite. And I was, okay, whatever. And when you and Ellen were on the fence at the, at the spa, oh my god. You know, like they would actually recite lines from the show and talk about the, the bestie Paige Clark. And we went to do the talk show 20 on the 20-year anniversary of the coming out episode. I think it was 20 years. And it was Laura Dern who played, you know, the object of her affection in the coming out episodes, Oprah who played her Shrink.
Steve Kmetko
Shrink. Right.
Joely Fisher
And then the cast. And we talked about what an impact it had on so many lives around the world. I mean, it was you know, it was the first time someone came out for a female lead in a television show. It was so important. You know, we all knew that Ellen was gay. They tried to, to write it so that it was, you know, palatable for the world to watch this female comedian and, you know, and her dating life and whatever. And then they kept talking about it like, are we going to, is she going to come out on this? You know, like, what's is it going to happen? And she went to a meeting I remember very, very distinctly, and she went to a meeting and they, she came back and her face was red and I knew that she had been emotional.
And she's like, we're going to do it. And she said she felt like she was a, a bird let out of a cage. And I could see it in her, in her gate and in her, everything in her essence. And I was, I knew that it was going to be something that was important. I knew it was going to be important. It had to be funny. It's a sitcom, you know. And we started to, oh, they went to, she went to a meeting and I think it was Mike Ovitz and Michael Eisner were the heads of Disney at the time, me and Mo. And they were like, can't she just get a puppy?
Can't she just get a puppy? So the coming out episode became the puppy episode. So here's, we would joke all along the whole season, here's where Ellen's going to get the puppy. I loved the way that my character was written because she represented a lot of people. Like, it's not just, everybody's not going to go, great, you're gay, I'm awesome. I'm going to accept that. Mine, my character was like, I'm going to have to like, kind of live with this for a beat because you're my best friend. And I feel like I, maybe it's been a lie all this time. So I got to represent people in the country that were like, oh, let me just see how I feel about this. And, and then the next season got soap boxy and unfunny. I felt it sort of became something that America didn't want to see.
But personally I did see, and I had forgotten when we went on the talk show, I had forgotten the bomb threats and the dogs sweeping the studio every tape night where we would all clear the stage and they would make sure that someone wasn't going to bomb us. And it was very, very dark. And I think that Ellen, I remember being at her house and she was involved with Anne Hayes still at the time, and there was press outside the door and I was like, calling Chris. And I was like, I think I'm going to stay over because it seems a little dangerous over here. And she was hysterical and my career's over. And then we all know what happened, it wasn't really over.
Steve Kmetko
No, it wasn't, it got even bigger.
STEVE KMETKO
FIRING STORY
Steve Kmetko
As a longtime entertainment reporter, I'm accustomed to asking the questions. The rule has been, if you're holding the microphone, your job is to find out about the person that you're aiming the mic at. Well, today's a little different. I was asked to leave Hollywood 20 years ago. Let's just say it wasn't my choice. Then again, to say that my life has been a struggle after leaving the red carpets in anchor chair would be overstating things a little. I knew the job was dangerous when I took it. This is still here, Hollywood. And today, I'll tell the story that I've never told fully. In recovery, you learn you're only as sick as your secrets. So, with that in mind, I'm leaving the questioning to friend of the show actor, Amy Yasbeck. Hello, Amy Yasbeck. It's so nice of you to do this.
Amy Yasbeck
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Steve Kmetko
Yeah. I don't know how well I'm going to get through this.
Amy Yasbeck
You know what?
Steve Kmetko
We'll see, I was practicing answers all night laying in bed
Amy Yasbeck
Without Knowing the questions.
Steve Kmetko
Without knowing the questions.
Amy Yasbeck
I'm going to go with my third choice on all the questions. Now. You're screwed, buddy. I have a question for you. You were there, you were there, you were a part of everyone's everything. I knew you, your name. Kmetko, kmetko, kmetko. I like it. It's got the, it's got the comedy like Yasbeck, and then you were gone. I mean, you weren't gone, but you were gone out of the scene, whatever the scene is. And I don't, I just remember thinking, oh, he must have hit it big somewhere. Won the lottery. Married a very rich, handsome guy. He's gone. But I know there's more to the story than that. And that isn't the story at all.
Steve Kmetko
Oh, no, no.
Amy Yasbeck
Would you say you were
Steve Kmetko
Booted? Yes.
Amy Yasbeck
Shown the door? Called on the carpet, given your pink slip. Oh, your pink slip is showing.
Steve Kmetko
Yes. Okay. My pink slip was showing. How did that, I mean you know what? When the, when I was at E and they were renegotiating my contract.
Amy Yasbeck
What year is this,
Steve Kmetko
Please Rude.
Amy Yasbeck
Come on. if I remember it, it's not so rude.
Steve Kmetko
2002. They were renegotiating my contract. And so I put a, there was a kid who used to follow me and liked me and liked my work. Right. And he created a website for me. So, I would like a fan,
Amy Yasbeck
Like a fan website or
Steve Kmetko
Yes.
Steve Kmetko
It was very well done. Yes.
Amy Yasbeck
A fan site. Okay. The words are all different now.
Steve Kmetko
They're idea. And so, I would post things on there from time to time. You know, I could respond to the viewers' questions and so when they were renegotiating my contract, and believe me, at the time, I told everybody I had the best job there was. I really loved that job.
Amy Yasbeck
I know. And it showed, and that's why we loved you.
Steve Kmetko
Oh, well, thank you. But I put on there to the viewers out there, if you like my work and want to see me continue, I'd appreciate you writing the management and just saying, you know, we like Steve management did not like that at all.
Amy Yasbeck
So, you put that on the website that right.
Steve Kmetko
Right.
Amy Yasbeck
Oh, so it wasn't that. Okay.
Steve Kmetko
And I was asked point blank if I had done that on one of the company computers. And I couldn't, you know, it was in such a confrontational manner that I wasn't, I couldn't remember offhand immediately where I typed that up. But I didn't, you know, I didn't know. I was,
Amy Yasbeck
You mean if you had added, if you had written that on a company computer, on your personal website. Okay, go on. I feel like I'm going to be your lawyer here in a second. Continue.
Steve Kmetko
So, they went to the IT department and learned that I indeed had written that on a computer at work. And they felt that was a violation of something. And so
Amy Yasbeck
Of what? Did you ever hear exactly what the violation was?
Steve Kmetko
Intellectual property.
Amy Yasbeck
Oh, IP got in there.
Steve Kmetko
Yeah. I was their property. And so,
Amy Yasbeck
And you weren't intellectual?
Steve Kmetko
No, not at all. So, oh, okay. And so, you know, I said I didn't, they found out I did. And they said they couldn't have a, a newsman e entertainment television. A newsman
Amy Yasbeck
Newsman. A newsman, a journalist.
Steve Kmetko
Yes. They couldn't have me lying like that.
Amy Yasbeck
Wait a minute. Were they waiting to take you down?
Steve Kmetko
Yes, I think so.
Amy Yasbeck
Because you were, here's a question. You said they were negotiating, so you were negotiating with them?
Steve Kmetko
My agent was, yeah, my manager.
Amy Yasbeck
Was he asking for money that you were he asked.
Steve Kmetko
He was, quite frankly, he was asking for more money than I thought I deserved. He was asking for a million dollars a year,
Amy Yasbeck
He said, what people get.
Steve Kmetko
Well now, but back in 2002, I'm not certain they did. And I'm not certain any of them were really worth it. It's gotten out of hand.
Amy Yasbeck
So, you think that played into it?
Steve Kmetko
Oh, I know. It played, played into It.
Amy Yasbeck
When were looking for something like, oh my God.
Steve Kmetko
One way or another that's, I felt they were looking to get rid of me. I called my agent and he said to me, Steve, what you need to do is go up, go upstairs and throw yourself on the mercy of the court. And say, you know, you made a mistake. You should have told them, you know, right off the top. And I did that. Oh, no. And, and this person said to me I knew you had integrity. I knew you'd come around. And then I got a call. I remember I got a call in the car on my way home from my agent saying, they're still firing you. You mean I didn't have to throw my mercy on myself, on the mercy of the court. So, it was just, it was one of those things,
LEA THOMPSON
SNOOTY TO MICHAEL J FOX
Steve Kmetko:
Did you hit it off with Michael J. Fox right away?
Lea Thompson:
Probably not, because I was friends with Eric Stoltz who had just gotten fired. I had already done a movie called The Wildlife with him. And so, he was a friend of mine. And then I did some kind of wonderful actor. So, I was pro and I remember specifically being really snooty because there was a big division between movie stars and TV stars at that point.
Steve Kmetko:
Still?
Lea Thompson:
It's not as much. That's for sure. I mean, you see that Brad Pitt and George Clooney movie coming out and it's really on tv. They see streaming it's tv. So, it's not the same as it was then. So, I remember being like, he's just a TV star and I'm a movie star. I was in Jaws 3D. So, I think it took me a while to warm up to him. But he was so funny and so fun to act with. Because I had done some scenes with Eric already and then had to redo them with Michael so I could see how they were completely different scenes.
Steve Kmetko:
Another thing I'd like to ask you about, you probably don't get a lot of questions about, and I hope you're not sensitive, Howard the Duck.
Lea Thompson:
I get tons of questions about Howard.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, do you?
Lea Thompson:
All the time. You know, it's actually a really interesting thing. I was filling out a form for press release for a feature that I'm going to do. And they wanted like
Lea Thompson: block whatever. So, I had to put him back to the future and I was like, oh my God, it's 40 years ago. And I've been working constantly since then. I've never stopped working, but it's the thing I'm known for. And then the second would be Howard the Duck, and then maybe the third, some kind of wonderful. Then maybe the fourth Caroline in the city. There's a star right across the street here.
Steve Kmetko:
Oh really?
Lea Thompson:
It says Lea Thompson:, Caroline in the city.
Steve Kmetko:
Maybe we should have done the interview there.
Lea Thompson:
Right there Over My Star.
ERIC ROBERTS
HEATH LEDGER/CAN’T TALK ABOUT JULIA
Steve Kmetko:
What about the Dark Knight? Did you enjoy that film?
Eric Roberts:
Oh, you kidding? Of course, it was. Well, let me tell you, we shot all the Chicago stuff in Chicago,
Steve Kmetko:
Which is where I live.
Eric Roberts:
I love that town. Great deep-dish pizza. Then they were supposed to shoot at Pinewood, but that was a lie. We weren't going to Pinewood ever. We're going 30 miles north of London to the old Zeppelin hanger, which, which when you walk into it, if you're a movie geek, which I am, you walk into it, it's all Gotham City takes your breath away and you want to cry. You're so happy to be there. It was so cool. And it was just fun to be associated with that movie. And, he's a real director and he knows what he wants and he tells you what he wants. And he gave me my favorite direction I ever got. I'm, I'm like doing a scene and it's with a girl. It's in a bar and I'm being very, you know, prob robotic and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And Chris Nolan says, cut really loud. Because He's way away from us. Cut of the, over the speaker, whatever it was. What's going on, Eric Roberts. Don't be funny.
Eric Roberts:
And I knew exactly what he meant. Don't like you playing on the head. And so I, but it was just hysterical that God's voice from the speakers told me not to be funny. And I'm not known for being funny at all. So it was, it was real pleasure for me to be told that.
Steve Kmetko:
Tell me about working with Heath Ledger.
Eric Roberts:
What a lovely person he was. I had been told Stay away from Heath. He's into the character. Oh my God. It's, he's gone. Wasn't like that at all. He was perfectly fine. And in fact, I had five scenes with Batman I mean with Oh yeah, with, with the Joker. One was with all of us all together. And he's got a three-page monologue and he walked in the rehearsal for it. It's a camera rehearsal. And we're all like in our street clothes, we're all hanging out. We all have our scripts. And he walks out there and he's going through the monologue, blah, blah, blah. And he gets seen in the monologue and he's done with the monologue and he's done. And he turns to us. He goes, how am I doing? He's just so charming, so likable, so sweet, so normal. And all the stuff that I heard about him was not true. And he was a lovely person. He was a real loss,
Steve Kmetko:
But like so many of us, he just had some demons. May I ask about Julia at all.
Eric Roberts:
What do you want to know?
Steve Kmetko:
I want to know. How is she,
Eric Roberts:
You'll have to ask her. Oh, I love my sister, but I can't talk about her. She don't want me talk about it. And also, my daughters told me also not, not to talk about her, but I stumbled and do, I'm not supposed to talk about either of them.
Steve Kmetko:
Okay.
LAURA LEIGHTON
WACAKDOO
Steve Kmetko:
Oh, you know-- I wanted to ask you about something that I read about a weird fan encounter shortly after you left the show in a hospital.
Laura Leighton:
Doug Savant had had surgery on his ankle and it was a huge deal. He had an ankle fusion, but he was coming out of, he was in his hospital room, they were getting him set up for recovery. And I was in the room and the nurse came in and she just sort of like stopped in her tracks and she was like, what is she doing in here? And he, she told him that she was afraid I was there to hurt him. Like she was so confused on reality versus the character that I played. And it was so funny to us, but people really bought it. People really bought me as Sydney, I guess.
Steve Kmetko:
Does that that must be kind of in a way gratifying, apart from being funny, it's gratifying?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. I mean, it is gratifying at the, it's obviously what I set out to do is be convincing as that character. And I knew that I wasn't actually that character. And so being able to be so different and separate from it, that is something I feel proud of. But it's also something you end up having to fight for in a weird way. Like, I remember also on the other hand, after Melrose having like meetings with people who were interested in a project or whatever, and coming out of that meeting, I would hear from my agents that, that people were disappointed because I wasn't actually like a Wackadoo Lake Sydney. And they were like you know-- we were expecting Sydney and it was just like a normal person. And I thought, oh, that's weird. I don't know that I need to go into meetings and like act a certain way. Like this is who I am. I can play other characters, but some people don't have that imagination, I guess. Right.
Steve Kmetko:
And who knows as a story unfolds, what kind of the what the character, what the writers have planned for that character. You know, if you're auditioning and making it your own from the beginning.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. And it was weird to hear sort of like that people were disappointed to find out that I was like, normal. That's interesting. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Whatever normal is.
LAURA LEIGHTON
HARD GOODBYE
Steve Kmetko:
Do you do you miss not having something like that to go to every week?
Laura Leighton:
There's something really special about a television show more than even a film. I think because it's so-- if you're lucky enough to get one that lasts as long as Melrose did, it becomes a family. And so having that place to go every week is something. There's nothing like it. And you miss it when it's gone.
Steve Kmetko:
I can't remember off the top of my head how long it ran, but eight years, nine years.
Laura Leighton:
It ran for seven. There was a kind of a turning point after season five. Because That was the original sort of, because contracts were five years at that time. And a number of the cast members left after five seasons, including myself. So, I did five, I did up to season five, and then it ran for two more. So, it ran for a total of seven.
Steve Kmetko:
What were your thoughts the morning after the show ended? Were you relieved upset, happy, sad?
Laura Leighton:
You know, it was a, it was definitely a difficult decision. After five years, it was like a natural, everybody should have the opportunity to renew their contract at renegotiate your contract and deciding that it was time to move on was a really tough choice. And so, I was really I mean, it was a choice I made, but it was difficult. It was difficult to say goodbye to the people and to know that I was closing that chapter. And I remember I was very sad on the last scene, on the last day that I worked. I was, I remember I was like, I can't fall apart. Like, that would be so embarrassing. But I definitely felt sad enough to be fighting tears and thinking, oh, I shouldn't let that out. You know? And so, I think it was just like coming to terms with, this is the decision I've made, and I feel strongly about this choice at this moment. But it was definitely tough and sad.
Steve Kmetko:
What was the most-- I hope you don't mind me asking this, but what was the most emotional event in your life? Do you have a hard time showing emotion?
Laura Leighton:
No, I'm a bit I don't think I'm-- I don't think I have a hard time showing emotion. The most emotional event in my life. I've had a few recently. I am not sure-- should start and talking about that. No, I think I'm an emotional person.
Steve Kmetko:
I think you kind of have to be to do what you do for a living. You have to be able to show it, don't you?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah.
LAURA LEIGHTON
HUSBAND DOUG
Steve Kmetko:
Now, when you were doing the show, you married one of your co-stars? Well, After the Show was over!
Laura Leighton:
After the Show was over!
Steve Kmetko:
You married one of your co-stars?
Laura Leighton:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
And I read one of the things he said, Doug Savant was the best thing that came out of the show was you.
Laura Leighton:
That was a very lovely thing to say, wasn't it?
Steve Kmetko:
That was a very nice. Good husband.
Laura Leighton:
Yeah. He's a very good husband.
Steve Kmetko:
And do you feel the same way?
Laura Leighton:
I absolutely do. I mean, "Who would've thunk" --you know? And we're 26 years of marriage.
Steve Kmetko:
Wow.
Laura Leighton:
And we've raised four children together and we're pretty proud of that. And still going. And it truly was the best thing to come out of the show.
BRIAN DUNKLEMAN
SHOW WAS CRUEL
Brian Dunkleman
There was a girl that I got to know and her father had was a carpenter. He had sold his tools to get the money to drive out. They were sleeping in his truck. And she was so excited. And Steve, when she came out that room, her eyes were dead. She couldn't even talk. She was shattered. And I think about that girl a lot and I just didn't understand why that was necessary. And that's really, people don't, if they didn't watch people, a lot of say, well, I didn't watch the first season. Like, I get that a lot. But it was very, very cruel that first season. And that's kind of what made the show such a hit was how mean Simon was. And you know, he was hated. He got death threats in England. He comes here and everybody, everybody loves the guy.
Steve Kmetko
You tried to comfort them. When they came out?
Brian Dunkleman
I did.
Steve Kmetko
But you were scolded for doing that.
Brian Dunkleman
I was, and I look, I don't, I'm not here to bad mouth anybody, but I can tell you when we were in, we were in Chicago, we'd already done. We had done Seattle and they had a chance to review a lot of the footage. And before we started they sat me and Ryan down, Ryan and I, whatever, I dropped out of college. And they said Ryan, we need you to just, can you appear a little bit more sympathetic when these kids come out crying. He's like, got it. So, a girl comes out, she's bawling, she runs right up to me. I give her a big hug, and that's all. I just hug her. And Ryan comes over and literally rips her out of my arms, puts his arm around her, puts her in front of the camera, Hey, what happened in there? And I was like, what the hell just happened? And I'm looking at one of the producers and he's just like, I thought, what? This is insane. It just got worse and worse as the season progressed. I don't believe that you should set kids up to be humiliated like that. You're putting them in front of camera and I can hear them on the, oh, this girl she thinks she can actually sing. We're going to crush her. She's 16.
DONNA PESCOW
NERVOUS AFTER SNF
Steve Kmetko:
How did Saturday Night Fever change your life?
Donna Pescow:
Oh, I went from leaving pictures and resumes to getting phone calls saying they want to set up a meeting with you and Dino Dees. And I thought, do you have the right number? You know, it was just there—it was a leap. It made a career happen. And I was really just blessed because I had no clue that, I mean, I knew this was unusual, and I knew that I was really in a world that I didn't quite understand yet. So, I was overwhelmed, I think a lot of the time. And when I look back on it now, I think of it differently. Because I realize just how spectacular at the time. I just kept going forward, thinking, all right, just get through it and it'll be fine. I was nervous all the time.
Steve Kmetko:
I've had experiences like that.
Donna Pescow:
Yeah.
Steve Kmetko:
Usually when I'm dating just get through it.
Donna Pescow:
That's it.
Steve Kmetko:
You had to do quite a bit in that movie. I mean, you ran the gamut of emotions. The backseat of a car. A member of your crew group that you were friendly with in the movie falls off the bridge and dies. I remember you particularly in that scene, because you had to get so emotional that it was very effective.
Donna Pescow:
Thank you.
Steve Kmetko:
Do you ever wish you could go back and experience it again?
Donna Pescow:
You know, that's a great question. I was so young and new to it all, and I had such good training. I had graduated from the academy, as I said, and then I worked with Lee Strasberg, and I had wonderful training. And I was so able to just immerse myself in the work and not think about all the exterior things, whether it'll be successful, what this will do for my career, will it make a lot of money? You know, all of that. None of that was in my thinking. Because I didn't know anything about it, and I didn't think to think about that. So, I was really so into the scenes and the character and what was going on within the film. I don't know if I could do that again, because I know too much now, and I'd worry about other things now. And you get not judgmental in a bad way, but you start to almost start thinking about what it's going to look like before you even done it. So, you're working on two different levels. One is like--what'll be--you know what--how should I do this? And how will it look on film? And what am I doing with the character? You know, where Saturday Night Fever, it was just acting. It was just about that, which was, I don't think there's anything better for an actor. Yeah.
MICHAEL NOURI
CAREER STALLED AFTER FLASHDANCE
Steve Kmetko:
I asked this a lot of--well--not a lot, but I have asked in the past of women of a certain age. What it was like for them aging in Hollywood and how they handled it. How has it been for you? Because I remember--you know--in like, in Flashdance, you were still 6 foot 2, maybe at that time you were 6 foot 3.
Michael Nouri:
I was 6, 3.
Steve Kmetko:
And you had dark hair and a square jaw, and you were, my god, you had the epitome of a leading man. And you know, as I understand, we get a little grayer. A little shorter.
Michael Nouri:
A little rounder.
Steve Kmetko:
A little rounder. How has it been for you? Does it affect you?
Michael Nouri:
Sure, sure. It affects me. After Flashdance, that was the time to strike while the iron was out. Billy Friedkin got in touch with me and told me he wanted me to be in his new movie with Barbara Hershey. It was called Sea Trial. It was going to be done at 20th Century Fox. And Fox went into turnaround, and that movie was shelved. So, the momentum from Flashdance was dissipated. But while I was in Tokyo promoting Flashdance, I got a call from my agent who said that Steven Bochco was interested in having me be in a series of his called Bay City Blues.
And Bay City Blues lasted for 13 episodes. It had an unknown, wonderful actors, including an unknown actor named Sharon Stone. Don't know whatever happened to her. We wish her luck. So, my point is that the momentum, the huge momentum that Flashdance created. You want to keep the momentum going. Hopefully when you have one big hit, you want to follow it up with something else, something equally good or better, just to keep you out there. And that did not happen. So, I went from Bay City Blues to a succession of TV shows independent movies and so on, but nothing of the magnitude of Flashdance. Now, to answer your question, if I can remember it, it is definitely a psychological and emotional adjustment. Because the offers don't come in as frequently. Fortunately, as a man, the opportunities are more frequent than they are for women of a certain age. And I'm very grateful for that. I'm now playing where I used to be leading man, I now went over a period of playing dads, now granddads, senators, statesmen, and so on, which I am very grateful for. The phone is still ringing. I have wonderful agents who are keeping me out there.
Steve Kmetko:
You've worked pretty much nonstop since the beginning of your career.
Michael Nouri:
Yeah, yeah. Very fortunate. I just did an audition for Bradley Cooper's new movie. People say, you have to audition. And the answer is yes. Yes, I do. And I'm willing to do that. I have to put my ego aside and just be grateful. For what comes my way.
JILL WHELAN
400 CALORIES
Steve Kmetko
How old were you when the show started, or when you first became a cast member?
Jill Whelan
I was, I think 11. I think I had just turned 11, or I was about to turn 11 when it started.
Steve Kmetko
Do you have fond memories of it?
Jill Whelan
I do. I have great fond memories of my cast and our crew. And Aaron spelling, not so fond memories of Doug Kramer, however, because Doug was a misogynist and I'm, I've never talked about it, but he's passed now and his children are passed as well. So, I feel safe in saying, but he was not an advocate of women at all.
Steve Kmetko
He had a reputation of being kind of tough as well.
Jill Whelan
He was, he was not a good human. He would do things like when we would come, Lauren Twees, who played Julie McCoy we would come to a wardrobe fitting at a new season to get new uniforms and new evening gowns and new lounge wear. And he would call the wardrobe department and tell them to buy everything one or two sizes smaller than we are, so that we would come in and be embarrassed in fittings and things not fitting. And I remember one time and at that, I mean, at that particular time, I was going through pub puberty and it's, you know, things happen in puberty. So, I had gone to a fat farm, or I guess we would say today, a spa. I went to a spa in Ojai, and I had lost some weight, and I was also working with some crazy doctor who had me on 400 calories a day.
Steve Kmetko
Oh, no.
Jill Whelan
Yes. So, I came back.
Steve Kmetko
That's too drastic.
Jill Whelan
It's screws with your metabolism and everything. I got the cover of the Inquirer for it, but I came back and I just learned this information from a dear friend of mine who was his executive assistant. She said, we were in dailies one day, and for people who need to know what that is, once you shoot a day of, at least in film on a set, the next day, the editor prepares everything, all the takes and everything that the director has said, print to, and the, the producers and the director and everybody that needs to watches it on a big screen. And there's a scene where I come out of an elevator and the doors open into the purser's lobby, and I'm in an evening gown with a sweetheart neck line. And she said, you looked great. You looked great. And it was a full shot, full body shot. And Doug said no, I don't want that shot. I don't want to see her looking thin. I'm off. She was fat in the first place. Neck up only.
Steve Kmetko
Well, thank you very much.
Jill Whelan
So to your question, the cast, the crew I had no problem with, with anybody. I had an incredible experience except for the Doug Kramer part, which did require a lot of therapy afterwards.
AMY YASBECK
SUZANNE SOMERS REUNION
Steve Kmetko:
Okay. I want to ask one thing about Suzanne Sommers.
Amy Yasbeck:
Yes.
Steve Kmetko:
You got John and Susan. We, she, we lost her not long ago. Yeah. You got the two of them kind of back together, didn't you?
Amy Yasbeck:
Yeah. That was so weird.
Steve Kmetko:
In season five of three's company, there was a reported salary dispute between Suzanne Summers and the producers. It led to summers leaving the series. It was kind of sneaky, wasn't it?
Amy Yasbeck:
I didn't do it a sneaky way. We were at the premier of Victor Victoria on Broadway. Because Blake and Julie had invited John to it, dear friends. And at the intermission I went to the ladies' room and all of a sudden, Suzanne is standing next to me and I'm like, hi. I said, I'm Amy. I'm here with John Ritter. She's like, oh, okay. I said, I'll make sure. Or after party, she goes, well, I'm singing at the after party. I'm like, awesome. I'll make sure he says hi. And so then I went, I went back to my seat and I said, for those who know, no. And I said, John, who's the last person you would want to see here? And he went, oh sh** Bochco’s here?
Sorry, I don't know. I can't say any more than that. I went, no, Suzanne. And he just like, sat down and the seat, he's like, okay. I don't know if he watched the rest of, I mean, he watched the rest of the show, but I remember he was like, and I said, it's fine. Just go up. Because they had, you know, and so she sang a song can't Dance, don't Ask Me. And so I think he went up to her she was talking to somebody and said can't dance, don't ask me. And he like, turned around and they hugged it out and stuff, which was great. You know, it, it was a big thing. And may I say, may I say way before my time of like the real stuff that was going on with them. But I think they were great together. And I don't think they ever maybe got each other, like where each other was coming from after that kind of split. Because John never felt that it was about a woman being paid. And John was like the most liberal and whatever. It was pretty even, I don't think, you know, and John wasn't able to, he didn't ever want to talk about it.
Steve Kmetko:
Not a talker, huh?
Amy Yasbeck:
Didn't want to know. He'd talk about it to me. But I mean, he didn't want to refute anything that Suzanne was saying or get into any kind of a, a weird thing. He just loved her, you know? And for a while from afar. So that, it was tricky. And it was sad when she passed. It was sad when John passed away. Because that's then 20 years.
Steve Kmetko:
Lost?
Amy Yasbeck:
Lost for like a friendship or any kind of furthering of a reunion. But she was great. She was a great, super strong woman and did a lot, you know, in also her own being a health advocate. Right. So, I thought she was cool. And I met her a couple other times too. It was perfectly nice.
GEORGE WENDT
JASON SUDEIKIS NEPHEW
Steve Kmetko
Say your nephew is Jason Sudeikis.
George Wendt
Indeed. He is.
Steve Kmetko
Did you have any advice for him when he got into the business?
George Wendt
You know, it's funny because he gets asked that a lot.
Steve Kmetko
Oh, does he?
George Wendt
Yeah. And I saw I forget it was Letterman or Conner or somebody said, did your Uncle George have any advice for you? And Jason goes, he's so, he's so sharp. He goes yeah. He told me just get on the best show on television and one of the greatest shows of all time and just pretty much take it from there. And he goes, so I did. And he got on ISNO and,
Steve Kmetko
And Ted Lasso has
George Wendt
Duh. Yeah.
Steve Kmetko
Secured him very, if he wasn't before, he's, he's now a fixture on tv.
George Wendt
Yep. Well, deserved.
Steve Kmetko
Well, I think so, too.
George Wendt
Oh, he's such a great kid. You know, kid, he's 45 or something. I don't know.
Steve Kmetko
That's a kid.
George Wendt
Yeah. My ne my godson, I'm very proud. Proud. Especially, you know, not only the success, but he's solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean, he's so, such a mesh, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?
MELORA HARDIN
LITTLE HOUSE ON PRAIRIE
Steve Kmetko:
You were on Little House of the Prairie.
Melora Hardin:
Yes.
Steve Kmetko:
Tell me about that, what you remember from that experience.
Melora Hardin:
Well, I remember quite a few things because I auditioned with Matthew Lab Ratto when we were nine to play young Caroline and young Michael Landon character Charles. And Charles and Carolyn had to be dancing together, and Matthew said he had already been cast, and he said that he wanted me to play the part because I didn't step on his feet and all the other girls did. I was a dancer, so I was very-- you know, if I-- if you'd asked me as a child what I was going to do when I grew up, I would've told you I was going to be a ballerina. And that acting was my hobby. So, when I got to do that --you know-- I didn't end up getting that part. But Matthew and then I got cast, I guess it was in Nelly's the-- new Nelly, when the New Nelly was introduced. And it was when I was 13 first. And then my character was Belinda, and she got locked in the ice house by the new Nelly, who was just as mean as the old Nelly.
And then I got cast when Matthew's character was leaving the show because he died of leukemia. And I played his love interest. And actually, Matthew and I had our first screen kiss together, and he's still a very good friend of mine and the godfather of my second daughter and-- So, he's still in my life. So, yeah, so a little house. And, you know, we didn't let our kids watch much TV at all. We really hand selected what they could watch. And our youngest daughter, Piper, who is Matthew's goddaughter she just got obsessed with, with Little House in the Prairie and watched all of them over and over and over again. And so, it was a great, really fun experience. And I think maybe also my first time working with someone like Michael Landon, who really had that community feeling, which I also got a real feeling of from Clint Eastwood when I did Absolute Power. He's similar--
Steve Kmetko:
Really?
Melora Hardin:
He has that crew that follows him from movie to movie. And, he also works very much like, in the same way that Michael Landon works with TV Pace fast. So does Clint, even though he is making movies, he works fast like that.
Steve Kmetko:
He knows what he wants.
Melora Hardin:
He's very decisive. Yes
Steve Kmetko:
Yes. I was going to ask you about Michael Landon. What was it like working with him?
Melora Hardin:
Oh, he was just so warm. He was so sweet. He just really made all the kids and adults. I just think it made everybody feel very like he had really chosen you and you know, he just let you do your thing. And when he ever gave you direction, it was always very, it was never, you never felt admonished by him. He just was lovely.
Steve Kmetko:
He knew how to talk to you.
Melora Hardin:
Yeah, he did. He knew how to talk to kids.
Steve Kmetko:
Must have come, must have had something to do with all those years on Bonanza, I would guess.
Melora Hardin:
Yeah. Yeah. All the years being the actor on a TV show, long running TV show, which, you know, I think Clint Eastwood has that too. He has that, that similar, there is something about being a longtime TV actor, especially in the Times when TV was TV and films were films, and it was really actually quite separate. And yeah, there was just something about that work ethic, I think.