Cheers could have been the bar the place everybody knew your title, however behind the scenes, Ted Danson was simply positive forgetting one specifically.
In a Wednesday episode of the podcast “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” Danson sat down with fellow actor Helen Hunt to speak store, together with the often-unspoken alchemy (and stress) that defines on-screen chemistry.
The dialog stirred up an previous reminiscence from 1982, when Danson was solid on “Cheers” alongside a now-iconic ensemble — although one title, Shelley Lengthy, initially gave him pause.
“I looked at Shelley Long when we were auditioning for ‘Cheers’ and I went, ‘No, no, no. Do not hire her. It will ruin the show,’” he recalled.
Earlier within the dialog, he famous that folks are likely to take his recommendation and “do the exact opposite,” and in flip “are very successful.” That, he joked, was definitely the case with Lengthy.
He confessed to initially being improper about Lengthy as a result of, in his opinion, “she made the show.”
“She came out hitting a home run,” Danson famous.
The three-time Golden Globe winner went on to say that the 2 had been “so different,” however that he “grew to love her.” However he said that their “differences” made it onerous for the pair to carry a dialog — however that modified as soon as the cameras began rolling.
“But when we got in front of a camera, it was like a prize fight,” he stated.
Through the present’s thirtieth reunion in 2012, Danson praised Lengthy for placing the present on the map.
“And this is not my opinion. This is everybody’s. We hadn’t seen a character like Diane Chambers for years … You really put ‘Cheers’ on the map with your astounding performance,” he stated.
