You do show after show after show and get them done and on the air. Television devours material. We work a minimum of 12, 14 hours, and often 15, 18 hours a day.
Suddenly you’re surrounded by strangers who want something from you. The thing is, they don’t know what they want, and you don’t know what they want, unless it’s an autograph, and you just sort of stand there grinning at one another.
I wanted my children to have the same exposure to the water I had. My strongest memories of Northeast Harbor are going in a small Whaler with my dad, looking for osprey.
During the time I was on The Hardy Boys, I was also watching other people’s careers. I thought the next step was to be a movie star. I kept saying no to projects, and offers stopped coming in. I was no longer hot.
In this business, you just never know from day to day. It’s one reason I held off getting too involved in entertainment. I like being able to plan, I like to know what I’m going to be doing.
I was the last one to screen test for The Hardy Boys. I’d like to play that’s not as clean-cut as Frank Hardy. I play him as straight as possible.
I like people who are enthused about things they do, like travel, sports, work. I like being with people who have things they’re excited about.
Good work is good work wherever it’s done, in a play, a motion picture or television, and that includes commercials.
Young people are forced to mature sooner now than in the ’40s. I was doing things at age 14 that guys in the movie were just beginning to do at 16 and 17.