Where To Catch Him: THE CHRISTMAS CURE, which premiered in July, returns to the Hallmark Channel this holiday season as part of the network’s “Countdown To Christmas” extravaganza.
Talk about your work with Hallmark.
“Well, after 40-some years in the business, I’ve done maybe a half-dozen or so Hallmark projects. It’s a go-to place, especially at this age of an actor’s life. They’re very aware of the ability of actors of a certain age to bring something to the table that enhances a script. They’ve got a great collection of actors to draw upon, and we’re still here because we haven’t screwed up. They realize that actors who are in their late 50s, 60s and 70s are still viable. When they come to work, you see very few of them bring a script on the set. They’re usually sitting in a chair waiting for somebody to say, ‘We’re ready.’ Hallmark is a great venue for actors of my generation.”
Can we get you back to B&B?
“Well, maybe now that Brad’s [Bell, executive producer/head writer] wife [Colleen] is no longer the ambassador [to Hungary], maybe he’ll spend some more time here [laughs]. I don’t know. I left B&B because I had DALLAS to go to, so the first thing needed would be a desire to resurrect that character. I have learned to never say never. I think DALLAS proved that. Several times.”
We shared your disappointment when TNT pulled the plug on the reboot.
“The fans still talk about it on social media. It’s now a lost cause, but they still want the show to come back. Unfortunately there’s just no way it can. When it was canceled, everything was dismantled and the business relationships were dissolved. They tried valiantly to resuscitate it; it was just too complicated. But, we had three amazing years. It was a great group of people because they loved the work — and it was a chance for [the late] Larry [Hagman, ex-J.R.], Linda [Gray, ex-Sue Ellen] and me to get the Three Musketeers together again.”
What else are you up to?
“My son [Padraic] is the managing director of a theater company called Sacred Fools and they’ve transformed the old Elephant Stageworks at Santa Monica and Vine. We bought it two years ago. There are four theater venues and we’re in the process of putting in a full-service bar. We’ve done two full seasons now and it continues to grow and there are more exciting things ahead.”
