After rewatching some of the third season, all I can say is that I think Jo cried probably more than the other three girls combined over the course of the series!

Not full out bawling usually, but Jo actually tends to tear up pretty often. So much for the big tough tomboy act she's got going on.

Just thought it was interesting. I realize that this might only be in part because Nancy cries easily on cue, which comes easier for some actors than others. I know that they used to call her "Faucet Face" on set in the early days for that reason.

Yes, the tough tomboy is just her facade. She's really sensitive. Remember in Season 2, when Blair basically called her on this, (It might have been The New Girl pt.2) and Jo snapped at her. I like that Jo's the most emotional one, it's fitting somehow.

I think Jo really has a lot of pain in her heart in the early seasons.

My respect for Nancy McKeon as an actress has grown immensely over the years. I'm about 14 months younger than Nancy, and when the show was originally on the air, I had no interest in her character of Jo. Truth be told, I was all about Blair, and there is no doubt that Lisa Whelchel was absolutely beautiful, particularly in FOL's early days.

A great many years later, I have a new appreciation for Nancy Mckeon, who didn't really catch my eye at age 13 or 14. I suppose that I wasn't attracted to her tomboy look, so I didn't pay her character that much attention. Let me say it now, though: Damn, is she ever a superb actress! She's equally adept at comedy or drama, which truly makes her a complete actress in every sense of the word. As Jo, Nancy was outstanding at delivering a sarcastic line; we all know that. But in her dramatic scenes, she had a special way of displaying a "vulnerable" side that you'd swear her character never possessed. She could literally morph her emotions from anger, to hurt, to tears, in a matter of seconds. She could cry on cue, which is something many actors cannot do. Most have to concentrate for a while on some sad or tragic moment in their lives to deliver tears.

It's surprising when you look at Nancy's acting credits that, post-"Facts of Life," she didn't get another high profile acting job until "The Division" more than a decade later. Unfortunately, it seems she spent the middle-to-late 1980s known as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend. In addition, Nancy was probably a bit typecast after portraying Jo for 8 years. It's often difficult for directors to see a former teen actor as anyone other than her famous character.

Still, can there be any doubt that Nancy was the most talented actress of the FOL group?

I don't really have that much to say. Everything's been said that I would have said, LOL, but I just wanted to say that Nancy was really good at crying. She made those scenes feel so real. I have alot of respect for her from those crying moments.

Well the casting people always say why they hired Nancy was that she got the role because she could portray the vulnerability underneath the character and got that from the beginning.

Plus didn't Brandon Tartikoff discover her in a Hallmark commercial or something where she made him all emotional too.

But I actually think what makes her so successful as Jo is the same thing that made her so successful as Jinny on "The Division". Both could ultimately be disliked characters if played the wrong way, but she always brings such a vulnerability to it that you just want to give both tough characters a hug--most of the time anyway.

I think all of the FOL girls are fabulous. I think they were all fabulous comedic actresses. I think they all had dramatic chops. But I do think Nancy was absolutely the most complete package in terms of blending of the two.

It's surprising when you look at Nancy's acting credits that, post-"Facts of Life," she didn't get another high profile acting job until "The Division" more than a decade later. Unfortunately, it seems she spent the middle-to-late 1980s known as Michael J. Fox's girlfriend. In addition, Nancy was probably a bit typecast after portraying Jo for 8 years. It's often difficult for directors to see a former teen actor as anyone other than her famous character.



I have to disagree, somewhat. Between Facts and The Division, she had a few high profile roles. The Tracy Thurman movie, Love Honor and Obey and A Mother's Gift. Those 3 were all after Facts ended and were shown before The Division first began filming. They seemed pretty high profile to me. Unless you're talking about high profile TV show/series characters, instead. Yes, Nancy has done a bunch of films between Facts and The Division.

After rewatching some of the third season, all I can say is that I think Jo cried probably more than the other three girls combined over the course of the series!

Not full out bawling usually, but Jo actually tends to tear up pretty often. So much for the big tough tomboy act she's got going on.

Just thought it was interesting. I realize that this might only be in part because Nancy cries easily on cue, which comes easier for some actors than others. I know that they used to call her "Faucet Face" on set in the early days for that reason.


Overall, Nancy made Jo a pretty emotional character. I am just picturing all the relationships Jo has had male/female , she was pretty emotional (for someone with such a "tough" persona). I feel like the writers came "full circle" more with that character than the others IMO... Or unless, it was just what Nancy brought to the role?

I think Jo really has a lot of pain in her heart in the early seasons.

You are right, Jo did have a lot of pain. Her father was sent to prison, her parents got divorced (I can relate to that), and one of her best friends committed suicide.

I d say the 5 of them were talented actresses: CHARLOTTE RAE was the force of the show (she cared about those girls on & off the set), BLAIR & JO both equally dramatics + comedians (their stories were often heartbroken but hilarious too), NATALIE the best comedian of them all (everything she said made you crack up laughing) & finally TOOTIE the overly dramatic + sometimes funny too (she was really cute & cheeky as a kid but a bit whine it a bit too much as a teenager)
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