TMC
04-03-2022, 11:10 PM
https://www.looper.com/820207/the-real-reason-michael-learned-left-the-waltons/
Michael Learned didn't like TV acting
Originally played by Patricia Neal in the "Homecoming" TV film (via Gold Derby (https://www.goldderby.com/article/2021/the-waltons-homecoming-50th-anniversary-emmy-the-waltons/)), Olivia (Michael Learned) is the loving and patient wife of John Sr., the tough Walton patriarch. Olivia is kind but also firm about using discipline with the kids, even if it simply means reading the Bible.
However, after the Season 8 episode "The Waiting," the character wasn't seen again for the rest of the series. The show indicates that she's being treated for tuberculosis in Arizona, but Learned didn't return to Walton's Mountain until the reunion films. So why exactly did Olivia disappear from "The Waltons?"
As it turns out, it was Learned's decision, as she was exhausted by the "stop and start" nature of television productions: "In a scene where there's any real emotion, it's very hard to dredge that up and then be stopped and then wait for half an hour and then dredge it up again" (via The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/01/18/good-night-olivia/6a2e3cb8-3a7b-4c58-9dc2-96766daeb280/)). Playing such a famously sweet character took its toll as well, and Learned felt that "there are times...when I just want her [Olivia] to get off my back."
Still, Learned told Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-waltons-star-michael-learned-looks-back-at-shows-success-personal-regrets) years later that she regretted leaving because, with only 36 episodes left, "it probably would have been better to complete the whole show." That might have been why she did come back as an older, wiser Olivia in the "Waltons" TV films.
Michael Learned didn't like TV acting
Originally played by Patricia Neal in the "Homecoming" TV film (via Gold Derby (https://www.goldderby.com/article/2021/the-waltons-homecoming-50th-anniversary-emmy-the-waltons/)), Olivia (Michael Learned) is the loving and patient wife of John Sr., the tough Walton patriarch. Olivia is kind but also firm about using discipline with the kids, even if it simply means reading the Bible.
However, after the Season 8 episode "The Waiting," the character wasn't seen again for the rest of the series. The show indicates that she's being treated for tuberculosis in Arizona, but Learned didn't return to Walton's Mountain until the reunion films. So why exactly did Olivia disappear from "The Waltons?"
As it turns out, it was Learned's decision, as she was exhausted by the "stop and start" nature of television productions: "In a scene where there's any real emotion, it's very hard to dredge that up and then be stopped and then wait for half an hour and then dredge it up again" (via The Washington Post (https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1979/01/18/good-night-olivia/6a2e3cb8-3a7b-4c58-9dc2-96766daeb280/)). Playing such a famously sweet character took its toll as well, and Learned felt that "there are times...when I just want her [Olivia] to get off my back."
Still, Learned told Fox News (https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/the-waltons-star-michael-learned-looks-back-at-shows-success-personal-regrets) years later that she regretted leaving because, with only 36 episodes left, "it probably would have been better to complete the whole show." That might have been why she did come back as an older, wiser Olivia in the "Waltons" TV films.