Dan Schneider interview mentions HotC - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

warsaw dreams · 11-09-2007, 12:13 AM

Here is a bit from a recent interview with Dan Schneider. He mentions his Head of the Class days.= How did your experience as an actor influence the work you do today, especially the way you work with child actors?

SCHNEIDER: When people ask me, “How do you become a great show runner?” I tell them that the best way to do it is to be an actor on a TV show. Learning it from that side helps in so many ways. It helps me because I know how actors think and I know what their needs are. When I was an actor on Head of the Class I felt very much like I was treated like a prop that talks. You know: here are the lines, say them—and we weren’t always encouraged to contribute. Now I really maintain a very close relationship with the actors [on my shows] because I feel like I’m one of them, I’m in their club, and I want them to know that. I’m not just a producer who can’t empathize with what they go through.

When I was on television, sometimes I’d get great lines and sometimes I’d get lines that weren’t so great. While I would always do my best to do the lines to the best of my ability, sometimes I would get frustrated when things that were clearly not working wouldn’t get changed or rewritten. So what I do—and it’s because of those experiences—I never give any of my actors material that I myself wouldn’t be excited about performing. The actor in me makes me want to give the actors great material to work with and I probably ask for more takes than anybody in kids’ TV.

catlover79 · 11-09-2007, 01:01 AM

Very insightful - thank you for sharing!

warsaw dreams · 11-09-2007, 09:57 AM

It is very interesting. It almost sounds like he was unhappy most of the time.

Classicshowsgurl15 · 11-09-2007, 11:03 PM

That was very interesting. It sounds like he wasn't always happy with the lines that he got on HOTC.

11-09-2007, 12:13 AM	#1
warsaw dreams Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 22, 2000 Location: Milwaukee, WI USA Posts: 659	Dan Schneider interview mentions HotC Here is a bit from a recent interview with Dan Schneider. He mentions his Head of the Class days.= How did your experience as an actor influence the work you do today, especially the way you work with child actors? SCHNEIDER: When people ask me, “How do you become a great show runner?” I tell them that the best way to do it is to be an actor on a TV show. Learning it from that side helps in so many ways. It helps me because I know how actors think and I know what their needs are. When I was an actor on Head of the Class I felt very much like I was treated like a prop that talks. You know: here are the lines, say them—and we weren’t always encouraged to contribute. Now I really maintain a very close relationship with the actors [on my shows] because I feel like I’m one of them, I’m in their club, and I want them to know that. I’m not just a producer who can’t empathize with what they go through. When I was on television, sometimes I’d get great lines and sometimes I’d get lines that weren’t so great. While I would always do my best to do the lines to the best of my ability, sometimes I would get frustrated when things that were clearly not working wouldn’t get changed or rewritten. So what I do—and it’s because of those experiences—I never give any of my actors material that I myself wouldn’t be excited about performing. The actor in me makes me want to give the actors great material to work with and I probably ask for more takes than anybody in kids’ TV.

11-09-2007, 01:01 AM	#2
catlover79 God Bless Val Forum Addict Join Date: May 29, 2006 Location: Bewitched in Ohio Posts: 70,382	Very insightful - thank you for sharing!
	__________________ "Jesus loves you and He approves this message." "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." - Valerie Harper, March 2013

11-09-2007, 11:03 PM	#4
Classicshowsgurl15 Happy Days Senior Member Join Date: Jun 28, 2004 Location: California Posts: 2,088	That was very interesting. It sounds like he wasn't always happy with the lines that he got on HOTC.
	__________________ “All our young lives we search for someone to love, someone who makes us complete. We choose partners and change partners. We dance to a song of heartbreak and hope, all the while wondering if somewhere, somehow, there's someone perfect who might be searching for us.” - The Wonder Years

11-09-2007, 09:57 AM	#3
warsaw dreams Member Forum Regular Join Date: Sep 22, 2000 Location: Milwaukee, WI USA Posts: 659	It is very interesting. It almost sounds like he was unhappy most of the time.