Richard Thomas Remains Happy with John-Boy Fame

[Zoneboy]

The Waltons star has no problem living in the shadow of the role that made him famous

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Richard Thomas doesn't have a crystal ball, but he has a pretty good idea how the headline on his obituary will read.

"It'll be 'John-Boy dead at 100,' " says the actor best known for his role in the beloved 1970s CBS series The Waltons.

Although Thomas has enjoyed a successful career -- including roles on Broadway, in 50 made-for-TV movies, and in big screen fare such as The Wonder Boys and Taking Woodstock -- he still finds himself living in the shadow of budding author John "John-Boy" Walton and is often greeted as such. And he maintains he doesn't mind it a bit.

"Why would I mind?" he says with a grin as he relaxes in an office strewn with movie paraphernalia in Duncan's city hall, where scenes for the Hallmark Channel film Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow were being shot.

"It gave me enormous success and power and a lot of fame internationally and it was a very high-quality piece of work," says the actor, still boyish at 59. "There was good acting, writing and stories."

His role in the Emmy Award-winning family staple hasn't kept him from working.

In the Canadian-made TV movie that relocates to Victoria this week, Kaj-Erik Eriksen plays Richard, a journalist who returns to Glenville, the fictional Long Island town he fled 11 years earlier in search of fulfilment. Thomas plays Dick, the young man's future self who encourages him to stop running and make life changes. They encounter each other back in the town where Dick's old flame (Christine Chatelain), now mayor, is pushing to allow a big box store in.

Thomas, who recently starred opposite James Spader on Broadway in David Mamet's legal drama Race, says he's lucky to have worked steadily since making his screen debut in a 1958 Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation.

"For an actor to be given a job acting is a good thing. A lot of actors don't get that chance as often as they'd like," Thomas says.

One of his most rewarding stage experiences was playing juror No. 8 in a North American tour of the courtroom drama Twelve Angry Men, with George Wendt (Norm from Cheers) playing the jury foreman. He laughingly downplays reports theatregoers would yell "Good night, John-Boy!" and "Norm!" some nights.

"When the two of us would be sitting at the bar, it would be like 'Omigawd!' but most people behave when they go to the theatre."

The father of seven says he grew up backstage, and theatre has remained his first love since he made his Broadway debut at age seven as Franklin D. Roosevelt's son John in Sunrise at Campobello.

His parents were ballet dancers with New York City Ballet and owned the New York School of Ballet. He remembers sitting on Stravinsky's lap and watching legendary choreographers such as George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins during rehearsals.

"I went to work with my parents. I was the company mascot. They were all there and I was the kid. Everybody was very nice to me," recalls Thomas, whose parents were supportive when he took up acting. "We treated it as work."

While many former child actors had a rough ride, Thomas remained centred and kept working.

"A lot of people who started as kids have done well -- Jodie Foster, Kurt Russell, Ronny Howard," the actor says.

"I was very lucky being able to bridge all those different stages of an actor's life," he says. "I made a lot of movies and worked very hard and I had a nice degree of fame and recognition but it was never crazy."

Having such a foundation helped him cope with the fame that came with The Waltons. "By then I had my feet on the ground. I didn't just blow into town and get famous."

He says he can empathize with young stars whose lives are mercilessly scrutinized.

"The degree of fame the have -- kids like Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera. People say they're screwed up and don't have any values, but I defy most 40-year-olds anywhere given that degree of fame and power to handle it any better. These are kids who all of a sudden are given unbelievable stuff -- attention, money and power, and people are surrounding them, not to really counsel them, but to do well off them. That's a hard thing for anyone to deal with."

Not having had a real "life experience" exacerbates the problem, says Thomas, tired of the endless Lohan scrutiny.

"She's got a problem," he says. "Leave her alone. They do the best they can, and some do better than others and come out okay. It's really easy to judge them because they've got so much of what other people want. If they were poor kids somewhere else we wouldn't be doing that. It's hard to handle. I was lucky."

[Marvo301]

It's always nice to hear about an actor who is well adjusted and happy and who embraces the role that made him or her famous. I'm glad to know Richard Thomas is one of those people.

[Hughsgirl]

Originally Posted by Marvo301

It's always nice to hear about an actor who is well adjusted and happy and who embraces the role that made him or her famous. I'm glad to know Richard Thomas is one of those people.

I agree, it's great to hear that because all I seem to hear is that the actors want to forget this role or that role and that he/she are embarrassed to be known as this person or that person and above that, they disrespect their fans. I've had the pleasure of seeing Richard Thomas in very different roles. One movie in particular comes to mind is, "Stalking Laura." Talk about total opposite of John Boy! He plays opposite of Brooke Sheilds and works at a high tech. facility in California when she arrives as a new employee and he suddenly realizes that she's "the one." Once she starts rejecting him, he gets crazy and spins out of control by stalking her, threatning her family and friends and then ends up fired. Then he really loses it by going back to work with a gun. Great movie and really creepy to see him in such a role.

[catlover79]

Very cool!!