His hair is thinning and his figure thickened, but he remains for a whole generation the indestructible DIY spy: MacGyver. Humble, the actor, guest of honor at the 20th Jules-Verne Festival in Paris, looks back on his twenty-five-year career and exclusively reveals… the secret of his famous mullet!
Here it is: It is touching to meet you because, for a whole generation, Mac-Gyver was a big brother, an example to follow…
Richard Dean Anderson: That’s nice to hear. But I never really realized the impact of MacGyver at the time because I was very uncomfortable with fame myself. I come from a very remote part of the United States, Minnesota. And we are very modest and very private people.
But you’re an actor, it’s your job to attract attention!
I know, it’s very contradictory. But there’s a difference between acting and becoming a star, and at the time, the discovery of fame knocked me out.
You didn’t even enjoy it a little bit? MacGyver was super popular with the girls!
You said it! Let’s just say that I didn’t abuse the situation much (laughs)… And then, it was becoming impossible for me to walk the streets incognito. In France, it only became crazy recently. There was this incident, by the way, yesterday…
Oh yes! What incident?
An autograph hunter provoked the hotel concierge and they started fighting in the lobby. He had a stack of pictures of me, and he didn’t want his name on them; I think he was making a business out of it, if you know what I mean…
Let’s get to the main point, if you don’t mind… Did MacGyver invent the mullet?
It was the mid-80s: you were barely born… I had very long hair all over before MacGyver . When the series started, I cut it all off. Then they grew it back and the production decided that I should keep my hair long. But it created a problem for the image: the locks would fall over my eyes in the middle of a line, it didn’t work at all. So we cut it short in the front and left it long in the back: the mullet was born!
At the time, it was cool…
Yes, but look at what it looks like now: OH MY GOD! What a horror! What an embarrassment! Today, only hockey players wear the mullet with pride (laughs).
In The Simpsons , MacGyver is that cheesy show that Marge’s sisters defend to the death…
Yes, they kept making fun of MacGyver on The Simpsons , it became a running gag. Until they asked me to participate in an episode where MacGyver ‘s legacy is happily trampled. I was delighted!
There has long been talk of a MacGyver movie …
Yes, and also a new series. As far as I’m concerned, MacGyver has had its day. And towards the end, our credibility was taking a hit: technology kept catching up with that poor Mac. What would he look like today, now that everyone has a cell phone?
In recent years, you have been appearing less often on screen…
I am a single father trying to raise his daughter as best I can. And I am very interested in preserving the seabed through the Sea Shepherd organization. I am getting fat and bald too… But I am starting to feel like working again. I had announced my retirement in order to raise my daughter because I did not want her to grow up far from me. But she is very perceptive, my daughter. A few months ago she said to me: “You know Dad, I am fine, you can go back to work if you want. You are so much happier when you work.” A 14-year-old girl! Lose weight and find a job: that is my plan for the next few months.
Is MacGyver handy? Do you use a screwdriver and hammer around the house?
I am resourceful but very lazy. I see what needs to be fixed, I understand what needs to be done, and I am lazy… But I am like everyone else: it is always a great victory when I manage to put beautiful shelves on the wall!
Last question: having grown up watching MacGyver , I couldn’t help but fall in love with Teri Hatcher at the time. What memories do you have of her appearance?
Very simple: I fell in love with her too! We worked together first and then we dated. I have only good memories of Teri. Her career has exploded since then with Desperate Housewives and I am really very happy about it. She suffered in her private life, she deserved to triumph.
Jérôme Jérôme, Voici. October 19, 2012
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