Star Chat interviews enable YOU to ask questions to the Dallas actors.

Larry Hagman fan chat

Larry chats Dallas, Politics and Britney Spears.

Earlier this year Larry Hagman and his wife Maj befriended Dallas fan Karin Schill during a trip to Mirande in France. Karin recently contacted Larry and put forward questions from Dallas fans across the world.

Larry Hagman - Hi Karin.

 

Karin Schill - How are you?

 

Larry - Hur står det till krokodil? (This means: How are you alligator?)

 

Karin - (Laughing). Bara bra tack. (I’m just fine thanks)

 

Larry - Good.

 

Karin - You know some Swedish?

 

Larry - Yeah a little bit, Goddag, Goddag. (Good day, good day)

 

Karin - Okay, that’s fun.

 

Larry - Yeah

 

Karin - So you’re ready to start with the interview?

 

Larry - Yeah.

 

Karin -I have a question from Sarah from Northern Ireland…

 

Sarah in Northern Ireland asks, “What do you think of the Vanessa storyline?”

 

Larry - Oh, Oh, I don’t know. You know I don’t even remember the ending of that…part.  

 

Karin - No, I think that the reason why she thinks that is because most fans likes JR & Sue Ellen so much…

 

Larry - Oh yeah.

 

Larry - Oh yeah. Who was that, the other woman?

 

Karin - I think she was played by Gayle Hunnicutt…

 

Larry - Oh, oh, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah that was my old love affair or something like that yeah…

 

Karin - Yeah exactly.

 

Larry - Well…yes but you know, I mean…Sue Ellen…wasn’t there. I mean…you know she… she left the show so they had to get another love interest I guess I don’t know.

 

Karin - Yeah probably. Most fans didn’t like her much.

 

Larry - I know, I know they didn’t. Well… that’s, you know that’s the way it goes.

 

Karin - Yeah and anyway you mentioned Sue Ellen wasn’t there, so we’re talking like Linda…

 

Larry - Aha…

 

Sarah also asks, “Is there any chance that you will work with Linda again, like maybe doing a theatre play or something?”

 

Larry - Well yes we sometimes tour in Love Letters…we’ve done that, so you know that show?

 

Karin - I’m familiar with it. I think you did a tour of that like in the early 90s or something…

 

Larry - Yeah, yeah, aha.

 

Karin - So that’s something that’s still on going?

 

Larry - Um…yeah…we can do that play anytime…

 

Karin - In the US or in the UK or like?

 

Larry - Oh I don’t know…um…it’s just one of those things you have in your back pocket, you know? That you can do anytime.

 

Karin - Okay, I understand. Also we have some questions about solar energy.

 

Larry - Oh yeah. (happy)

 

Linda McIntyre in New Jersey says, ”Congratulations on having the largest residential solar power system in the US…It’s great to see someone practising what they preach. I found your appearance on “Living with Ed” very interesting. Did you ever install the wind turbine units at your home?”

 

Larry - Uh…no I haven’t. I have been investigating it recently um yeah it’s very interesting. I really don’t need to but I think it might be fun if I just did a small one. Just so I could cover the whole spectrum right now of solar energy and wind power and stuff.

 

Karin - Yeah it’s…a very good way to get energy because it’s good for the environment and such.

 

Larry - Oh yes, yes, yes, yes. Well it is true it has one problem. It has too many moving parts that’s the one bad thing about it.

 

Karin - Yeah.

 

Larry - And the sun it just sits there you know and it just absorbs the energy for years and years and years.

 

Karin - Yeah at least you’re lucky in California because you have a lot of sun.

 

Larry - Well not only that but I live at 25 hundred feet on top of a mountain and I’m above the smog and I’m above the fog you know you get a lot of fog living next to the ocean here and I don’t get that up here.

 

Karin - That sounds lovely.

 

Larry - So see…yeah I know. So I get plenty of…you know stuff like that all the time.

 

Rani in Argentina asks, So how did you become interested in the environment?

 

Larry - Well I read a book called “The Long Emergency” I recommend you’ll read it if you can.

 

Karin - Okay.

 

Larry - Did you get that name?

 

Karin - “The Long Emergency”?

 

Larry - Yeah by a guy named um…oh God…Kunstler his name is Kunstler and you can get it online.

 

Karin - Okay. I will definitely look that up

 

John Scott in Portland asks, “Do you save a lot of money on solar energy power?”

 

Larry - Oh yeah. My bill went from $37000 a year to $19 on a year.

 

Karin - That’s wonderful. I think everyone would like to do that with their energy bill.

 

Larry - Well yeah. But I had to invest a lot of money to do it you know, of course.

 

Karin - Yes of course.

 

Larry - It cost us…$750000 to do it and…

 

Karin - Wow…

 

Larry - but the electric company, the energy company here gave me $310000 so I am an electrical manufactory.

 

Karin - That’s very cool.

 

Larry - Yeah and anything that I don’t use…after a year I put the units in, in April and every April they take whatever electricity I’ve made and just take it and last year they took ten thousand dollars worth of electricity.

 

Karin - That’s a lot.

 

Larry - Oh yeah but still they gave me $300000 dollars you know, $310000 so…

 

Karin - So it’s another good way of making money then?

 

Larry - Well for them, yeah.  

 

Serkan in Turkey asks, “Is it true that you and Charlene are going to Turkey in March 2008?”

 

Larry - I don’t know…might be. But I…in February I might be going.

 

Karin - Okay. Also there are people from other places like Chile, Netherlands, France, Germany…UK, Italy, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Ireland and well naturally we in Sweden also that would love for you to come to our countries. 

 

Larry - Ah-huh-ah, well maybe we can do that.

 

Karin - Yeah, I think there’s probably, like for instance when it comes to Dallas, if you would like to do like a publicity tour for the DVDs or something that would probably work really well.

 

Larry - Yeah?

 

Karin - I think there is a lot of interest and a lot of Dallas fans around the globe still that would like to meet you.

 

Larry - Well maybe I could do…a signing, you know autograph signing?

 

Karin - Yeah I think people would love that.

 

Larry - Aha.

 

Karin - Definitely. I think in some places you still haven’t been with your book…

 

Larry - Yeah right. (sarcasm)

 

Karin - But that was years ago anyway.

 

Larry - Yeah well I don’t know if there’s many of those books left. (chuckles).

 

Karin - No, I have a copy at home.

 

Larry - You do? Good.

 

Karin - Yeah, I enjoyed reading it a lot, especially what you thought about Sweden when you first got here and the “filmjölk” and such. Because obviously when you live in Sweden that’s something you’re brought up with.

 

Larry - Yeah, yeah.

 

Karin - Um…also if you remember this summer we talked a bit about any possibility of a Dallas reunion and I have a question from Pamela in the UK…

 

Pamela in the UK asks, “You have said that there is a lack of interest in another Dallas TV project, what makes you think that?”

 

Larry - Well…the bloom is off the rose…Still…I mean…we did 13 years that’s a long time and two movies…and now they are going to do another movie…

 

Karin - Yeah that pretty much no one wants because it’s not the original cast…

 

Larry - No…I know um…but they seem to be going ahead with that…

 

Karin - Yeah but…

 

Larry - John Travolta is not gonna do it apparently.

 

Karin - Thats a shame I don’t know…

 

Larry - Well I don’t know…I thought he might be…pretty good you know?

 

Karin - Yeah because you worked with him in Primary Colours?

 

Larry - Aha, yep, he’s a good actor.

 

Karin - Yeah. Anyway I think that was Pamela was trying to say was that…

 

Pamela also says, “The show is a brand, a huge success to this date so in the right hands don’t you think the brand could be reinvented?”

 

Larry - (Makes a sound) I don’t know. I don’t know. 

 

Karin - I can say that among the fans there is at least a lot of interest for another movie because like we had hundreds of questions coming in for you and most of the questions was actually about if there would be another Dallas reunion movie with the original cast or a Next Generation TV-series or something like that. And like there are new fans that are coming on, that are like born in the late 80s that have just gotten into Dallas with the DVDs release and things…

 

Larry - Hmm…

 

Karin - Anyway you said that the bloom is off the rose but um…for you personally would you want to do anything more with Dallas or do you think that it…

 

Larry - Well I think…hmm….no I don’t think so. I can’t see any future in that. Um…it would be fun maybe if we get everyone back together again but I don’t think there’s a ground swell…

 

Karin - Yeah?

 

Larry - I don’t think there’s a big push to do that momentarily.

 

Karin - Yeah but I was thinking like just one final project for like maybe the 30^th anniversary or something? 

 

Larry - Mm…

 

Karin - Like to just wrap it up because at this point I think that most people feel like…well while JR Returns was a good movie War of the Ewings wasn’t as good, if you know what I’m saying?

 

Larry - Ah-huh…

 

Karin - So I think everyone pretty much wants a nice ending to the show…

 

Larry - Yeah I know. But…I don’t know that’s in the hands of the God…

 

Karin - Yeah well not only because if you would want to do it that’s basically the main thing, because if you would want to do it, like I told Linda this summer we could start fan campaigns and start to work on Time Warner and such…

 

Larry - Mm…hmm…I don’t think so. I really don’t think so.

 

Karin - Okay.

 

Larry - I think I’ve done that…Did you see Nip/Tuck by any chance?

 

Karin - Um…unfortunately not. But I know you were in that last year and I have a question here…

 

Jason in Minnesota says, I loved your guest starring on Nip/Tuck last year. Are you planning on being in any other projects?

 

Larry - Well I don’t know if the right part comes along you know? I…I’m not actively…oh…looking for work or anything like that. I have a pretty nice life, I travel a lot…I’m going to London next month and then perhaps to Turkey.

 

Karin - Are you going to see Linda when you are in London?

 

Larry - I’m gonna what?

 

Karin - Gonna see Linda’s play?

 

Larry - Oh she’s back here now.

 

Karin - Did you ever manage to see Terms of Endearment?

 

Larry - I didn’t see that one no.

 

Karin - Okay, it was a good one.

 

Larry - I hope so.

 

Karin - Yeah, I went in October with a friend, it was good…

 

Larry - You did? You went to see the play? (Happily surprised)

 

Karin - Yeah I did.

 

Larry - Oh my God did you go backstage?

 

Karin - No, unfortunately I missed Linda…

 

Larry - Ooh…that’s…

 

Karin - Because she didn’t know I was there, so I was waiting by the backdoor with a lot of other people I should probably have let her know I was there …

 

Larry - Yeah.    

 

Karin - Anyway you can give her my best the next time you talk to her…

 

Larry - Okay.

 

Karin - And tell her I love the play.

 

Larry - Oh you did love it, huh?

 

Karin - Yeah.

 

Larry - It was good huh?

 

Karin - Yeah it was good I was like fighting back the tears and yeah I try not to cry that much but yeah…

 

Larry - Whoa-huh…great.

 

Karin - It was great.

 

Russ in Louisiana asks, “I’ve been a big fan of the show Dallas and a big fan of yours for years. My question to you is how come Dallas never had one big Christmas special like most shows did back then?”

 

Larry - I don’t know I had never thought of it. Um…for one thing it would tie you into a shooting schedule that may not be a little…you’ll see we went down to shoot um…in Dallas…for three months in the summer. So all those scripts had to be written a long, long time in advance. I don’t know why they never did a Christmas…to tell you the truth. (Blowing his nose)

 

Karin - No it’s something I’ve always missed in Dallas also, because I think it would have been nice to watch.

 

Pauline in Glasgow, Scotland asks, Do you think you could ever have made it in Showbiz without your wife Maj?

 

Larry - No of course not. No, no, no, no. No she was…she’s part of my career, part of my life by the way.

 

Karin - Yeah, she’s a lovely woman.

 

Larry - Yeah no kidding.

 

Pauline also asks, I am a big fan of Barbara Bel Geddes so I have to ask this as I ask everyone, what was she like to work with?

 

Larry - Oh we had a great relationship, she was so…she was so nice and you know that’s the reason I took the part. When they told me she was gonna be playing my mom…my mother I said well I gotta do this.

 

Karin - Yeah?

 

Larry - Yeah. She was great to work with I’m very happy with her.  

 

Karin - Yeah we were all very saddened when she died.

 

Larry - Yeah. Everybody was. (low sad voice)  

 

Jilly in LA asks, what did you think about certain producers on the show, like Leonard Katzman, and his work and such?

 

Larry - Oh he was my mentor. He was the guy that stuck…stuck by me all that time.

 

Karin - Could you expand a little bit on that? Like…

 

Larry - Well yeah he…I don’t know he liked what I was doing. You know my part…originally was a secondary part, you know?

 

Karin - Yeah.

 

Larry - And…I didn’t have a…story to be a part of, but he liked what I was doing with…my part and…he went in that direction. From which it made me a very big star.

 

Carol in North Carolina asks, how did it feel like to be so powerful?

 

Larry - It felt powerful. (Chuckles) That’s what it felt, very powerful.

 

Karin - Yeah. (giddy)

 

Calpurnia in Rome, Italy asks, “Like if you would for instance explain the hierarchy of the show, like we fans of you we probably have a perception of you as someone who had a lot of clout on the show. So how would you exercise this?

 

Larry - I never did. I don’t believe…I don’t believe in using…if you have to use your power you’ll loose it.

 

Karin - That’s a good one.

 

Larry - Yeah because…I don’t know power is always an intimidation I think more than anything else. You don’t have to use it people…do what you want without you even having to ask them.

 

Karin - Okay.

 

Larry - On a couple of occasions I went to Mr. Katzman…He’d left the show and I went to him and I said. “Look we’ve gotta have you back on the show, this is my…my biggest earning period of my life is gonna be right now in the next four-five years and you’ve left the show and I can see that the show is going towards Dynasty, you know kinda glitzy and so forth…"

 

Karin - Yeah exactly it did go in that direction.

 

Larry - and so I said “I would like to have you back on the show would you like to come back on the show?” And he said “Yes sure”. So…I went to the producers and I said “I want Mr. Katzman back on the show” and they said:

“Well we can’t do that now” and I said:

“Well I tell you what, I’ll…I’ll pay the guy who’s producing now a million dollars if he’ll leave…” and then they said:

“No” and I said:

“Okay look, you can take two million dollars out of my salary…and get rid of the guy and get…” and they said:

“No we can’t do it”. So I said:

“Okay that’s it” and they said:

“What do you mean that’s it?” I said:

“I’m not on the show anymore” and they said:

“Well we can sue you and they…you know all that bullshit…”

 

Karin - Yeah.

 

Larry - I said, “I don’t give a shit. Do what you wanna do and I’ll do what I wanna do and you’ll loose half a billion dollars…”(Karin giggling delighted) “Well that got them thinking about it so…”

 

Karin - Yes of course they don’t want to loose money and without you the show wouldn’t have worked.

 

Larry - I…That’s what I was betting on you know?

 

Karin - It wouldn’t have.

 

Larry - No of course not.

 

Karin - So and also…yeah, it’s interesting I think.

 

Larry - Yeah anyhow they did it and Mr. Katzman came back and we had four more years of wonderful…and I did a…then I begged Patrick to come back…he’d left too…

 

Karin - Yeah at the same time.

 

Larry - So I said “Oh my God you know this is too much…”

 

Karin - I’ve gotta say that season nine is one of my favourites on the show actually. I miss Charlene in that season but except for that it’s a wonderful season. (Larry coughing)

 

Larry - Excuse me, hang on. (sneezes)

 

Karin - Bless you by the way.

 

Larry - Thank you.

 

Karin - I was just saying that I love season nine of the show, I think it’s a great season and that was after he was back so… (Larry laughing) Also we have another question about your character of JR…

 

Leslye Finley in Tulsa, Oklahoma asks, “A lot of actors say that the characters they portray has a lot of characteristics of their own personality what part of JR’s personality would you say is your own?” (Blowing nose)

 

Larry - All of it.

 

Karin - (Laughing) Okay could you expand a little bit on that?

 

Larry - Oh…no. I don’t know I’d worked for a guy when I was a kid in Texas and I just incorporated his personality onto mine and I knew the guy very well. He is very happy with it as a matter of fact. He’s still alive he’s about 90 years old now.

 

Karin - Wow.

 

Larry - Yeah.

 

Madeleine in Stockholm, Sweden asks, “You have a Swedish last name, why is that?”

 

Larry - Oh because my grandparents were Swe…my great-grandparents were Swedish. Hagman. (Swedish pronunciation)

 

Karin - Yeah that’s very cool, I actually interviewed, when I was on my internship earlier this year I interviewed someone with that last name and I never made the connection until I was going to spell it out I was like this is like Hagman. (English pronunciation).

 

Larry - Oh yeah…that’s right.

 

Karin - I thought it was very cool.

 

Larry - Did it have two n? Sometimes they have two n.

 

Karin - Mm…I spelled it with one n. I hope it didn’t get out wrong.

 

Larry - I think I’m also part Flemish. (Dutch, Belgian).

 

Karin - I think it’s interesting with heritage and where you come from and things like that.

 

Larry - Yeah. I’m doing that whole line now and having that investigated.

 

Karin - Oh like family research?

 

Larry - Yeah, yeah, aha-huh.

 

Karin - I’ve done that too, I’m like Swedish through and through, pretty much.

 

Larry - Yeah. Through and through?

 

Karin - Yeah we don’t find anything else like as far back as we can get.

 

Larry - Right, oh my God.

 

Karin - Yeah.

 

Karri in Texas asks, “Have you always been a practical joker or if you weren’t when did you start?”

 

Larry - Well I’m not really a practical joker. I have…I don’t know I’m not really a practical joker. I don’t think. Maybe, maybe between Patrick and me I’m we probably were yeah…

 

Karin - Yeah I think the people that say that have probably seen some Dallas bloopers or something.

 

Larry - Oh yeah, yeah.

 

Karin - Those are very funny by the way.

 

Larry - What?

 

Karin - The Dallas bloopers are very funny.

 

Larry - Oh…where are they?

 

Karin - Oh I don’t know, I’ve seen them, I got them like…I bought them for a while ago, and naïve as I was I thought they were shown on TV in the 80s but apparently when I saw the “Return to Southfork” reunion it was said that they were supposed to be locked away in some vault or something.

 

Larry - Yeah.

 

Karin - So I don’t know how they got out on the market but recently, everyone’s who’s a big fan have seen them these days.

 

Larry - Really? Aha…

 

Karin - Yeah except for the later seasons. So…

 

Larry - (Laughing) There are not many of those.

 

Karin - No there’s not a lot of those on the market and I think most people would probably want some of those on the DVD releases or something.

 

Larry - Well they wouldn’t want it now. (Laughing).

 

Karin - (Laughi