According to Christina Applegate, Ed O'Neill wasn't just playing her father on TV; he was also like a father to her in real life.
78-year-old O'Neill appeared on Tuesday, August 27th, in an episode of Applegate's podcast, "MeSsy," where Christina Applegate and Jamie-Lynn Sigler discussed the cult sitcom "Married with Children." During their conversation, the 52-year-old actress revealed that O'Neill actually "raised" her.
While introducing her TV dad on the podcast, Applegate said: "I don't even know how to describe what kind of person he is! Ed raised me, so if you don't like something about me, it's his fault."
She then added to the joke by saying: "And if you like something about me, that's his fault too." She also shared that the years spent with him enriched her, calling him "an incredible actor, an incredible human being."
Applegate and O'Neill played Kelly and Al Bundy, respectively, from 1987 to 1997 on Fox's "Married with Children." The show also starred Katey Sagal as Al's wife, Peggy, and David Faustino as the couple's son, Bud.
During the podcast, Applegate revealed that she almost missed out on her role in the unconventional family comedy because she thought the script for the pilot episode was "rude."
"This is toilet humor and I don't do toilet humor," she recalled thinking at the time. However, once she saw the original pilot — which didn't star her or Faustino — she recalled both she and her mother thought it was "f------ hysterical."
After being cast in the show at the age of 15, Applegate revealed that she and O'Neill managed to build a human connection, even though she had her "guard up" during filming.
"I mean, he went through everything with me. My mother's cancer and other stuff," she said about her colleague.
As for O'Neill, he told Sigler, "She was a professional even back then. Yes! It was great working with her. It's always been fun working with Christina," according to “People” magazine.
The former colleagues also shared how much they enjoy how their relationship has matured over the years. Applegate noted that she loves talking to O'Neill on the phone, even though she hates talking on the phone under normal circumstances.
"I love our relationship now, Ed. Now that I'm 52 and you and I can talk on the phone for hours and giggle and talk about everything. I talk to you more than I talk to anyone else on the phone."
O'Neill added that he is "very proud" of Applegate and even shared that she has something in common with his other TV daughter, Julie Bowen, from "Modern Family."
"You are completely different people," he began, before adding, "the thing that both of you have that I really like are good hearts. You know, you have a good heart," he shared.
The actor, with a forlorn expression and tireless self-irony, who brought the despair of life to grotesque and funny heights, is like a father to many children from that time, they now admit. The series was a hit, and all the actors played their roles perfectly.
Katey Sagal, Peggy Bundy, is something of an emblem of the "mob wife" style – shiny eclecticism, with a nod to leopard prints and fluffy coats.
Fun Facts...
Ed O'Neill's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is in front of a shoe store.
During the show's peak, Ed O'Neill, who has a black belt in jiu-jitsu, would fulfill requests for phone greetings for birthdays and holidays for fans as Al Bundy, provided he called everyone all at once.
One of the creators of the series revealed that the reason Ed O'Neill was cast as Al Bundy became clear as soon as he appeared at the first audition. He was simply required to enter through the front door of the Bundy house. Just before opening the door, O'Neill took a deep breath and slumped his shoulders, as if coming home was a defeat. The producers were amazed when they saw this and immediately realized that O'Neill was their guy.
The final episode aired on May 6, 1997, on FOX. After this episode aired, FOX was deciding whether to renew the show. When they decided to cancel it, they didn't inform the cast. Ed O'Neill said he was on vacation, and a couple staying nearby read about it in the newspaper and told him. He bought them food as a sign of gratitude. Similarly, Christina Applegate learned that the show was canceled from two friends.
Once, during a flight to Hawaii, a fan approached him and politely asked for a picture with him. Ed reluctantly said "yes," not knowing that it was Britney Spears.
In real life and on the show "Modern Family" (2009), he has a daughter named Claire.
The actor and his wife, Catherine Rusoff, have a daughter, Sophia O'Neill.
He started working in construction when he was 14 years old. During college, he worked in the steel mills in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, as a boilermaker's apprentice.
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