>>John Ritter: you know, if the mailman comes up and say
hey man, you really sucked the green one last night
you know he's right
>>Q: You know what I want to talk about?
>>What? >>I want to talk about...
>>anything, my life is an open wound, whatever you wanna...
>>How important is being a star?
>>Uh it's not important um
being thought of as a good actor is
uh the only thing is
it's real nice to be able to
choose properties, you know
as opposed to, you know, knocking on doors
and doing auditions. I was always
very poor at selling myself to a
perspective director or producer
I mean, I was okay on the readings
but when I first started going out on interviews
they'd say, tell us a little bit about yourself, John.
I'd say there's not much to tell
and they'd say thank you and don't slam the door on your way out.
>>Are you insecure?
>>Yeah... mm... yes... mm... yes
[laughs] I'm, oh yeah
I mean, I just, you know it's
I think that thing about being an actor
no matter how much training you have uh
there's always some guy that's gonna sit
out there in the audience and go, nah didn't buy it,
no matter who it is, and you know
somebody can compliment you,
someone you really respect but
you know, if the mailman comes up and say
hey man, you really sucked the green one last night
you know, he's right.
He's really right >>He's the right, he's the one
>>John [laughter] uh
somebody just said to me,
prior to doing this interview,
talking about the fact that Tex Ritter was your dad.
Tex Ritter is kind of a legendary figure.
If one didn't know it, one wouldn't know it.
You're, you're a zany guy from Hollywood
>>Right, North Hollywood! >>I'm sorry
>>which makes it even more intense
>>other side of the hill >>Right [laughs]
>>Tex Ritter is heartland America. He's the South.
He's country and western. He's, he's roots.
>>Right absolutely
>>and your dad said to you,
wise man that he was,
don't be an actor.
>>Yes
>>Don't be an actor.
>>He just didn't want me to starve.
He lived on chili for two years in New York, you know,
went through some snowy winters
broke trying to make it.
He did not, he didn't want that for his son.
He wanted me to be something, you know,
substantial like a brain surgeon,
something like that, but [laughing] I just couldn't do it.
I was too nervous.
>>You've been happily married for
how many years now?
>>Uh, since 1977 October
What is it now? 85?
So that's eight years.
>>Really? [laughing] Most people can come up with a number just like that.
>>85? Yeah, eight years.
>>Uh, and you met Nancy on Americathon, is that correct?
>>No no uh, Nancy and I knew each other before that
but uh we met each other at a play,
an Oliver Hailey play.
My agent Wally Hiller introduced me to her,
said she's a very good girl John.
Don't mess around with her.
I said I won't touch her. I'm just browsing.
And we just sat together.
My father had died the year before and
her grandmother had died
and it was this, you know, beautiful woman and
we just started talking about
how we handled our really deep grief.
Everybody else is talking, you know
show talk and stuff
and we're talking about life and death and
so we both sort of offered
a lot more than we might have
you know, revealed to each other than
just the normal little party small talk.
>>Were you falling in love?
>>Ah yeah it was, it was pretty intense immediately.
>>Three children later
>>Yes it was intense [laughter]
>>You made a lot of babies?
>>Yeah, as a matter of fact
I was just at my little
co-op nursery school.
It was my day
I was the 'stay dad' today.
We have teachers and then uh
a parent has to stay every day for school
It was my job and
they said get over here as fast as you can
I said, yeah as soon as I put the sand toys away
I'll be here.
>>But boy, you have it made.
You have a beautiful wife you love.
>>Yeah
>>You have children you love.
You do work you love.
>>You can stop there 'cause that's it.
That's, that's the key, yeah.
If you like to get up every morning
and go and do, you know, I mean
there's sometimes where it's really been tense and everything but
basically if you just come from an open heart, I think you, you know,
you've got a head start.