Ted Danson Didn't Believe Himself as Sam Malone in Cheers

Ted Danson talks about how horrible he thought he was in the part of Sam Malone when he first watched the pilot of 'Cheers'. He eventually figured out how to fit in.
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[@GinaMusings]

Wow Ted Danson was a better actor than I thought. Cheers is my #1 sitcom of all time and Sam Malone was not just a hopeless, arrogant, clueless womanizer...he was more complicated then that. He was loyal to his friends, he was insecure, he was a people pleaser, he was directionless, he was hopelessly bound to an identity he knew he had to grow out of to ultimately find happiness. He was vulnerable and a big teddy bear. Ted Danson did a phenominal job. I just love him and all the characters of this wonderful series!!

[@erniereyes1994]

I believe it was Ted Danson's humility (and human-ness, I guess you can say) that made Sam, an otherwise completely un-relatable character, human and relatable.

[@drstkova]

Is “human-ness” a little bit like “humanity”?

[@troubledsole9104]

Yes. Ted played the part the way it usually is played in real life.

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Singapore American Map

[@terrycallow2979]

Cheers and Frasier the two best comedies EVER!

[@trawlins396]

Ever. Most definitely. We won't see sharp writing like that again. Not anytime soon.

[@skippy277]

Had the absolute pleasure of working as a background performer in a scene with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen back in the day…they were both friendly and humble and spontaneously bought the entire set sushi one evening as kind gesture ..the fact they found a home on Curb over the last 22 years has always made me smile ❤

[@MrBazBake]

This explains so much. I couldn't process him being Sam Malone on TV and the nicest guy in the world offscreen.

[@Kdija89]

Loved Cheers! And, absolutely loved Sam Malone (Ted Danson). You absolutely pulled it off, Mr. Danson. Excellent acting!

[@sanctuary2103]

At any given moment ‘Cheers’ is probably my favorite sitcom of all time. The producing, writing, direction and acting were imo as good as anything preceding or after it. I thought Ted Danson’s portrayal of Sam Malone in the first two or three seasons was so compelling because of the intelligence he brought to the character. Sam only became more caricatured in his mindless playboy persona as the seasons wore on so that by the height of the Kirstie Alley era, which was indeed funny and entertaining in a different way, he was a virtual walking spoof. What stood out to me, however, and still does is how ‘smart’ Sam was even as he was assumed by all, maybe including Mr.Danson, to be a moral and intellectual dope. It’s what added so many layers to his exchanges with Diane Chambers in the sense that Sam knew absolutely he couldn’t compete with her intellectually or academically but had infinitely more insight than her into what makes people tick. Conversely Diane, on paper an overeducated pedant, often found herself in emotional turmoil because she couldn’t apply the same insight Sam possessed to better understand herself. Sam knew who he was, even when he was lying to himself. Diane struggled to get beyond her false self with nearly every one in her character’s life. Except Sam. Once James L. Brooks and the writers discovered what audiences wanted to see from Sam and Diane, the perpetual cat-and-mouse and hurling of insults about each other’s supposed divergent personalities, the sacrifice to maintain that peak ultimately cost both characters a little bit of the humanity that grounded them. I always thought the ultimate strength of the show was its ability to balance what was sometimes a mix of broad, French farce comedy with a very adult and restrained pathos that managed in a comedic context to pull at your heart. As maddening, funny, electric and ‘passionate’ as Sam and Diane were there was always an underlying element that was melacholic and tragic. The two simply couldn’t get beyond themselves to explore and sustain what was an obvious attraction. And Ted Danson’s early portrayal of Sam, whether he intended it or not, was the other key factor along with Shelley Long’s total investment into Diane, to what would become the extraordinary allure, longevity and fanship of the show. In real life they would be a challenge but on TV I still can’t get enough of those two. ;)

[@wvu05]

Indeed. Admittedly, this was watching knowing that it would be the last with Diane, but the will they or won't they almost felt like a parody in the fifth season. The real secret ingredient, I think, was how Coach grounded the relationship between the two during the first three seasons of the show. Woody just didn't have the history with Sam and the genuine relationship with Diane to make the dynamic work.

[@trawlins396]

That was a great assessment!

[@acadianwanderer7352]

That is well said 😎… you’re as good with words as Diane 👍

[@neilstern1694]

He is one of a kind actor that every show he's in he's great.

[@BLAB-it5un]

What makes a great actor like Danson is the ability to be convincing and natural in a role that is so beyond who you actually are and in this case also violates your principles, and then to do so all while filled with fear and anxiety and yet having an audience none the wiser. Well done, sir!

[@VicMikesvideodiary]

I like Ted Danson. Good guy.

[@NoMoeMistaNiceGuy]

Are you serious???? He went after Cheryl behind Larry's back.

[@rafael-4607]

Thats good 👍

[@JosieMason]

Wow that's so surprising, he did a great job in Cheers I would never have guessed he had such a big insecurity about his believability in the role

[@wildone106]

He didn't. He's pandering to the woke cancel culture crowd who believe being male is toxic. He loved every damn minute of it trust me.

[@Mktgaming2023]

@@wildone106 exactly this! I remember watching a Ted Danson interview and he basically said he was “living out every guys dream” or words to that effect, now he’s here saying how awkward it was for him, erm.... no, Ted. You loved it.

[@ellenmarch3095]

The two aren't exactly mutually exclusive. 😂 He could have been scared shitless and at the same time lapping up the attention precisely because he thought he couldn't get it off camera. I see no contradiction here.

[@danielc1978]

@@wildone106 Wow, got to bring in politics even to this...sad...

[@maximilliancunningham6091]

Great guy. Thanks Ted for all the fun, and great memories from Cheers.

[@CharmingNewSociety]

Yup. A lot of dudes who project the most exaggerated machismo do so because they're actually insecure about it, so they're constantly trying to prove it. And they can't see that irony about themselves. Absolutely you cannot play that guy if you are that guy.

[@rosiepena8917]

Ted Danson is so real and just like anybody else with lots of insecurities!

[@guitaoist]

No hes a supergod... said no one ever

[@wildone106]

Dont believe this bullshit. He's pandering to the woke cancel culture crowd who believe being male is toxic. He loved every damn minute of it trust me.

[@MrPibb23x]

0 dislikes, guess I got here before Larry David did.

[@evangreen3080]

MrPibb23x You must have taken the Ted Danson plane. It’s better than the one David is on

[@chriscarlton9682]

I could never imagine anyone else playing Sam Malone ~ He was perfect!!!

[@Tia-Marie]

Sam was like a big brother to me growing up, I was always pleased by Ted. It may have taken him a while to grow, but it was really great to see the character Sam Malone grow, I think that "dying on the inside" was good for the character, cause I think the character had some self-loathing and hid it well until he "grew into" himself :)

[@schanzabukhari6064]

He's an incredible actor. I saw him in 3 men and a little baby and lady. And then started watching his movies and shows around the time when The Good Place was about to start. I never liked Sam Malone but I enjoyed Ted Danson play the character, it felt as if he wasn't really that guy, i mean, he couldn't be cause he was so sweet in other roles and interviews. But he played the part so well that I used to wonder whether he believed in the principles of Sam Malone, and seeing this interview just tells me how uncomfortable he was in that role and doesn't agree with Sam's persona, all the making it work, and somehow that brings solace to my heart. He is an amazing actor and an absolute gentleman. I also love Mary, together they both make a beautiful and decent couple. ❤

[@RogerDDog]

Always loved this show. It stands up well even now because it barely shows its age. Still watching it in the UK two episodes every morning with breakfast!

[@jameskennedy4377]

Fred Dryer - who had auditioned for the Sam Malone role - appeared in an early episode (as well as a few later episodes) of Cheers as Dave, a friend of Sam's and a fellow ex-jock. As a former first-round NFL pick, Dryer was naturally confident and cocky, so producers suggested to Danson that he watch how Dryer behaved in order to better understand the Sam Malone character.

[@robertpadillosandiego2821]

And another side note, Ed O'Neill also tried out for role. Yes, that a Ed O'Neill , Al Bundy

[@jameskennedy4377]

@@robertpadillosandiego2821 Interesting. I hadn't heard that. I know the three final couples tested were: Danson with Shelly Long, Dwyer with Julia Duffy, and William Devane with Lisa Eichhorn.

[@trawlins396]

@@jameskennedy4377 an EARLY first choice for Sam was Bill Cosby. Yep. 😂

[@jameskennedy4377]

@@trawlins396 Very interesting.

[@ROYALPRIX]

Then almost immediately got to play Hunter, basically the same type of character as a cocky dirty harry type.

[@gary6754]

ive been rewatching cheers And he was great as Sam Malone from the very beginning. I can see how he was concerned about the pilot because the character did seem a bit off there. But going forward he was great.

[@harrison6143]

Was the pilot the first regular episode, the one with Sumner?

[@Mktgaming2023]

@@harrison6143 yes.

[@ericjackson7632]

The 2nd episode on Sam's Women was great. I was had at that moment.

[@intentions666]

It's funny, I always thought Ted Danson was a real baseball player turned actor. Turns out he wasn't. Cheers was great.

[@trawlins396]

James Burrows said he took Ted to his first baseball game to see how baseball players carry themselves.

[@lnl3237]

Just loved the pairing of Sam and Diane. They both had images of themselves-he, mostly libido, and she, mostly cerebral. But when his sliver of cerebral connected with her sliver of libido...BOOM! Whatever the off-screen dynamic was to their relationship, Ted Danson and Shelley Long created an on-screen chemistry reminiscent of the "opposites attract" pairings of Gable and Colbert in "It Happened One Night" or Tracy and Hepburn in "Woman of the Year." They were that good.

[@phoneyiam123]

Cheers holds up today. Clever and hilarious.

[@trawlins396]

Exactly. I'm binging it in on Prime and it's STILL just as funny today as it was in the 80s. I gee up with it and I've loved it since Day 1. It feels a little dated but the performances are as solid as the writing.

[@alicesierra8805]

Wow ridiculous! I just finished watching until Season 5 on Netflix and wow he was too good.

[@annaalindajao3004]

An iconic show and a big part of my childhood. He played a brilliant Sammy ❤️

[@scottdehaan5864]

Nuts! You'd have thought he was made for that role. I'm shocked

[@Filmmaker809]

Ted Danson was an amazing actor, but what a lovely, humble man he is. :)

[@wvu05]

*is

[@HighGainsDrifter]

Cheers,Frasier, wings all good shows! Ted Danson is always so nice! I think the fact that he and sam are opposites is really great!

[@drlee2]

He only won 2 Emmys for Cheers and should have won like 5 or 6.

[@ciadella1971]

This proves how great of an actor Ted is. Similar situation with Henry Winkler with Fonzie.

[@KM-dd1hp]

Wow, how do I find someone like Ted Danson. Now he is the real sex symbol.

[@kevinw712]

The curious thing that coincides with that whole first year that Danson's talking about having trouble getting his head around the character, but Cheers finished DEAD LAST in all the collective TV ratings for its first season (I believe it was 1983). And yet still obviously got a season 2. It's just a reminder of how different the industry was back then. Nowadays -- hell, it's been like this for at least a dozen years now -- if your ratings are bad to start out with, you're lucky if you get to have even your third episode make it to broadcast before they cancel the show. Mind you, back then, even being last in the ratings, it was still usually at least 8-10 million people watching you (the #1 show could be 35 million+ week to week). TV is such a fragmented business anymore, most shows would kill to have 8 million people watching each week. And of course, all in all, it wound up being arguably the greatest sitcom of all time (still my fave anyway)

[@roostero]

Agreed, best ever. Great writers. Only one I didn't like was Carla, she seemed so one-dimensional.

[@ciadella1971]

This shows you what a great actor he is.

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

We never understand that these famous people... are just like us...

[@cierrablue]

I know, right?

[@umainebearman]

Except you know.... they're rich and stuff.

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

yes... but many suffer the same fears and insecurities.. as you or I do...and money is not a cure all.. @@umainebearman

[@umainebearman]

@@drmorqWarrenProject Spoken like someone without money.

[@drmorqWarrenProject]

sure thing... yet... I am still content...and suffer the same foibles as most of us humans. There are many unhappy people with millions of dollars, with all of the 'things' that you or I could ever want. People with money commit suicide every day. And poor people continue the struggle.. Money does not equate happiness... or success...@@umainebearman

[@vassa1972]

Cool stuff loved Ted as Sam

[@hendrixmike]

Cheers of course is no 1 but I also like Becker and the Good Place. This new show where he is the LA mayor seems good as well.

[@amankalotra]

Another of Papa Mayday Malone’s great pitch !

[@a.sydney5036]

I loooove TED! Since I was like 10.

[@RubHerSoul1]

Always liked TD. He was especially great in Body Heat prior to his casting of Sam Malone in Cheers.

[@cyndipetray6420]

A favorite film!

[@RubHerSoul1]

@@cyndipetray6420 its DePalma's best. And Travolta's

[@sheefree]

He was amazing in that film!

[@sheefree]

@@RubHerSoul1 was Travolta in that? William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Ted Danson, that's all I remember ☺️💐🙏🏼🌹

[@kathyingram3061]

~I kinda went through that when Cheers was my favorite show that i watched all the time, cuz i was asked why do i like it so much, when i dont like bars, drinkers, or sports?!?~

[@NESherv]

1:36 Really? Come on. This is KZbin. Why do you have to censor your guests? As Ted said, "Lighten the *FUCK* up!"

[@BlueJazzBoyNZ]

Ted Danson so aware with a bit of time ... You know that might be a good thing in an actor

[@twrkhanasparukh]

amazing

[@trawlins396]

He's an intellectual/ theatre guy from Carnegie Mellon. James Burrows said he took him to his first baseball game. He told him to watch Fred Dwyer when he guest started to see how an Alpha acts.

[@iwnunn7999]

I'm binge watching. Forced to subscribe!!

[@manuelpita2041]

Ted Just to let you know that I watch Cheers show back in 1980s best show ever. 😍🇵🇹🙏🙏

[@trawlins396]

Everyone did! Duh!

[@squarebird]

Except for Pee Wee's Playhouse.

[@georgeoothoudt7358]

Thank you.

[@simonjimenez4663]

Sam Malone is among the greatest character ever created on his tombstone it should say SAM MALONE.

[@judythompson8227]

It may just be that someone who could play a seriously jocklike Sam Malone would have turned off a lot of people, women especially. Ted Danson had a certain gentleness and uncertainness his encounters, and it showed through. That was his charm.

[@markrozenberg7959]

“Have a good life.”

[@dgemini2]

Ugh. Still makes my cry to this day.

[@melontacozz8350]

Hey wheres Janet?

[@robinh4]

She's in her void.

[@SonnyGTA]

Funny because he played a cooz hound in almost all his roles!! Cheers, 3 Men and a Baby, A Fine Mess....

[@wildone106]

Yea so you really think it wasn't him? LOL they are trying to make all the male icons apologize now for being toxic masculinity....#metoobaby!!!!!!!

[@trawlins396]

@@wildone106nope. It really wasn't him. Hes an intellectual theatre guy from Carnegie Mellon. He was never toxic off camera. Get a clue.

[@seanwebb605]

Very few relief pitchers are closers. The Malone character was written as a relief pitcher because they aren't the ace starter or closer. He was a true MLB pitcher, but drank his way out of the game. And by not being Clemens or Reardon the character wasn't to closely associated with a current MLB player. He was one of many players who came into town for a few seasons.

[@trawlins396]

What do you mean when you say "closers"?

[@seanwebb605]

@@trawlins396 Closer.

[@BishopWalters12]

Ted has said in other interviews that he was never a baseball fan and didn't know a thing about the rules when he was hired for Cheers.

[@seanwebb605]

@@BishopWalters12 Jason Alexander said much the same about the George Costanza character. He wasn't a sports fan and didn't understand much of the dialogue.

[@christopherramon-reid9841]

😍😍😍😍

[@t18amgr]

Listen to your little voice. The man was nothing like the character yet there was something you liked it was his humanity. When you meet someone and the little voice says no despite everything else run.

[@ktoto1065]

love you 😘😘😘

[@davefryer5066]

Love 💕 cheers Ted danson is Sam Malone period 😀

[@manuelmateo3392]

The hand in the thumbnail looks so out of the place.

[@jjwallnutts]

What made Sam Malone a like-able character is that he was insecure like everyone else, he just put on a front. If Ted didn’t show that side once in a while, it would have never worked as well as it did.

[@Hatingmeisconforming]

It's that Little Danson Man

[@spenser9908]

From "The Cheers"

[@miriamgreen3973]

The b&w is a grt idea. The "hi folks" is too much if I watch one aft next so can several greetings be recorded and switched up? I try to jump and avoid it each time even though it's not oppressive, just repetitive and yes I do it to myself by watching so many.

[@76JStucki]

One thing's for sure, George Costanza is worse than Ted Danson. Much, much, worse.

[@wantsomecoffee]

Joel Stucki That’s very funny

[@trawlins396]

Worse how??

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

Everyone watched that show for Carla and Coach or Woody. Kirstie was a gift.

[@trawlins396]

Nope. In the beginning everyone watched for Sam and Diane.

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

@@trawlins396 Wrong. Sorry

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

@Random Passerby So you're a deeply closeted gay man?

[@trawlins396]

@@TheKitchenerLeslie nope. You're wrong. The first few seasons were ALL about Sam and Diane. They were on magazine covers, etc. The chemistry and the "will they, won't they?" is what created the buzz.

[@trawlins396]

@Random Passerby exactly. I remember it well.

[@garyhiggins6718]

I never though Sam was as much a dummy as Dianne and even Rebecca thought he was! It was just that Sam was! quite deliberately uncultured! Had Sam been a dummy, he would never have been able to run the Bar, he would never have been the one everybody goes too, and he wouldn't have had the courage that he obviously did! Actually I thought Sam was a strong decent person! I mean, you must be strong to be an alcoholic and still own a Bar! I😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

[@matthewalkman386]

The real crime was Diane leaving. All went downhill from there. And no Alley didn’t help it.

[@sheefree]

Yea

[@missmakebyjoanna]

True

[@notton155]

Every mirror loved Sam, however now i have to face the fact that Cliff was the unrepentant womanizer. Gee this is not going to be easy.

[@margo3367]

Isn’t that what being an actor is all about? Playing someone who isn’t you?

[@subg8858]

I always thought Sam Malone was supposed to have been a shitty relief pitcher

[@mattm6741]

When Cheers first started Sam was praised for his baseball talent. However when Diane left and Rebecca was added to the show, Sam was noted to have been shitty at baseball. The reason for this change is unknown.

[@idontevenlikemoney]

To be honest, I always thought Ted Danson was a cocky prick ever since seeing the movie "Ted". I always thought that "Cheers DVD Extra" was real. Until I saw him in Fargo and started watching interviews with him.

[@0tto9]

It's called acting.

[@dominickk5293]

Even Ted Danson knew that Sam Malone was a monster. But I couldn't walk away from that amount of money they were throwing at him either.

[@thegalaxy1168]

Im suprised he had a good performance

[@znariznotsj6533]

I've never seen the Sam Malone character as arrogant. He is a very nice guy with some arrogant flaws. I've got a friend who's actually that (and a talented womanizer too), and he is great. Nevertheless, Ted Danson is a gifted actor.

[@johnnelson3665]

It was the 80’s. The sad thing is Ted Danson was a fraud.

[@mikelalor1000]

Whoa, Ted is a dude

[@saltisami]

cheers was more successful but becker was way funnier

[@kmm2442]

Wow. Wtf. Insane.

[@acadianwanderer7352]

Ted is wrong. Sam Malone character was never close to be arrogant. A real ‘jock’ is never likeable or compassionate and absolutely not funny. Sam’s was just a real friend and always ‘horny’…😎

[@abigailsockeye1586]

still don't understand why he wanted to bone diane

[@vinyllpreviews9462]

Fonzi i don't think was really cool. Everyone around him said he was cool, so the audience just accepted he was cool. I never really seen fonzi really do anything cool. Kind of what Ted was saying about Sam Malone, everyone is saying he's a lady's man, so Sam was a lady's man.

[@trawlins396]

Fonz was cool because he was tough.

[@squarebird]

I thought of the Fonz too ..

[@goldenage]

but underneath it all Sam was a decent guy.

[@ericoakley4388]

Damn Ted is not aging well.

[@sheefree]

Totally disagree! He's one of the most attractive older men I've seen! He's still lean and fit, well dressed, and has nice natural hair color. That's perfection in a seasoned gentleman! 🙏🏼🌹

[@trawlins396]

@@sheefree exactly. He looks great. It's just that he's grey now w Professors glasses. But his body is still sexy.

[@babayaga1767]

did he believe himself 20 years ago when he said the earth only has 10 years to survive?

[@ROGER2095]

I have a Popular Science issue from 1976 where Jacques Cousteau says the oceans will be dead by 1985.

[@lesscobrandeau2451]

Well, neither did we Ted. Most of us tuned in for the other characters like Coach, Carla, Norm, Woody, Cliff, Dianne, Frasier, etc....

[@randolphpinkle4482]

Rather than feel strange about playing a role that is unlike himself, why not do the research, and then do the job? It's a character and you're acting the part. Why does this have to be about him? If Danson played a serial killer with a particular fetish, he should feel horrified and traumatized at playing the part? Ridiculous. All I get from his 'candor' is a lack of imagination.

[@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1]

Where do you keep your Oscars, Emmys, Tonys, at al?

[@trawlins396]

@@ZOOTSUITBEATNICK1 exactly 😂😂. Ted is incredibly talented. He doesn't lack imagination. It's just that he over thinks everything. He's from CMU. He's an intellectual.

[@zippymcfearson2776]

This guy has to be kidding. Is he pretending to be unfamiliar with arrogance? Google "Ted Danson blackface"

[@gary6754]

that was great

[@trawlins396]

There was nothing arrogant about that.

[@squarebird]

You have a problem with Blackface?

[@monalisa2662]

Why do some of the guests like Ted feel like they need to use the awful "F" word. Instant turn off... just when I was starting to feel he was so eloquently gifted.

[@trawlins396]

Grow up

[@robfulco4739]

Wow...Hollywood takes itself way too seriously. And this whole attitude that they need to micro analyze their past characters because of present day bullshit is nauseating. They are not gods because they played a character so well. No one thought Ted was a womanizer because of a character he played back in the 80s.

[@monmothma3358]

His wife apparently did when she first met him...

[@adm924s3]

Hes rather naive. Its actually sexist to believe youve some duty not to be a womaniser. Plenty of women are happy to be "womanised" just to get with their "Sam Malone".

[@keithklassen5320]

Hey did you also know that piss tastes great and makes your breath smell good? You and me buddy, we know what's up.

[@selfiekroos1777]

Sam Malone was the last great sitcom alpha male. Too bad Ted is sullying up his image.

[@trawlins396]

He's not sullying it. He's just being honest.

[@selfiekroos1777]

@T Rawlins Omg, BY BEING HONEST, HES SULLYING IT