About
"I knew what 'Chrissy Snow' would and would not do. She'd never tell a lie. She'd never steal anybody's boyfriend. Everything was always absolutely honest with her. And I think that's what endeared her to the public."
In her two-hour interview, Suzanne Somers (1946-2023) discusses her early years as a single mother and struggling model/actress. She talks about landing a small but memorable role in the feature film American Graffiti, which led to appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and her casting on Three's Company. Somers describes being mentored by Three's Company producer Michael Ross and star John Ritter, and how she came to grasp the essence of comedy acting. Somers speaks frankly about the pitfalls of her meteoric rise to stardom, which eventually resulted in her exit from Three's Company. She then speaks about her subsequent work as a Vegas headliner, author, and star of the 1990s sitcom Step by Step. Stephen J. Abramson conducted the interview on July 15, 2009 in Malibu, CA.
Highlights
Suzanne Somers on her audition with George Lucas for the movie "American Graffiti"
Suzanne Somers on how she first came to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in her early career
Suzanne Somers on the initial atmosphere on the set of Three's Company, and on ABC's reaction to the show
Suzanne Somers on how the hairstyle and trademark laugh for her Three's Company character "Chrissy Snow" came about
Suzanne Somers on how her contract was not renewed for Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on then-current projects
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her parents; on her desire to become a performer; on early television she watched, including The Ed Sullivan Show; on playing the female lead in "Guys and Dolls"; on her father's alcoholism
On becoming a teenage mother/wife; on her early modeling and acting career; on her son's childhood accident and its aftermath (the counseling she received)
On her appearances on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in her early career; on appearing on the syndicated game show The Anniversary Game, hosted by her future husband Alan Hamel; on her audition for the movie "American Graffiti"
On how she was cast on Three's Company by ABC exec Fred Silverman, who had seen her on The Tonight Show; on how she nearly declined auditioning for Three's Company after she had a near-death plane experience; on the resentment she felt from others when she won acting awards having never studied acting; on learning comedy from John Ritter and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross (and their eventual falling out)
On her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"; on how she missed out on several movie opportunities during Three's Company; on her inexperience at the start of Three's Company; on her audition (with Joyce DeWitt); on Three's Company as part of ABC's successful Tuesday night lineup; on her working relationship with John Ritter
On her similarities to her character, "Chrissy Snow"; on the popularity of Three's Company; on her initial fame; on actor Norman Fell ("Mr. Roper"); on the atmosphere on the set of Three's Company
Chapter 2
On how the hairstyle and trademark laugh for her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow," came about; on her character's innocence; on performing physical comedy with John Ritter
On the beginning of her stardom (and conflicts on Three's Company) during a Newsweek cover photo shoot; on angering ABC when she "sold" her hiatus to CBS; on how her contract was not renewed for Three's Company
On headling in Las Vegas; on how her contract was not renewed for Three's Company; on how her bad departure from Three's Company affected her
On deciding to take sitcom Step By Step over a Broadway role; on working on Step By Step; on career advice to actors
Shows
Anniversary Game, The
Suzanne Somers on appearing as a prize model on The Anniversary Game, hosted by future husband Alan Hamel
Step By Step
Suzanne Somers on deciding to take sitcom Step By Step over a Broadway role
Suzanne Somers on comparing her approach to playing a mom on Step By Step versus playing Chrissy on Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on her lifestyle during the shooting of Step by Step (and how the series handled breakout star Sasha Mitchell)
Suzanne Somers on working with the ensemble of child actors on Step By Step
Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on how she was cast on Three's Company by ABC exec Fred Silverman, who had seen her on The Tonight Show
Suzanne Somers on how she nearly declined auditioning for Three's Company after she had a near-death plane experience
Suzanne Somers on the resentment she felt from others when she won acting awards for Three's Company having never studied acting
Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter on the set of Three's Company and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross
Suzanne Somers on her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on how she missed out on several movie opportunities during Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on her experiences at the beginning of Three's Company, and learning to play "Chrissy Snow" as she went
Suzanne Somers on her similarities to her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow" and on the instant popularity of the show
Suzanne Somers on Three's Company as part of ABC's successful Tuesday night lineup
Suzanne Somers on her working relationship with John Ritter on Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on her initial fame (from Three's Company)
Suzanne Somers on working with Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as "Stanley Roper" and "Helen Roper" on Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on the initial atmosphere on the set of Three's Company, and on ABC's reaction to the show
Suzanne Somers on what she feels the producers of Three's Company saw in her portrayal of "Chrissy Snow" that got her cast on the show
Suzanne Somers on creating her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on how her hairstyle and trademark laugh came about for Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on her relationship with the producers of Three's Company and on working with John Ritter in the classic episode "Handcuffed"
Suzanne Somers on performing physical comedy with John Ritter on Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on tensions between her, John Ritter, and Joyce DeWitt on the set of Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on how her contract was not renewed for Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on how her bad departure from Three's Company affected her
Suzanne Somers on what the fans loved about Three's Company and her character "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on how Jay Bernstein mismanaged her career during the run of Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on Don Knotts joining the cast of Three's Company as "Ralph Furley" and on working with the cast of the show
Suzanne Somers on the guest-stars of Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on the legacy of Three's Company
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, The
Suzanne Somers on how she first came to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in her early career
Suzanne Somers on how she was cast on Three's Company by ABC exec Fred Silverman, who had seen her on The Tonight Show
Topics
Characters & Catchphrases
Suzanne Somers on her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on how her hairstyle and trademark laugh came about for Three's Company character "Chrissy Snow"
Classic TV Series Episodes
Suzanne Somers on working with John Ritter in the classic Three's Company episode "Handcuffed"
Comedy
Suzanne Somers on working with John Ritter in the classic Three's Company episode "Handcuffed"
Creative Influences and Inspiration
Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter on the set of Three's Company and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross
Fame and Celebrity
Suzanne Somers on dealing with fame and celebrity, and on her writing
First Big Break
Suzanne Somers on her audition with George Lucas for the movie "American Graffiti"
Historic Events and Social Change
Suzanne Somers on how things have changed for women in television since she started
Pivotal Career Moments
Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter on the set of Three's Company and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross
Suzanne Somers on her audition with George Lucas for the movie "American Graffiti"
Pop Culture
Suzanne Somers on her Three's Company character, "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on working with John Ritter in the classic Three's Company episode "Handcuffed"
Suzanne Somers on how her hairstyle and trademark laugh came about for Three's Company character "Chrissy Snow"
Suzanne Somers on dealing with fame and celebrity, and on her writing
Representation on Television
Suzanne Somers on how things have changed for women in television since she started
Women
Suzanne Somers on how things have changed for women in television since she started
Professions
Actress
Suzanne Somers on her experiences at the beginning of Three's Company, and learning to play "Chrissy Snow" as she went
Suzanne Somers on advice for aspiring actresses
Performers
Suzanne Somers on her experiences at the beginning of Three's Company, and learning to play "Chrissy Snow" as she went
Suzanne Somers on advice for aspiring actresses
Genres
Comedy Series
Suzanne Somers on playing "Chrissy Snow" in Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on playing "Chrissy Snow" on Three's Company
Suzanne Somers on starring in Step by Step
People
Ted Bergmann
Suzanne Somers on Three's Company's Executive in Charge of Production, Ted Bergmann
Johnny Carson
Suzanne Somers on how she first came to appear on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in her early career
Norman Fell
Suzanne Somers on working with Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as "Stanley Roper" and "Helen Roper" on Three's Company
Audra Lindley
Suzanne Somers on working with Norman Fell and Audra Lindley as "Stanley Roper" and "Helen Roper" on Three's Company
George Lucas
Suzanne Somers on her audition with George Lucas for the movie "American Graffiti"
John Ritter
Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter on the set of Three's Company and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross
Suzanne Somers on performing physical comedy with John Ritter on Three's Company
Michael Ross
Suzanne Somers on learning comedy from John Ritter on the set of Three's Company and being mentored by producer Mickey Ross
Fred Silverman
Suzanne Somers on how she was cast on Three's Company by ABC exec Fred Silverman, who had seen her on The Tonight Show
Frank Sinatra
Suzanne Somers on singing advice she received from Frank Sinatra when she headlined in Las Vegas