When Ted Danson sat down to talk about his new TV show, he admitted he was nervous. why? “I really do because I want people to see it,” he said. “I think it’s an important conversation.”
It’s strange to think of Danson as nervous about anything, but in this case it’s not hard to see why. His latest project is about a subject that means a lot to him and touches everyone. In Netflix’s new series “A Man on the Inside,” Danson, a recently retired widow with nothing to do, answers an ad from a private investigator and becomes a mole in a nursing home.
As with many television series, the premise seems a bit far-fetched, but it’s true. The film is based on the 2020 documentary “The Mole Agent,” about a real-life 83-year-old man who goes undercover in a Chilean nursing home. We look for signs that patients are being abused at home. What this documentary uncovers is a group of elderly people who use heart and humor to combat loneliness and loss.
Netflix
Series creator Mike Schull says “A Man on the Inside” is no exception. “I think the purpose of this show is just to discuss a topic that most people don’t discuss, which is aging,” Schull said. “It’s a topic that we don’t really want to talk about. In this country (more so than in other countries, I think) it’s almost considered shameful and embarrassing.”
“If you’re about to die, you made some mistake,” Danson said.
“You failed! Yeah, you failed, you’re old, right?” said Schuur. “I think that’s strange, because if we’re lucky, these things happen. If we’re lucky, we grow old!”
Danson, 76, herself is aging gracefully, with an attitude inspired by Hollywood legend Jane Fonda. “She turned 80 and I was 70 years old and I was starting to think, ‘Well, I’d better find the best place to land, this lifeline or whatever,'” he said. “And I looked at her and thought, no, she’s got her foot on the gas pedal! She works 12 hours a day, shoots a show, hops on a bus and leaves. , you know, supporting service.” There are several women in the industry in Sacramento.
“Don’t slow down, just keep going, keep living your life. I think that’s one of the things our elders will tell us. This is what it’s like to live your life to the end. It’s a method.”
Danson’s elders seem to have set a good example. His parents didn’t allow him to have a television at home. “My mother didn’t like them,” he said. “She wants you to read books, go outside and play, and do creative activities.”
But then Danson became famous on television. His parents finally got it. “But they had something like this beautiful tapestry hanging in front of their house, so when you walk into their house, you don’t see a TV, you see this beautiful tapestry with a candle on top, and they hang it. I took it off and looked at it.” “Cheers,” he said.
Danson still attributes his success to that show about Boston bars. However, since hanging up his bartending apron in 1993, he has had a string of hits. He was the title character in “Becker”. In “Damages,” he went toe-to-toe with Glenn Close. He experienced heaven and hell in “The Good Place.” And he even played himself in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
Along the way, Danson has used his fame to draw attention to his passion project, Oceana, an organization dedicated to protecting the world’s oceans. When asked, “Do you think we’ve made progress?” he answered, “Yes. I mean, our focus is on fishing, on overfishing, on making the world’s fisheries healthy, because we’re doing it right. For example, we can feed a billion people every day.” I eat fishmeal every day. ”
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That sounds a bit like a miracle. It’s something he touches on in his new show and something he says he lives with every day.
When asked what the miracle of his life is, Danson replied:mary steenburgen It’s literally a gift from heaven. After “Cheers,” I worked on myself a little bit to be more emotionally mature and realistic for about a year before I met my girlfriend. And I worked hard on it. And then Mary Steenburgen came along. …We are so blessed. Loving someone and being loved is just one of the miracles of heaven on earth, right? And it came with Mary. ”
And what Ted Danson hopes to share with his latest project is that miracles can be found in every life, until the very end. “This is your life,” he said, “not just until you’re 65, but then you retire and decline. No, you have to live until you die. And that’s your life. Yeah. , it’s sad, yeah, accept it, that’s the message I think. That’s what I want to live by.”
He shared it emotionally. “I’m a little moved because I finally got to say what I wanted to say!” he laughed.
To watch the trailer for “A Man on the Inside,” click on the video player below.
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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.
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