‘M*A*S*H’: Alan Alda Explained Why He is ‘More Comfortable’ with Reality Than ‘Wishes and Hope’
Give “M*A*S*H” star Alan Alda a big, fat dose of reality any day and he’ll be as happy as “Hawkeye” Pierce leaving the Korean War.
Alda talked about his views on reality during a 2019 interview with The Guardian.
“I love reality,” Alda said. “I’m more comfortable with the uncertainty of reality than I am with wishes and hope.
“I am sort of optimistic, so that represents hope for me,” the “M*A*S*H” star said. “But reality is even more connected to hope than that because what is, is” – he slaps the table – “so why waste time wishing it away?
“I have a natural tendency to deny it so I can get on with things but that’s not the same thing as saying: ‘Oh, why me?’ If not me, somebody else,” Alda said. “Why anybody? Nature is uncertain and, to a great extent, destructive. For Christ’s sake, we all die.”
So if you are thinking of sending the “M*A*S*H” actor any good wishes anytime soon, then maybe you ought to take his views into account.
Alda played his role on the popular CBS sitcom for 11 seasons. He also wrote and directed a number of episodes throughout his time on the show.
‘M*A*S*H’ Star Talked About Most Important Thing He Learned In College
Meanwhile, Alan Alda spent some time waxing poetic about being in college. Alda sat down for an interview with Stony Brook University for a segment they called “Five Questions With…”.
The “M*A*S*H” star talked at length about his time on PBS’s “Scientific American Frontiers” and how much he helped scientists speak in conversational tones.
Back to his college experience, though. He said learning to “think clearly” and use “language well” were the most important lessons learned while in college.
“The thing that college did for me, it wasn’t introducing me to a field of study or anything like that,” Alda said. “What college did the most for me, the most good it did for me, was to teach me to think clearly and to use language well.”
Alda Has Played In Movies, TV, Won Awards Throughout Career
He’s done that quite well throughout his career, going from playing writer George Plimpton in the movie “Paper Lion” to a politician in “The Seduction of Joe Tynan.”
Yes, obviously, there’s his role on “M*A*S*H” as well. Alda has done many things throughout his career, picking up awards along the way. He won five Emmy Awards for his contributions to the war-themed sitcom. Alda also happened to pocket a sixth Emmy for his role on NBC’s “The West Wing.”
He was nominated for three Tony Awards for “The Apple Tree,” “Jake’s Women,” and “Glengarry Glen Ross.” As for movies, Alda gained an Academy Awards nomination for his role in “The Aviator.”
