When “MAS*H” star Alan Alda speaks, we listen. The accomplished actor has six Golden Globes and five Emmy Awards. He’s been nominated for just about everything, however, including an Oscar. And in 2009 Alda almost won another Emmy for his guest appearance on the show “30 Rock.”
It’s safe to say the man responsible for Cpt. Benjamin Franklin “Hawkeye” Pierce knows what he’s talking about when it comes to television.
That’s what made him so valuable to a comedy like “30 Rock.” The Tina Fey-created show ran from 2006-2013 and won its own fair share of awards. The “MAS*H” star was brought in as a guest actor to play Milton Greene. His character was the biological father of Alec Baldwin’s Jack Donaghy.
‘M*A*S*H’ Star Alan Alda Got The Same Feeling From Both Shows
In an interview from 2010, Alan Alda drew on his experience to talk about what makes a good show like “MAS*H” or “30 Rock” tick.
“When I first went on 30 Rock — and this is now the third time I’ve been on the show — I had the same feeling about the group there that I had when we were doing M*A*S*H,” Alda said. “Everybody knows where they’re going and what they’re doing. And they all are supportive of one another. They all recognize one another’s unique personalities. And they work with them. They play with them. They work around them. They’re very tuned into one another. Just the same way we were. And it’s very nice to see that.”
Strong words coming from a veteran of the industry. Such a veteran, in fact, that the “M*A*S*H” star realized something funny when he was first invited onto the show.
“They called me up and they asked me if I wanted to be Alec Baldwin’s father. And I was delighted. You know, it’s very funny to – it’s a funny feeling to work with people who you consider your colleagues and to realize that they actually are young enough to be your children,” Alda said in 2010.
Alan Alda Is Glad He’s Not Directing Anymore
The “M*A*S*H” star did more than just play a character on the iconic show. He wrote and directed his fair share of episodes.
But does he miss it? Not a chance.
The actor talked about how a director has to worry about countless things. Things like camera placement, for instance.
“It’s just one of the extra pleasures in life not to have to worry about those things,” he said in the 2010 interview.
And 10 years later, the “M*A*S*H” star is still going strong.
