Bundyology - An Interview with Ted McGinley

Bundymania (TV Special):
Interview with Ted McGinley

Last update March 22, 1998

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Bundymania
New Year's Eve 1997/98 TV Special
Pro 7 (German TV Station)
Taped in March, 1997

As posted by StuartM at alt.tv.mwc on March 22, 1998.

Q. What has working here been like for you?
A. Well it's the best job in Hollywood. The hours are easier on people than most other jobs. I go to work every day and, just laugh, and well and truly I look forward to going. It means that I can feed my family and put my son through college and er, so as a father it's a great thing. As an actor it's a big change for me to reach out to a different audience because I done, really, all-American shows like "Happy Days" and "Love Boat and that kind of" [Ted was interupted by a hammering noise on the set] so it's been like a different audience, it's been good for me.

Q. What do you think of Jefferson as a person?
A. I like him, I think he's a guy who would do anything in the world not to er--you know--work and er, we can all appreciate that. He's a Secret Agent and people don't see that CIA thing. I think that he works as a covert and everyone thinks that he's not doing it, they think that Marcy's out working. He's out playing, doing spy stuff, but he allows people to think that he's a moron and that he doesn't wanna work and in fact, he's saving the world, that's my theory. So I like him, you have to like the characters you play--you know. He's a cheerful fun-loving guy, and I'd say that he takes it as it comes, and he attacks the day from a good point of view.

INTERVIEW INTERRUPTED

Q. Why do you think the show is so popular in Germany?
A. I don't know, I think that Germany seems to have a a large blue collar population and I think that they tend to relate to the guy who's been beaten down, you know, the Al Bundys of the world, you know, the guy who's said 'society isn't good enough', and he's been waiting for a chance to say 'up yours!' -- you know --

Ted McGinley

And every day when he goes into his own little home, thats what he does. And he's created a clan of people who can be constantly on the edge of society, be er -- you know -- 'Well we'll show society coz society is always giving it to us, so now we'll give it back!' And I think that's what people relate to in every society.

Q. Well, would you mind Jefferson to be thought of as a 'villain'
A. Yeah that's all right, well actually I think that Marcy's the villain, I just sleep late -- you know -- er, I think that Jefferson will go and show where the winner was and er, you know, I go with Al to pave my way, you know, that's the way I look at it. In the mean time he's saving the world with his CIA operative stuff.

Q. Last year, Buck was replaced. Do you miss him?
A. That was really very sad, I mean he was a great dog and he was part of the family here. In fact he'd been here longer than I have, and I always thought I would go first, truthfully. You know, it's a sad day coz' Steve the dog trainer, who works with the dogs, is a friend of eveybody here, and he knows that he was a great star when he 'passed on', and so it was sad, and the other dog was cute but he was not Buck, and they were completely different, so it's kinda nice in that, you know, you have two different types of dogs as opposed to someone trying to replace Buck as the same dog.

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