If there was ever a TV character that viewers would love to hate, it would be Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing of Dallas. J.R. could ruin someone with a smile on his face, and while what he may have done could have been repulsive coming from someone else, the viewer can’t help but root for him.
A big part of J.R.’s appeal was the actor playing him, Larry Hagman. Now, over twenty years after Dallas went off the air as a weekly series, TNT plans to bring the show back with all-new episodes featuring classic favorites alongside a new generation. Unlike previous attempts at series revivals, this series fully employs and uses the show’s original cast, including Hagman, who at 80 is still as dastardly and fun as before.
Several weeks ago in anticipation of the new series, KSiteTV and several other media outlets went to Beverly Hills to attend a press conference with the cast of TNT’s new Dallas. J.R., Bobby, and Sue Ellen are all back on Wednesday, June 13 at 9PM (ET) on TNT, and as the series progresses, old friends like Ray Krebbs, Lucy Ewing, and Cliff Barnes are expected to make appearances.
For Hagman, returning as J.R. was an easy decision once he knew who was on board. “They called and approached me about a year ago, I guess, and I said well… I wasn’t sure. Then they said ‘well, Patrick Duffy and Linda Gray are going to be in on it’ and I said ‘oh, well, okay.’ Linda called up, and she says ‘you’re going to do it!’ And I said ‘Okay’,” Hagman says, alluding to the close relationship he still employs with his TV family. Hagman assures that “J.R. hasn’t changed any” and that he’s very happy with that.
Doing Dallas for broadcast television and doing Dallas for cable seem “the same” to Hagman, who does point out that things are now marketed in a different way. “I mean, there used to be 3 networks, right? And now there are 40 million. There’s a lot more competition out there, too. We’d bring in 27 million people and so forth. Now they’re lucky with 17. There’s a big difference,” he says. As for his own ideas on marketing the show, Hagman says he has no idea about how to market Dallas, “but they’re doin’ a hell of a job.”
“Have you seen the things that they’re putting on at Times Square, with steam in that thing?” he asks. “When I was a kid, they used to have a Camel cigarette, and it would blow smoke out, and I always thought that was the most modern thing I’ve ever seen. Now they’ve got all of us in the shower. That’s pretty good. And they’ve got hair on my chest! I don’t have hair on my chest! And they’ve got him with, well… he does have abs! Have you seen that ad? I mean, my God. I’m sitting next to Samson here,” he continues, looking at Josh Henderson, who plays his TV son, John Ross Ewing III.
Speaking of John Ross, the relationship with J.R. and his son will be a learning experience for them both. “There’s a lot of discovery. I mean, after all, his mother took him to Europe and educated him over there, and I hadn’t seen him in ten years. So we’re both discovering each other. And I know who I am, but he doesn’t know who I am, so there’s that going on too,” Hagman teases. “We’re both learning about each other. This is a discovery period right now, and he’s learning more than he wants to know about me sometimes.”
The generational aspect of Dallas has been a part of the show since the very first episode in 1978, when the rivalry between Jock Ewing and Digger Barnes was just as much a part of the show as the back and forth between their sons, J.R. and Cliff. In the early days of the series, the presence of Jock and Miss Ellie might have held J.R. back from being truly evil. Now that both have passed, could J.R. be unleashed? “That’s a good question; he’s on his own now, isn’t he? I have no idea. We haven’t gone that far yet. We’ve only done ten shows. That’s a good idea. Who do I go to? Who do I turn to, and cry to?” Hagman ponders. Linda Gray interrupts, saying “Not me!”
The always witty Larry Hagman has a quick comeback for his former TV wife. “I think you’ve shown me that when you took my company away!” he exclaims, recalling a storyline from the original series. And on the subject of returning storylines, when Hagman and Gray were shooting the original series, and talking about what John Ross would someday become, did they think they’d be actually performing it 30 years later? “Sure,” Hagman laughs. “Yeah, I knew,” he says slyly, making you wonder if he is exuding J.R. Ewing’s confidence or if he’s just having fun with his engrossed audience.
The return of Dallas airs Wednesday, June 13, at 9PM (ET) on TNT. Our thanks to Mr. Hagman and the Dallas cast for speaking with us, and you can find more Dallas features here in the coming days!
