John Goodman Talks Almost Leaving ‘Roseanne’: ‘At First It Was Exciting’
The Roseanne reboot has attracted more than its fair share of controversy. However, star John Goodman doesn't regret returning for another round on the show.
Struggling To Cope
He revealed in a new interview that he wasn't always so sure about coming back. Goodman sat down with Today's Willie Geist to discuss his reasons for almost walking away from the show for good.
The actor discussed his struggles with fame and alcoholism, which, at the height of its success during its initial run in the mid-1990s, nearly led him to cut all ties with the show.
"At first it was exciting. Then it got frightening when I lost my anonymity," he confessed.
Goodman's work on the classic family sitcom earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor back in 1993. Although he was at the height of a successful career, the actor turned to alcohol to cope as the show got bigger and bigger.
"I got complacent and ungrateful. ... I wanted to leave the show. I handled it like I did everything else, by sittin' on a bar stool. And that made it worse," he explained.
Goodman even admitted to having slurred speech on the set of the show, where he would frequently drink.
Admitting He Needed Help
He didn't end up leaving, of course. Instead, when the show ended in 1997, Goodman moved out of L.A. and set up in New Orleans, LA, where he and his long-term wife still live.
The beloved actor sought treatment at a rehab facility after a boozy weekend with friends led to him missing a rehearsal.
"I was shaking, I was still drinking, but I was still shaking. I had the clarity of thought that I needed to be hospitalized," he said.
The actor and star of classic movies, including The Big Lebowski and Monsters Inc., has now been sober for a decade.
Returning to Roseanne is a chance to do everything differently. Goodman acknowledged that everybody feels grateful to be included this time around.
Popular And Problematic
The rebooted series is hugely popular the second time around, with President Trump himself calling the titular star and his vocal supporter, Roseanne Barr, to congratulate her on its huge ratings.
It has come under fierce criticism, however, for professing to showcase a side of "normal" working class American voters, especially when Barr is seen to be just pushing her own political agenda.
The resurfacing of an ill-advised photo shoot featuring Barr dressed as Hitler pushing cookies appearing to be "Jews" into an oven has helped the matter, not even Trump's open support for the show.
