Burn Notice – The Cagney and Lacey interview

Burn Notice Cagney and Lacey reunion

Not my conference call interview (although I was invited), but here’s the full transcript of an interview with Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly (aka Cagney and Lacey) about Cagney and Lacey, their recent reunion on Burn Notice and more.

Coordinator: Hello and welcome to the Burn Notice conference call. At the request of NBC this call is being recorded for instant replay purposes. A transcript of the call is also being made. With us on today’s call are Kevin Endsley of NBC and Andrea Epstein: of USA.

Andrea Epstein: We would like to welcome you. Hi everybody, this is Andrea from USA. Thank you so much for taking the time to call in and join today. On the line, as you know, we have two extraordinary women. We have Sharon Gless and Tyne Daly. Sharon stars in the Number 1 series on cable, USA’s original series Burn Notice. And Tyne has reunited with her to guest on our mid-series premiere.

This episode is titled Dark Road and will premiere on USA network on Thursday, January 21 at 10:00 pm. If there are no questions we can begin the call. And again we thank you very much for your participation.

Coordinator: Thank you. If you would like to ask a question throughout today’s call press star 1. The first question is from Earl Dittman, Wireless Magazine.

Earl Dittman: Hi ladies, how are you all today?

Sharon Gless: Good morning.

Tyne Daly: Hi Earl.

Earl Dittman: It’s great to hear the two of you together. I am so excited and I know everyone else is excited. How did you all feel about the prospect of re-teaming?

Sharon Gless: Well I loved. I’ve been trying to talk Tyne into coming and doing our show. Tyne said she’ll do it if she could play a mute. But Matt Nix said I’m not paying Tyne Daly to not hear that voice of hers so.

Earl Dittman: Had you all tried to work together in the past few years?

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Go ahead Sharon.

Sharon Gless: Go ahead Tyne. I did Tyne’s show, the Judging Amy.

Earl Dittman: Oh okay that’s right, that’s right.

Tyne Daly: She did, she came when we were…

((Crosstalk))

Andrea Epstein: I’m sorry, guys, very quickly Sharon and Tyne before you speak maybe just introduce yourselves so they know which, you know, which person is speaking to make it easier for the journalists.

Sharon Gless: Oh okay.

Tyne Daly: So it’s Tyne talking now. And Sharon came when we were in trouble because of – my colleague had died, Richard Crenna, and we didn’t quite – we were thrown into a very unpleasant situation. Sharon came and pinch hit and was lovely on our show.

And so I figured to do this Burn Notice, you know, turn about is fair play. And besides that…

Earl Dittman: Yeah.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: …play with her, we play very easy together, we have a good time.

Earl Dittman: Yeah. You know, it was natural. I mean, do you all have a very natural chemistry?

Tyne Daly: I guess so.

Sharon Gless: Yeah – this is Sharon. We’ve been doing it a long time. You know, so, yeah, we developed something on Cagney & Lacey. And I find it very easy and wonderful working with Tyne when she was with us. People got so – when we were in the makeup trailer we’re sitting just chatting and laughing before we begin and that isn’t sort of the tone of our makeup trailer so everybody was going boy I wish that we did that more.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: …and talk to me, I’ll talk to you.

Earl Dittman: And Tyne, what did, you know, I mean I’m sure you saw Sharon on the Nip/Tuck so what did she warn you about Burn Notice before you came on? Did she say don’t worry it’s nothing like that, what were some of the – or was it all great things?

Tyne Daly: Well actually I have to confess that I did not see Sharon on Nip/Tuck although I heard tales. Because I’ve needed to have a rest from the 21st Century I no longer have a television set.

Earl Dittman: You’re kidding?

Tyne Daly: So – I wouldn’t kid you about a thing like that. But I heard – I heard about Nip/Tuck. And one day when I’m very calm I’ll sit down and screen it and – but I didn’t have that to scare me off. She can’t scare me, man.

Earl Dittman: So what did she tell you about coming on Burn Notice?

Tyne Daly: She said there was a part. She said it wasn’t big enough. She said come anyway and I said yeah.

Earl Dittman: Oh that’s great. That’s great. Well your fans are looking – I’ll let you go because I know other people want to talk to you but I’m so glad you ladies are together and I hope we see more of you together. And you need to get a TV Tyne. There’s too much great stuff especially even with Sharon. So you’ve got to watch it.

Tyne Daly: Thank you, I’ll take your advice.

Sharon Gless: Thank you, Earl.

Earl Dittman: Thank you.

Coordinator: Allison Waldman:, TV Week.

Allison Waldman: Hi Sharon, hi Tyne. It’s a pleasure speaking with you today. I’m so excited. I’m a die-hard fan of yours. Sharon, I think I met you on the set of Burn Notice. I told you at the time I was a big Cagney & Lacey fan. And…

((Crosstalk))

Allison Waldman: And at the time you told me you were trying to get Tyne there and I’m really excited that you guys are finally working together on Burn Notice which is such a fun show.

Tyne…

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Allison Waldman: …tell me something – what did you feel – what kind of a vibe did you get from Burn Notice when you went to work on the show?

Tyne Daly: What kind of vibe?

Allison Waldman: Yeah, did you get a vibe working on Burn Notice?

Tyne Daly: Yeah, yeah, no that Sharon was safe and sound, that they love her there. They admire her there. They – and I, you know, I threatened everybody if they weren’t treating her right that I would lean on them, you know. But it seems to be a good working place.

I don’t know that we’ll ever replicate the kind of work we did in our primes, you know. We had the advantage of – let’s see, an opportunity to do something that hadn’t been done on TV before. But I figure, you know, the two of us are continuing to do what we do. And if we do it with some kind of class I’m grateful for that.

Sharon Gless: I’ll tell you what happened – this is Sharon.

Allison Waldman: Yeah.

Sharon Gless: When Tyne walked in – we always walked in together – over that set the likes of which I’ve never seen. I said to the crew, I said, I didn’t get this kind of respect when I walked in. But the two of us together – I was fascinated because I know my crew. They were just so, so respectful wanting to watch us work together.

Tyne Daly: And we felt like, you know, it’s kind of like bicycle riding – this is Tyne – you know, with Sharon we just fall into a rhythm and it was nice and easy. It was really fun. We had only what three or four scenes but the – it felt like a very great tennis match.

Allison Waldman: Let me ask you one follow up and then I’ll pass it on to somebody else. When you – going back in time do you guys remember when you first started working together. Tyne, what did you learn from Sharon? And Sharon, what did you learn from Tyne? We’ll start with Tyne.

Tyne Daly: What did I learn from Sharon?

Allison Waldman: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: That laughing – that laughing is important in a situation. When you’re working really hard laughing is important to do as much as humanly possible. We laughed – I think we laughed everyday. And there were some tense days too but we laughed anyway. That’s what I learned from Sharon.

Allison Waldman: And what about you Sharon?

Sharon Gless: Thank you Tyne. Thank you. I think the more tense – the more tense the situation became the more we started laughing.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: There’s hysterical laughing too, there’s nervous laughing, that’s right.

Sharon Gless: Right. What did I learn from Tyne?

Allison Waldman: Yeah.

Sharon Gless: When I first started the show I learned generosity towards another actor. I’d never seen anything like that. Tyne was so generous in welcoming me to the show. I was her third Cagney. She liked the last one she worked with. And made me feel like I was welcome and it was my home now. And she was just wonderful.

And I try to do that when we have guests who are nervous, you know, I always remember how generous she was to me so.

Allison Waldman: Terrific. Thank you guys, really appreciate it. I’m really looking forward to seeing you together again.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Coordinator: April McIntyre:, Monsters and Critics.

April McIntyre: Hi ladies. Thanks so much and it’s a pleasure to speak to you both.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

April McIntyre: So I have notes from this episode, I have not been sent a screener so I’m flying blind. But the notes that I have are that your character, Tyne, is an intelligence asset. And I was wondering if you could…

Tyne Daly: Intelligence what?

April McIntyre: Yes, an intelligence asset for Michael.

Tyne Daly: I thought you said something else, my gosh.

April McIntyre: An asset. No, no, no, no.

Tyne Daly: You know, it’s a difficult connection we got here. An intelligence asset.

April McIntyre: Intelligence asset that you share a wardrobe and a cigarette together or a cigarette brand; these are the notes that I have so please tell me about your character.

Tyne Daly: To me she was just kind of a little, you know, a low-rate bureaucrat. She’s protective of her position. And then she meets a woman who sort of offered her friendship and she’s so knocked off her game that she gets conned.

April McIntyre: Is there only one episode?

Tyne Daly: Maybe it’s a different show man?

April McIntyre: No, no, no, this is actually from the USA site.

Tyne Daly: What do you know?

April McIntyre: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: You know, there little bites they have in the TV Guide and stuff like that about what the show is about are often very misleading as far as I’m concerned.

April McIntyre: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: Are you only on for this one episode?

Sharon Gless: She was absolutely wonderful – this is Sharon – she was absolutely wonderful.

April McIntyre: Can you give us some insight about what’s going to happen in this particular episode too from your perspective – from your character’s?

Sharon Gless: For Sharon?

April McIntyre: Yeah.

Sharon Gless: From Sharon’s? Well apparently – apparently I’m not allowed to tell…

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: …what I do, what I do to Tyne. But it’s very, very unusual the situations that they put me in with Tyne. They had me go undercover.

April McIntyre: I have a question…

Sharon Gless: They weren’t able to.

April McIntyre: I’m sorry.

Sharon Gless: They had to have me go undercover because they were busy. And – their characters were busy. So we sent (mom) in and the person that I went to deal with was Tyne Daly.

April McIntyre: Tyne, I have to ask from that last question what was it that inspired you to ban the television from your house considering it’s a medium that, you know, one of the many mediums, you know, theater actor and what not and film but TV was also part of your…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Banned sounds very violent. It’s not about ban it’s just about resting. The world is very noisy and, you know, I need to rest from it. There’s far too much technical demand going on. So there’ll come a time when I’ll probably…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: I know I’m talking to TV publications, I shouldn’t ever say that. I’m now going to not say that, I’ll try and be smart. I just – I’m busy and I can’t memorize stuff when I’m looking at other stuff you know what I’m saying?

April McIntyre: I hear you. I hear you.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: I sent Tyne a product of mine and she went to her neighbor’s apartment to watch it.

Tyne Daly: Yeah I did, you know, I’ve watched my brother’s show at my neighbor’s house. I watch Sharon Gless at my neighbor’s house. I rely on the kindness of strangers to allow me to see stuff that I’m really interested in.

April McIntyre: Well that’s so funny. Thank you both so much.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you, bye.

Coordinator: Ken Gold:, Media Boulevard.

Ken Gold: Hi.

Tyne Daly: I’m sorry, Sharon. I’ll cut it out.

Sharon Gless: It’s fine with me. I think somebody talked you into it.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Who we got?

Ken Gold: …that’s okay. This is Ken Gold: from Media Boulevard. Thanks a lot for – both of you it’s really a pleasure to talk to you today.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Tyne Daly: Hi Ken.

Ken Gold: My first question was (unintelligible) back at Cagney & Lacey I think you’re both really (unintelligible) every time even though so many other things every time either one of your name’s comes up it goes back to Cagney & Lacey. And does that bother you now, I mean, 25 years – or more than 25 years later to still be associated with those characters?

Tyne Daly: This is Tyne.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: There was a time that I promised Sharon that we would not be photographed together and they would not speak in terms of Cagney & Lacey and I was wrong. But I don’t resent it because it means that we have both been able to keep working and keeping plying our trade and do other stuff. And, no, I don’t feel bad about it. Not me.

Sharon Gless: Me either. I really do thank Cagney & Lacey for providing all the work that we’ve been able to have since then. Barney Rosenzweig, our producer, still maintains that we’re worth more together than we are as a single.

Tyne Daly: It could be true but you ain’t hurting either babe.

Ken Gold: So I don’t think there’s really been another show since Cagney & Lacey with two such strong female characters together. Why do you think it’s been so long or why have we not had that again, did you guys just kind of ruin that genre for everybody or…

Sharon Gless: I didn’t hear – I didn’t understand the question.

Tyne Daly: Me either. I’m sorry, we’re having a – I didn’t get it either.

Ken Gold: Okay I’ll try and speak up. I was saying I think really since Cagney & Lacey, you know, there really hasn’t been another show with two very strong female characters kind of leading the show. And I just wondered if you had any thoughts on that and why that is.

Sharon Gless: Well this is Sharon. I was very aware – Tyne used to say, you know, we really did want to pass the gauntlet and to let hopefully another show like that because TV totally plagiarizes, I mean, it steals from itself all the time. And they never did copy the format.

But I heard recently this – I can’t remember anybody’s name but the man who produces all the CSI movies – shows that he is now going to do a Cagney & Lacey – not call it that but two female cops together. I don’t know how you get away with that and not call it Cagney & Lacey but hey. They say that’s what he’s going to attempt.

Tyne Daly: Maybe we did it so well in the first place that they’ve hesitated to try and copy it, I don’t know.

Sharon Gless: And then…

Tyne Daly: I don’t run the zoo and I’m really glad I don’t.

Sharon Gless: Yeah, me too.

Ken Gold: Yeah, that new show just got at least picked up for scripts orders it’s called Jackson Amber and it’s also on TBS. If they asked you to come as Cagney & Lacey just as a cameo would that be something you’d consider to help them re-launch this type of…

Tyne Daly: Lacey’s retired, man, I don’t know about Cag but she’s retired.

Sharon Gless: Yeah, who – what is the show? Is that the one that the CSI guy is doing?

Ken Gold: Yeah, it’s called Jackson Amber. And…

Sharon Gless: Is that where – where it’s two female cops?

Ken Gold: Right.

Sharon Gless: Right. I don’t know I’d have to see the part. But I don’t think I’d come on as Chris Cagney.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: I mean, Chris Cagney is, I mean, I’m a little long in the tooth now to be playing that character.

Ken Gold: I don’t know about that but…

Sharon Gless: Does it take place in New York like ours did?

Ken Gold: Yeah, I’m not sure where it’s taking place. There aren’t a lot of details out yet but it’s definitely getting compared to Cagney & Lacey in pretty much every mention so.

Sharon Gless: I be that…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Everything gets compared to everything in Hollywood.

Ken Gold: Right.

Tyne Daly: Yeah, you go into Hollywood and they say you’re the new this or the new that, that’s a long standing game. I wouldn’t be – if I were the producers of this new show I wouldn’t be concerned about it for a moment.

Ken Gold: Okay thank you. I’ll let somebody else go. It’s been a pleasure talking to you both. Thank you.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Coordinator: Jim Halterman:, jimhalterman.com.

Jim Halterman: Hi. I wanted to know, Tyne, are you interested in doing like a regular TV gig and if Tina was offered up as a regular gig would you take it?

Tyne Daly: Well at the moment I don’t have time. I’m doing the Caberet, I actually open tonight in San Francisco and then New York and LA and wherever else it is unintelligible. Yeah so I’m doing my Caberet and after that I’m obliged to play in Washington.

When I finished Judging Amy I was ready to take some time to be in a kind of theater where you’re in the same room as your audience. So, you know, musical theater, legitimate theater, cabaret all have to do with being with your audience at the same time and not being on film.

When I tire of this we’ll see if anybody wants to ever take my picture again. That’s in 10 years time.

Jim Halterman: Okay. And a question for both of you, outside of working together once in a while since Cagney & Lacey are you in touch? Do you guys see each other, you know, socially?

Sharon Gless: Whenever we can. This is Sharon. We live in different cities but we’re very, very close. Tyne, oh never mind, that’s right. Yeah, we…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Yeah, right now we’re both in San Francisco. Sharon is opening a play. I’m opening at the Raz Room and our schedules are exactly the same so we’re going to be able to maybe have a, you know, a glass of wine and a hamburger together. But we’re not going to be able to see each other’s shows which is too bad.

Sharon Gless: I know.

Tyne Daly: Staying busy is great. The drawback is you don’t have a lot of leisure time. But I am always grateful to Cagney & Lacey because I got my friend Sharon out of it. You know, she’s a real friend and a friend for life. And that doesn’t always happen in our business. It’s really pretty rare.

Jim Halterman: Okay thank you so much, continued success for both of you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Coordinator: Reg Seeton:, the deadbolt.com.

Tyne Daly: That’s it? Hello, goodbye.

Reg Seeton: Hello?

Tyne Daly: Hello?

Reg Seeton: Hi ladies. Thanks for taking the time.

Sharon Gless: Hi, what’s your name?

Reg Seeton: Reg from the deadbolt.com.

Sharon Gless: Reg? Hi.

Reg Seeton: Hi. I wanted to know what did each of you want in the Burn Notice script in order to work together again?

Tyne Daly: The best jokes. That’s Tyne talking.

Sharon Gless: Well we’re not allowed – this is Sharon. I’m not allowed to tell exactly what happens between us. But I don’t know if they could pull us back together again after what happened. But that’s…

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: …after what happens on film.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: I still think – it’s really Tyne’s idea but I promote – I think she should be playing the woman who actually is behind this whole Burn Notice thing.

Tyne Daly: That’d be fun.

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: You know, Sharon, you know, Sharon how interested I am in power.

Sharon Gless: I know.

Reg Seeton: Well in what ways do both of you see how women on TV today are benefiting from the ground you paved on Cagney & Lacey?

Tyne Daly: Sharon?

Sharon Gless: Yeah. Shoot, I knew you were going to say that. How are women benefitting today was your question?

Reg Seeton: Yeah, from the ground you paved on Cagney & Lacey.

Sharon Gless: There are some wonderful shows on starring really, really wonderful women. It’s mostly motion picture stars that – who would never touch television who now are flying to it who are playing strong women – the leads. There’s no one – there’s never been a format like Cagney & Lacey again where it was two sharing it.

But I was just told that there is some producer now who’s going to try and do a show like Cagney & Lacey. I hope we had some impact, I mean, there’s some wonderful women on the air now in strong roles.

Reg Seeton: And Tyne, for you, how do you see it?

Tyne Daly: Well, you know, television serves very briefly in its own time as far as I’m concerned. So we hit a very lucky time when we could reflect – because I don’t think television leads, I think it reflects. We could reflect some of the influences that were happening in the society.

Women come up to me and say how grateful they were that they spent time with their moms watching TV or that, you know, they were encouraged to be professionals because of the images that they saw on – saw us do.

We served (then), whether or not that thing would be of use in the 21st Century I don’t know. We’re onto third-wave feminism and a whole bunch of stuff that I’m – don’t understand completely. But I do think we did good service in our time. And I can stay proud of that.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: While we were on the air – this is Sharon – (unintelligible) got lots of mail from young girls saying we’re going to join the force.

Tyne Daly: Oh God.

Sharon Gless: And I always wanted to say are you crazy, you could get killed. But now it’s been 20 years later and I’ve met so many of them who are now have put in their 20 and they’re retiring.

((Crosstalk))

Reg Seeton: Well what do you – what do you each appreciate about each other now that you, you know, that you couldn’t during the height of Cagney & Lacey?

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: …we’ve been pretty good at appreciating each other.

Sharon Gless: Yeah. I still appreciate Tyne’s talent and I appreciate her friendship.

Tyne Daly: I am encouraged that Sharon keeps finding new things to do and new ways to be, you know, of service as an actor and so I can too. If I get blue and I get bummed I think well, you know, Gless has gone to London and done a play and she’s developing a new plan thing. And so I…

Sharon Gless: If Gless can do it…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Really but, you know, I wanted to be a long distance runner, you know, when I started out. And Sharon is being one and I’m being one in a profession where usually, you know, you do your sprint and then it’s over…

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: …especially for women in some way. Women don’t tend to last in this business. They think their shelf life is much shorter than the guy’s. So I’m encouraged by Miss Gless.

Sharon Gless: Thank you my friend and I you.

Reg Seeton: Well it’s been a pleasure ladies, thank you very much.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Coordinator: Sarah Fulghum:, Totally Her.

Sarah Fulghum: Hi. Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.

Tyne Daly: What are we doing? I can’t hear.

Sharon Gless: Hi.

Sarah Fulghum: Hello?

Tyne Daly: Hi.

Sarah Fulghum: Hi. This is Sarah from Totally Her.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: The connection is terrible for me.

Sarah Fulghum: I’m sorry what?

Sharon Gless: I just – this is Sharon – I said hello.

Sarah Fulghum: Hello. I was wondering for both of you what are the differences you’ve seen in your opportunities since Cagney & Lacey?

Sharon Gless: I’m sorry what are the different – you mean different from each other?

Sarah Fulghum: Differences as in the culture changing, roles available for women.

Sharon Gless: Well this is Sharon. I’m not equipped to discuss the culture but there are better parts now for women than there were when we were television. I think that’s why we got the acclaim we did. And while we were on the air no other woman ever won the Emmy. And it’s because we had the material.

But I think Cagney & Lacey certainly had impact. And it’s probably one of the reasons why there’s so many good women’s roles today. There were not at that time.

Sarah Fulghum: I agree.

Tyne Daly: I’m – it’s Tyne talking. I think though on another level, you know, you make your own opportunities, you make your own opportunities, you find them. There are places to go and serve as an actor and be, you know, entertaining or amusing or interesting if you’re willing to find them.

If you think there’s only one place to do it like it has to be Broadway or it has to be Hollywood then you limit yourself. I’m enjoying at this point well after my prime, you know, being able to go and be an actor or a singer or whatever I’m doing in different places.

I think actors limit themselves to a specific location and that’s the only allowable success. Does that make any sense?

Sarah Fulghum: Oh it makes perfect sense. In fact that’s extremely insightful. Thank you.

Tyne Daly: So if you accept limitations then, yeah, you’ll be limited. If you don’t accept limitations then the horizon is pretty vast.

Sarah Fulghum: That makes sense. I’m sure for both of you, you know, careers are, you know, how they are where they have their ups and downs. What do each of you do to get through the tough times in your careers? What was like cheered you up and made things better?

Tyne Daly: Well we call each other.

Sharon Gless: We go out and have a hot fudge sundae together.

Tyne Daly: Hot fudge sundaes help, yeah.

Sharon Gless: I don’t know what I’d do. I mean I’ve been very fortunate. So – this is Sharon – as Tyne to continue working. Since Cagney & Lacey I think both of us have really been on the air, or as Tyne on stage, ever since then.

Tyne Daly: Yeah, you know, it depends on what – it’s Tyne again – it depends on what you’re willing to accept. When I started Judging Amy which was another television series that went for six years which most television shows do not, all I had to do was cut my price and play 10 years older than I was.

But I wanted to be acting. And I wanted to be acting on television. I wanted that regular job again. I spent several years of not having a regular job and it was time to, you know, fulfill my obligations as a worker so that turned out okay.

After that you change as it comes. Sharon said okay I’m going to do this – what do you call it – Queer as Folk and I’m going to move to Canada, you know, she had to live and work in Canada. She had to be willing to do that.

So there haven’t been a lot of patches of inactivity really for either one of us which is pretty…

Sharon Gless: Yeah, we’ve been very, very blessed because that isn’t…

Tyne Daly: Very lucky.

Sharon Gless: …the situation, yeah, with most of our colleagues. So, yeah, I think we’re both very blessed.

Sarah Fulghum: That is definitely true. Thank you for answering my questions.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Coordinator: Amy Harrington:, Pop Culture Passionistas.

Tyne Daly: Hi Amy.

Amy Harrington: Hi. Thanks so much for taking the time with us today. We’re really honored to speak with you.

Sharon Gless: Aren’t you nice.

Amy Harrington: We know you’re both doing a lot of theater these days, Sharon, you’re doing the Round Heeled Woman in San Francisco and Tyne, you have your play right now in addition to all the past Broadway stuff you’ve done. We’re just wondering if you could describe the process a little bit especially about starting a new show, Sharon, with the Round Heeled Woman.

Sharon Gless: Oh the process. This has gone on – I bought this – the option on this book about nine years ago. It’s gone through many lives and now it’s actually happening here in San Francisco. But it’s been a long time coming, long, long, long. And I’m nervous.

But I don’t know really how to describe the process it just took time and patience and finding the right people to do it; I can’t do it alone, you know, so…

Amy Harrington: Right.

((Crosstalk))

Amy Harrington: Do you guys give each other advice about your respective shows?

Sharon Gless: Well I fit Tyne in the script and she applauded my courage.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: I think – this is Tyne talking – I think we’ve been pretty good supporters of each other, you know, since Cagney & Lacey. I’m interested in Sharon’s work and what she’s doing and trying to follow it and she in mine. Right now we’re both in San Francisco and yet our schedules are so much the same that I’m not going to get to see her play and she’s not to get to come over and see the Cabaret which is too bad. But…

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: …but I think we don’t hesitate to, you know, tell each other our opinions. And you can’t get straight opinions out of a lot of people in this business. So I think in some ways I rely on Sharon to give me the straight story. You know, she came to New York to see my – me try this Cabaret thing at Feinstein’s in New York and was not only a supporter and a booster but also, you know, somebody who told me the straight story about what she liked and what she didn’t.

Sharon Gless: She was fabulous.

Amy Harrington: Would you guys ever consider doing…

Sharon Gless: And I loved her shoes.

Amy Harrington: …a play together?

Tyne Daly: I guess – are you the best fashionista lady? I never spent so much money on shoes in my whole life and I….

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: I’m now working this Cabaret all over the country to work off the shoes because….

Amy Harrington: Would you guys ever consider doing theater together maybe (unintelligible)?

Sharon Gless: Absolutely, I would.

Tyne Daly: Sure we actually…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: …there’s a time, yeah.

Sharon Gless: We actually were approached by a company in London to do a project that just turned – time wise it didn’t work out for either of us but.

Tyne Daly: There’ll be a time. I think there’ll be a time to say if the gods subscribe. You know, years ago, I mean, years ago we were approached to do some production somewhere of Arsenic and Old Lace. And we both kind of got, you know, a little huffy and said we’re too – but in another 10 years, Shar – Arsenic and Old Lace might be right up our street.

It’s nice to know it’s over there in case we need it when we get…

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: …when we get well into our 70s. Sure…

Sharon Gless: But in the interim I’d love her to come back – in the interim I’d lover her to come back to Burn Notice. They loved her.

Tyne Daly: I had a good time. I had a good time.

Amy Harrington: Well thank you so much for your time and good luck with your projects.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Coordinator: Cynthia Boris:, TV Verdict.

Cynthia Boris: Hi ladies.

Tyne Daly: Hi.

Sharon Gless: Hello.

Cynthia Boris: And I know the moderator said you needed to say who you were when you talked but we’d be really bad fans if we couldn’t tell your voices apart.

((Crosstalk))

Cynthia Boris: You both have such wonderful voices.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Cynthia Boris: My question is you guys have done a lot of things in your life and I wonder what is the most adventurous thing you have done?

Sharon Gless: I couldn’t hear your question, I’m so sorry.

Cynthia Boris: I wanted to know what is the most adventurous thing you have ever done in your life?

Sharon Gless: Adventurous I would call frightening – the most frightening thing I’ve ever done in my life? This is Sharon.

Cynthia Boris: Anywhere you want – anywhere you want to take it.

Sharon Gless: This play I’m about to start is the frightening thing I’ve ever done.

Tyne Daly: The most adventurous thing – well I’m not sure that I interpret it – this is Tyne – as frightening. I think the most adventurous thing you can do is actually follow your impulses, your deep impulses. The most adventurous thing I did in my life was get married.

Cynthia Boris: I hesitate to say how’d that work out for you or…

Tyne Daly: Well 27 years and three kids and two and a half grandchildren – I got another grandchild coming is not too bad so far, so far so good.

Cynthia Boris: Excellent, that is excellent.

Tyne Daly: Yeah.

Cynthia Boris: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: Like half of American marriages that ended in divorce but I’m not going to throw out the – that part of it for the value of the marriage itself was fantastic.

Cynthia Boris: That’s a good run, definitely. And Sharon I just wanted to say what – you keep saying about how terrified you are of this play. What exactly are you worried about?

Sharon Gless: Well it’s an original piece. I’ve owned it for nine years.

Cynthia Boris: Wow.

Sharon Gless: It’s finally being made in San Francisco. And it’s a true story of a woman who took – a 66-year old woman took an ad out in the New York Review of Books who wanted to strike the intellectual – asking for sex. And I’m playing it. And it’s very – it’s scary. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever done.

And the woman I’m actually playing is going to be there opening night so…

Cynthia Boris: Oh.

Tyne Daly: Yeah.

Cynthia Boris: That would be a little intimidating definitely. Well I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful and I look forward to seeing more of you ladies in many, many different things. Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you very much.

Coordinator: Curt Wagner:, Red Eye.

Curt Wagner: Hi ladies, thanks for talking to us. I wanted to find out, Sharon, we talked a year ago or maybe a year and a half ago about how much fun it is working with Jeffrey and you guys have this very lovely scene at the end of this episode. I was wondering…

Sharon Gless: Have you seen it? Have you seen this?

Curt Wagner: Yes. Yes I did. And I was wondering to hear what Tyne – you didn’t work much with Jeffrey but how was working with him?

Tyne Daly: Well we didn’t have very much of an opportunity. He was very gracious and behaved the way a, you know, the star of a television show should behave in terms of greeting guest stars. I think – you can always feel on a set, you know, whether something is – whether it’s a happy set or not, whether the people are engaged in the work they’re doing.

So, you know, he was lovely. And big bang, I was gone, so we didn’t have much to do together. But I think he knew the value of how fun it was for me to be playing with my erstwhile colleague and he was nice about it. He was deferential I could say.

Curt Wagner: Well it was great seeing…

Sharon Gless: They were all very excited that she was on the show.

Curt Wagner: Yeah. It was great seeing you two together. Sharon…

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Curt Wagner: …what else is coming up for Madeline?

Sharon Gless: I don’t know, I haven’t seen the new scripts.

Curt Wagner: Oh okay.

Sharon Gless: I do know – I do know since they – our show is – the second half of Year 3 is premiering January 21 I think. And I don’t remember – the very, very ending one was – they used Madeline a lot. It was a very emotional piece.

Curt Wagner: Okay.

Sharon Gless: But the first one they put me undercover was here with Tyne.

Curt Wagner: Right, all right. So do you and Michael come to a better understanding you think of where you’re both at?

Sharon Gless: Based on this episode with Tyne it wasn’t – yes, I mean, there’s a lovely scene at the end where – our understandings kind of – if you’ve seen our relationship – are unspoken. I mean if we came across like Father Knows Best, you know, I think – that isn’t the nature of this show.

Curt Wagner: Right.

Sharon Gless: There’s – definitely she loves him, I mean, she’s crazy about him. And I believe he loves her too it’s just there’s a lot of blood under the bridge, you know. So it’s – there’s a slight little distance between them that is – that’s almost becoming, I like it.

Curt Wagner: Okay.

Sharon Gless: Because it gives you someplace to go, you know?

Tyne Daly: Sharon, you make me want to see the show.

Curt Wagner: Oh you should watch.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: …show Tyne.

Curt Wagner: You guys…

Tyne Daly: Hey, I’m going to have to look at it now.

Curt Wagner: You guys are great together. You guys are great together.

Tyne Daly: Thanks.

Curt Wagner: And I would argue that neither of you are past your prime yet either.

Sharon Gless: Thank you.

Curt Wagner: All right.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: I’ll drink to that.

Curt Wagner: That’s all I have, thanks.

Tyne Daly: Thanks.

Coordinator: Monica Garsky, Flash News.

Monica Garsky: Hi ladies, thanks for your time.

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Sharon Gless: Hi.

Monica Garsky: Hi. So I was wondering if you could maybe share with us your favorite memories from your time on Cagney & Lacey. I’m sure working together again on this show made you reminisce a little bit. So anything you guys laughed about on the set or anything like that?

Tyne Daly: Oh darling it’s so long ago I can’t remember a thing. I deny everything. I remember nothing.

Sharon Gless: I do remember my favorite time and Tyne referred to it earlier, we did laugh a lot. And my favorite time we occasionally – when we were so tired, I mean, 17 hour days, we’d get to a part of a scene and one of us would get the giggles. And we couldn’t stop. They’d cut, start again and when we’d get to that exact same place, I mean, we’d be so, so tired that we’d just start giggling.

Tyne Daly: This is Tyne talking now. We used to, you know, there was diminishing returns. There’d get to a place where you’re so tired and there is really no point in going on then. Only the smartest of directors or producers would say you know something let’s call it for the day, this is over.

But I’ll tell you what I appreciated a great deal about Miss Gless, when we started working together I needed to do the next day’s work before I went home. And, you know, I had kids and a husband at home and – but we would stay and run through the next day’s scenes, you know, as we’re – how do you call that – whatever was on the call sheet for the next day.

And we would go through it and we would pound it to death until we felt we understood it so that we could come in in the morning and know what we were up to. And she was willing to do that kind of rehearsing and investigating that I found – felt was absolutely necessary.

And I don’t think, Shar, tell me if I’m wrong but you weren’t sort of brought up in that tradition.

Sharon Gless: No but I loved it so much that I became dependant on it. And any show I’ve done since then that’s what I have to do.

Tyne Daly: Yeah.

Sharon Gless: Because I can’t – I don’t think I’ve ever had a costar who’s interested in doing it with me but then I have to hire somebody to be my Tyne Daly because like…

Monica Garsky: Ah.

Sharon Gless: …there was such value in that process…

Tyne Daly: Yeah, the work ethic was really pretty impeccable considering that we were in the, you know, in the terrible shoals of television land where everybody puts it down and says it’s less than. We had a work ethic that was pretty fine.

Monica Garsky: Absolutely. And Sharon, were there any giggles during the Burn Notice filming or anything like that or did they not work you guys so tirelessly?

Sharon Gless: We didn’t really have a chance on the set to laugh a lot. Our scenes were sort of emotional.

Tyne Daly: Yeah. Well…

Sharon Gless: But we certainly laughed in the makeup trailer and laughed, you know, we went out to dinner and laughed and…

Tyne Daly: I’d say for Sharon, you know, I think for Sharon – this is Tyne talking. For Sharon it was a really responsible part. It’s a kind of opportunity on Burn Notice that she hasn’t had before, it’s quite exciting to see, you know, that character get exploded out of just, you know, his mom.

But I was there on a three day vacation. I came down and did my little bit and did my supporting of my friend whom I love dearly and would go anywhere to give a boost to. And then the rest of the time I could just kind of fool around. And by the end of it it was the end of the season right Shar?

Sharon Gless: Yes.

Tyne Daly: Yeah, so we got – we went out and had dinner and laughed a lot in the relief part when it’s over and you go…

Monica Garsky: Right.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Okay, good, congratulations, it’s the end of your season. Let’s have a dinner and eat too much and drink too much and laugh too much. It was swell.

Sharon Gless: Actually it wasn’t the end of the season because this show is in the – (unintelligible) is confusing.

Tyne Daly: Okay.

Sharon Gless: This show opens the second half of Year 3. Does that make sense?

Tyne Daly: All right.

Sharon Gless: So I still had like six more to do but that didn’t stop me from going out and playing with Tyne.

Monica Garsky: Sounds like a good time.

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Monica Garsky: Great. Well thank you both so much.

((Crosstalk))

Andrea Epstein: Thanks everybody. We just have time for one more question please.

Tyne Daly: Yes please because I’ve got to get to rehearsal.

Coordinator: Thank you. Joe Hummel:, Pop Culture.

Joe Hummel: Hi guys, thanks for talking to us today and I’ll…

Tyne Daly: Hi Joe.

Joe Hummel: I’ll try to make this quick. It’s obvious listening to you guys for the best hour or so that you guys have become friends. And I wanted to ask you to go back in time a little bit and ask what was that like Cagney & Lacey off the set time that you realized you weren’t just coworkers?

Tyne Daly: Well people used to – go ahead Shar.

Sharon Gless: Well we became – you’re asking when we became more than coworkers?

Joe Hummel: Yeah.

Sharon Gless: That happened for me before we ever started working together. Tyne Daly came to my house with champagne and balloons before we ever stepped in front of a camera and I fell in love. So…

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: This is Tyne talking. I was charged to get Sharon to do the show. We had had Loretta Swit, we had had Meg Foster and they were recasting again. I was deeply pissed off, you know, I wanted to get on with it. I loved the project and I loved the idea of these two women as colleagues.

And so, you know, the agents and the managers and the thing and the producers had all been in it. But Sharon luckily had a birthday on the 31st of May which is one of those national holidays – what the hell is it?

Sharon Gless: Memorial Day.

((Crosstalk))

Tyne Daly: Yes, Memorial Day. And Memorial Day – I should, you know, be grateful to all of us who fought. But so everybody was out of town. And I called her up and I said I know it’s your birthday, let me come over, let’s talk this over. And we sat on the floor of her little house in California and I said, you know, come out and play. The thing can’t go forever, for God sake it’ll never go over.

It’s about, you know, two women are the stars. But it’s a good gig and please come out and play with me. And I think that was the, you know, the thing that convinced her to finally say yes.

Sharon Gless: Well that – there were a lot of reasons actually.

((Crosstalk))

Sharon Gless: But – and we polished off that bottle of champagne together.

Tyne Daly: We did. And celebrated her birthday and sort of decided – I think at that point we decided to be partners and colleagues. And that was unshakeable for the next six years whether, you know, the story was mainly about one or the other, the prize went to one or the other, you know, whatever the vicissitudes – the billing – we had a huge fight about billing, we had a huge fight about all sorts of things.

But we sort of let them fight while we stayed tight. You know…

Sharon Gless: Yeah.

Tyne Daly: And that was a lesson of colleague-ness that turned into friendship for me. It wasn’t so at the beginning but it turned into this lady who’s a friend of mine.

Joe Hummel: Oh that’s really neat story, thank you.

Sharon Gless: Thank you. I have to go to rehearsal too.

Andrea Epstein: Yes, thanks everybody for calling.

Tyne Daly: Are we done?

Andrea Epstein: Yes we’re done. Thank you to Tyne and Sharon and thanks everyone…

Tyne Daly: Thank you.

Andrea Epstein: …for taking the time and the transcript will be available. (Audra), you want to finish?

Coordinator: Certainly. The replay will be available in one hour at 866-490-1803.

Tyne Daly: Okay can I talk to Gless for a second?

END

Author

  • Rob Buckley

    I’m Rob Buckley, a journalist who writes for UK media magazines that most people have never heard of although you might have heard me on the podcast Lockdown Land or Radio 5 Live’s Saturday Edition or Afternoon Edition. I’ve edited Dreamwatch, Sprocket and Cambridge Film Festival Daily; been technical editor for TV producers magazine Televisual; reviewed films for the short-lived newspaper Cambridge Insider; written features for the even shorter-lived newspaper Soho Independent; and was regularly sarcastic about television on the blink-and-you-missed-it “web site for urban hedonists” The Tribe. Since going freelance, I've contributed to the likes of Broadcast, Total Content + Media, Action TV, Off The Telly, Action Network, TV Scoop and The Custard TV.

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