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Transcript from an Internet chat with the B.B.C. program, "BEEB":
John Mahoney is probably best known to television audiences as Martin Crane, father of psychiatrists Frasier and Niles,
in the hit comedy series Frasier.
John was born in Manchester, England, emigrating to the US after high school, he then went on to join the Army. He didn't
decide to pursue acting until after trying a variety of other jobs, including hospital orderly, college professor and medical-journal
editor.
At age 37, Mahoney enrolled in classes at Chicagos St. Nicholas Theatre. He then went on to join the prestigious Steppenwolf
Theatre Company, appearing in more than 30 of their productions, bringing the classic comedy The Man Who Came to Dinner to
the London stage.
John Mahoney
If you want to know what was the worst job John has ever done, or what he really thinks of British cuisine, take a look
below for the full transcript of his online chat with BEEB Chat and Forums.
John Mahoney Live On The B.B.C.
BEEB: "Here's the first question..."
Rick King asks: "What is the best and worst things about working on Frasier?"
John Mahoney: "The best thing about working on Frasier is the writing and the people I work with. The worst thing
is living out of a suitcase as I don't live in Los Angeles."
Geoff asks: "After working with a cast and crew for so long, do you mess about a lot on the set? Who is the biggest
prankster amongst the cast?"
John Mahoney: "Yes, we have a lot of fun. Right from the start everyone liked to fool around. The biggest prankster
is David, he is very witty in real life. Any mistakes he manages to turn into jokes."
Anthony Arthurs asks: "Some of the one-liners in Frasier are hilarious - the recent episode with the couple with
the big noses was hilarious - so how do keep a straight face?"
John Mahoney: "Well, we have the advantage of hearing those lines for a week in rehearsals, so by the time we tape
it we have heard them many times. The first few times we rehearse we have a tough time getting through it."
Henry asks: "Do you get along well with Eddie, the dog? Is he really that clever in real life?"
John Mahoney: "Eddie is actually Moose (that is his real name), Moose is not so much a dog as he is an actor, he
doesn't really have those doggy instincts that you expect from an actor. First of all he is an actor, so he is hard to get
along with!!!! He does what the trainer tells him, he doesn't do things that dogs do automatically such as show affection,
sometimes we have to put liver paste on our faces to make him lick us etc."
Buzz asks: "Any chance of a spin-off from Frasier? The Eddy the Dog Hour perhaps? Or get fit with Daphne and Martin?"
John Mahoney: "I don't see any spin-offs for a while as the show is doing so well. The only possible way we will
have a spin off is when our show ends. They want the show to go for about ten years, we have done five years already, so there
won't be a spin-off (if any) for a while."
BEEB: "What did the end of Seinfeld mean to Frasier?"
John Mahoney: "It meant that we were going to be a top three show for the next few years (Frasier was put into Seinfeld's
spot). I was surprised that we were moved, we originally showed on Tuesday nights where we had the top spot so I was surprised
that we were moved to NBC's top spot on Thursday nights. It means that we will probably be the top rated show in America for
the next few years."
Michele Burt asks: "Do you think that you are anything like Martin in real life? Are the other actors like the characters
that they play?"
John Mahoney: "In real life I would say that we are not like out characters at all, apart from Jane Leeves who is
very kind hearted in real life, she is very independent, so I see a lot of her in Daphne. David is not like Niles and Kelsey
is not at all like Frasier. As far as myself go I hate phonies and I have a love of sports."
Kathy Smith asks: "Do you ever forget to walk with a limp on the set of Frasier? Or do you find that when you stop
filming you still do it?"
John Mahoney: "Every once in a while I do, sometimes I forget to use my cane, especially if you are doing a scene
and sitting down. Sometimes I jump up and walk away, the audience loves it, they love screw ups."
Christine K asks: "Do you give feedback to the writers about suggestions or future story lines for Martin? Has any
of your suggestions or story lines actually incorporated into an episode?"
John Mahoney: "We are all encouraged to give feed back, after every scene we speak to the writers about what we felt
about it. I have given a lot of suggestions about Marty, but none have been used. It just isn't what they were looking for.
Jane has had a lot of stuff used, it was here idea to have the relationship/non relationship between Niles and Daphne. She
also suggested the episode where she taught Niles to dance. They will listen to me one of these days."
Roy asks: "Do you think Niles and Daphne will ever get together?"
John Mahoney: "I don't think so, we don't see scripts until a week before an episode. I doubt very much, maybe the
last episode. It gives the writers much more scope with them not being together."
Max asks: "Youve seen Meris, Niles estranged wife. Can you tell us what she looks like?"
John Mahoney: "We all have different ideas about what Meris looks like, the only thing we know for sure is that she
is so thin that you can probably see her heart pumping blood around her body."
RMS asks: "Is it true you originally come from Stretford in Manchester? What do you think of Daphne Moon's accent
on the show?"
John Mahoney: "I didn't come from Stretford, I came from Withingeon. As far as Daphne's accent, you have to understand
that she has to be understood by millions of Americans otherwise you would need subtitles. It is like Trainspotting or the
Full Monty, it took people half those movies to work out what they were saying. I think her accent is great."
BEEB: "When did you leave for the USA?"
John Mahoney: "I left for America in March 1959 when I was 19, I was in the Army from 59 to 62. I left for America
because I liked the idea of wide open spaces, it was an easier life, a different standard of living and I wanted it. I felt
I could get more out of life living at that time in the USA."
Cheryl Day asks: "Is it true that you made a determined effort to lose your English accent?"
John Mahoney: "Yes it is, I knew that I was going to live the rest of my life in America and I wanted to sound like
a native. If I had decided to live in France or Germany I would have tried my best to speak those languages without an accent
because I didn't want to stand out as a foreigner."
Mike asks: "You had lots of jobs before you became an actor. What was the worst, and what job would you do if you
couldnt act?"
John Mahoney: "The worst job I ever had was probably selling clothes at Lewis's in Manchester. One of the few things
in this life that doesn't interest me is clothes, I don't care about how I look or clothes. I was bored and I was on my feet
all day - it was boring. If I couldn't act I would retire, I have a little house on a lake and I would fish. If I had to work
I would teach acting."
BEEB: "You came into acting rather late, didn't you?"
John Mahoney: "I was 37 when I did my first Equity show."
BEEB: "How did you get the part in Frasier?"
John Mahoney: "I had done a guest spot on an episode of Cheers, I played a jingles writer who was hired to write
a jingle for the bar and the writers saw me and thought I would be good as Frasier's father. When I saw the script I loved
it and I enjoyed working with Kelsey."
BEEB: "Well, here you are in London to star in a play at the Barbican centre... our next questioner wonders why!"
Cider asks: "You obviously get a lot more money for working on the sitcom. Why come and work for relatively little
over here in the theatre?"
John Mahoney: "The main reason is the Steppenwolf Theatre, it is a company I have belonged to for twenty years and
I owe them a lot. I had been offered this play to do in Chicago and I did it there, they then ask me if I would like to do
it when it transferred to the Barbican, and I wanted to come here as I have never worked as an actor in Britain. It doesn't
matter about the money as I get paid so well from the series you don't need to worry about the money."
Bob S asks: "Do you have family in the UK? Do you have any high school friends that you keep in contact with?"
John Mahoney: "In the UK I have a brother (Bernard) I see him quite a bit, he lives in Manchester, and then I have
tons of cousins who live in Manchester. I got a letter from someone I went to school with that I hadn't been in touch with
for forty years and I am going to call him, and then I got a letter from the teacher who taught me Art and Drama. You lose
track over the years, doesn't mean you don't think about those people."
Elaine Wigley asks: "How did you meet John Malkovich?"
John Mahoney: "I was doing a play in a little theatre in Chicago and another play was being rehearsed and there was
another actor in that play and it wasn't working out and I was cast in the play with John and we got on well together and
he invited me to join Steppenwolf."
Jackie asks: "Why is the Steppenwolf Theatre Company so internationally renowned?"
John Mahoney: "A lot of it has to do with the success of our plays, also the people in our Company are so internationally
renowned. Some of our plays have made stars of the people in the company, such as Gary Sinise, Laurie Metcalf."
BEEB: "Tell us about the play you're in over here...The Man Who Came To Dinner."
John Mahoney: "The Man Who Came to Dinner is about your worst nightmare as far as a house guest goes, it is about
a spoiled, willful, arrogant man. He fractures his hip and is forced to stay with them for about a month and that is what
it is about."
Moose asks: "Did you pick any tips up on playing Sheridan Whiteside, the character you play in The Man Who Came to
Dinner, from Frasier? Isnt the character a radio star too?"
John Mahoney: "The character amongst many other things is a radio star, he is nothing like Frasier, Frasier for all
his faults is kind and selfless. Sheridan Whiteside on the other hand is very selfish, so no I didn't pick up anything from
Frasier as far as Sheridan goes."
Justin asks: "Have you had a chance to see any of the other performances in the Inventing America season?"
John Mahoney: "No I haven't, we started rehearsal the very day we got here, we only had two or three days to put
the show up, we needed every second we could to put the show together, we only get Sunday's off."
Jason asks: "Any plans to travel elsewhere with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company? And does it have the same familiarity
as the Frasier set?"
John Mahoney: "There are no plans on traveling with the show, when we finish next Saturday we are through. We have
a lot of camaraderie, we have known each other for a long time, so we have fun, we aren't culture vultures. It is very down
to earth and a lot of fun."
BEEB: "Doesn't Frasier and The Man who came to Dinner share the same director?"
John Mahoney: "Jim Burroughs (the director of The Man Who Came to Dinner) was the director on Frasier for the first
year. He then moved onto Friends, he has got his fingers in many pies."
Stephanie asks: "Would you consider doing a play with Kelsey, Jane or David?"
John Mahoney: "I would love to do a play with them. Kelsey, David and I are probably going to do a play next Summer,
we have been asked to take over on Art, unfortunately there are no female roles."
Michele Burt asks: "Any chance of the New York production of Art taking place in London?"
John Mahoney: "No, there wouldn't be any chance of that. We only get a three month window because of the filming
of Frasier, but George Wendt is going into the cast of Art in London. I think it opens next week."
BEEB: "Have you had a drink with George?"
John Mahoney: "I have seen George at breakfast, we are staying at the same hotel, the only drink we have shared is
tea."
Maura Kohle asks: "Do you have any plans to take in any of the sights will you're in London? Do you have any favorite
haunts?"
John Mahoney: "I don't think I have much time, I have been here many times, so this time I am here to just work.
London is a great city, I have done all the things tourist do, I love being a tourist, but I don't have a favorite haunt."
BEEB: "A certain Hollywood actress complained about the food after a visit here...What do think of British grub?"
John Mahoney: "Well there is an old joke about how you cook a cabbage in England, you boil it for four days, let
it sit for three days and then you serve it. I think there are great places to eat, I think London has some of the greatest
restaurants in the World."
Simon Sadler asks: "I love the Coen Brothers Movies and you appeared in both Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy.
Any plans to reunite?"
John Mahoney: "Not as we speak, I don't know what Joel and Ethen are up to at the moment. I have such a limited availability
with the Frasier show, I am not available to do a lot of the great stuff I get offered. I only hear about things once they
have gone through my agent and if I am not available he won't even tell me about it."
BEEB: "What are the Coen brothers like to work with?"
John Mahoney: "They are very, very, down to earth especially during rehearsals. During rehearsals you are invited
to offer suggestions, during filming they are very professional."
Abe asks: "Youve appeared in tons of movies. What performance are you most proud of?"
John Mahoney: "My favorite film that I was in is Say Anything, the script by Cameron Crowe is terrific. I thought
John Cusack was great and the character I played was multi-layered and fascinating. It was a great movie, and I think over
the years it has grown in status."
Smitty asks: "So which do you prefer, the theatre, TV or film?"
John Mahoney: "With me the main criteria is where the best script is. I don't think I have a favorite, people expect
you to say "the stage" but I love doing films and TV. It boils down to how good the script is, that is the most
important thing to me."
Stephanie asks: "When do you start filming Frasier again?"
John Mahoney: "We start rehearsals for Frasier is the 10th of August, and start filming I think the 20th August.
We are doing 24 episodes and this will be our sixth season."
Lina asks: "This is probably the most difficult question to answer, but what do you think is the key to good comedy?"
John Mahoney: "The key to good comedy is good writing, you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Good acting
can enhance it but nothing can turn a piece of junk into something funny. Good writing will always out."
BEEB: "Just time for one more question..."
Goury asks: "What plans do you have the future?"
John Mahoney: "We have been approached about doing a seventh, eighth and ninth year, apart from that I don't really
know. I will be doing Art next summer. I also want to take time off and maybe visit Ireland. I will see what comes along,
apart from that I will be relaxing on my boat on my lake in Wisconsin."
BEEB: "Your last internet chat was with David... What was it like being out on your own?"
John Mahoney: "It is a lot more fun to do an internet chat with David because he is so much fun. He makes me laugh,
I miss David."
BEEB: "Well, we enjoyed it!"
BEEB: "That's it I'm afraid. Here's John with a final word..."
John Mahoney: "I want to say thanks to everyone who is dedicated to Frasier, I am very proud to be on it and we are
never going to accept mediocre and it has been lovely taking to you."
BEEB: "Thank you John!"
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