Why did Richard Dean Anderson take on the role of MacGyver?
"It's not a sit-down role" is probably the best way to describe MacGyver, the character and the series of the same name. Richard Dean Anderson moved around a lot in the show, and he loved the role for that exact reason.
"Doing stunts is the dividend. One of the reasons I took the role is that MacGyver is a physical, action-oriented guy, much like me, and as an actor I can do all these stunts," he told The Daily Gleaner in 1987. Though he had a stunt double for the most dangerous scenes, the stunt coordinator always had to keep an eye on the actor.
"I've got to constantly keep the ropes on him, or he'd be doing all his own stunts," the coordinator said. Richard Dean Anderson revealed that he was constantly learning patience and that, since he was a kid, he'd always been eager to jump at things.
Monday through Friday at 10 AM, Saturdays at 12 PM & 1 PM Eastern/Pacific
"I've always been impetuous by nature — always eager to get on with it, insanely curious and inquisitive about things. That habit has proved highly rewarding over the years. It has also caused me a few problems. I started hopping freights and leaving home at an early age. I did have a belligerent, angry-young-man attitude. Part of this was because after breaking my first arm and the other playing hockey in high school, I had to give up my dream of becoming a professional hockey player," he added.
"But it was more than that. More than anything, I had a severe case of wanderlust. I wanted to see and experience whatever was happening 'out there.'"