‘I LIED TO GET THE JOB!’
IT TOOK A FEW FIBS TO GET JOHN ON THE SMALL SCREEN
John Schneider, the heart-throb from The Dukes of Hazzard, bursts into laughter when asked how he wound up starring on the hit ’80s TV comedy series.
“[The] truth is I fibbed my way onto the show! The producers were looking for someone in the 24- to 30-year age range – they were after a [US] Southern-born actor who could genuinely play a country bumpkin,” recalls John.
“I was 18 and originally from New York. So I turned up to the audition wearing a cowboy hat, toting a six-pack of beer and a killer Southern twang. I said I was from Snail Hill, Georgia, which doesn’t exist, and that I was a stunt driver, which wasn’t true. But I got the gig.”
The handsome star, who set hearts racing with his blond hair, dazzling smile and piercing blue eyes, admits it wasn’t the first time he fudged the truth in the pursuit of fame. “As a teenager, I jumped a fence in Georgia, where I was living with my mum, and onto the set of Burt Reynolds’ Smokey and the Bandit. Everyone just assumed I was an extra, and so I wound up making the cut in a crowd scene at the end of the movie,” laughs John, 61.
The Dukes of Hazzard ended 36 years ago, and John remembers the series fondly.
“The cast and crew were like a family. The show was great fun, but tough going – the lights were hot, we shot the show with one camera, and it was intense.”
On the iconic series, John starred as Beauregard ‘Bo’ Duke, his cousins Luke and Daisy Duke were played by Tom Wopat and Catherine Bach. Larrikins Bo and Luke were forever embroiled in crazy schemes as they attempted to outsmart the corrupt
Boss Hogg.
“I’m still in touch with Tom and Catherine. We were close, and we remain so now.”
One of John’s biggest thrills was meeting his hero Johnny Cash who, as it turned out, was a huge Dukes fan.
“I got to live with Johnny and his wife, June Carter Cash, at their Tennessee home for about a year in the ’80s. We made a movie together called Stagecoach. We became great friends
– he was a fascinating man.”
In the ’80s, John also made it as a country singer, recording several successful albums and number-one hits.
In 2001, he portrayed the role of Jonathan Kent on Smallville. “I loved that show and my time on it – I didn’t want to leave – but after five seasons my character was given a fatal heart attack. It was one of the top-rated
episodes of the series.”
John left Hollywood for a life in Louisiana in 2013, where he runs a movie and TV studio, and lives on a sprawling estate with his third wife, movie producer Alicia Allain, whom he married back in 2019.
“I really felt I had to escape Hollywood. I didn’t like the pressure – I felt trapped. I’ve now found my nirvana – sitting on the back porch, listening to the frogs croak and the wind gently whistling through the
cypress trees.”