A warm spot for ‘Hot’
Betty White will keep busy
Hot in Cleveland, TV Land’s first original comedy, ends its six-season run Wednesday with a one-hour goodbye. Betty White, an Emmy nominee for her role as widowed caretaker Elka Ostrovsky, spoke to USA TODAY’s Bill Keveney this week about Cleveland; her friendship with co-stars Valerie Bertinelli, Jane Leeves and Wendie Malick; her celebrated career and her love for animals, including a grizzly bear named Bam Bam.
Q: Were you surprised that Hot in Cleveland lasted for 128 episodes?
A: They asked me to do the pilot. I said, “I’ll do it but I can’t commit if the show gets picked up.” And then we all did the pilot and we all fell in love. I did the last show, too. And all the ones in between. It was a delightful experience.
Q: Do you have a favorite Cleveland moment?
A: When R.J. (Robert) Wagner kissed me, I didn’t find that too bad. I like that, because they don’t often write in a kiss for me.
Q: Was the final taping an emotional event?
A: Every time we’d make eye contact, you’d find somebody whose eyes were full. We were all so conscious that it was the last day and trying so hard not to talk about it. And when we hugged at the end of the show, we just didn’t want to let go. You’ll see some very sad girls trying to act happy.
Q: Will you get together with your co-stars now that the series is over?
A: We had dinner (last week), all four of us. We’re such close friends. We’ve promised ourselves that we’d get together every three weeks.
Q: Did the show help boost your career? White “fell in love” with her Cleveland role as Elka.
A: I don’t know about it helping my career. It’s just that the public can’t get rid of me. But I love it that way.
Q: Do you plan to keep working ?
A: That’s one of the things I appreciate the most, that I’m still invited to work. Usually, you get to a given age —and that’s a couple of decades ago for me — and (work) dries up, but, oh, I’ve been so lucky. I’m 93 and I’m so healthy and strong. Work is just a joy. I know it can’t go on forever, but I’m making the most of whatever comes along.
Q: You’ve also starred in such classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls. Do you have a favorite series? A: I think I have to go back to
Golden Girls, but they’re all favorites. I really haven’t had to do a show I didn’t like.
Q: Do you have any advice for young actors as they embark upon their careers?
A: Enjoy your work, but take it very seriously. Show up on time. Come in prepared. Learn your lines. Don’t ever think you can wing it, because you really can’t. It shows in your eyes. It gives you away if you haven’t done your homework.
Q: Are you still busy with animal advocacy work?
A: I have to stay in show business to pay for my animal business. I’m very active with the Morris Animal Foundation. We fund studies in the health and welfare (of animals).
Q: Do you have plans for fun things to do in your spare time?
A: I’m going to see Bam Bam, who is a male grizzly bear. He’s a professional bear, a Hollywood actor. He takes marshmallows out of my mouth. I hold them between my lips and he just reaches up with his lips and takes the marshmallows so daintily.