Cheryl Ladd realized she was wearing too many bikinis on the set of Charlie’s Angels and decided to take matters into her own hands.
In 1977, she accepted the role of Chris Munro in the iconic series after producer Aaron Spelling selected her to play Farrah Fawcett’s sister. The series, which follows the adventures of a glamorous detective agency, starred Jaclyn Smith, David Doyle, Kate Jackson, and Fawcett, who retired that year. The show ran until 1981.
“He liked seeing me in a bikini,” Rudd, 74, said of Spelling at the Paley Center’s PaleyFest LA panel celebrating the 50th anniversary of “Charlie’s Angels.”
The star admitted that she was wearing so many two-pieces in the scene that she “started to feel sick.”
“I thought, ‘Okay, how do I get out of this?'” Rudd recalled during the panel discussion. “So I went and bought the smallest bikini I’d ever seen on TV at the time.”
Rudd knew it wouldn’t pass ABC’s censors. She did it anyway.
“We did a shoot and I heard Aaron wasn’t happy with it,” she said.
“At first, someone came and said that Aaron had said, ‘Tell this little troublemaker he’s never going to do that again,'” she said. “And I didn’t. But I made my point. And when I was wearing a swimsuit, it was something that was comfortable for me.”
“Okay, the ratings have gone up!” quipped Mr. Smith, 80.
Mr. Spelling passed away in 2006 at the age of 83.
During the panel discussion, the situation became serious. Rudd opened up about her breast cancer diagnosis for the first time.
“Mine was an aggressive form,” said Ladd, who accompanied Jackson and Smith. “I had great doctors, but I was bald for quite a while. It was a humbling experience.”
“I have a wonderful husband. Throughout my life, he has been there for me every step of the way, and that has made a difference,” Rudd said of her husband, Brian Russell. “Eventually, I started growing little hairs. I was like, ‘Oh, my hair is growing!'” It was a long, long, hard journey. But you just get through it. Just keep going. ”
Not only do the three women share an unbreakable bond through their experiences on the show, but they are all cancer survivors.
“I relate to them because I know what they’re going through,” Smith, who was also diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent radiation therapy in 2002, said in an interview on the “Today” show. “So I talk about the power of girlfriends.”
When Rudd revealed his diagnosis to a friend, Smith said he immediately empathized with her.
“The first thing I did was send her a wig,” Smith said. “She was very brave. She had a very aggressive disease.”
Jackson, who has had breast cancer twice, added: “It’s really important to understand and accept that you’re not afraid to have a mammogram.” “Early detection is key. If you catch it early enough, you’ll probably be okay.”
Rudd, Jackson, and Smith also paid tribute to Fawcett, who appeared as one of the main Angels in the series’ first season. The actress passed away in 2009 at the age of 62 after a battle with anal cancer.
“Oh, I’m so proud. I’m grateful. I feel like we did the right thing,” Smith told FOX News Digital ahead of the panel discussion. “And I still feel like I’m standing here. And life has been interesting. It’s been a beautiful journey. Really, I have two beautiful children, a wonderful husband, three granddaughters. So, I’m on board. And, you know, I think things are the way they are — ‘Charlie’s Angels’ was meant to be. I have no regrets.”
In 2021, Rudd opened up to Fox News Digital about his meaningful friendships with his former co-stars.
“It’s really interesting because when you do something that’s so specific and symbolic, and it’s huge, you’re part of it. It’s something you can explain to people, but until you do it, it’s different,” she continued.
“I often remember how crazy it was. We had to enter the restaurant through the back door. We weren’t prepared for how much people were going to love this show. It was great, but it was wild.”
Despite gaining fame in Hollywood, Rudd said her faith in God has always played an important role in her life.
“That was everything,” she said. “When I was young, I knew who I was. I climbed to the top of trees and talked to God all the time. It’s been an interesting path. Lots of good things, lots of bumps, lots of tough learning moments.”
“He (God) has been with me the whole time. The reason we let ourselves stumble is to remember that God is in charge. I think that’s a good thing, especially at a young age when you’re not thinking about everything properly.”
Christina Dugan Ramirez of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
