Ted McGinley said life imitated art when he first met Robert Carradine on the set of “Revenge of the Nerds.”
“When we started, we were like real enemies,” he told Page Six in an exclusive interview on Tuesday.
McGinley played a jockster quarterback at Adams College who harasses a group of nerds, including freshmen Louis Skolnick (Carradine) and Gilbert Rowe (Anthony Edwards), in this raunchy 1984 comedy.
“When I showed up on set, they wouldn’t talk to me or have anything to do with me,” the “Shrink” star recalled. “And I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be the place.’ And that was the place for quite a while. I really didn’t like nerds!”
But relations began to warm up as the cast, including John Goodman and Timothy Busfield, began a two-week night shoot.
“That’s when everything changed,” McGinley revealed. “We all had to be there together, so we kind of became a big, beautiful group then.”
Carradine died by suicide in February after a long battle with bipolar disorder. He was 71 years old.
“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of our beloved father, grandfather, uncle and brother Robert Carradine,” the family said in a statement at the time.
“In a world that can feel so dark, Bobby was always a beacon of light to those around him. We are devastated by the loss of this beautiful soul and would like to pay tribute to Bobby’s brave fight against bipolar disorder, which lasted nearly 20 years,” the statement continued.
McGinley, 67, said he remembers the first time he heard Carradine’s signature high-pitched laugh.
“Robert was just so genuinely into the moment and so happy to be the guy with this nerd pack of pocket protectors,” the “Dynasty” alum fondly remembers. “And I remember watching it and thinking, ‘Oh, this is going to be successful…he’s great.’ So was Anthony Edwards. They were a great team.”
The “Married with Children” alum can currently be seen on the Apple+ series “Shrinking.” McGinley told Page Six that he’s still a little confused about playing opposite Harrison Ford.
“I never dreamed I would get a shot like this,” he marveled. “I remember always doing movies and thinking, ‘What would that be like? What would it be like to work with someone like Harrison Ford, who is literally the biggest movie star in the world?'”
Fortunately, McGinley did not disappoint.
“It’s amazing. It was just a gift and an opportunity to just watch,” he exclaimed, expressing his excitement at Ford’s kindness to the crew.
“I never expected to be on a show like this,” McGinley added. “I am very honored to be able to participate.”
