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Actor Wendy Schaal said that Hervé Villechaize wasn't pleased when she joined the cast of Fantasy Island
"I don’t think he disliked me as a person, but I think he felt my presence (on the show) was unfair to him."
A clash of egos on a television set is no surprise. But it might come as a surprise that on a show called Fantasy Island, acting on the series was not, in fact, a dream come true.
In 1981, Wendy Schaal was cast on the popular series, joining the likes of Ricardo Montalbán. Schaal played Julie, goddaughter to Montalbán’s character, Mr. Roarke. Julie acted as Roarke’s right-hand woman. However, this put her at odds with another actor on the series, Hervé Villechaize.
During an interview with The Toronto Star, Schaal confessed that Villaneze believed that her character would replace Tattoo.
“I don’t think he disliked me as a person,” Schaal said of Villechaize, “but I think he felt my presence (on the show) was unfair tohim. Because I did every other show, he felt he lost half the season.”
Schaal lasted less than twenty episodes on Fantasy Island.
“I’m not exactly sure what happened, but I know that Herve put a lot of pressure on the producers about my presence,” said the actor.
Still, Schaal was grateful for her time on the series and credited it with kickstarting her career.
“Aaron Spelling is an incredibly generous man who gave me a big opportunity that I’m grateful for,” said the actor. “People in the industry know who I am now because of it. Herve and I played basically the same character, and there was no sense in keeping us both indefinitely. Herve establishes the show.”
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