Darren McGavin defied his agent and his wife to take the role of Carl Kolchak

"My agent said I shouldn't do it, that the script was terrible," said McGavin.

ABC Circle Films

For actors, some roles that may feel like a long shot end up being the characters you were most grateful for taking a chance on.

For Darren McGavin, he knew that it was important to trust his gut and disregard what anyone else said. Arguably, it was that decision that turned him into a star.

During an interview with the Daily News-Post, McGavin revealed that there were forces in his personal and professional life that attempted to dissuade him from taking on the role of Kolchak when he was first offered the part in The Night Stalker.

"My agent said I shouldn't do it, that the script was terrible," McGavin said. His agent wasn't the only one; McGavin also said that his wife, a fellow actor, wasn't exactly thrilled by the story.

Instead of falling in line, McGavin threw caution to the wind, for no reason beyond the fact that he had faith in the project. "But when I read the script I told her it was terrific, bloody terrific," he said.

Of course, McGavin was correct. The Night Stalker led to a sequel film, along with a short-lived television series of the same name, all starring McGavin.

"We're not going to show monsters on the show," he said. "You know, I think the unknown is much scarier than the real thing. For example, there is a scratching at the door. A person opens it, and there's no one there. That's worse than seeing something."

Watch Kolchak: The Night Stalker on MeTV!

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8 Comments

MichaelPowers 14 days ago
Kolchak worked best as 90-minute TV-movies. Once it became a weekly series the formula could not be sustained and quickly devolved.
sagafrat69 19 days ago
Unfortunately his enthusiasm for the stories and scripts for those stories began to waver leading to the end of the series. There was a remake of "Kolchak" many years ago that was quite simply a disaster. Never should of been done. McGavin caught lighting in a bottle that I don't think could be recaptured today. I remember watching the original movies and t.v. series as a kid. Scared the bejeezus out of me and I loved every minute of all three. Film has a way of degrading over time but I remember when it all looked like HD quality, not the way these episodes look today on METV. Just wish the show could've had a nice four year run. Show was way ahead of it's time for network television.
cperrynaples sagafrat69 16 days ago
Ir you want to see clean prints, watch the show on Peacock!
sagafrat69 cperrynaples 16 days ago
Good information. I have a few streaming services but currently not Peacock.I just might have to do a trial run so I can see those episodes with a clean print. Thanks.
BrittReid 19 days ago
The Night Stalker was a great film. Darren was correct.
Runeshaper 19 days ago
McGavin was right! Glad he stayed on course (-:
Bapa1 19 days ago
He was great as Kolchak. But yet, during the series run he was begging the network to cancel the show.
Snickers 19 days ago
Glad he took the role. Wouldn't be the same without him.
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