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David Ogden Stiers said that he was ''very scared'' when he first joined the cast of M*A*S*H
A seasoned actor, Stiers was still a bit intimidated when he joined the iconic series.
While most people were fans of M*A*S*H by 1977, David Ogden Stiers was not.
“I’d mostly worked in the theater, so I’d never seen the series before,” said Stiers during an interview with the Associated Press. “I had seen the movie.” However, that same year, Stiers was cast as Major Charles Emerson Winchester III. “I had to brush up on the show,” said the actor. “I saw that I was moving into illustrious company."
Still, Stiers admitted that he was “very scared” about joining the cast of M*A*S*H for the new season, especially when he learned that ratings fell during his debut episode.
“When a new season starts, people are familiar with M*A*S*H, so they sample the other new shows,” said Stiers. “M*A*S*H had been in the Top 10, but the first show I was in came in 24th. I thought it was my fault. I thought I’d be back on the pavement. But I found out people look at other shows, then come back to us. We were soon back up there at the top.”
Despite this slight hiccup, Stiers enjoyed his time working on the series, though he wasn’t too fond of his character. “I would hate to work for Charles, but I would love to be his boss,” said the actor. “I think he bases his friendship on what other people are able to do for him. If something goes awry, he feels nothing will work until he takes charge or has expressed his opinion.”
Stiers credited fellow M*A*S*H actor Mike Farrell with helping him get a bit more comfortable. A relatively new character himself, Farrell was able to help ease Stiers into the cast. "It started out nifty and it got better," said Stiers.
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