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Here's what Mike Farrell thought of Alan Alda when they first met
Were the two as close as B.J. and Hawkeye?
M*A*S*H had a problem on its hands, and Mike Farrell was about to become the solution. By the show's second season, Wayne Rogers' contract negotiations were becoming increasingly complicated, with rumors of his discontent making the rounds in Hollywood.
It was a tricky situation. At first, news of Trapper John's departure was only a rumor. But there were already serious inquiries into whether Farrell might be interested in joining the show. Things changed the following year when Rogers made his intentions to leave clear.
Farrell's agent broke the news and asked if he would be interested in taking on a new role in the already-successful series. For Farrell, the answer was an easy yes.
One of the most crucial questions was whether Farrell could successfully share the screen with Alan Alda. Alda needed an onscreen partner that he could develop a natural, believable chemistry. As it turned out, Farrell was the perfect choice.
In his 2008 autobiography, Just Call Me Mike: A Journey to Actor and Activist, Farrell explained what it was like getting to know his new onscreen partner, Alan Alda. Specifically, he recalled the day his agent confirmed that he had landed the role of B.J. Hunnicutt.
"That same afternoon I got a call from Alan Alda, asking if I could meet him for dinner that night to give us a chance to get to know each other and talk about the show, the characters, and the future," Farrell said.
They met at a Chinese restaurant in Hollywood, where Farrell admitted he was nervous at first. But as the evening continued, he began to feel more comfortable around his new costar.
"And at some point, I stopped being nervous," Farrell said. "'This is a nice man,' I kept thinking. 'He didn't have to do this.'"
Farrell soon realized Alda's interest went beyond simply making his new costar feel welcome. Alda genuinely cared about the series and the characters, and he wanted their relationships to feel authentic.
"The guy really cared about the show and the characters," Farrell added. "He wanted the relationships to mean something, and he wanted the show to succeed."
Farrell's first impression of Alda proved to be right. The two developed one of television's most memorable onscreen partnerships, and B.J. quickly became an essential part of the M*A*S*H ensemble.
Trapper John may have been hard to replace, but Mike Farrell proved that sometimes the right replacement isn't really a replacement at all.
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