Throughout their time working together on The Golden Girls, Rue McClanahan became good friends with co-star Bea Arthur.

“What I got attached to, as an actress, was her impeccable timing,” said McClanahan during an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “And I loved playing scenes with her.”

McClanahan revealed that not only did she see Arthur as a friend, but as a mentor of sorts. When McClanahan was afraid, Arthur gave her courage.

Watch The Golden Girls on MeTV!

BACK-TO-BACK EPISODES

Weeknights at 10 PM, Sundays at 6 PM & 8 PM

*available in most MeTV markets

“She taught me, by watching her, even back during Maude, to be outrageously courageous as a comedienne, to go out on a limb, to go farther than I’ve ever dreamed of going. [On The Golden Girls], Blanche had to say and do things that Rue found difficult. And it would always be Bea who said, ‘Oh, say it! It’s funny!’”

Off-screen, the two were incredibly close. “As a friend, she was giving and loving to me,” said the actor. “She was a very close, quiet, rather timid person, very gentle.”

Years later, in 2009, after Arthur’s passing, McClanahan reaffirmed her love for her old friend. “Thirty-seven years ago, she showed me how to be very brave in playing comedy,” said McClanahan during an interview with The News and Observer. “I’ll miss that courage, and I’ll miss that voice.