It takes a great deal of love for something to be able to admit its shortcomings. So often, when people love their work, they’re reluctant to speak negatively of it, as though it negates the positive feelings that led them to it in the first place.

Although Max Baer Jr. loved acting, he wasn’t too fond of the Hollywood machine that he was forced to become a part of when he became a star.

During an interview with The Copley News Service, Baer confessed that despite the ups and downs of his career, his rock bottom came at a surprising moment. “Emotionally, my lowest point didn’t come when I was out of work. It came when I was doing The Beverly Hillbillies, because I didn’t like the show. But I thought I’d rather do that than do nothing.”

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After the series ended, Baer found himself struggling to get new acting roles. Thankfully, the actor wasn’t willing to take hard times sitting down. He began a career in screenwriting, igniting a successful combination that allowed him to both write films and star in them.

“There’s no justice in this business,” said Baer. “But if you worry about that, you go crazy. Yes, I’ve noticed that people are friendlier now than they were when I was unemployed, but if they weren’t my friends before, they aren’t my friends now. I’ve shut the door.”

These hard times were never enough to keep Baer away from the stage for very long. He loved performing, as well as the adoration that came with it. “Actors who claim they hate being recognized are lying,” said the actor. “For if they really felt that way, they wouldn’t be in the business. Everybody deserves a little privacy, but I look at it this way. When you take the cape and jump in the ring with the bull, you have to fight. You can’t march in with the picadors and then go sit in the stands.”