No character can replace another. But sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. Although viewers had to say goodbye to Trapper John on the hit series M*A*S*H, they were quick to welcome their new favorite character, B.J. Hunnicutt.

Hunnicutt was played by actor Mike Farrell. In an interview with The Cincinnati Enquirer, Farrell explained that joining the cast of M*A*S*H wasn’t about replacing Trapper. Instead, he was stepping into an entirely new character who brought a different dynamic to the series.

Farrell described Hunnicutt as "a softer guy than Trapper, not so hard in edge and hopefully more likable, who wants to put in his Army time as constructively as possible."

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But despite the similarities between actor and character, Farrell admitted that he wasn’t exactly like B.J. Hunnicutt.

"I think I’m rougher than B.J.," Farrell told The Boston Globe. "He’s a little more smooth, a little more gentle, a little more polished."

Still, Farrell and Hunnicutt shared something more important than personality. Both men had strong convictions and a desire to help others. In fact, playing Hunnicutt may have even helped Farrell become a better man off-screen.

Farrell said working on M*A*S*H allowed him to "live the life I want to lead with some sense of integrity."

The actor also credited the series with giving him the opportunity to invest in "life-positive kinds of things — people and ideas I believe in."

In the end, B.J. Hunnicutt may have been a fictional character, but the impact he had on Mike Farrell was very real, even if the two weren’t all that alike.