How many new things have you discovered as a result of watching television? Sure, plenty of critics have stated that television is rotting our brains, and others have argued that it's a valuable learning tool.

In fact, one Hollywood star was about to learn the lesson of a lifetime when he was invited to star in the new series.

Randolph Mantooth, star of Emergency! admitted during an interview with The Toulcan Times that when first approached regarding the series, he had no idea what a paramedic actually was.

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"When they said I was going to play L.A. County firefighter/paramedic Johnny Gage, the first thing I said was, 'What’s a paramedic?' They didn’t even exist at that time," said Mantooth during an interview with the Tolucan Times.

Mantooth ran into other difficulties on the set, including a few problems regarding his own appearance.

"I didn’t want to cut my hair,” said the actor. “You have to understand, I was 20 years old. Once the show became popular, I let my hair grow long, but the fire department was so upset with me; I would always hide from them when they came to the set!"

Despite these issues, Mantooth was dedicated to the series and even performed many of his own stunts.

"All you have to do is tell a 22-year-old kid, 'We’re gonna have the stuntmen do it because we know you can’t,'" said the actor. "Don’t tell me that! They got away with that for four or five years; they questioned if we could do it, told us to prove it, and then yelled, 'Roll it!'"