Nobody played a clueless aristocratic woman quite like Natalie Schafer. For three seasons, the actor stole the show as Eunice Howell. Schafer later reprised the role in follow-up programs that reunited the Gilligan’s Island cast.

Although she was an expert at playing a member of the elite, in real life, she was incredibly down-to-earth. Schafer revealed during an interview that her passion for comedy ran so deep that her roles affected her mood in real life.

“When I’m comedy, I’m terribly gay and it lasts for quite a while,” the actor said during an interview with The Philadelphia Daily News. “When I’m not doing comedy, I become terribly morose, and I’m sure that’s the real me.”

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Performing offered Schafer an opportunity to shake off who she was and become someone new. It was a positive that she argued appealed to all actors.

“The performers, whether they admit it or not, are escaping reality, too,” said Schafer. Show me someone who likes to play broad comedy, and chances are, they are escaping from their real selves. Drama just doesn’t give me the same satisfaction as comedy.”

However, Schafer believed that someday, she would be able to branch outside of her comfort zone and play a serious character, despite the misgivings those around her seemed to have with the idea.

“Well, someday I’d like to try it and then we would see if people laughed,” said Schafer during an interview with The Daily Freeman. “Stick to your last, Natalie,” her agent told her. “In a serious role, everyone would laugh at the sight of you.”