Latest news with #TheRealBradyBros'
New York Post
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Brady Bunch' star Susan Olsen reveals her biggest gripe with playing ‘stupid' Cindy Brady
Susan Olsen didn't like dumbing herself down on 'The Brady Bunch.' The actress, 63, appeared on 'The Real Brady Bros' podcast hosted by her TV brother Barry Williams and Christopher Knight last week and looked back on the impact of her role as the ditzy Cindy Brady. Williams told Olsen that she was 'the cutest person in the world' while portraying the youngest Brady sibling, before explaining that he and Knight, 67, knew she 'was a little bit uncomfortable with the nature' of her character. Advertisement 10 Susan Olsen at 'A Very Brady Renovation' TV show premiere in Sept. 2019. David Buchan/Shutterstock 10 Susan Olsen in 'The Brady Bunch.' Courtesy Everett Collection 'You're so much smarter than your character. You're so much edgier than your character,' Williams said to Olsen. 'You're the least like Cindy. Your personality is the least like their character than any of us.' Advertisement The group discussed a scene from the 1969 pilot episode of the sitcom where matriarch Carol Brady (Florence Henderson) tells her daughters she feels butterflies, to which Cindy replies, 'Are you sleeping with your mouth open, mommy?' 10 Eve Plumb, Florence Henderson, Maureen McCormick, Susan Olsen in 'The Brady Bunch.' Courtesy Everett Collection 10 Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady. CBS via Getty Images 'Here it is right there. You're saying the most idiotic thing imaginable,' Williams said of Olsen's TV moment. Advertisement He then jokingly called Cindy 'stupid,' as Olsen explained, 'That's just how my career was. And it was something I had to accept. And it was really emphasized when my son was old enough to start watching the things I was in.' 10 Susan Olsen in New York City in Sept. 2019. GC Images Olsen recalled the time her son, Michael, watched a Disney movie where Olsen's character didn't know what being British meant. 'And my son said, 'So you always play the stupid child.' And I said, 'Mike, you're right. I did.' And he goes, 'Wow. Do you think you had anything to do with that?' I'm like, 'Well, I hope not!'' the actress recalled. Advertisement 'But my mother always said, 'It's cute,'' she added. 10 Susan Olsen, Barry Williams, Eve Plumb, Maureen McCormick, Christopher Knight, Mike Lookinland in 'The Brady Bunch.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 10 The cast of 'The Brady Bunch' in 1973. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Olsen quipped, 'She doesn't have a functioning brain, but she's cute.' Olsen played Cindy for the sitcom's full run from 1969 to 1974. She explained on the podcast how playing Cindy as a child affected her in real life. 10 Susan Olsen attends the Thalians annual Winter Gala honoring Gary Sinise with the 2023 Mr. Wonderful Award. Getty Images 10 Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in 'The Brady Bunch.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement 'We went back to regular public school. And I used to think, 'Thank goodness the show is on a Friday because at least the kids have a whole weekend to maybe forget about all the stupid things Cindy did while she was in my body on TV,'' she said. Olsen added: 'I knew every year I'd have a whole new crop of kids that had just arrived in the neighborhood who were going to treat me like I was a freak in a sideshow. But my friends were really good.' 10 Susan Olsen at the 2025 Chocolate Expo. Getty Images Later in the podcast, Olsen revealed she got injured and 'almost died' filming the first episode of the series. Advertisement 'I was getting body makeup on my legs. Was standing on a makeup chair and something from the catwalk, where they keep all the lights and everything, fell,' she explained. 'It hit the makeup man first, [bounced] off the body makeup woman, and hit me in the face.' Olsen joked that she wishes she sued Paramount for the incident 'because I would have made more off of that than the show.'
New York Post
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Christopher Knight ‘took offense' to how ‘The Brady Bunch' treated step-siblings: They ‘really failed us'
Here's a story… 'The Brady Bunch' star Christopher Knight revealed that he has a bone to pick with the show. During a recent episode of 'The Real Brady Bros' podcast, which Knight, 67, co-hosts with Barry Williams, 70, they were joined by Susan Olsen, 63, who played Cindy Brady, and Mike Lookinland, 64, who played Bobby Brady. Advertisement 'I took offense to it,' Knight said, referring to the other actors pointing out how the show didn't distinguish between step-siblings and blood-related siblings. 6 Barry Williams, Christopher Knight, and Mike Lookinland attend the 74th Primetime Emmys at Microsoft Theater on September 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images 6 Top row: Christopher Knight (Peter), Barry Williams (Greg), Ann B. Davis (Alice); middle row: Eve Plumb (Jan), Florence Henderson (Carol), Robert Reed (Mike), Maureen McCormick (Marcia); bottom row: Susan Olsen (Cindy), Mike Lookinland (Bobby). Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement He added, 'I thought that was the part of the show that really failed us as kids. And I was just 12 years old, thinking at that time, 'They're not really my sisters.' And I know growing up, I would have said, 'You're not really my sister.'' The hit sitcom, which originally aired from 1969 to 1974, followed a blended family, as Mike Brady (Robert Reed), a widower with three sons (played by Knight, Williams, and Lookinland), married Carol Martin (Florence Henderson), who had daughters Marcia (Maureen McCormick), Jan (Eve Plumb) and Cindy (Olsen). 6 Christopher Knight, Maureen McCormick and Barry Williams at the premiere of The Who's rock opera 'Tommy,' circa 1972. Getty Images During the podcast, Williams pointed out that in the show, 'We don't ever refer to ourselves as stepbrother, stepsister, or stepmom.' Advertisement Olsen said that the writers eventually 'forgot' they weren't siblings by blood. 'They had Jan say to Peter, 'You're my brother, blood is thicker than water,'' she recalled. 'And Eve and Chris went to the producers and said, 'We're not related.'' But the producers said 'nobody' remembered that, she added. 6 Christopher Knight attends the US premiere of 'The Inventor' at Hollywood American Legion on September 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images 6 Mike Brady (Robert Reed), an architect with three sons, married Carol (Florence Henderson), a widow with three daughters. Their children were, from bottom: Greg (Barry Williams), Marcia (Maureen McCormack), Peter (Christopher Knight), Jan (Eve Plumb), Bobby (Mike Lookinland) and Cindy (Susan Olsen). Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement 6 Barry Williams as Greg Brady and Christopher Knight as Peter Brady in 'The Brady Bunch.' CBS via Getty Images Knight said that as he reflects on the show as an adult and looks back on its 'undoubtable' success, 'I recognize that the reason in part for that success is because we didn't do that. It was all about getting along.' If the Brady boys had a photo of their birth mom up, it would be 'a potential wedge issue,' he added. He continued, 'So it was completely put aside.' Williams pointed out that the blending of families was series creator Sherwood Schwartz's 'whole idea' for 'The Brady Bunch' because he had read news articles about 'the number of families in the '60s that the parents were getting divorced,' which led to the phenomenon of 'latchkey kids' who were home without parents.
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Why ‘The Brady Bunch' never explained what happened to Carol's first husband
Here's the story. The 'Brady Bunch' cast has revealed why the classic sitcom never explained what happened to Carol Brady's first husband — despite being more forthcoming about Mike Brady's first wife. Christopher Knight, who played middle son Peter Brady on the beloved series, and Barry Williams, who played oldest son Greg Brady, opened up about the mystery on Tuesday's episode of their 'The Real Brady Bros' podcast. Advertisement 8 Robert Reed as Mr. Brady and Florence Henderson as Mrs. Brady in 'The Brady Bunch.' Courtesy Everett Collection 8 Florence Henderson as Mrs. Brady and Robert Reed as Mr. Brady in Season 1 of 'The Brady Bunch.' Courtesy Everett Collection The pair were joined by their former 'Brady Bunch' co-stars Susan Olsen (Cindy Brady) and Mike Lookinland (Bobby Brady). Advertisement They re-watched and discussed the first-ever episode of the show, 'The Honeymoon,' and why it established that Mr. Brady (Robert Reed) was a widower while Mrs. Brady's (Florence Henderson) situation was left more ambiguous. The show's creator, Sherwood Schwartz, insisted that Mrs. Brady be a divorcee even though the network wanted her to be a widow. 8 The cast of 'The Brady Bunch' in 1969 Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 8 The cast of 'The Brady Bunch' during the sitcom's first episode. Getty Images Advertisement 'There was a whole discrepancy in the basis of the show, in the concept of the show that the network fought Sherwood Schwartz on, and that is the premise was a widower with three sons and a divorcee with three daughters,' Williams, 70, explained. 'And the network felt that a divorcee created too many problems for the series.' Some of those 'problems' included why Mrs. Brady and her first husband divorced and what their custody arrangement looked like. 'We're playing to a very conservative country,' he said. 'So they wanted Carol to be a widow.' 8 The cast of 'The Brady Bunch' during the show's first season. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement Knight, 67, confirmed that Schwartz 'never changed' Mrs. Brady from a divorcee to a widow like ABC wanted. Her ex-husband was never even mentioned in the show's first episode. 'Sherwood never changed it,' Knight said, 'but they agreed to disagree, and it was left unhandled, which is why you never see in our pilot episode Carol's ex-husband.' Still, some fans were left confused because it was established that Mrs. Brady's maiden name is Tyler. However, she went by Carol Martin before changing her last name to Brady upon her marriage to Mike. 8 Florence Henderson and Robert Reed in 1977. Courtesy Everett Collection 'What was interesting is, you mentioned, that they leave it,' Knight added during the podcast. 'They don't deal with Mr. Martin by reference even.' As for Mr. Brady's first wife, and the three Brady boys' real mother, the cast acknowledged that there was a 'really touching scene' in the first episode where Greg, Peter and Bobby talk about her – although she is never mentioned again. 'I think that's kind of sad,' Olsen, 63, said before calling attention to one particularly vague line of dialogue said by Mrs. Brady in the premiere episode. 8 Actress Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in 'The Brady Bunch.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images Advertisement 'Three years ago,' she said, 'I thought it was the end of the world, and now it's just the beginning.' It is unclear if Mrs. Brady said that because her first husband passed away or because they divorced, and the viewers were reportedly left to decide. The lack of explanation about Mrs. Brady's first husband ultimately led to the plot of the 1996 film 'A Very Brady Sequel,' which followed 'The Brady Bunch Movie' from one year prior. 'A Very Brady Sequel' saw Tim Matheson play Mrs. Brady's alleged first husband, Roy Martin, who claimed to have suffered from amnesia and undergone plastic surgery. 8 Christopher Knight (Peter Brady) and Barry Williams (Greg Brady). WireImage Advertisement Cindy and Bobby later discover that 'Roy Martin' is actually a con man impersonating Mrs. Brady's first husband. The film saw Shelley Long play Carol Brady, Gary Cole play Mike Brady and Christine Taylor as the oldest daughter, Marcia Brady. In addition to discussing the mystery behind Carol's first husband, Olsen revealed on Tuesday that she 'almost died' on set while filming the pilot. 'The Brady Bunch' aired on ABC for five seasons from 1969 to 1974.
New York Post
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Brady Bunch' star Susan Olsen claims she ‘almost died' on set
Here's the story of a lovely lady — who almost didn't survive the first day on set. Susan Olsen, who played Cindy Brady — the youngest of the Brady children on 'The Brady Bunch' — recently revealed some of the darker memories of filming the sitcom. 'I got injured. I almost died,' the actress, 63, recounted while on 'The Real Brady Bros' podcast with her former co-stars Christopher Knight and Barry Williams. 'On the Culver lot, they were shooting something — I would assume, in the girl's bedroom — and I was getting body makeup on my legs. Was standing on a makeup chair and something from the catwalk, where they keep all the lights and everything, fell,' she explained. 'It hit the makeup man first, [bounced] off the body makeup woman, and hit me in the face.' 7 Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady. Courtesy Everett Collection Olsen was left pretty badly hurt, and her injuries could be seen during the wedding between her onscreen mother Carol (Florence Henderson) and Mike (Robert Reed). 'You can tell, if you look at the ceremony and you see the three girls on one side, if you were to zoom in really tight, you can see my face is quite swollen,' she told Knight and Williams, 70, who played Peter and Greg, respectively. 'I look different. You can even see it in some of the early publicity shots. You can tell my face is a little swollen.' 7 'The Brady Bunch.' Getty Images Only Henderson, who died of heart failure in 2016 at age 82, comforted her at the time. Everyone else on set told her she would be fine. 'In fact, I don't just wanna cry,' she recalled. 'I want to sob. I'm just gonna let go and forget all my pride and just sob because this hurts.' She decided to cut out of work early and head to the doctor immediately. 'The saddest news is that we didn't sue Paramount, because I would have made more off of that than the show,' Olsen added, laughing. 'But I came to work the next day. Florence was the first one to see me. She's like, 'You make sure everybody sees her.' And my mom was like, 'Oh, yes, I will.' Because everybody was trying to say, 'It didn't really hit her. She's fine.'' 7 Susan Olsen of 'The Brady Bunch' attends 2025 Chocolate Expo at New Jersey Exposition Center. Getty Images As a young star, she wasn't opposed to some of the after effects of the bruising. 'My eyes were black. I mean, I had two black eyes. My nose was swollen. My face was swollen,' explained Olsen. 'I remember loving it, because I looked like I was in a horror film. And then everybody knew, yes, I had gotten hurt, and I had gotten hurt very badly.' The show called in reinforcements to make sure Olsen would be ready to shoot. Hal King, Lucille Ball's personal makeup artist on 'I Love Lucy,' came to set and helped cover the bruises on the 'Blending Christmas' alum. 7 'A Very Brady Renovation' TV show premiere in 2019. Broadimage/Shutterstock 'I loved Lucy. She was my idol. And I was so thrilled to have him. And every day, my bruises would be a different color, and I'd say, 'My bruises are purple today, Hal,'' Olsen expressed. 'Didn't know anything about that,' Knight, 67, replied. 'The Brady Bunch' aired for five seasons, from 1969 to 1974. The iconic series followed the lives of Mike, who has three sons, marrying Carol, who has three daughters, and blending their families. 7 'The Brady Bunch.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images 'The Brady Bunch Hour' aired in 1976 and was a variety show featuring the original cast. In 1995, 'The Brady Bunch Movie' was released and parodied the beloved sitcom. Olsen was set to star in a reboot, but claimed it fell apart due to her political stance. 7 Susan Olsen as Cindy Brady in 'The Brady Bunch' pilot -'The Honeymoon' – in 1969. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images The actress alleged on the 'Walk Away Campaign' podcast that the revival was halted due to her backing President Donal Trump and her commentary on controversial issues such as COVID-19 vaccines, and the LGBTQ+ community. Olsen wanted Cindy to be portrayed as a right-wing podcaster. She offered to take a class in 'political correctness,' but claimed CBS Studios still wouldn't budge. 'I am what I was going to portray, so what kind of show would this be if I can't say anything controversial?' Olsen said on the 2014 episode. 'I did have a phone call with my [TV] siblings and my agent. Everybody was saying, 'we're sorry, but they just won't budge. They just will not have you in this.' I was like wow, I've been canceled. A role that I've played for over 50 years, I can't play it now because I'm too dangerous. I was like 'well, okay guys, good luck, I hope you can sell it.'' 7 Season 3 of 'The Brady Bunch.' Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images The star added that Greg Brady would have been 'a Reagan Republican,' Jan Brady would be liberal, and Cindy would be a libertarian podcaster just like Olsen is in real life. 'I thought it was very important that Cindy was a libertarian, and also that she's a little crazy,' Olsen continued. 'She does some animal rescue, like me. I was so hoping to be the first woman on television since my first female hero, Donna Douglas from 'The Beverly Hillbillies,' to wear an opossum on my shoulder.'
