Ed Asner/Coming of Age/Summer 2011/by Kelly Oden

COMING of AGE

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P r e s e n t e d b y C o u n c i l o n A g i n g o f We s t F l o r i d a

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By Kelly Oden

Versatile, committed, eloquent and talented are all adjectives that describe actor/activist Ed Asner. Asner was born on November 15, 1929 to Lizzie and Morris David Asner in Kansas City, Kansas. After graduating high school, Asner spent time studying at the University of Chicago before serving with the U.S. Army Signal Corps and appearing in plays that toured Army camps in Europe. Following his military service, Asner joined the Playwrights Theatre Company in Chicago, but left for New York before members of that company regrouped as the Compass Players in the mid-1950s. He later made guest appearances with the successor to Compass, The Second City, and is considered part of The Second City extended family. In New York, Asner played Jonathan Jeremiah Peachum in the acclaimed Broadway revival of Threepenny Opera, and began to make inroads as a television actor.

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Perhaps best known for his comedic and dramatic crossover as the gruff but soft-hearted journalist Lou Grant, the role he originated on the landmark TV news room comedy The Mary Tyler Moore Show and continued in the newspaper-set drama Lou Grant, which earned him five Emmys and three Golden Globe Awards. Asner received two more Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for the mini-series Rich Man, Poor Man and Roots. His prolific and much honored acting career demonstrates a consummate ability to transcend the line between comedy and drama.

One of the most honored actors in the history of television; Edward Asner has been the recipient of seven Emmy Awards and 16 nominations, as well as five Golden Globe Awards and served as National President of the Screen Actors Guild for two terms. He was inducted into the TV Academy Hall of Fame in 1996. Asner received the Ralph Morgan Award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2000, presented periodically for distinguished service to the Guild’s Hollywood membership. In March 2002, he was again honored by The Guild as the 38th recipient of the prestigious Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment, presented annually to an actor who fosters the highest ideals of the profession.

In addition to his professional versatility, Edward Asner has consistently served and committed himself to the rights of the working performer in addition to advocating for human

rights, world peace, environmental preservation and political freedom. A passionate and informed spokesperson for the causes he supports, Asner is a frequent speaker on labor issues and a particular ally for the acting industry’s older artists. Some of the many honors he has received throughout his career include the Anne Frank Human Rights Award, The Eugene Debs Award, Organized Labor Publications Humanitarian Award, ACLU’s Worker’s Right’s Committee Award and the National Emergency Civil Liberties Award.

COA had the honor of talking to Mr. Asner about his life, his career and his passion for the causes he believes in. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

anti-Semitism in the country, so you tried to keep a low profile if you could. My father was also in the junk business. In the fancy neighborhood that we moved to, my older brothers and sisters were not eager to flaunt the family occupation. So, I was very carefully coached by my brother. If a guy in the neighborhood says ‘What does your dad do?’ I was to say ‘He is in the reclaimed metals business’ or something like that. And so the first day that was asked to me by one of the older guys that knew better, ‘Now what’s your dad do?’ I say ‘He’s in the reclaimed metal business.’

He says, ‘Now what is that? Is that kind of like the junk business?’ And I knew I’d been had.

COA: Hi, Mr. Asner. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me EA: My pleasure.

COA: Now being that you grew up to be a big celebrity, were you an outgoing child or were you a shy child?

EA: I think I was outgoing.

COA: How’s the weather out there?

EA: Gorgeous.

COA: Yeah, I bet. Not too bad here in Florida either, I must admit.

EA: Florida?

COA: Yes, we are actually based out of Pensacola on the Gulf Coast of Florida.

EA: I was just reading the Business, no, the Science, section of the New York Times about the toll the oil spill has had on the animals and plants. That’s horrible.

COA: Yes it is. Well let’s get started. I wanted to start with your upbringing in Kansas City. I read you were the only Jewish family in your neighborhood what effect did that have on you growing up?

EA: Well, it was pre-war as you can probably guess, the Jews were not that heavily accepted in those days. There was a lot of

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COA: Probably difficult to keep a low profile as an outgoing child who has some acting chops in him. I know after the army you went into theatre. Who or what films or productions inspired you to enter showbiz?

EA: Well, they never inspired me to enter showbiz from what I saw. I jumped on the stage anytime to play heroes and to be drafted, but I had to be drafted because you didn’t volunteer to get up there cause that would be sissy. So you waited to be chosen, you were delighted to be chosen, you did your best. I sang out the loudest, I acted out the loudest, but I never thought of it as a pursuit in life. I was too bourgeois to think of it like that. So, that went on until I went into high school. Then, since I didn’t feel I’d be selected for any of the fraternities, and all my buddies were from grade school, I decided to just be accomplished in all things. I became a newspaper editor. In my junior year, I did a walk on in Junior Miss so I could get my thespian pin and I took radio classes for two years. We put on radio skits once a week on a local radio station. We acted, did the music for them, wrote them if necessary and all around.

And I loved radio because I could be the least

handsome man in the world and no one would know the difference. So, I liked that a lot, but still did not think of radio as career. So that took me through high school and into college. I studied political science in college. We were in the dormitory system at the University of Chicago and they decide to start an in-house radio station. The first production they were going to do was Richard II. The theatre group at the college was strictly extra curricular. There was no drama department or anything. My little roommate from Newark, New Jersey was in the theatre group, he participated whenever he could. As a joke, he and my other roommate gave to me a beautiful edition of the Song of Songs. So when the radio thing was started at the dormitory system, I said to the director, ‘I did radio in high school, I should try out for this Shakespeare thing.’ And he said ‘How well do

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Cast from Lou Grant you read?’ I did the Song of Songs and his jaw fell open. He said ‘where’d you learn to read like that?’ Because, to him, I was a Kansas hick. I just shrugged my shoulders. I did the Duke of York and time went on and I decided to go to summer school. He said, ‘Listen, they are going to do Murder in the Cathedral as a summer production. Check the book out and read it, you can do any of the roles.’ I checked it out but I didn’t read it and I went to the audition. I ended up doing the lead and that hooked me and got me involved in theatre for the rest of my life.

COA: I know that later you were involved in some Chicago theatre groups that eventually became Second City. What prompted the transition from theatre into television and film?

EA: Well, even after I dropped out of school, I kept appearing in plays around the university while I was doing my job, working at the steel mill or driving a cab or working at the Ford plant. And finally, the army got me. I went in and two weeks before I got out of the army, I was in France and I got a letter in France from Paul Sills, who was down at the university, saying, 32 COMING

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‘We are starting a theatre company, come join us.’ So my life fell into place. I went back and I got there the opening night of the second show and began rehearsals the next day for the lead in the third show. And, we spent a wonderful two years in that theatre and I got some great reviews, nothing but great, actually. I guess it went to my head. The rest of the company was thinking of going into improv. The first improv venture was with David Shepard and a group called The Compass. That’s when Mike [Nichols] and Elaine [May] rose to prominence with Barbara Harris and Severn Darden and Shelley Berman. But to me, I was such a bourgeoisie, I thought improv...what is that? I can do it, sure, but you don’t make a living that way. So I needed to be legit and wanted to show New York all of my Chicago reviews. After two years, I moved onto New York. In the meantime, The Compass eventually totaled not too long after that. And Paul and Barbara, they were married by then, went to Germany and studied with the Brecht Theatre there for a while and he came back and ran the Studebaker Theatre for a year and then he started Second City. By that time, I had already gone through New York for about five or six years and was willing to forgo New York. I never cared for New York. I went to Hollywood to do Naked City. They needed to do extra episodes to catch up. They we were falling behind. So, Paul Burke and I came to Los Angeles to do a Naked City episode. I saw people when I was in California and I decided to move out. I’ve never looked back.

COA: Let me talk to you about the Mary Tyler Moore Show and the role of Lou Grant. Did you have any idea what you were getting into in terms of the mass appeal and the huge hit that it was going to become?

EA: I only knew that in the nine years that I had been in LA, and I had a couple of bad years, that it was the best script that I had come across. That it was the best character that I could have possibly wanted to portray. The script was the wittiest thing I had ever seen, and it didn’t matter whether we lasted or flopped. To do wonderful inventive shows as they were writing was a pleasure not had by many.

COA: I’m sure working with that cast was pretty stellar. What do you think about Betty White’s new popularity? Was she fun to work with?

EA: Oh, yeah. She’s a delight. A lovely woman.

She deserves everything she gets.

COA: It’s interesting, with Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant, you were the only actor to win the Emmy for sitcom and drama for the same role. How were you able to transition Lou Grant to a serious character and still keep the characteristics that everyone loved about him from Mary Tyler Moore?

EA: Well, it was an impossibility actually.

Anyone with smarts would never have said ‘Yeah, fine. Let’s go.’ Never been done before.

And certainly won’t be done again. Because for one thing, one show [MTM] was a threecamera show with an audience and instantaneous capturing. Lou Grant was an hour show with some humor, certainly, but in the main, it was a drama that stretched political and sociological points that were pressing in the country at the time. One had an audience the other didn’t, so you couldn’t laugh at whatever jokes we did. So, I was in therapy at the time and after the show I went into my therapist. I said, ‘What do you think of the show?’ He said, ‘Why do you grimace so much?’ I was grimacing because every time I made a joke or did something funny, I

wanted to give a clue to the audience that they could laugh there and it was ridiculous. You’re not going to notice it that much, but he as a shrink noticed it. I had been prepped before by Jay Sandrich, our director for all of MTM for the most part, and by Allan Burns, one of the producers that I had asked to come over to do Lou Grant after Mary. They said ‘You’ve got to remember who Lou Grant is. You are the only one who is going to be on the floor. You’ve got to maintain the tradition, blah blah blah.’ So, halfway through the first season, maybe later, I said ‘What the hell am I doing?’ I tried to get the jokes and to be the same guy, but no, it’s stupid. I’ve got to look at the script and see what the character calls for in that script and perform that script. And I liken it to the fact that when I did Lou Grant on Mary I tended to emulate my two brothers who were tricksters and bombastic and all that. And when I did Lou Grant on the hour show I tended to go into myself and do the more circumspect Lou.

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COA: That’s very interesting. You spent seven years on MTM and five on Lou Grant. You worked hard to create such an iconic character and even now most people associate you with Lou Grant. How difficult was it getting other roles after Lou Grant ended? Were you typecast?

EA: Lou Grant was cancelled amid controversies.

There was that aspect of not being politically desirable and so we had to overcome that, which took a long while.

COA: Do you think that was more of a burden than being typecast as Lou Grant?

EA: Yes. COA: You are very outspoken in your political beliefs. How much has that kept you from getting roles and on the reverse side, have you ever declined a role because you had some political or ethical opposition to it or a particular person or company affiliated with it?

EA: Not really, you don’t get those roles unless it is the ultimate villain. I played a Jewish Nazi on CSI. The Nazi who conceals himself was a Jew. But it was good because in the end I become exposed and expose the Nazis. I don’t know If it makes any difference. You don’t do roles on TV that celebrate evil. You’re not going to be punished for whatever you do. You are there to do the hero or villain or the innocent victim, maybe. Sometimes it may be a willing accomplice or unwilling accomplice.

COA: So, you will take any role as long as you think it is a good role?

EA: If it helps make the point of the show. In the beginning, it was tough getting roles because of the political controversy surrounding the cancellation of Lou Grant, but I continued to work and I continued to try to be the same man I was when it got canceled.

COA: I wanted to go back for a minute about the cancellation of Lou Grant, which was often tied to the cancellation of WKRP in Cinncinati for the similar political and 34 COMING

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controversial reasons. I know you believe that politics had a lot to do with the shows being canceled, but do you think that actors today are given more latitude and separation from their roles and their personal opinions in life than was the case back then?

EA: Well you don’t need many cancellations. I used to say you only need a couple of black lists a century to keep people in line. People are automatically intimidated anyway in terms of taking any controversial position. It’s automatically stupid, because if you say the toast tastes better when it lands on the butter side up, and the majority of people or over 50 percent of the people believes that it tastes better with the butter side down. And if you adopt that controversial position, you automatically run the risk of ticking off that 51 percent who may or may not want you. Any producer witnessing this would say ‘Why doesn’t he keep his mouth shut? Who asked him to talk about toast?’ And he would be averse to hiring that person unless he is so extremely hot like Charlie Sheen is now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Charlie Sheen is back on the air before you know it.

COA: What is your take on the whole Charlie Sheen situation? It’s a very different situation, not necessarily international politics, but the show was canceled amid some pretty crazy controversy due to his personal life.

EA: Knowing the force of PR, I gather he was a flop in Detroit, and I haven’t heard any more about his life. I think that negotiations are going on now and maybe the failure of the live show may induce them not to be so swift or it might make him more amenable to striking a deal. I don’t know. There is nothing too low for a network to see its way clear to doing.

COA: As former president of the Screen Actors Guild, what is your take on reality TV and its impact on your craft?

EA: I think that the impact on my craft is enormous. I guess that it’s nice for the amateurs

out there to come in out of the blue and do whatever they have to do. I am right now recovering from not having my show picked up, which would have been the first kind of scripted show on Country Music Network. And yet, Redneck Wedding is proceeding along and being financed, which is a reality show I guess. Need I say more?

COA: In the animated film UP, you play the lead role, a character that happens to be a senior citizen. The film has garnered so much critical and public acclaim. Were you skeptical about the ability of an animated senior citizen to carry the movie and attract the audience?

EA: It never even occurred to me. It was an exciting story. It was a lovely story. As long as your identifier can appreciate the characters, age did not come into play. It was a job. That was the first thing it was. A job with Pixar, which is a celebrated organization. I love their style, I love their ideas, and I didn’t take a moment to think. I just thought how wonderful that they chose me.

COA: I like the idea of grandparents being able to take their grandkids to see this movie and everybody enjoying it...

EA: I wanted to create an emblem for the Public Relations group. I think that one of the lead markers that they should have put out was a bold statement saying, ‘You don’t need a kid to see this movie.’ I wanted them to do that, but I never told them, so they didn’t.

COA: Moving on to your Emmys. You have the record number of Emmys for a male actor. I believe it’s seven, with five for Lou Grant, correct?

EA: Yes. COA: How important is that recognition from your peers personally and professionally?

And also, among of all of your accolades, including the Emmys, Golden Globes, Academy of Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame, Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement,

etc... What has meant the most to you and why?

EA: Oh my god. It’s like saying what year of Lou Grant did you appreciate the most. The first Emmy was the greatest; I never thought I would ever be there. So what can compare with winning that award, selected by your peers, and continuing to win it? I probably won’t win it again, because I don’t think that I command as much respect from my peers as I used to when I was non-controversial. We get back to that point again, see? When I am associated with certain ideas, they call it a “loose cannon” approach, no matter what my talents, people will not respond to the talent without my personal activities intruding.

COA: Well you are very outspoken on the things that you believe in and I am wondering what causes are closest to your heart at the moment?

EA: I am on the board of The Defenders of Wildlife, so the protection of wildlife. I just read an article, as I told you, about the horrible destruction of the animal and plant life from the Gulf spill. That’s very important to me. I’ve practically given up on peace in the world because people just don’t seem to be interested in peace. And there’s no money to be made in peace. Armaments makers can’t sell their products as easily. So, of course we supply more armaments than anyone else in the world. So, our business people are making a lot of money out there. Every time there is a revolution or an uprising, there is a monstrous spike upwards in the sale of arms, so what the hell are you going to do? It’s a very futile effort to be engaged in, but it’s still worthwhile. I just don’t have the energy to try to fight for peace anymore. But too many believe in the bull, and they wave the flag, and they nominate an enemy and off they go again. So it’s a pitiful sight to behold. I’m not happy with our government.I’m not happy with the way we take care of our people, with the way we protect our people, and I’m not happy with the constant military adventures we have become engaged in. Pouring all that money out to the world doesn’t mean a thing, and if that money were poured into our own gut to SUMMER 2011

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repair the infrastructure, to educate, to house, and to achieve health, maybe we won’t be able to compete as well, but at least for a while our people will be taken care of.

COA: We’ve talked a lot about your professional accomplishments, what personal accomplishments are you most proud of in your life?

EA: I’m proud of my family.

They do a good job. They don’t embarrass me. And they’ve taken the crap of being a celebrity’s son and survived it.

They deserve better. They all have their problems and their vicissitudes, and I would relieve some of that burden if I could, but I think that’s easier said than done.

COA: Did any of your children go into show business?

EA: Yes, my son, Matthew, is a producer, writer, and director.

He produced the 100 Places documentary about the Jewish cantors that go back to Poland and indulge in an exchange between the Polish and Jewish cantorial art, which in Eastern Europe is mainly generated in Poland. And of course, with the wipeout of the Jews in Eastern Europe, a lot of that art is no longer available, so this movie’s about regenerating the interest and the activity, and what Poland did for Jewish cantorial art. It’s won a few awards.

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COA: We are a magazine for seniors, so do you have any

particular views or philosophies on aging?

EA: Well, if you can’t do a good job of it, end it. They expect all those seniors out there to constantly impress people with their sagacity and their physicality, and if they can’t do a good job on either one, then we are going to have to give them a pink slip. But I’ve got a 95-year-old sister, a 92-year-old sister, and an 87year-old brother so I’m the baby in the family.

COA: What are you working on right now?

EA: Well, I’m touring, I’ll be down in your neck of the woods, Boca Rotan, in June I think. I tour with a one-man show on FDR. It works well. On HBO I’m playing Warren Buffet in a small role on Too Big to Fail. And I’ll be starting a movie in Alaska called Doppelganger. I’ll be doing that in Alaska in October, I think.

COA: Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know about?

EA: I can bench press 500 pounds. I’m kidding. I can run a four-minute mile. No, I couldn’t begin to run because I’m so hobbled, but if you get a tiger to chase me, I might be able to run a bit faster. I probably could fly if I had to.

COA: Well, thank you so much for time. It’s been a pleasure talking with you.

EA: I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed your questioning. I didn’t get bored with myself.

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