Darren McGavin: ''I've worked very hard to get a terrible reputation.''

McGavin was great at being bad.

NBC/Universal

Darren McGavin didn't just play a tough-as-nails investigator on television; he was actually pretty tough in real life, too.

During an interview with The Daily Advertiser, McGavin revealed that he kept up quite an unconventional attitude while on the set of his television series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.

"I've worked very hard to get a terrible reputation," McGavin said.

McGavin revealed that there was a method to his madness, and he cemented his "terrible reputation" in an effort to encourage good work. "The first two directors who came in on the show were wary. Then after the first one turned in a smashing job, the second one talked to him and asked if it was true I was a monster. The first one said, 'No if you listen to him, he'll make you look good."

McGavin felt that fear worked as an excellent motivator on set. "I believe, that if people come in scared, it's better all around," he said.

Ironically enough, no matter the quality of Kolchak, McGavin himself was animated about his belief that, despite starring in the series, he'd never become a viewer himself.

"It's the kind of show I would never watch," said McGavin during an interview with The Boston Globe. "these horror pictures and scientific mumbo jumbo are pretty much of a bore to me. They make papier mache faces and wear rubber masks and I think that's pretty ridiculous."

Ultimately, McGavin said that it was Carl Kolchak, the heart of the story, that drew him to the project in the first place. "Ah, then, but there's the character, the news hawk who gets involved in these things," he said. "He's one-of-a-kind, colorful, and unquenchable, despite the seedy clothes, the setbacks he's had, and the difficulty of hanging onto a job. Even his name, Carl Kolchak, has a nice ring to it."

Watch Kolchak: The Night Stalker on MeTV!

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6 Comments

bmoore4026 16 days ago
Wonder how he was on A Christmas Story's set?
MichaelPowers 16 days ago
Apparently Darren didn't scare or intimidate Burt Reynolds when they co-starred on Riverboat. Burt picked up Darren and threw him in the backlot lake.
Runeshaper 17 days ago
Well, it definitely sound like there were benefits for McGavin in having a terrible reputation.
cperrynaples 17 days ago
Sorta off topic but I need to post this: Why didn't they post an obit for Chad McQueen? He was in The Karate Kid but more importantly he was the son of Steve McQueen! In fact, he was born while his father was still on Wanted Dead Or Alive!
MikefromJersey 18 days ago

Outstanding actor, I have never seen him give a bad performance.
Perhaps MeTV might consider running his Mike Hammer series.
Or Riverboat. It’s a good show. There are only a couple episodes available on YouTube. I’d like to see more.
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