Though The Green Hornet has become a cult favorite in the last few decades, series star Van Williams admitted that when the opportunity came to star in the series, he had little interest.

“I had done a pilot for a series that year called Pursue and Destroy where I was a submarine captain during World War II,” said the actor during an interview with the Asbury Park Press. “It was going to be an A-No. 1, top-notch production. They had the show sold. But right at the last minute, ABC pulled the plug on it.”

ABC then offered Williams an opportunity to appear in The Green Hornet. However, his wife, weary of the typecast trap so many actors fall into after appearing in superhero programs, advised against it. Still, Williams accepted.

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“They [ABC] offered me decent money and the pressure came down. I’ll tell you - my agency really pushed me and wanted me to do it. They thought it was a great career move. So did my business manager and my agent.”

The Green Hornet only ran for a single season. Williams later retired from acting, exhausted from the uncertainty of a career in the television industry.

“I’m not sorry I did it, because I wasn’t long for that business anyway,” said the actor. “That was the fourth series; I did two more after that. But when I was doing that show, I said, ‘I’m outta here. This is not going to be my profession.’ I was married, I had kids. The acting business is a tough business, a very tough business. You never know when you’re going to work. You never know when the next paycheck’s going to come in. A lot of guesswork.”