Fame can be a double-edged sword. You get to do what you love, perform for an audience and enjoy the adoration that comes with the profession. But there's another side to being a star: the press.

Hungry journalists are always on the hunt for a good story... even if it means prying into the private lives of Hollywood's biggest names.

Like any good leading man of the West, James Arness was known for keeping his cards close to his vest. While he became a household name playing Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke, he was just as well-known for his reserved nature, often declining interview requests.

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Though he wasn't one for interviews, Arness was happy to explain why he generally turned them down.

During one conversation with Knight Ridder Newspapers, the actor admitted that while part of his reluctance was simply personal, he also struggled to find anything new to say about a character he'd played for so long.

"When you play the same character in the same show more than six hundred times, you literally run out of things to say," Arness explained.

And really, who could blame him? Arness clearly enjoyed bringing Matt Dillon to life, but after more than 600 episodes, even a legendary lawman might run out of a few things to talk about.

Arness also revealed that playing Dillon wasn't necessarily the challenge one might expect, at least not in the beginning. He credited the show's talented creators and writers with giving him such a strong foundation that his job was practically a walk in the park.

"The character was so strongly written that you could almost bumble your way through it. I just tried to stay on my feet and not bump into the furniture," Arness said.

His performance helped make Gunsmoke one of television's most enduring Westerns. And according to the actor, the show's rise to fame happened much faster than anyone could have anticipated.

"Suddenly we went from relative obscurity into total nationwide [fame]. It hit us so big, so fast," Arness said.

It seems Arness was much more comfortable letting Matt Dillon do the talking. After all, when you've played the same lawman for more than 600 episodes, sometimes you've said all there is to say!