Kevin Tighe wasn't the first actor cast as Roy DeSoto on Emergency!

"As I later learned, it just happened that they'd had an actor who was originally going to play my role," said Tighe.

NBC

We'll say it: First place is overrated. Sure, winning is great, but you don't learn anything from the experience. In the grand scheme of things, it might actually be better in the long run to be the second choice, because it gives you the opportunity to prove why you deserve to be first.

In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Kevin Tighe explained a situation where he came up in second place, and made the most of a good situation.

You might remember Tighe as one of the stars of the hit series Emergency! Tighe portrayed firefighter-paramedic Roy DeSoto. Tighe explained that it didn't take much of an audition to prove that he deserved the role. "One morning, I got a call from Jack Webb about a role in a new series he was putting together," said Tighe. "So I went in and had read about four lines when he suddenly stood up and said 'I want you for the series.' So they signed me to the contract immediately."

While it certainly speaks to Tighe's talent as an actor that he was immediately offered the role, the actor explained that previously, another actor had been hired for the role of Roy DeSoto.

"As I later learned, it just happened that they'd had an actor who was originally going to play my role," he said. "But when he found out that he couldn't get top billing, he checked out the day before they were due to start filming. So they just took a wild stab in the dark at the first nut who walked in the door and could read a script. By chance, it happened to be me."

Of course, Tighe was being humble. If his audition alone wasn't proof of his talent, audiences' adoration for the actor during his time on the series is all the proof needed that Tighe may not have been the first choice, but he was number one in our hearts!

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6 Comments

seltaeb 1 day ago
Inquiring minds would like to know who this swelled head actor was.
AgingDisgracefully 3 days ago
Disappointed the actor who scurried when top-billing was denied wasn't NAMED.
But good for Kevin.
He would go on to play multiple creeps for the Law & Order kids.
YEAH....who was it??? That's some good trivia for us geeks!!
McGillahooala bradyguy 3 days ago
We probably wouldn’t recognize him if they told us.
Someone will say. Guessing he'll have an IMDb page.
His ego precedes him.
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