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Loretta Swit acknowledged that Margaret Houlihan could be ''obnoxious'' at times
Here's how the actor redeemed her character in the eyes of the audience.
A flawed character doesn’t automatically mean a bad character; rather, a few flaws in a fictional character demonstrate humanity.
Loretta Swit was more than willing to acknowledge that Margaret Houlihan came with her fair share of issues.
“Hot Lips is obnoxious at times,” said the M*A*S*H actor during an interview with the Richmond Times-Dispatch. “But I always look for something amusing about her so audiences will laugh with her instead of just being angry with her. She’s a career woman and sticks by Army regulations. She also happens to fall apart over Major Burns in the show.”
In addition to Houlihan’s romantic troubles, Swit also explained that playing her character was a balancing act. “It’s difficult to play an attractive woman who plays the heavy week after week,” said the actor. “I can’t be too heavy, because, after all, it is a comedy. But I have to put down the men and lay them out as often as possible.”
M*A*S*H made the difficult decision to confront real societal issues head-on. However, Swit felt that the tough topics only helped make the sitcom that much more entertaining.
“I work hard at making Hot Lips understandable,” said the actor. “As an Army nurse, she lives by the book except in her private life. Most of the time she is an antagonist who puts the story in motion.”
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