Where To Watch
Richard Boone was willing to go to great lengths to avoid being typecast as a leading Western man
"People who allow themselves to be typed are in trouble," said the Have Gun – Will Travel star.
Never let anything stop you from achieving your dreams, especially if the only thing standing between you and success is a mustache.
You might laugh, but fame can be unstable and erratic. One day you're the public's favorite actor, the next you're out the door with yesterday's news.
Richard Boone was a talented enough actor that he was able to remain one of the few consistent actors on television throughout various decades. As the head of shows like Have Gun – Will Travel and The Richard Boone Show, the actor was able to shine in any role he played.
Of course, as all too many actors know, getting a new role after starring in a Western can sometimes feel like cheating death. Starring in a Western can almost always guarantee you'll become popular with the public, as it's a genre audiences can't seem to get enough of. Perhaps that's part of the issue, as Western stars frequently find that after they've appeared in these projects, they can scarcely find any other role that doesn't involve wearing a cowboy hat.
Boone approached things differently, believing that an actor could only be typecast if they chose it for themselves.
"People who allow themselves to be typed are in trouble," said the actor during an interview with The Standard-Star. Boone promised himself that he wouldn't make the same mistakes, even claiming he'd alter his appearance when appearing in programs that weren't Westerns.
"When the series gets going, I'll have the mustache duplicated and shave it off. Then I'll have a mustache for westerns, and I'll do some movies barefaced.
Of course, Have Gun – Will Travel was a successful enough series that it seems that Boone could have lived the rest of his life playing Paladin. He certainly wouldn't have minded. "It takes place in San Francisco in the 1870s," said Boone of the series. "Do you know we were all born too late? Those costumes are the best I've ever seen. A person would have to work awfully hard to look bad in these clothes."
Related
