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Life after The Waltons wasn't all smooth sailing for Richard Thomas
"Suddenly, it was all gone."
No matter how better off you'll be, it can be tough to say goodbye to a place that you love.
As one of the stars of The Waltons, Richard Thomas could have stayed comfortably for the entire run of the series, and no one would have batted an eye. Thomas was known to audiences as John-Boy, and until he left the series, it was seemingly impossible to picture an episode of The Waltons without him.
Still, Thomas knew that he'd never grow as an actor if he stayed on the series.
"I felt if I stayed with The Waltons any longer, I would have been doing it for all the wrong reasons," said Thomas during an interview with the Sunday Press. By staying in the same series, Thomas knew that he wouldn't be creatively challenged as an actor. He needed new projects to spread his wings.
However, after so many years on The Waltons, Thomas admitted that he had grown accustomed to the comfortable life on a television program. When he left the series, he found himself in freefall.
"It turns you around," said Thomas. "There I was, working five days a week, nine months a year, with the same people, enjoying a known cash flow, embracing a certain security...Suddenly, it was all gone. Suddenly, I was reading scripts and trying to decide what to do, where to do it, and with whom."
Luckily, Thomas was a talented and committed actor who had no trouble obtaining new roles. Moreover, he found that he actually preferred the fast-paced lifestyle of an actor.
"But I quickly realized that this is normal for an actor," said Thomas. "We are not creatures of habit. Or at least, we should not be."
