To star in your television series may seem like every actor's dream come true. But those aspiring performers hoping for their next big break had best take heed; a dream can quickly derail and become a nightmare.

Robert Conrad was able to live every actor's dream when he began starring in the hit series, The Wild Wild West. Together with Ross Martin, Conrad was able to provide a fresh and exciting spin on the Western genre. However, working on the show required a great deal from the actors, both physically and mentally.

Years later, during an interview with SFGate, the actor was honest about his time on the series. "The physical demands were extraordinary," said Conrad. "Ross Martin and I worked 70 hours a week without letup. We rarely got our scripts in advance. When I look back, it's like a bizarre dream we floated through."

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Moreover, Conrad was also expected to perform his own stunts to keep the series on schedule.

For the first few episodes, we tried stuntmen, but the setup time slowed production down, so I volunteered," said Conrad. "Things started moving quicker when I took the jumps and the spills. We started meeting the budget."

But in certain cases, the risks overwhelmed the potential reward, like when Conrad seriously injured himself while shooting a scene for the series. "We had to shut down production for three months," said Conrad. "Afterward, I went back to doing the stunts again."

Creating good quality television is important, but so is the health and happiness of the actors appearing on those shows. While Conrad admitted he enjoyed aspects of the show, like working with his co-stars, he felt it was important to remain honest about the realities of the experience, in an attempt to prevent similar mistakes in the future.