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Susan Olsen on her feelings about not being in A Very Brady Christmas
What happened when the two Cindys saw each other at Burger King?!
Have you ever heard of the thought experiment known as the "Ship of Theseus"? It's a paradox and a puzzle rooted in Greek mythology. Theseus, the fabled King, rescues the children of Athens from the minotaur and they escape on a ship. For centuries, the Greeks would commemorate the supposed event by taking the ship on a trip to Delos. This ship, over several hundred years, was gradually repaired, and all of its parts were replaced. So, with brand-new wood, and completely different components throughout, was the ship still "The Ship of Theseus"? At what point does the ship change identity, or does it even at all?
How many Bradies make a Bunch? Well, according to Susan Olsen (the youngest one; she of curls), Paramount made it clear that the whole family need not be original make and model for a holiday-themed revival. A full decade after The Brady Bunch stopped producing new episodes, the studio tapped the group that somehow formed a family for an attempt at Yuletide nostalgia. Why not dust off the old property for a Christmas episode? Thus was born A Very Brady Christmas.
However, anyone familiar with the special will notice that not all was as it once seemed. Cindy Brady wears a different face, surprisingly, as the original actress was replaced. Susan Olsen, who played Cindy from 1969-1974 does not appear in A Very Brady Christmas. Years later, in an interview with the since-defunct cultfilmfreak.com, Olsen revealed why she was left out of the holiday proceedings. More importantly, she made it clear exactly how she felt about the ordeal.
"They were being stingy," said Olsen. "I'm sorry but at this point Paramount had made a billion dollars off Brady and we make nothing on reruns. I had a honeymoon to go on in Jamaica as well. I decided to take a stand because they were doing this 'You're the youngest so we'll pay you the least' thing. I was like, 'They've GOT to be kidding' and what I didn't realize was that they didn't need me anyway. They only had to deliver five out of six "kids" in the cast so I was expendable. They only wanted to pay five of us. With that in mind, I was quite happy to go to Jamaica rather than be in the special. The only sad thing was to know that everyone was going to be together and I might not see them. Maureen McCormick arranged a dinner for us all when I got back from Montego Bay. That was nice and I had no regrets about sitting out for one reunion."
So, how'd she feel about her replacement, Jennifer Runyan, and the newer Cindy's performance?
"When I saw 'Cindy' seated at the children's table I thought 'Better her than me!' I think Jennifer is much prettier than I am so I was OK with her as a replacement. A few years ago we met, just by accident, at a Burger King! We were there with our kids. We hugged. She's totally nice and got out of the business to be a mom. I think she's great."
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