Sometimes, an opportunity is so good, that you just have to jump on it, even if that means leaving another great thing behind. It’s a lesson that Tina Louise learned fairly early on in her career when she was offered the opportunity to join the main cast of Gilligan’s Island.

The show would prove to be a phenomenon whose relevance would stand the test of time even today. When she was offered the role, Louise wasn’t aware of the success that was to come, but she did understand that the opportunity was one that she simply couldn’t refuse. She had to take the part.

There was just one problem. According to an interview with the Democrat and Chronicle, Louise already had her hands full in the theatre. She was part of a musical entitled Fade Out-Fade In, which was set to unveil performances in New York with one whopper of a lead – Carol Burnett.

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Tina LouiseGilligan's Island

Tina Louise took a break from acting in the early 1970s

Louise explained, “We hadn’t been open in New York for more than two weeks before I had this offer to become one of the regulars in the new CBS series Gilligan’s Island.” So now, Louise was stuck being pulled in two different directions. In the end, Louise chose to invoke an escape clause included in her contract for Fade In-Fade Out. She reasoned, “The television offer was too good to pass up. I’m ambitious, but it doesn’t hurt to be practical.”

Louise was always very honest about her acting experiences, as well as her career goals. In the interview, she revealed, “My interest is in serious acting. But you go where the money is when it comes along with the idea that it will help you do what you really want to do later.”