- Talking about a girl from school: "The girl didn't only happen to be cute, she was also the only girl at school that was shorter than me."
- About his short-term photographic memory :"When you're doing a show like this (Diagnosis Murder (1993) ), it's like cramming for an exam two minutes before the test. I can look at a page for a while and have it in my head and when we move onto the next scene I've completely forgotten what I just said."
- About working with Barry Van Dyke: "Barry is a great guy, nothing but honesty coming out of him...He and I die laughing about the stupidest things and we're like a couple of school girls...We're so physically opposite, it's fun playing off him, he's such a straight man."
- [Who once heard of Dick Van Dyke's reference to his co-star's real name]: Dick always calls me Charlie instead of Jesse on camera. And he'll hit his head and say: Why don't you just change your name in Jesse?
- [on his on- and off-screen chemistry with Dick Van Dyke, who played Dr. Mark Sloan]: I loved Dick Van Dyke. Before I got that role in the show, I was a big Dick Van Dyke fan. You know 10 years after the fact, I'm a bigger Dick Van Dyke fan. Dick was like working with Santa Claus, everyday. He was the most, kind, generous, gregarious man that I ever had the fortune of working with, and you know, to me, that was like hitting the actor's lottery. You don't always get to work on the show where you love everybody and this was one of them, so, it was a true, true blessing and I'm thankful for everyday of it.
- [Of Dick Van Dyke]: Working with Dick Van Dyke was one of the greatest experiences in my life. By far, the most talented, inspirational, gracious human beings I have ever had the pleasure of sharing a scene with. He was always so great to me and so great to my wife and children.
- [When asked if he was friends with [Dick Van Dyke]: Yeah, I know! I probably owe him a call or he probably owes me a call... I don't know! It's been a little while. No, he's the best! Again, you know, he was never that guy, cause a lot of people would say, 'What advice do you use?' He never sat you down, and said, 'This is how is going to be; blah, blah, blah, this is; you just learn from listening. You know, everyday was a school time and you would go to school and you would learn by watching him; and the 1 thing that I learned, the most was, how to have joy, how to still love what you're doing at that age, you know, and to have the longevity and to figure out what matters and what doesn't matter, on what to complain about and what not to complain about and how is it? It's a job, in particular, those like this 9 to 5, who would 'get in' and 'get out.' I mean, he loved what he was doing, but never really worried about the thing that he couldn't change, everyday was kinda like slurs, wannabe prayers. But, yeah, I think watching him, in action, as an actor, he tried to borrow things from everybody, just has a human being, you know, 'Hey, I really like this guy, wish I could be more like that!' And so, he tried to be more like that; and in his acting takes, he tried to relax, how to breathe, how to whatever; and just how to be present and to be emotionally available, quicker. That's 1 thing I learned from him, too, I mean, listen, he's a comic genius, but the stuff that he did, was heartfelt stuff... was just really I mean, at times it was a goofy, hokey show, but, there were beautiful moments in that show, as well, and Dick is responsible for a lot of those. Again, he was just 100% present and emotionally available, at all times. 'You know, give me a moment, I need to get here, emotionally.' Just was always ready, was always ready; and me now (as an actor), 'You know, places or whatever!' That's my time to say, 'I need to be here, I need to tap into whatever it is to be emotionally available for every other actor, and whoever he asked, whoever has been a guest-star on that show has walked away, either (with a great story or great feeling); from working with Dick Van Dyke. He was so supportive and so wonderful and never disappointed; you know, that's the 1 thing to do. He's the real deal, the real article, he is the best, so selfless and here's a quick, little story: When I was auditioning for this show, there I was in the room with Dick and the producers; and goes, 'You look so familiar, Charlie, have we met before?' because he said, 'You look so familiar, are you sure we haven't met before?' And I go, 'Dude, you're Dick Van Dyke! If we met, I totally would've remember. I'm not lying to you! We did not meet!' And he said, 'I guess you're right!'
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content