Ryan Cassidy Talks About His Role on ‘Facts of Life’ & Surprise Set Visit From Michael J. Fox in 1985
Ryan Cassidy, the youngest son of Hollywood icons Shirley Jones & Jack Cassidy, and brother to Shaun, Patrick & David Cassidy, recently sat down to reflect on the time during which he was co-starring on the long-running series, The Facts of Life. He first appeared in the “Man in the Attic” episode during season 6 of the series, which aired 40 years ago on February 27, 1985. Cassidy shares how he landed the role of Kevin Metcalf, how he reacted to losing his part, and his memory of the day Michael J. Fox made a surprise set visit. We sat down with him to talk about his time on the beloved series.
This year is your 40th anniversary of being on The Facts of Life.
Ryan Cassidy: Really? Wow, I just got a residual check from Facts of Life. There’s not very much money after all these years, but they’re still kind of cool to get.
How did that part come to you?
Well, I was auditioning. Let me first back up by saying that I knew Mindy Cohn pretty well prior to getting that role; we were friends. At that time, my manager was submitting me for different things, and I was going to go to Jupiter, FL, to study at Burt Reynolds‘ acting studio. I had just met with Burt about that, and then a week later, the audition came for The Facts of Life. The casting director met with me, then I auditioned for the producers, and then I got the job.
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I was put under contract with NBC. I was all of 19. It all happened really fast. I went in and had to read through with the cast. I was a little shy and intimidated because those girls had been on for a while and that show was a big hit. I was playing this new guy in there. They were great with me. They made me feel very welcome.
My TV father (Dick O’Neill) and I were introduced during the same episode. In the storyline, he was dating Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae); they rekindled their relationship after dating in high school.
I don’t know what the intention was for my character, except that they wanted him to be an all-around handyman for Edna Edibles, which was the shop the girls worked in. My character ended up moving into the attic of their house, that episode was called “Man in the Attic.” There were a few episodes that were solely based on my character. I was on with Mackenzie Astin. He was my little sidekick on the show, he was great.
Embassy Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection
It was fun, yet a little scary and nerve-wracking because working on a half-hour multi-camera show looks a lot easier than it is. It’s kind of like doing theater; it’s done in front of a live audience. You have to have your timing down. You have to be comfortable with yourself. You have to know your blocking. I was right out of high school when I got that show. So, I was kind of new, even though I grew up in the business and I’d been around sound stages my whole life up to that point, it was still kind of all a little bit daunting.
I wondered, “Am I going to fit in? Are they going to keep my character on the show?” Well, as it turns out, they did not. When I was told my character wasn’t going to be brought back, it was like, “What did I do? Why not?” It turns out it was just the way that things went.
They then brought in different actors, such as George Clooney, and a couple of different guys to see where they were going to land in the storyline.
Were they trying to make a romantic spark between the male character and one of the girls?
Maybe. They’d hired an acting coach for me because I was very green as an actor. I think between that and maybe they wanted me to sort of develop my character faster than I was doing in my own way, organically. Maybe they wanted to see it unfold quicker. I’m not sure.
I think it may be hard that you were coming into a show that had been on for so long.
Yep, that show had already established legs, and it was a very well-oiled machine by the time I got there. Those girls were really comfortable doing it. I was not. I was like, “Where do I go when I say this line? Do I go over here?” I was a bit nervous, to say the least.
Embassy Pictures/Courtesy: Everett Collection
How was working with the ladies?
They were great. They were lovely. I have nothing but good things to say about them. They treated me very well.
Were there any fun memories or any funny things that happened on the set?
Yeah, when I was doing the show, Nancy McKeon was dating Michael J. Fox for a brief period of time. I think that was the case. They were either dating, or they were just good friends. Anyway, Michael J. Fox came down to the set. I had met Michael J. Fox; I knew him, but we weren’t like buddy-buddy.
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I asked him, “What are you doing?” He said, “Well, I’m working on the [Universal] lot.” I said, “Oh wow, what are you doing?” He replied, “I’m doing this movie that I’m really excited about called ‘Back to the Future‘.” I said, “Oh, wow, no kidding.” He said, “Yeah, I think it’s going to be a really fun and great movie.”
We ended up hanging out a little bit afterward, and I would see him around. Suddenly, Back to the Future was released, and it became a big movie.
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