‘Brady Bunch’ Star Susan Olsen Reveals the Moment She Realized She Hated Acting

Susan Olsen in 2026 and as Cindy Brady — ReMIND Staff; Everett Collection

Susan Olsen, who celebrates her 65th birthday on August 14, is best known as Cindy Brady, the youngest of the siblings in The Brady Bunch, which aired from 1969 until ’74. When ReMIND caught up with the star at the Hollywood Show in Burbank in May, the conversation offered a chance to learn more about her life and career beyond her time on the beloved TV series.

A mom of one, an artist, and an animal enthusiast, Olsen shared details about her life that fans may not know.

How she really feels about acting …

“For reasons I can’t even explain, I continue to do acting or to pursue it. I think to please my mother, even when I was like 18. I had an opportunity when I was accepted at USC, even though my grades were not quite good enough. I do not know why I didn’t go ahead and join the film school, because I must have known that I had an inkling for that. And now I know that’s really where I belong, and it’s just weird to me that I didn’t know it [then].

“It wasn’t until I was 23 that I actually landed an acting job and was driving home with the script and went, ‘Oh my gosh, I hate acting. What am I doing? This is terrible.’ Of course I did the role, but I called my teacher, I called my agent and said, ‘I can’t do this.’ It wasn’t my medium. And then immediately things started working out well for me as a graphic artist.”

What she would have done if she never became an actor …

“[Becoming a rock star] was really what I was dreaming of. I did more dreaming than practicing. I think in my head I didn’t even consider being a filmmaker because I knew I was going to horrify my mother by becoming a rock star. So that was my ulterior motive. … So yeah, I was in bands and stuff when I was younger.

“I started out as a guitar player, but I really found that I was much more suited for bass. And this was before bass became the token female position in the band. And you didn’t see girls playing bass, but it felt so much more natural. The only band I was really in, I was kind of best friends with the drummer so it just all made sense.”

She shares her musical influences…

Rock band "Led Zeppelin" poses for a portrait in 1968. (L-R) John Bonham, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones

Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

“I started out as a pretentious prod rocker. The first band I loved was Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Chris Squire of Yes, which is still a big influence. … I went to see Led Zeppelin in 1977 at the Forum and accepted Jimmy Page as my lord and savior. I had not yet figured out that I was better off with bass, so I was still trying to be a lead guitarist. And oddly enough, when I go to learn other people’s stuff, it’s Chris Squire that I call. I don’t know any Led Zeppelin songs. It’s like my favorite band, but it’s just when it comes to actually playing, there are things that feel comfortable and things that don’t.”

Who her celebrity crush was …

“My rock heroes. If I were to meet Jimmy Page right now, I’d probably cry. Although Jimmy wasn’t a crush. Actually, a lot of the rock stars I admired, I did not want to date them. I wanted to be like them. So there wasn’t a dating thing, but there’s some cute ones that I probably would have.”

Some of her craziest fan moments …

“Probably having death threats. That’s pretty crazy. Having the FBI follow me [back in high school] because a guy was going to kill me because he really had a crush on me. I wasn’t scared at all. I thought it was funny.”

And that one time Olivia Newton-John made her dinner …

“I illustrated a book presentation for her. She cooked dinner for me and tested a recipe on me. I went to her house, which was like a dream home because it was all dedicated to horses, and I was big into equestrian. She was just the nicest person on Earth. She was trying out a new recipe for pasta sauce and said, ‘Now be honest with me about the sauce.’ She taught me how to make a salad dressing that I still make. She was very lovely.”

And the recipe for that salad dressing?

“Very simple. She just taught me to eat a salad with a squeeze of fresh lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and another drizzle of soy sauce. Toss it all up, and it’s great. Too simple even for a recipe!”

The Hollywood Show is a premier pop culture nostalgia autograph show that takes place three times a year in Burbank, California, and offers celebrity meet & greets, signed autographs, rare movie memorabilia & fan events. If you are interested in attending to meet the stars and explore the vendor floor, head to the Hollywood Show website for show dates, tickets, hotel information, and the most up-to-date guest list. Be sure to follow their socials on Facebook or Instagram for any guest updates or other fun information.