‘Baywatch’s’ Nicole Eggert on Stealing Her Parents Car at Age 14, Her ‘Cher’ Barbie Doll & More

For generations of TV fans, Nicole Eggert helped make growing up a little more memorable, first as Jamie Powell on Charles in Charge and later as Summer Quinn on Baywatch. But what did the actress watch when she was a kid in front of the television, and what was growing up like when being on set was part of everyday life? She caught us by surprise when she told us the story about stealing her parents’ car and crashing it, and made us laugh with so many more of her childhood memories.

Raised in Huntington Beach, California, Eggert experienced childhood both on camera and off, balancing an early acting career with the freedom of growing up in a beach town in the ’70s and ’80s. Alongside the workdays and tutoring, there was still time to explore with friends, test her parents’ patience, and discover the entertainment that would stay with her long after childhood.

We asked Eggert to answer ReMIND Magazine‘s Flashback Interview questions, where she shared a few youthful misadventures and memories she wouldn’t trade for anything, plus what her younger self might make of the mom she is today.

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What was the first movie you remember seeing in a theater?

I think probably one that I was in, which is so weird. But as a teenager,  the one that really was it for me was Sixteen Candles, the John Hughes film. I don’t know what it is about that movie. It was my all-time favorite. It’s still one of my favorite movies. I just showed it to my youngest teenager recently. She loved it too, so I know it’s a classic. It holds up with time. Seeing it the first time was one of those moments where you’re like, “I love everything about filmmaking.”

Who was your first celebrity crush?

I’ve never had one. When I was a kid, I knew all the other kids that were on TV, so they were my friends. I just don’t crush on people that I don’t know personally. There are people I admire and really enjoy watching or I’m a fan of but not a crush. And I know that’s weird, and I’ve been asked that before, and I stand by it. I just never have crushed on somebody I’ve never met.

What was your favorite TV show growing up?

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Gilligan’s Island and I Love Lucy were hands down my jam, my favorite shows of all time.

Lucille Ball was just a comedic genius. So to see a woman on television, the star of a show like that and just being so funny, that was something kind of new, so I fell in love with her. With Gilligan’s Island, I’ve always been obsessed with tropical islands. To me, nothing sounded better than being lost and deserted on an island, so I was all for it. I was living vicariously through that cast. I was like, “Let’s get out of here. Let’s go to that island.”

What TV show’s theme song do you still know and love?

I guess The Brady Bunch. That was such a fun opening when those squares came on, and that song came on; you knew you were in for a good half hour.

What was the first album you ever bought with your own money?

I remember buying Oingo Boingo, the Go-Go’s, and Musical Youth. Oh, and Bob Marley. And I bought those all in one purchase, and those were on my rotation. Those were the start of my vinyl collection.

What was the first concert you attended in person?

Oddly enough, I was very young and my mom took me to a Rod Stewart concert, but not by choice, but my first concert that I purchased tickets to was Depeche Mode.

Who would you say was your favorite artist growing up?

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I have a really wide range of taste. I enjoy all genres. Prince really got me through a lot of my young childhood. I really loved The Cure. I loved a lot of punk music. I was very much like a skater punk kid growing up. And then Beastie Boys came out and that was a big deal. But I think like an all-time classic favorite that I would always go back to and I would still consider one of my favorite artists would be Prince.

What was your favorite subject in school?

Oh, listen, you’re talking to somebody who was set schooled and didn’t go to an actual school. I was tutored through it all, so it was like whichever subject was easiest that year (laughs). I guess I always was, and still am, a stickler when it comes to English. I like proper grammar and proper spelling, so we’ll go with that

Do you have a memory of a favorite family vacation?

Well, we spent a lot of time in Hawaii growing up. That’s where we spent summer vacations and Thanksgiving vacations and it was always our happy place as a family.

Do you remember a particular toy when you were young that you couldn’t live without?

Not really. I was more like, “Let’s go climb trees and dig holes and skateboard.” I didn’t really play a lot, but I did love Barbies, and I had a Cher Barbie doll that was the most gorgeous. I would give anything to have her back, and she had real eyelashes and that long, straight black hair with the most fabulous wardrobe, and she was my prized possession.

Besides acting, was there anything else that at any point when you were a kid that you wanted to be when you grew up?

I got into real estate pretty young. I really enjoyed the process of purchasing properties and fixing them and selling them, and I started that probably about 12 or 13 years old. That was always something that always kept me happy and helped me artistically when I wasn’t acting or even when I was, but it was just this outlet that was so amazing.

What was the funniest way you ever got into trouble as a kid?

One day I stole my mother’s car, and I drove around the block, and I was pulling it back into the driveway, and I crashed it into my father’s car.

And we have to ask, how old were you?

I would imagine I was probably 14 years old. I tried to park it and pretend like I had no idea what happened. And my mom couldn’t figure it out. When my dad came home from work in a different car, and he looked at my mom’s car and he looked at the back of his car, he’s like, “I think I have a good idea of like what happened here.”

Was driving at the age of 14 or even earlier a pretty common thing for you?

Yes. I actually purchased my first car at 15 and would drive myself because I needed to get to work on set. So yes, I was driving early illegally. It was a different time. There were less cars on the road. There were less people in such a hurry. It was a safer time to be on the road.

What fashion trend from any early period of your life would you look back on and be glad that it stayed in the past?

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Many of them. But I would say, for the most part, it would have to be hair trends like girls getting perms in their hair or the crimping iron. I did both all the time, and those are pretty cringey, looking back.

If 12-year-old Nicole met you today, what do you think would surprise her the most about the current version of you?

I’m not a strict parent, but I definitely am a very present parent with my teenager. I think probably a young Nicole would be like, “Oh my God, lighten up. Let her drive” (laughs).

What’s one memory from growing up that still makes you smile every time you think about it?

Growing up in a place like Huntington Beach in the ’70s and ’80s, you would just take off on your bike. You maybe had shoes on, you maybe didn’t, and you came home when the streetlights came on, and if they were already on, you knew you were probably in a little bit of trouble. You spent your days with all your friends at the beach.

We all would ride our bikes together, and it was safe, and just really had such a privilege. You see those memes now of the kid that drank out of the garden hose. We were like that. We would pull up and be “Where’s your hose?” That’s how I grew up.

I wouldn’t trade that carefree spirit and freedom for the world, just getting to have a real childhood. I think those days just aren’t there anymore for a lot of kids.

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