Growing Up Brady: I Was a Teenage Greg, Special Collector's Edition by Barry Williams;Chris Kreski Read Free Book Online

they wanted, I just couldn't figure out why.
I mean, just that morning I had been hanging on the sidelines with
these same people; and now that they had seen a camera pointed
at me, they wanted a piece of paper with my signature on it. It was
a strange feeling, but I did manage to smile, and sign 'em all, "Be
groovy ... Barry Williams."
    I still shudder when I think of that phrase.
    With a solid handful of bona fide acting credits under my belt,
I started auditioning for every role imaginable, and after a
month-long dry spell I got lucky.
    I had landed a job on a two-part episode of Robert Wagner's
show "It Takes a Thief," playing a world-class-genius kid-typecasting? My character was working on a complex and sophisticated
mathematical formula with enormous military potential; and, of
course, a horde of bad guys with affected accents were out to
waste me. Robert Wagner's assignment was to save me from the
evil foreigners and reunite me with my sister Joey Heatherton.
Before I go any further, please know that when you're twelve, it's
not easy working with a white-hot, vaguely slutty-looking sex goddess. At twelve, even the wallpaper can make you horny, so you
can imagine how my raging adolescent hormones and overactive
imagination conspired to make my blood pressure rise whenever I
got near her.
    Anyway, my role on "It Takes a Thief' was the biggest I'd ever
landed, and the most challenging. Until now, my jobs had called
for only a day or two on the set, playing characters who didn't really have to change during the course of the show. Now I was going
to spend two hours on network TV, playing a featured character
whose entire personality undergoes a makeover. I was scared, with
no idea how I'd ever pull it off.
    That's where Robert Wagner comes in.
    On our first shooting day, I told him about my concern, and he
immediately came to my rescue by sharing some of the "homework" he'd done in creating his character. He told me about creating a background for him, including where he grew up, where he
went to school, how and why he became interested in a life of crime, and how long he'd spent in prison as a result of his chosen
profession. He said that while he actually used little of this information in the series, it nonetheless gave him a real and grounded
sense of who his character was. He also suggested that I try to
apply these ideas to my kid genius.

    Skeptical but desperate, I gave it a shot, and was thrilled to find
that it worked. The technique was a godsend, because once I got a
handle on my character, it was easy to figure out how he'd react in
different situations, and also how he might grow and change
throughout our double episode.
    I spent two weeks on that set, and throughout the experience,
Mr. Wagner was patient, generous, and very helpful. He even tested my newly acquired acting techniques with the cameras rolling.
For example, during one close-up, R.J. (we were pals now, so I
could call him that) delivered his lines from off camera, but
changed his line readings and inflections during each take. In turn,
I employed the skills he'd taught me and responded appropriately
(i.e., differently) through the five takes it took to get the shot.
Later, R j. explained that as a pop quiz, he'd changed the inflection
of his lines to see if I'd respond robotically or spontaneously. Fortunately I passed.
    But acting lessons aside, the best part of the entire shoot was
the final scene. Sitting in a golf cart and driving away into the sunset with Joey Heatherton's arm around my shoulders, I was in
heaven. By the way, if you ever happen to bump into this particular episode of "It Takes a Thief," look closely at this final shot.
You'll notice that as Joey and I drive away, I'm smiling warmly,
sighing a contented sigh ... and desperately trying to look down
her blouse.
    I learned a lot from Robert Wagner. But the strongest, most
painful, acting lesson I ever received took place on the set of