Alan Alda has been living an extraordinary life with a distinguished career. His sharp wit and genuine personality made him ideal for the role as Milton Greene (Alec Baldwin’s dad) on 30 Rock.
Alda played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series M*A*S*H, and wrote and directed many of the episodes. His 33 Emmy nominations include performances in 2009 for 30 Rock, in 2006 for West Wing (winning his 6th Emmy), and in 1999 for ER.
It was an honor to talk with Alan Alda to discuss his near death experience, life in general and his returning role on 30 Rock.
ALAN ALDA
Milton Greene
30 Rock
Thursday, December 9, 8:30 PM
LIZ (TINA FEY) AND AVERY (GUEST STAR ELIZABETH BANKS) CONVINCE JACK (ALEC BALDWIN) TO TELL HIS MOTHER (GUEST STAR ELAINE STRITCH) TWO BIG SECRETS. ALAN ALDA AND WILL FORTE ALSO GUEST STAR.
Liz (Tina Fey) and Avery convince Jack (Alec Baldwin) to come clean about things that he’s been keeping from his mother (guest star Elaine Stritch) when she visits him for Christmas. Later, Liz attempts to mend Jenna’s (Jane Krakowski) relationship with Paul (guest star Will Forte). Meanwhile, Tracy (Tracy Morgan) buys the rights to a film he shot so that it will never be released and compromise his new, more serious persona. Also starring: Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Keith Powell and Katrina Bowden.
M*A*S*H was a phenomenal success. How do you compare that with being on 30 Rock?
Alan Alda: You know, it’s very interesting. Excuse me – when I first went on 30 Rock — and this is now the third time I’ve been on the show — I had the same feeling about the group there that I had when we were doing M*A*S*H. It’s a very collaborative company. Everybody knows where they’re going and what they’re doing. And they all are supportive of one another. They all recognize one another’s personal personalities – one another’s – that’s – sorry that’s redundant. But they all recognize one another’s unique personalities. And they work with them. They play with them. They work around them. They’re very tuned into one another. Just the same way we were. And it’s very nice to see that’s. It’s a pleasure to see that. Plus they’re working in a way similar to what we did only very – in a very different kind of comedy. But they’re – it’s similar to us in that they’re taking chances and we took chances. We did – we were officially a comedy but we worked in drama and satire and all kinds of different forms. And on this program I think they’re expanding to another kind of comedy and that’s risky. But the people who love it I think recognize how interesting and funny in a new way it is and I’m one of those people who love it. I think it’s just great.
I understand that you had a near death experience that had a profound effect on your life. Can you tell us about it and how this experienced has guided your life today?
Alan Alda: Well almost exactly seven years ago — it was October 19 seven years ago — I was in Chile and I was doing my science show there about scientific American frontiers. And it was the last interview of the tenth season. And it was the very last interview I would do until the following year. And I was on top of a mountain in Chile talking to astronomers. And I got this pain in my stomach and it turned out to be a blocked intestine. It was about a yard of my intestine that had to be taken out in the middle of the night in an emergency operation. And I did nearly die. It came within a couple of hours of checking out I think. And when I – when the operation was over and I realized that I had survived it really did make a tremendous impression on me. I was glad to be alive in a way I never had been before. And it stuck with me. It still sticks with me. And no matter how tough things get I think that’s not so bad. This isn’t so bad because I was sup
posed to be dead by now. And, you know, I’ve had seven years of a wonderful life that was extra, that was a bonus.
So when I, you know, it’s really true. When I get a chance to do something new, something interesting, something that I had never done before like write a couple of books, like being on 30 Rock, and share that experience with people who were pushing the frontier a little bit it’s very exciting to me. And I realize it that it’s something that I wouldn’t have had. I mean, and that includes, you know, by comparison the things I just mentioned are trivial compared to seeing my grandchildren grow up and seeing my daughters mature and become, you know, who they were destined to be from the time they were little girls. But I might not have seen that. So it has changed my life and I enjoy things a lot more. I enjoy – I even enjoy complaining more.
Since you’ve already played Milton how do you connect or relate to him now as compared to your first guest spot?
Alan Alda: Well, you know, what’s nice is every time a character shows up — we had this on M*A*S*H too and when I would write for the characters on M*A*S*H I would look for this — what else can you find out about the person. And as I – sometimes very little things. You know, he’s especially affectionate towards his son who is played by Alec Baldwin of course. And it irritates Alec, you know, for this guy to be so affectionate toward him. But when you see little turns and twists on that – other ways he can be irritating to him it’s fun to discover those things. So it’s a really a process of seeing a little deeper each time into the person. Those things are bound to come out if you keep showing the person as long as they’re interested in doing more than just the one joke thing. And these writers are really excellent. So they are interested in that.
Given who you were before you started in the industry and all the great roles you’ve had since what have you learned about yourself that you may not have if you weren’t an actor.
Alan Alda: I think I have to give you the blue ribbon for asking a question that’s never been asked before – I don’t remember it being asked. Let’s see what have I learned that if I hadn’t been an actor I wouldn’t have learned. I think it’s very possible that I wouldn’t have learned – well probably a number of things but one of the things I probably wouldn’t have learned was to get in touch with my emotions the way I have to because it’s my professional obligation to. And there are an awful lot of people who don’t have to and don’t get in touch with their emotions. And I guess those are the ones with children who grow up saying their father was cold and that kind of thing. So that’s one thing. Another thing is I don’t think I wouldn’t have gotten up so early every morning because for some reason they start – when you’re in front of a camera they start the acting day at 8:00 in the morning. If I just stayed on the stage I could’ve gotten up at noon because, you know, you start a lot later. But there’s also this thing of acting out on the sidewalk in the bitter cold. And the only other time I had to do that when I was a door man before I could get very far in acting. So it’s not that different. You have some of the same benefits you have as being a door man.
How is working with the rest of the cast on 30 Rock?
Alan Alda: They’re terrific. They, you know, very precise about their work. They come in ready to do it and they do it. They’re able to keep up with the fast pace that television has. But in the midst of that – in the course of it they’re really fun. They like to laugh and they like to gossip. And it’s just fun to be with them. And so I really enjoy that. They’re very bright people, very talented people. It’s always inspiring to work with a talented person. I think, you know, I’ve known Alec Baldwin’s work for a long time and I’ve always known how talented he was. But Tina is relatively new on the scene. And it just amazes me how much ability she has in so many areas. She can satirize. She can impersonate. She writes like a dream. And she’s a wonderful actress. And she’s really fun to be with. And it’s fun to talk to her. So she’s really an amazing character to me.
ALAN ALDA has the distinction of being nominated for an Oscar, a Tony, and an Emmy – as well as publishing a bestselling book – all in the same year (2005). His Emmy nomination was for his role on The West Wing. His Tony nomination that year was for his role in the Broadway revival of David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross. On film that year, he appeared in Martin Scorsese’s The Aviator, for which he received an Academy Award nomination and for which he was also nominated for a British Academy Award.
He has earned international recognition as an actor, writer and director. In addition to The Aviator, Alda’s films include Crimes and Misdemeanors, Everyone Says I Love You, Flirting With Disaster, Manhattan Murder Mystery, And The Band Played On, Same Time, Next Year and California Suite, as well as The Seduction of Joe Tynan, which he wrote, and The Four Seasons, Sweet Liberty, A New Life and Betsy’s Wedding, all of which he wrote and directed.
In 1994 he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame. He hosted the award winning series Scientific American Frontiers on PBS for eleven years, interviewing leading scientists from around the world. In January 2010, he hosted the PBS series The Human Spark, in which he interviewed dozens of scientists, searching for answers to the question: What is it that makes us human?
His first memoir Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, and Other Things I’ve Learned became a New York Times bestseller, as did his second: Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself.