The Waltons star Richard Thomas recently opened up about typecasting and how long it took him to overcome it after playing John-Boy Walton.
In the ’70s CBS drama series, the actor, now 74, played the sensitive and gentle oldest son who had dreams of becoming a writer. The show followed his family as they navigated life in rural Virginia during the Great Depression and World War II.
When The Waltons ended in 1977, Thomas knew he had his work cut out for him in proving that he was more than John-Boy.
“I figured, I’d been in the show for five years,” he told Page Six in late April. “It was going to take at least five years to sort of do enough work to start to balance the scales.”
Ultimately, Thomas persevered in overcoming typecasting. He went on to snag acting credits in Battle Beyond the Stars, It, Wonder Boys, Ozark, NCIS: New Orleans, The Blacklist, The Americans, Chicago P.D., Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, White Collar, The Good Wife, Just Cause, and many other projects. Thomas also appeared in several theater roles, including Little Foxes, To Kill a Mockingbird, and most recently, The Balusters.
“I have nothing but only incredible gratitude, affection and fond memories,” he said of The Waltons. “It was a wonderful piece of television for its time.”
Thomas added, “The reach of that was phenomenal… and hard for people to understand today.”
The Waltons aired for five seasons from 1972. to 1977. In addition to Thomas, it starred Jon Walmsley, Mary Beth McDonough, Eric Scott, Kami Cotler, Judy Norton, David W. Harper, Ralph Waite, Joe Conley, Michael Learned, Ellen Corby, Will Geer, and Ronnie Claire Edwards, among others.
The Waltons, streaming on Peacock, Amazon Prime, Philo, and FRNDLY TV
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