Andy Griffith was the star of The Andy Griffith Show. After all, his name was literally in the title of the show of the classic sitcom. However, Sheriff Andy Taylor wasn’t Griffith’s favorite character.
Prior to his death in 2012, Griffith sat down for an interview with The Charlotte Observer. He said that while enjoyed portraying Andy Taylor, his favorite character was actually Barney Fife.
“Of course, Barney is my favorite character,” said Griffith. He also called Don Knotts his favorite actor. “And Don was my favorite actor. Don and I have been friends since 1955 when we were in No Time for Sergeants together. And I think Don’s a genius.”
By this time, neither had worked together in a number of years. This was prior to Knotts’ passing as well. But even then, Griffith held his friend in high regard.
“We’re friends,” Griffith said of the cast. “Oh my God, yes. We will always remain friends. You know, you do a show and you like somebody and you say, ‘Let’s get together,’ and you mean it. And you never do. But all of us guys spent all day long together for years. And years and years. And we know an enormous amount about one another. And so we feel a closeness because of that.”
Andy Griffith Talks Andy Taylor
As for his own character, Griffith had a lot of thoughts. Likewise, Griffith said that he drew on inspiration from his childhood for the show. However, he dispelled rumors that he based Andy Taylor after his own father. Instead, it was a creation he conjured up.
“I used my father all the time,” he said. “I still do. Because I was so fond of him, found him so attractive. Any actor who plays a part will take from anybody that he knows. Of course, I’ve used my father. But I didn’t pattern Andy Taylor after anybody.”
“I’m a rewrite person,” he said. “I don’t have the skill to come up with an original story. I wish I did. But it’s a screw that was left out of my mind. But I am a good rewrite person. I know when it’s good, and I know when it’s bad. I don’t always necessarily know how to fix it, but I always work on it.”
