It’s been 20 years since the Conner family has been a part of our lives, and now the beloved cast of “Roseanne” characters are back for a show revival.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Roseanne Barr said. “It’s very exciting and it’s emotionally overwhelming.”
“Roseanne,” which centered around a blue-collar working family living outside of Chicago, became a smash hit for tackling sensitive issues, including racial bias, sexuality, and bullying, with humor and love. The original ABC TV series ran from 1988 to 1997, and the reboot will begin airing on March 27.
“Roseanne,” the ABC sitcom that broke new ground and dominated ratings in its original run.
1. Sara Gilbert said she and Lecy Goranson would get into trouble on set
Sara Gilbert, who plays Darlene Conner, the middle Conner child, on the series is also an executive producer on the “Roseanne” reboot. Since she and Lecy Goranson who played her sister Becky Conner on the show, where actually around the same age, Gilbert said they used to play together on-set.
“Lecy and I spent more time together because we were in school together,” Gilbert said. “I remember early on… the electricians and stuff had a bunch of tape on the set, and we would take those, and ball up the tape into… a soccer ball, or make an eight ball, that you played pool with. Then, finally, production had to talk to us, and say, ‘You guys are using way too much tape.’”
“Or we would steal the golf carts, and drive around the lot. We were kids, so we would do little things like that,” she added.
Alicia Goranson and Roseanne Barr, on the ABC Television Network comedy “Roseanne,” on the “Becky’s Choice” episode, Feb. 28, 1989.
2. Lecy Goranson played basketball with fellow ‘Roseanne’ cast member George Clooney
Lecy Goranson, who was one of two actresses to play Becky Conner on the original series, said she had fond memories hanging out with George Clooney while filming the original “Roseanne.” Clooney, who had a recurring role as the factory manager where Roseanne worked, asked to leave the show after the first season.
Laurie Metcalf, who plays Jackie, had a salacious bet on the line with Booker, played by George Clooney, on bowling night, during the “Lovers’ Lane” episode of “Rosanne,” Dec. 6, 1988.
“He’s just such a wonderful guy. He really is just fun to be around,” she said. “We used to play basketball together. He is that cute and charming and fun, someone you want to pal around with in real life.”
Future household names Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Alyson Hannigan all made appearances on the original series.
3. Michael Fishman got the part of D.J. Conner after telling a joke during auditions
Fishman was 6 years old when he auditioned for the role of D.J. Conner, the youngest Conner child. When he walked in, he asked Barr if she would like to hear a joke.
“So I asked her, ‘Why did the turtle cross the road?’ And the punchline was ‘chicken’s day off,’” Fishman said.
Father’s Day gift picks under $100
“I go, ‘you’re hired,’” Barr said. “Just the audaciousness to say that to someone. I was blown away.”
“It was the absolute first thing I had done [in acting],” Fishman added. “It was a life-changer.”
Michael Fishman played D.J. Conner on “Roseanne.”
