In a humorous twist, Carroll O’Connor once revealed his softer side regarding his iconic character, Archie Bunker. In an interview with The Evening Sun, he expressed sympathy for Archie, despite their stark differences. “If Archie were real, I’d feel sorry for him,” O’Connor said. “He’s a victim of his upbringing and environment.”
While O’Connor was a liberal, soft-spoken man, his co-star Betty Garrett, known for her role as Irene Lorenzo, shared a comical story that showcased a moment when O’Connor truly let his inner Archie shine through. In her memoir, Betty Garrett and Other Songs: A Life on Stage and Screen, she recounted an incident involving a hardboiled egg that turned into a mini drama.
Garrett explained how O’Connor’s wife, Nancy, described a morning when he struggled to peel a hardboiled egg. “He was growling at it and squeezing it, and then suddenly he goes, ‘AARGH!’ and the egg bursts all over the kitchen!” Nancy remarked to Garrett, “Now isn’t that something Archie Bunker would do?”
While O’Connor was initially annoyed at Nancy for sharing the tale, Garrett found it endearing. “I think it makes him sound adorable,” she wrote, capturing a moment that perfectly mirrored Archie’s comedic frustrations. It’s a delightful reminder that even the most serious actors can have their quirky, relatable moments—sometimes just over a hardboiled egg!
