As part of The Brady Bunch‘s 50th-anniversary celebration in 2019, the cast came together for an interview to talk all things Brady. During the interview, actor Barry Williams (Greg Brady), shared how much the early role has meant to his now 56-year career.
The famous 1970s American sitcom is based on a large California family. The parents, Mike and Carol Brady, each bring three children from their previous relationships to the marriage. Carol had “three very lovely girls” and Mike had “three boys of his own.” The hit show only aired from 1969 to 1974, but has had a massive impact on American culture on-screen and off.
The show has resonated with fans all over the world for decades. And most of the cast has been able to ride the success of the sitcom to long careers in the entertainment industry. While speaking to the New York Post 50 years from the debut of the show, Williams made sure to credit The Brady Bunch for his “thriving career.”
“I realized some people would or would not cast me because I was Greg Brady. The good news for me was that Greg could conceivably grow up to become anything,” Barry Williams explained to the NY Post. “I moved to New York immediately after the show and auditioned for Bob Fosse for the title role in Pippin. I was cast to do the first national tour of the show, and I was invited to join the Broadway cast.”
“With The Brady Bunch Variety Hour… I thought I’d have a better opportunity to launch a music career on a TV show than I did on Broadway and that’s been the story ever since. I’ve had a thriving career over the last 54 years,” he added.
‘The Brady Bunch’ Star Also Admitted He ‘Resented’ His Character For a Long Time
Even though Barry Williams has The Brady Bunch to thank for his long career, there was a time when he resented the show and his Greg Brady character. It’s been years since he had issues with the show and the role. Williams came to terms with it, but it took some time. Thankfully, he was eventually able to embrace the good and the bad that comes along with being such a famous TV character.
In 2009, Williams took questions from fans during an appearance on WRAL in Raleigh, NC. One fan of the show specifically asked if he resented being in the cast of The Brady Bunch. The short answer: yes. However, he went on to make peace with it as he grew older. At first, it was tough to break the mold of being Greg Brady, so new acting jobs were scarce. But over time he realized it was just as much of a blessing as it was a curse early on.
“It was strange for me for the first few years after we stopped filming the show. I was done with it and wanted to move on,” Williams said. “I only resented the character when it interfered with getting new work. I’d become very active and successful in musical theatre, and as time went on and I juggled between theatre and TV and singing, I made my peace. Then I wrote a best-selling book called Growing Up Brady, and I was grateful again for the show.”
