Which of The Waltons cast was crushing on their onscreen brother, Richard Thomas?
It’s not uncommon for child actors to form close bonds with their co-stars. Especially for actors who basically grow up while filming the show – which was certainly the case for many of The Waltons kids. And after spending so much time together, it’s also natural for some of the actors to develop crushes on their fellow castmates. And Judy Norton, who played Mary Ellen on the show was no exception. During a video for her series, Behind The Scenes With Judy Norton, Norton revealed that she had a big crush on her co-star Richard Thomas, who played John-Boy on The Waltons.
“Today I am going to be talking about my oldest brother, Richard Thomas who played John-Boy,” said Norton. “When we filmed The Homecoming, I had the biggest crush on Richard. I was 13, he was 20 and I thought he was so wonderful. I so admired him as an actor and a person.”
Judy Norton Said She Quickly ‘Grew Out’ of Her Crush
However, Norton said that by the time they started filming The Waltons series, she had grown out of her crush.
“I grew out of it by the time we filmed the series. And we were just good friends throughout the series. And I really missed him when he left because of the energy he brought to the set. To any scene, he was involved in,” said Norton. “He was such a pro, that he always gave 110%. You always knew he was right there with you no matter what scene you were doing. He embued John-Boy with so much emotion and volatility and teenage angst and all the things that made John-Boy so wonderful. And he really brought the whole story to life since the show was told from his point of view.”
Richard Thomas Split His Pants While Dancing at a Waltons Party
Just like real siblings, Judy Norton and Richard Thomas witnessed many of each other’s awkward life moments while filming The Waltons. Also like a real sibling, Judy Norton revealed one of Thomas’s funny moments to the public during one of her videos. Norton shared that she and Thomas attended a party together. Thomas’s parents had owned a ballet studio in New York, so he was a great dancer. So, while at the party, the two danced together. Then Thomas started moving a little oddly.
“One time in real-life Richard and I attended some sort of a party, probably a Waltons event. And we were dancing when suddenly he started moving around differently, he had his hands behind his back, moving around in a very different fashion,” said Norton. “I thought, ‘Oh, well that’s kind of cool.’ Because he was such a good dancer. And then at the end, he leaned in and said, ‘I have to leave now, I’ve split the back of my pants so I am going to slide on out of here.’ I never told that story. And I never told anyone at the party when he had to leave. So, it’s between us now,” said Norton laughing.
