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‘The Andy Griffith Show’: George Lindsay Said He Didn’t Know Where He ‘Started and Goober Ended’

After playing the same character for 17 years, The Andy Griffith Show star said he “became” Goober.

We’ve probably all heard of actors who go overboard when filming a movie and become completely obsessed with the character they’re playing. Other actors bring small amounts of themselves to every character they portray. Regardless of the method, almost every character we see on TV or in the movies is likely a mixture of both a fictional character and the real-life actor who plays them. This was certainly the case for actor George Lindsey, who played Goober on The Andy Griffith Show.

Lindsey played Goober for nearly two decades. So it seems only natural that he occasionally got mixed up about who he was versus his character. During an interview published in 2012, Lindsey admitted that he and Goober were very intertwined.

“I said to someone that I didn’t know where I started and Goober ended or where Goober started and I ended,” said Lindsey. “I became that person.”

Luckily, Lindsey said he enjoyed playing Goober. That would have been tough if he was stuck with a character he didn’t like!

“Well, I played it like 17 years. I guess I enjoyed it a lot. He was an easy character to play,” said Lindsey. “Of course I had a great character, I loved playing him, and I was working. You’re not acting if you’re not working.”

So, according to George Lindsey, what was the key to playing the funny, often bumbling Goober? He said that being an intelligent guy in real-life helped him play a not so smart guy on the show.

“That’s how you can play that part. It takes book sense to play a guy that doesn’t have any sense.”

Goober Actor Said His Andy Griffith Show Co-Stars ‘We’re Like My Family’

Who didn’t want to live in Mayberry or have dinner with Aunt Bee and the Taylors? We certainly did. There was something about the characters and locations on The Andy Griffith Show that just felt like home. George Lindsey agreed during an interview in 2003. During the interview, Lindsey said that the show was always like a second home to him.

“The best time of my life was the years I spent The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry,” said Lindsey. “It was like another home. And the actors that I worked with were like my family.”

So what was it about the show that made everyone feel so warm and cozy? During the interview mentioned above, Lindsey attempted to describe what gave the show those home-vibes.

“[It’s] honest, down home. I wish life was like that now… with an Aunt Bee and a Barney and a Floyd and a Goober,” said Lindsey. “It was just a magical town, and Andy made it work.”

We agree, George, The Andy Griffith Show certainly was magical.