{"id":36,"date":"2026-06-02T21:35:55","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T14:35:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/?p=36"},"modified":"2026-06-02T21:35:55","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T14:35:55","slug":"how-waltons-star-richard-thomas-overcame-typecasting-after-playing-iconic-tv-role","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/2026\/06\/02\/how-waltons-star-richard-thomas-overcame-typecasting-after-playing-iconic-tv-role\/","title":{"rendered":"How \u2018Waltons\u2019 star Richard Thomas overcame typecasting after playing iconic TV role"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Thomas, star of \u201cThe Waltons,\u201d knew it wouldn\u2019t be easy to prove to audiences that he could play characters other than John-Boy Walton once his gig was up.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI figured, I\u2019d been in the show for five years,\u201d the actor exclusively told Page Six in a new interview. \u201cIt was going to take at least five years to sort of do enough work to start to balance the scales.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas, who left the hit \u201970s TV series after five seasons, was quick to stress that he \u201cadored\u201d the show.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/rgM_W3Jyu_9YLyrhgLVQTQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUwNDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/ed41d0c0a8271d3de16ce07ec57df7ae\" alt=\"Richard Thomas, star of \u201cThe Waltons,\u201d exclusively spoke to Page Six about his career journey in a new interview. Page Six\" width=\"960\" height=\"504\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>Richard Thomas, star of \u201cThe Waltons,\u201d exclusively spoke to Page Six about his career journey in a new interview. Page Six<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/5hRoIthFOnj.nau14RM.6A--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTk2NDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/3fa71132dee23e582043cabbe458266c\" alt=\"The actor (pictured in the middle, standing) starred as John-Boy Walton in the hit 1970s TV series \u201cThe Waltons.\u201d \u00a9CBS\/Courtesy Everett Collection\" width=\"960\" height=\"964\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>The actor (pictured in the middle, standing) starred as John-Boy Walton in the hit 1970s TV series \u201cThe Waltons.\u201d \u00a9CBS\/Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI have nothing but only incredible gratitude, affection and fond memories. It was a wonderful piece of television for its time,\u201d he gushed, noting that the series aired when there were only three broadcast networks and when TV audiences were huge.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe reach of that was phenomenal,\u201d he continued, \u201cand hard for people to understand today.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The success of \u201cThe Waltons\u201d notably included lots of attention from female fans.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/FHQOeJg1YNiN_PQZ.ZVDsA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0MTg7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/1293483882b821691ee76e3f03fc18a4\" alt=\"Thomas (pictured above in character on the set of \u201cThe Waltons\u201d in 1974) left the show after five seasons. CBS via Getty Images\" width=\"960\" height=\"1418\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>Thomas (pictured above in character on the set of \u201cThe Waltons\u201d in 1974) left the show after five seasons. CBS via Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/kZYWWcmajEDCpr3OCrmi6Q--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0MzQ7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/5f2d25729f04054d1432e30c887e80f5\" alt=\"The actor (pictured above in 2009) knew that it would take some time to stop being typecast. WireImage\" width=\"960\" height=\"1434\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>The actor (pictured above in 2009) knew that it would take some time to stop being typecast. WireImage<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cIt was great!\u201d Thomas enthused, \u201cand it was the \u201970s.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The CBS series, which ran from 1972 to 1981, centered around a rural family during the Great Depression and World War II.<\/p>\n<p>Thomas played the beloved role of John-Boy Walton, the oldest of the clan, who dreamed of becoming a writer one day.<\/p>\n<p>The actor, who was was born and raised in New York City, went on to star in shows like \u201cIt\u201d and made guest appearances in a slew of other series. Thomas eventually returned to his first love, the Broadway stage, where he made his debut in \u201cSunrise at Campobello\u201d when he was only 7 years old.<\/p>\n<p>He was nominated in 2017 for his turn in \u201cLittle Foxes,\u201d and later portrayed Atticus Finch in the 2022-2024 tour of \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/cuhLHEZkv.jUsXURB2UYrg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/d45f4c1706ba5b5896297b873795a00c\" alt=\"The actor (pictured here with co-star Will Geer on the set of \u201cThe Waltons\u201d) stressed that he loved working on the show. Courtesy Everett Collection\" width=\"960\" height=\"639\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>The actor (pictured here with co-star Will Geer on the set of \u201cThe Waltons\u201d) stressed that he loved working on the show. Courtesy Everett Collection<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/MNaTD.HF9ZOtvWWXWkFtuQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTEyNjU7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/10f4947d8d72ab56b67d77850a5805c6\" alt=\"Thomas, who was nominated for a Tony for his role in \u201cLittle Foxes,\u201d has been working steadily on Broadway for decades. WireImage\" width=\"960\" height=\"1265\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>Thomas, who was nominated for a Tony for his role in \u201cLittle Foxes,\u201d has been working steadily on Broadway for decades. WireImage<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Thomas also had a delicious role as the head of the FBI Counter-Intelligence in \u201cThe Americans,\u201d which he raved about to Page Six.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI loved it because it was kind of counterintuitive casting for me,\u201d he explained. \u201c[It] gave me really a wonderful opportunity to play a rather enigmatic character who sometimes you thought was OK, sometimes [you] thought he was just a d\u2013k, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas can currently be seen in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.manhattantheatreclub.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:\u201cThe Balusters,\u201d;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;\u201cThe Balusters,\u201d&quot;}\" data-rapid_p=\"26\">\u201cThe Balusters,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0a raucous comedy about a Neighborhood Association that descends into chaos when a newcomer suggests installing a stop sign in the enclave\u2019s prettiest block.<\/p>\n<p>The Post\u2019s Johnny Oleksinski\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/22\/entertainment\/the-balusters-review-a-hilarious-clash-of-wackos-on-broadway\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-ylk=\"elm:link;elmt:article_link;slk:gave the show a raving review;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;gave the show a raving review&quot;}\" data-rapid_p=\"27\">gave the show a raving review<\/a>, calling it an \u201cengrossing and enjoyable watch.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/s6EtPqq_wymW1xn0k6tUZQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTE0NDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/e702466c7063d21816991190ca92824c\" alt=\"Thomas, seen here in 2017, can currently be seen on Broadway in \u201cThe Balusters.\u201d Jenny Anderson\" width=\"960\" height=\"1440\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>Thomas, seen here in 2017, can currently be seen on Broadway in \u201cThe Balusters.\u201d Jenny Anderson<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure>\n<div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/4LE8cksI3_NLxRrFeBLYtw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/page_six_articles_559\/45ae9ab9c3705baaed9f21da316f890a\" alt=\"The comedy has won rave reviews. Getty Images\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" data-nimg=\"1\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><figcaption>The comedy has won rave reviews. Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>During another portion of the interview, Thomas joked to Page Six about his upcoming 75th birthday on June 13. While he still appears decades younger, he swears he hasn\u2019t had any work done.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCome on!\u201d he exclaimed, noting that foreheads are \u201cone of the most expressive parts\u201d of one\u2019s face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t want to freeze any of it,\u201d he continued, \u201cI mean, it\u2019s falling apart, but what the hell?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Thomas laughed when Page Six suggested he could launch a skin-care line, replying, \u201cYou\u2019re very kind. You made my day!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Thomas, star of \u201cThe Waltons,\u201d knew it wouldn\u2019t be easy to prove to audiences that he could play characters other than John-Boy Walton once his gig was up. \u201cI figured, I\u2019d been in the show for five years,\u201d the actor exclusively told Page Six in a new interview. \u201cIt was going to take at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":37,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chua-phan-loai"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36\/revisions\/38"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/37"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogtamsu.com.vn\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}