Acting is a way to overcome your own inhibitions and shyness. The
writer creates a strong, confident personality, and that's what you
become - unfortunately, only for the moment.
Burt Lancaster advised me against doing Hazel (1961). "Don't do television," he warned. "It'll ruin you!" Burt is a doll and a heck of an actor, but I'm glad I didn't follow his advice. Everybody under 40 knows me better from "Hazel", not from my movies!