Heather Thomas became one of television's biggest stars as Jody Banks on The Fall Guy alongside Lee Majors. During the height of her fame, her posters covered bedroom walls around the world and she became one of the defining television icons of the 1980s.

But behind the scenes, fame came with a darker side.

In this candid conversation with Steve Kmetko, Heather opens up about the terrifying stalking incidents that ultimately pushed her away from Hollywood, her battle with substance abuse, working with Lee Majors, life as an 80s sex symbol, raising a family, activism, writing, and finding happiness beyond fame.

From The Fall Guy to the recent movie reboot, Heather shares stories and perspectives you've probably never heard before.

#HeatherThomas #TheFallGuy #LeeMajors #StillHereHollywood #SteveKmetko #ClassicTV #EightiesTV #HollywoodStories #TVLegends #JodyBanks

00:00 Intro
00:36 How Heather Thomas Got Started In Television
01:48 Landing The Fall Guy
03:37 UCLA And Breaking Into Hollywood
05:24 Why Heather Walked Away From Fame
06:18 The Terrifying Reality Of Stalkers
08:16 Raising Chickens And Family Life
10:06 Being Typecast As A Sex Symbol
11:48 Activism And Charity Work
12:29 Keeping In Touch With Lee Majors
12:50 Writing Novels And Screenplays
16:09 Doing Her Own Stunts
16:26 Substance Abuse And Rehab
17:32 Becoming An 80s Sex Symbol
19:03 Being Sexualized In Hollywood
20:00 How Hollywood Has Changed For Women
23:47 Why She Became An Activist
25:31 Working With Ted Lange
26:19 Advice For Today's Stars
27:20 The Fall Guy Movie Cameo
27:58 Her Romantic Paris Wedding
30:25 Did Her Looks Hurt Her Career?
31:20 Family, Grandchildren And Life Today
33:21 Finding Happiness

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Before becoming Cliff Clavin on Cheers, John Ratzenberger spent years traveling the world, building houses, performing improvised comedy across Europe, and chasing adventure wherever it led.

In this encore episode, John shares the remarkable story behind his famous Cheers audition, his friendships with Hollywood legends, his long-running relationship with Pixar, and why he believes young people should learn practical skills before pursuing fame.

It's a funny, thoughtful conversation filled with stories only John Ratzenberger could tell.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction
00:52 A Lifetime of Travel and Adventure
04:26 Landing the Role of Cliff Clavin
06:28 Leaving Carpentry for England
07:21 Building an Improv Career in Europe
10:02 Learning to Act Without Training
12:53 Star Wars and Early Film Roles
14:27 Why Building Things Matters
16:48 First Impressions of Los Angeles
19:19 Being Recognized in Public
20:24 The Early Struggles of Cheers
22:56 Working with Hollywood Legends
24:12 Remembering Frances Sternhagen
28:07 The Famous Cheers Audition Story
35:39 Memories of Kirstie Alley
37:43 Inventing and Building Products
41:58 The Importance of Trade Skills
45:05 Advice for Young Actors
47:11 His Son's First Fish, A Shark
48:39 Family, Career and Success
50:18 Dancing With The Stars Challenge
53:34 Toy Story 5 and What's Next
57:38 His Hollywood Heroes
01:03:12 Faking a Foreign Language at an Audition
01:04:51 Leaving Cheers for the Last Time
01:06:05 Advice for Surviving Hollywood
01:08:42 A Frightening Fan Encounter
01:11:08 Final Thoughts

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Kristanna Loken became a global star when she landed the role of the T-X in Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, but her story began far from Hollywood on an apple farm in upstate New York.

In this episode of Still Here Hollywood, Kristanna joins Steve Kmetko to discuss her unforgettable experience working alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger, the intense physical transformation required for Terminator 3, and how the blockbuster changed her life forever.

She also opens up about growing up with actor and model parents, her journey from modeling to acting, coming out publicly as bisexual, raising her son away from screens, her concerns about AI in Hollywood, and why authenticity matters more now than ever.

Plus, Kristanna shares behind-the-scenes stories from Terminator 3, her friendship with Robert Patrick, advice from Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the surprising reason she still feels her best work is ahead of her.Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:38 Cubs Fan Origins

01:52 Growing Up on an Apple Farm

03:30 Modeling Misconceptions

04:04 First Acting Jobs

05:21 Landing Terminator 3

07:30 Training for the T-X

08:46 Working with Arnold Schwarzenegger

09:09 Arnold's Prediction for Her Career

10:45 How Fame Changed Her Life

12:06 Coming Out as Bisexual

16:49 What Terminator Means Today

18:11 Creating the T-X Character

19:51 AI and Hollywood

22:07 Female Action Stars Then vs. Now

23:40 Hollywood's Authenticity Problem

25:51 Raising Her Son Thor

29:00 A Screen-Free Household

31:04 Sci-Fi Fans and Comic Cons

31:39 Life on Love Apple Farm

34:22 Aging, Authenticity and Growth

36:31 Lessons Learned From Failure

38:04 Advice From Ben Kingsley and Bruce Dern

41:03 Why She Never Walked Away From Acting

42:33 Why Her Best Work Is Still Ahead

46:10 Women She Admires

50:12 The Role She Wanted But Didn't Get

52:01 What Kristanna Does For Fun

54:02 Closing Thoughts

Show Credits

Host/Producer: Steve Kmetko

All things technical: Justin Zangerle

Executive Producer: Jim Lichtenstein

Music by: Brian Sanyshyn

https://stillherehollywood.com

http://patreon.com/stillherehollywood

Suggest Guests at: stillherehollywood@gmail.com

Advertise on Still Here Hollywood: jim@stillherenetwork.com

Publicist: Maggie Perlich: maggie@numbertwelvemarketing.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.