Dick Van Dyke thinks his passion for "family-oriented entertainment" has cost him a lot of money during his career.
Dick Van Dyke and his wife
The 93-year-old star- who is synonymous with family-friendly fun - has claimed that his insistence on making a certain type of entertainment has been to his financial detriment.
Asked how he'd like the public to think of him, Dick explained: "That I lifted their worries a little bit. I've always tried to do family-oriented entertainment. I lost a lot of money over the years, turning down good parts because it didn't fit my idea of the kind of entertainment I wanted to do."
Dick made his TV debut in 1957 on 'The Phil Silvers Show' - but he insists there's no magic formula behind his longevity in the entertainment business.
Speaking to the New York Times newspaper, he confessed: "I don't know.
"I was talking to my good friend Bryan Cranston, who I met when he was on my detective show, 'Diagnosis: Murder'. I was complimenting him on his [Lyndon B.] Johnson - it was insane how good he was. He said to prepare for the role, he watched miles and miles of film of him, then read everything that he could get his hands on.
"I told him: 'My God. I just hit my marks and hope I think of something.' I don't do any background study or preparation."
The veteran star admitted to being a "superficial actor".
He recalled: "I once went to a dramatic coach years and years ago. I was playing a rather heavy part about an alcoholic. And he said, 'Let's look at the subtext', and I said,'I beg your pardon?' I'm strictly a superficial actor."
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