"Falcon Crest" Superstar Ana Alicia - a podcast by Bob McCullough & Suzanne Herrera McCullough: Hollywood Film and Television

This episode features Bob and Suzanne having a free-wheeling up-tempo conversation with "Falcon Crest" actress Ana Alicia, as she holds nothing back in telling her very personal story.

Ana’s story—of a girl born in Mexico, raised in El Paso, educated at Wellesley on full scholarship, and determined to follow her acting dreams even while going to law school—is an inspiring lesson for anyone thinking about a career on stage or in front of the camera.

From her initial creative “break” as a finalist in a grammar school poetry contest, as a teenager she jumped into in school plays and found her true calling as an artist.  She was soon involved in the world of local dinner theater, and while still going to law school (“trying to be practical”) turned the challenge of finding a Hollywood agent on its ear.

She describes her first screen test—and why she wore a casting director’s sweater over her own clothes—and how that propelled her into a starring role on Ryan’s Hope at the age of 20.

This fast-paced conversation reveals Ana’s very real intelligence, commitment to craft, and the personal determination that saw her rocket to national prominence on the cast of CBS-TV’s hit series Falcon Crest by the time she was 25.  (Don’t miss her story about her “sexy” audition for Executive Producer Earl Hamner…)

Ana talks about working with Bob in the role of  “Melissa Agretti” on Falcon Crest during the years he produced the show...and even opens up to Suzanne about what it was like working with the many “hunky guys” (William R. Moses, Lorenzo Lamas, David Selby) on the show.  She pulls no punches in revealing the real-life “drama” behind the scenes of the series, and how network and studio politics, including the constant changes in the writing staff ultimately affected everyone on the show.

Ana talks candidly about the real world of auditions, casting sessions, and working on the sets of more than 30 major TV shows and movies, including The Sacketts, Renegade, Murder, She Wrote, Life Goes On, Moonlighting, Hotel, The Love Boat, B.J. and the Bear, Quincy, The Hardy Boys.  She also shares personal insights into what it’s like performing alongside major stars like Raul Julia, Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Jane Wyman, Jack Klugman, Susan Sullivan, Edward James Olmos, James Brolin, and Angela Lansbury.

In telling her story, Ana Alicia gives a compelling lesson in determination, preparation, and the focus it takes to make it as an actor in Hollywood…and the hard choices involved in choosing family and motherhood over a stellar career.

This is an inspiring, educational, and heartfelt conversation…and it’s not to be missed.

 

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