When The Waltons debuted on CBS in 1972, few could have predicted that Olivia Walton would become one of television’s most beloved mothers — or that the actress behind her, Michael Learned, was quietly fighting her own personal battle behind the scenes.
In a candid new interview on the Still Here, Hollywood podcast with Steve Kmetko, Learned admitted that her earliest days on the wholesome family drama were anything but smooth sailing.
“My memory is that I was probably hungover for one. And secondly, these kids seemed to know what they were doing,” she said when asked what she remembers about the first day of filming. “I had been doing theater for so long, I’d totally forgotten that you’re supposed to hit marks… I was just like an elephant in an antique shop. I didn’t know where to go or what to do, and I was grieving my marriage and blah, blah, blah.”
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Fortunately, her castmates were kind and patient.
“These kids were all very professional, and they’re very gracious, all of them,” she said. “And Ralph [Waite] and Richard [Thomas] went out of their way to kind of make me feel welcome. And that was it. It was like a whole new world for me.”
The Moment That Sparked Sobriety
Learned revealed that The Waltons wasn’t just a career milestone — it was the beginning of her sobriety journey. When asked what made her stop drinking, she admitted it wasn’t her idea at first.
“Well, I didn’t [think I needed to stop drinking],” she said. “But Ralph thought I did, so. I was going to support him … He said, ‘I’m going to Alcoholics Anonymous.’ And I said, ‘Bravo, that’s good. You really need it. Congratulations.’ He said, ‘I’d like you to come with me.’ And I said, ‘Of course, I’ll come, I’ll support you 100 percent.’ … And he took me by, he put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me with those blue eyes of his, and he said, ‘I think you should come.’ And my stomach did a little flip-flop. It was like, what do you mean, me? But I went and I learned a lot about myself.”
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Learned said that both she and Waite, who played family patriarch John Walton Sr., took their newfound sobriety seriously — especially because of the example they felt they needed to set.
When asked, "The show was known for its strong values and you really were kind of America's mother for a while. Did that ever feel like a responsibility?," learned said that they did "feel a bit of a responsibility" to convey good values.
"Not now, because I think I've established myself as a salty-mouthed old lady. But I think back then — yes, both Ralph and I felt, we both were drinking at the time. We both got sober. Yeah, we didn't feel we could be the mom and dad of America [if we were alcoholics]. Not that we were the only ones. There were other shows with wonderful mothers and fathers, but we both got sober, and it stuck. So yeah, I guess we did feel a bit of a responsibility."
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, help is available 24 hours a day through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Hotline at 1-800-662-4357.
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