Mackenzie Phillips Reveals Which One Day at a Time Costar Was Not Very Nice
- Mackenzie Phillips revealed that she had a difficult working relationship with castmate Richard Masur during the first season of the 1970s sitcom One Day at a Time, according...
- One Day at a Time aired for nine seasons on CBS from 1975 to 1984, developed by legendary producer Norman Lear.
- “I saw him and he said, ‘I don’t even remember what it was.
Mackenzie Phillips revealed that she had a difficult working relationship with castmate Richard Masur during the first season of the 1970s sitcom One Day at a Time, according to comments made on her podcast. Speaking on the Monday, September 7 episode of her Getting Naked podcast alongside former costar Valerie Bertinelli, the 66-year-old actor opened up about onset tensions from the CBS series. “Richard Masur wasn’t very nice,” Phillips told Bertinelli during the episode, as reported by Entertainment Weekly.
A Rocky Start and Eventual Reconciliation
One Day at a Time aired for nine seasons on CBS from 1975 to 1984, developed by legendary producer Norman Lear. The sitcom followed Ann Romano-Royer, played by Bonnie Franklin, as a newly divorced mother raising her teenage daughters, Julie and Barbara, played by Phillips and Bertinelli. Masur appeared in the inaugural season as David Kane, Ann’s divorce lawyer-turned-fiancé. He departed the series after his character split from Ann and moved away at the end of season 1. Despite the friction during production, Phillips shared that she and Masur eventually resolved their differences years later, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I saw him and he said, ‘I don’t even remember what it was. I don’t even remember what I said, but whatever I said, I’m really sorry. And I’ve always thought you were so incredibly talented and we were all so young,’” Phillips recalled.
Mackenzie Phillips
Reflecting on Norman Lear’s Protection
During the same podcast episode, Bertinelli reflected on her own experiences working under Norman Lear, who died in December 2023 at age 101. The Hot in Cleveland alum admitted she felt intimidated by the famous producer, according to Entertainment Weekly.
“I always was in awe of him and afraid of him a little bit, always afraid I was going to be reprimanded by Norman,” Bertinelli said, noting that he was ultimately “so loving.”
Valerie Bertinelli Bertinelli credited Lear with shielding young actors from the harsher realities of the entertainment industry.
“Both of us are incredibly lucky to have such a mentor, and someone who wasn’t what you think Hollywood is, because young girls in Hollywood are eaten up and spit out, and we were not, under Norman’s tutelage,” Bertinelli shared.
Valerie Bertinelli She added that Lear personally stepped in during the season 1 finale when she struggled to cry on cue due to her inexperience as a young performer.