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Christina Applegate nearly missed out on her breakout TV role.
Before she became a household name as Kelly Bundy on “Married… With Children,” Applegate said she initially refused the job.
During an appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” the host said to Applegate, “You originally turned down the role of Kelly Bundy.”
Christina Applegate said she initially didn’t want the role of Kelly Bundy. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images; John Shearer/Getty Images)
Applegate explained, “They wanted me to be Kelly Bundy, and I said, ‘Boo on your story,’ because I just didn’t like it at all. I was like, ‘It’s gross, and it’s like talking about balls’ and I don’t know. I didn’t want it. And they had hired some other kids, and then that didn’t work out. And then they came back to me, and it was funny. And I was like, ‘Oh, OK. I like it.’”
The Chicago-set sitcom centered on shoe salesman Al Bundy, his wife, Peggy, and their two children, Kelly and Bud. It would go on to redefine boundary-pushing primetime comedy.
When asked whether script changes made the difference, Applegate clarified that it wasn’t necessarily a rewrite.
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Applegate said the original “Married… With Children” pilot was “so crass.” (Getty Images)
“No, I just liked it … Dave and I came after two other kids. And they had shot a pilot, and it was just so crass, and … I clutched my pearls. But it was so freaking funny, and I was so into it,” Applegate said, referring to her co-star David Faustino, who portrayed Bud.
The actress candidly opened up about the original actors cast as the Bundy kids — without sharing names.
“I know who they were, and I won’t mention them because that’s mean … they apparently sucked, and I became very freaking famous.”
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“Married… With Children” actors Christina Applegate, David Faustino, Ed O’Nell and Katey Sagal pose for a portrait in October 1988. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
Applegate went on to star as Kelly Bundy for more than a decade, alongside Ed O’Neill as Al Bundy, Katey Sagal as Peggy Bundy and Faustino as Bud.
Looking back, Applegate said the cast bond remains just as strong decades later.
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“Married… With Children” ran for 11 seasons, from 1987 to 1997. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
When asked whether the show felt like a great group to be part of, she didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, we’re very, very tight. Incredibly tight. I mean, I talk to Ed, like, once a week … we just talk,” she explained.
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“We talk all the time, and he’ll call me at, like, 7 in the morning, and then we’ll be on the phone for like two hours and then — he’ll be like, ‘Ugh. I have to go.’ And I’m like, ‘You called me, man, like, what are we dealing with right now?’ … I love that dude so much.”
Set against the backdrop of working-class Chicago, “Married… With Children” ran for 11 seasons and pushed boundaries with its unapologetic humor.
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