In August 2016, I had the opportunity to interview Alan Thicke, his wife Tanya, and son Carter about the third season of their POP TV reality series, Unusually Thicke. We chatted about family — both real and the kind that exists only on TV — and it was a conversation I won’t soon forget.
I was a big fan of Growing Pains and though much of the show’s charm came from the playful ribbing and unwavering support that the members of the Seaver family gave to each other. So when I heard the news of Thicke’s sudden passing on December 13 at the age of 69, I wanted to share more of my interview with a man who exuded charm and kindness.
Related: Alan Thicke talks about Season 3 of Unusually Thicke.
Channel Guide Magazine: I thought that your cameo in the This is Us pilot was wonderful.
Alan Thicke: Thank you. I thought it was a tremendously unique project. I think Dan Fogelman is a genius. I think it’s so unusual. I didn’t even fully understand it until I saw the whole show put together.
What did you think of the pilot when you saw it?
Alan Thicke: I thought it was brilliant and it surprised me at the end. The combination of the time warp and the family relationships; I could barely describe it. And I think that’s the great feature of it, you have to watch the damn thing!
Did doing that little guest spot make you want to return to sitcom television?
Alan Thicke: To a degree. You know I was very happy doing that. It was a wonderful schedule. I kinda like what I do now. I do a lot of corporate work. I do a lot of personal appearances: speeches and lectures, emceeing. I do plenty of episodic guest work. It’s almost like doing a series. A couple of movies here and there. I really kind of like the variety of it all.
When you travel for corporate gigs, what do people ask you about?
Alan Thicke: They ask about Growing Pains, Robin and Tanya. Those are the three things. They already know everything they need to know about me.
Thinking back, which episodes of Growing Pains stand out?
Alan Thicke: I liked when we occasionally stood for something and took advantage of our platform and our audience of that opportunity to make a point. We did that with teenage drunk driving. We did it with cocaine. We did it with domestic abuse in a show that famously featured Brad Pitt before he was Brad Pitt. Those are some of the memorable ones to me where I was proud of our writers and for seizing on the opportunity to occasionally say something while being faithful to your mandate of comedy.
You mentioned that Brad Pitt was on the show before he became famous; Growing Pains had a lot of guest stars who’ve gone on to great success… When you were meeting these eventual stars, was there anyone who you said, “That is someone who is going to be huge”?
Alan Thicke: I think the ones that did get huge were ones that we were kind of pulling for. It’s no accident. Success in the business is usually not only measured in talent but sometimes in goodness. Good people that you want to cheer for. When they come on your show as teenagers, like Hilary Swank, like Brad Pitt, like Leonardo DiCaprio, you kinda gravitate to the ones you want to pull for, and you’re happy to see that happen in the years that follow. Heather Graham was on the show. A bunch of them we’ve been proud to help launch.
Do you keep in contact with any of your Growing Pains cast?
Alan Thicke: All of them. Exchanged long messages today with Joanna Kerns and I’ve played Candice Cameron Bure’s father twice in movies. We’ll have an annual barbecue. I did an autograph show with Tracey and Jeremy. I’ve had Twitter wars with Kirk. We’re all in touch.
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