New Tim Dunigan Interview

[MrT]

Hi everyone! Really pleased to have been able to spend some more time chatting with Tim Dunigan who has talked some more about his time on the show. The stuff about his audition was great to hear. I've uploaded the full interview to my A-Team website but thought you would like to have a copy here again. As the original interview is already posted under a separate thread I won't re-add that but just add the 2nd interview below.

I'd just like to say what an absolute pleasure it has been to be in touch with Tim. He really is a Gentlemen and a genuinely friendly and easy going individual that has been brilliant in giving up his time for me. Cheers Tim.

INTERVIEW PART 2

Everything A-Team: Hey Tim, Thanks loads for agreeing to chat with me some more!

Tim Dunigan: Greetings Dean, Always a pleasure to hear from you. Okay....let me see if my old brain can answer some of these questions for you!

Everything A-Team: Haha! Last time we chatted you talked about your very first time on set waiting with Mr.T in the car to pick George up. Can you remember anything about the audition process itself? Who did you audition in front of and was it a particular scene from the pilot etc.?

Tim Dunigan: The Audition process...oh yes...I remember that I was almost late for the initial interview for that show because?..I didn't have a car, just a 10 speed bike that I used to get around as I had moved from NYC and hadn't gotten around to buying one. I rode over the Hollywood Hills to the Paramount Lot and was a sweaty mess. The audition was three scenes from the pilot script I believe, and when I read for the casting director he seemed to love what I was doing with the "characters" in two of the scenes..the Movie producer and the Texas guy scamming the plane. I then remember going to Network...at NBC and walking into a room of about 20-25 people and got a GREAT response from them, lots of laughs ...then I just remember my agent calling me and telling me I got it....I was never more excited in my life. I ran around my apartment complex and my neighbors all came out and we celebrated my good fortune. It was a truly wonderful moment.

Everything A-Team: Wow that must have been just an incredible feeling. I remember the plane scamming scene well! I'll have to add some picture of the scene into the article. Although it was a only brief period of involvement with the show did you keep any memento as a souvenir of being the Faceman?

Tim Dunigan: No ...I only kept my original script I think, and a copy of the shot of all of us together in Acapulco....that's about it.

Everything A-Team: Did you maintain any contact with the guys from the show for any period of time?

Tim Dunigan: I kept in contact with Dwight and Melinda for a period of time, but then we all lost touch. It's understandable of course...Dwight was busy with the show and I was the " other guy"....and all that...I have nothing but good memories and love for them all to this day. We shared together a wonderful time and I'll never forget it.

Everything A-Team: The show did a great job of never really letting the audience know for sure whether Murdock was genuinely mad or faking. Did you have an opinion on the state of Howlin Mad's mind?

Tim Dunigan: Oh I always believed that Murdock was NOT quite as crazy as he wanted everyone to believe...certifiably NUTS sure....but down deep, I think he knew what he was doing, and used it to his advantage and the advantage of all of us watching too...he was SO great in that role wasn't he?.. I'm still a BIG fan of Mr.Dwight Schultz . THAT man, my friend is what actors strive to be.

Everything A-Team: Oh completely, Dwight is such a great character actor. Always seems to have so much on screen energy. Out of interest were you approached to be involved in the U.K programme 'Bring Back The A-Team' that was hosted by Justin Lee Collins some years ago?

Tim Dunigan: No..I've never been contacted by anyone as to my time on the A-Team, except for you!....lol

Everything A-Team: Lol no way?! That's really suprising to me. That must have been all the Captain Power fans taking your time So do you still ever get recognised/asked for autographs since those early roles?

Tim Dunigan: The truth is not too much...but I do still get many emails and letters from fans of Captain Power , and Davy Crockett... especially CP...I'm always just so humbled and grateful to anyone who takes the time and trouble to contact me about my work from my acting career. It really means the world to me to know that people still remember what I did, and share with me how it affected them at the time and today even.

Everything A-Team: The Series was re-booted as a movie which didn’t take huge sums of money so a sequel never happened. Since then rumours often pop up about the possibility of a new series being created. Do you think a new re-boot of the show could work in the current TV climate?

Tim Dunigan: A new series?..hmmm..I'm not sure. Yeah I guess the movie didn't do very well huh?.. I was surprised at that, especially with names like Liam Neeson, and Bradley Cooper involved. But,?..they are rebooting a lot of old shows now...it seems they are all Sitcoms. The One Hour Action Series was what was big in the 80's. I'm not sure todays younger audience would want to sit for 60 min. to watch anything these days....but it all comes down to the writing...if the writing was good?.. Perhaps..you never know.

Everything A-Team: Thanks Tim! before you go I've got one last question for you. Face drove a rather nice Corvette as the show progressed. If you had continued instead of Dirk, what car would you have loved as your signature ride?

Tim Dunigan: I would have to go with a Corvette also..BUT I'd go with classic 1963 split-window Stingray I think....I tend to lean to the older classic American Muscle cars of the 60's... GTO, Olds 442, Vette's... but I sure wouldn't turn down a NEW Vette either! Okay well there you go...hope that works ...I'm kind of out of practice with interviews and all that..LOL.. If I can do anything else to help or add to your site or satisfy the fans?...Let me know Tim

Everything A-Team: Amazing. Cheers so much again for your time Tim. Some brilliant answers so thankyou for racking the old brain cells for us. Hopefully we'll catch up again soon.

[HoudiniDerek]

MrT, well done again as usual.

I loved the audition part and it's sad to see how much everyone loved him and that he got cut. It's almost a shame he never came back as a bad guy or something like so many other people did.

It was cool that he stayed in touch with Melinda and Dwight. I would like to know more about the Melinda part...did they lose contact after she got canned too? You think that might have driven them to talk more!

Great interview all around. You have a great knack with the questions. Tim seems like a great guy!

[sidney]

Well, he certainly is more than earning my respect with these interviews even if I do love Dirk as Face. He seems very sweet and well-spoken.

[amyk]

Now I almost wish he had stayed on as Face, knowing what a great guy he seems to be in real life. (I do love Dirk as Face, but I suppose if Tim had stayed on as Face, I would probably never be able to imagine anyone else in the role.)

I think he is really very kind to take the time to do these interviews, especially considering he got let go from the show. I don't know if I would be that humble. I would maybe be bitter and not want anything more to do with the show or the fans!

[sidney]

I've always said that. I've always said that if Dirk had never replaced him, we'd never have known another Face and we wouldn't have gotten used to another Face. He would have been all Face was to us.

But you can argue - would the show have worked without the dynamics of the four leads: George, Dirk, Dwight, and T. That is very often the main reason why people feel the show was successful. It was all about those four and how they interacted, spoke with each other, and subtle things that their chemistry brought to the small screen.

I do say the same thing about Amy, by the way. That if she never would have left, there would be no one moaning and complaining about how awful she was. We'd be used to her on the show and not know it without her. AND what Amy had rather than First(!)Face is we know it was a success with her because she was in first and second season, two very successful years for the show.

[amyk]

But maybe if Tim had stayed on as Face, they would have developed just as good of a dynamic as with Dirk. One episode is not really enough to judge that on, in my opinion. I do love the dynamics especially between Dwight and Dirk, but I don't know if Dwight and Tim would have developed a similar dynamic.

Do you think part of the show's downfall after the second season was because they let Melinda Culea go? Did that mess with the dynamics of the four male actors or do something to damage that?

[sidney]

I'm going to be completely honest with you.
And you know I'm a die-hard fan and how much I love them and the show.

Ultimately it was the lack of care that the studio had for the series. If they had put money and time and effort into it, it could have had a few more years of longevity.

Instead they were left to their own devices.

The actors had too much say in what happened because no one really cared to take care of it as a showrunner. We know George and T made a lot of decisions because they were such big stars. But also Dwight said he and Dirk were writing a lot of their own dialogue. Sometimes I think the dialogue that doesn't work for me is said dialogue. I certainly don't like some of the comedy things Dwight added (like Billy pulling him). I was a little kid during its original run. That's not the stuff that enchanted me, so I don't buy into kids being a big fan of that stuff. I liked the action and adventure and heroics. I liked the car chases and how the good guys always won. I don't know if Dwight came up with the smoke coming out of his ears, but that's another example of something I was never impressed with.

[HoudiniDerek]

I always wonder how long the show would have stayed on without pilot cast changes. The studio liked it, but they also wanted to can Murdock...

As for a showrunner, SJC's son had just died, so he was less involved. No one else could just step in I doubt without his blessing, so the show lost its way, especially as it became even more popular and the actors got more recognized.

[juniberry]

Forgetting the fact Tim was impossible young to have served in ‘nam ten years before the show started it really was his height that is an issue. If you go back to the pilot there are scenes with half his head cut out in group shots and the camera couldn’t get close to film one to one dialogue unless Tim was sat down. It really looks wrong on camera, or at least I think it does. He actually does a great job in the episode but your eye is drawn to his height through out.  

[amyk]

Feb 10, 2018 19:29:32 GMT -5 sidney said:

I'm going to be completely honest with you.
And you know I'm a die-hard fan and how much I love them and the show.

Ultimately it was the lack of care that the studio had for the series. If they had put money and time and effort into it, it could have had a few more years of longevity.

Instead they were left to their own devices.

The actors had too much say in what happened because no one really cared to take care of it as a showrunner. We know George and T made a lot of decisions because they were such big stars. But also Dwight said he and Dirk were writing a lot of their own dialogue. Sometimes I think the dialogue that doesn't work for me is said dialogue. I certainly don't like some of the comedy things Dwight added (like Billy pulling him). I was a little kid during its original run. That's not the stuff that enchanted me, so I don't buy into kids being a big fan of that stuff. I liked the action and adventure and heroics. I liked the car chases and how the good guys always won. I don't know if Dwight came up with the smoke coming out of his ears, but that's another example of something I was never impressed with.

I wonder though how much say the actors really did have. Their memories may be faulty about that. I think that producers and directors would not let them just do whatever they wanted, although perhaps they would have listened to suggestions.

I'm not sure if the show could have had a few more years of longevity or not. I think even five years on the air is a pretty good run. I think a lot of now-classic shows probably didn't have much more than that, although some went on for a lot longer.

[amyk]

Feb 12, 2018 13:51:20 GMT -5 juniberry said:

Forgetting the fact Tim was impossible young to have served in ‘nam ten years before the show started it really was his height that is an issue. If you go back to the pilot there are scenes with half his head cut out in group shots and the camera couldn’t get close to film one to one dialogue unless Tim was sat down. It really looks wrong on camera, or at least I think it does. He actually does a great job in the episode but your eye is drawn to his height through out.  

Since Mr. T is also relatively short, having someone tower too much over him could perhaps make him seem less "larger than life" which I think they did want to go for with the character of BA.

[sidney]

Who is more handsome? Tim or Dirk? Face was supposed to have a face that would drive the ladies crazy. First season Dirk was very handsome to me, but it wasn't his face - his overall looks appealed to me. When he changed his look, he was no longer handsome to me. Tim was handsome. His hair was of the times, though, so I'm trying to ignore how big it is...

Here's a shot from the Internet. Look how much taller Tim is than T. You'll notice they still positioned Hannibal so that he looked taller than everyone.

[amyk]

It's hard for me to compare Tim and Dirk to say which is more handsome. I would say that, to me, Dirk is more handsome. But maybe that's because I feel like I got to know him more. I think they are quite different types, too. The way that the Face character went, I just feel like Dirk fit him so well. But maybe the Face character would have been written differently if Tim stayed in the role. Or maybe if Tim had stayed in the role, it would have seemed like he fit the character just as well or better than Dirk did.

I guess it is all just speculation now anyway. Still, I am very impressed with how gracious Tim is about the whole situation and that he was willing to take the time for these interviews.

[HoudiniDerek]

Feb 13, 2018 23:21:50 GMT -5 amyk said:

It's hard for me to compare Tim and Dirk to say which is more handsome. I would say that, to me, Dirk is more handsome. But maybe that's because I feel like I got to know him more. I think they are quite different types, too. The way that the Face character went, I just feel like Dirk fit him so well. But maybe the Face character would have been written differently if Tim stayed in the role. Or maybe if Tim had stayed in the role, it would have seemed like he fit the character just as well or better than Dirk did.

I guess it is all just speculation now anyway. Still, I am very impressed with how gracious Tim is about the whole situation and that he was willing to take the time for these interviews.

I watch the pilot a lot because it has one of my favorite scenes. However, I have always felt that the lines for Tim and Dirk were very different. I can't imagine Dirk saying some of the same things that they made Tim say. I still believe SJC wrote that part with less intensity so he could lobby for the change he wanted.

[amyk]

Which is one of your favorite scenes that you like to watch for in the pilot?

Can you think of any of the lines which you think Dirk would not have said as Face?