Ted Danson talks about falling in love with Mary Steenburgen in real life
Ted Danson shares how falling in love with Mary Steenburgen in real life made their on-screen romance even more magical on Inside Job Season 2.
LOS ANGELES – Charles Nieuwendyk, played by Ted Danson, breaks the professional golden rule by dating the main suspect in a new case in Season 2 of Netflix’s “A Man on the Inside,” released Nov. 20.
But it’s hard to blame Charles for his criminal blunders, since Mary Steenburgen, Dunson’s wife of 30 years, plays Mona Malgadoff, the Wheeler professor who might be the blackmailer at the center of the academic mystery. Danson, 77, a two-time Emmy Award winner, didn’t have to delve into the romantic atmosphere.
“Charles is hooked, and so am I,” Danson told USA TODAY. “It’s so much fun to play a character who’s in love with someone they’re so into. They’re just so into each other, and that’s a beautiful thing.”
The coveted pair have spent decades at the intersection of love and work, but first met when Danson unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Steenburgen’s husband in the 1983 romance film Cross Creek. The two became a real-life couple after co-starring in 1994’s “Pontiac Moon,” and married in 1995. There were rumors of a rift after they played divorced versions of themselves in the 2024 season 10 of Larry David’s Curve Your Enthusiasm.
“Thanks to Larry, we It was “We’re happily married,” Danson said with a laugh about the change in status on the show (the couple have appeared frequently on the show since its debut in 2000). People who knew us, who had dined with us a month ago, called us and asked, “Oh my god, is that true?” And Mary said, “Yes, it’s true. And we decided to present it in ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.'” ”
Dunson insists that casting Steenburgen, 72, in the role of Man on the Inside’s lover/suspect was executive producer Mike Schull’s idea. Schur created the famous afterlife comedy series “A Good Place,” starring Danson and Kristen Bell, and in 2020, Steenburgen had a cameo as a guitar teacher.
Danson and his wife Steenburgen talk to their beloved dog
“We try to stay out of each other’s affairs,” Danson says. “But when Mike asked me about Mary, I was excited, as my big, big smile showed. Working together on this production was a dream come true.”
The couple lives in the suburbs of Los Angeles, and every morning while drinking coffee, they find time to play the same word games on their phones: Spelling Bee, Connection, and Wordle. It’s such a set routine that even the first five letter Wordle words don’t change. (PS, that’s the strategically appropriate word “passage”).
“We’re early because we’ve found that at this age, it’s better to have two brains than one,” Danson says. “We’re a team. There’s no competition. That would be weird.”
Danson confesses that the phrase “so in love that it makes you sick” applies to the couple’s constant love for each other, especially when they engage in “dog talk” with their beloved Mini Australian Shepherd.
“When couples talk dog language, I immediately feel nauseous,” he says. “But we’re also obsessed with our dogs.” (The pair also have four human children, making them a blended family of four adult children from a previous marriage.)
Steenburgen rocks his accordion and Danson breaks his iPhone
Steenburgen, who miraculously awoke from a minor surgery in 2007 and found himself newly obsessed with music, adds an element of realism to the character of an eccentric music professor. The Oscar-winning actress sometimes rocks an accordion around the house.
“I’m a fan,” Danson says of the often maligned instrument. “But I’m a fan of anything Mary does.”
Danson is serious and admits to being clumsy in real life, which makes him perfect for the role of an overzealous private investigator.
“I’d be a terrible spy,” he says. “I feel bad when the person I’m talking to doesn’t have the same ideas as me. I don’t even like watching prank shows.”
His senior character’s ignorance about all technology, including meta spyglasses, is straight out of Danson, who doesn’t even know which version of the cracked iPhone he has.
“I don’t know what you mean by ‘version,’ but this is my fourth cell phone,” Danson deadpans. “I tried to keep it uncovered, like kids, and now it’s this glass spider web.”
Whether it’s his lack of investigative skills or his comedic genius (he humbly claims to be both), Danson watches the case with fascination, sending secret, rambling voice notes to his boss, Julie Kovalenko (Laila Richcreek Estrada), a striking agency owner.
The retired professor somehow succeeds, like the great bumbling heroes before him, from Maxwell Smart to Inspector Clouzot. Charmed with silver, Charles solves Season 1’s mystery of jewelry going missing in a nursing home and, while obsessed with the suspect, leads to Season 2’s clues.
The “Cheers” alum is still grieving the loss of TV family member George Wendt in May. “We’re one or two players behind,” he says solemnly regarding the constant questions about the revival series. But in “Man on the Inside,” the positive message of starting anew, no matter how old you are, permeates real life. “We’re being realistic about aging, but we’re also celebrating it. It’s like, ‘Come on, keep going. There’s a lot to do in life.'” There’s that theme: Can I get a second chance at my age? And the answer is yes! ”
