Roseanne Barr's character and her TV sitcom sister, played by Laurie Metcalf, were close on the family-oriented laughfest. However, in reality, the women are not so chummy. That is according to Metcalf, who was interviewed by The New Yorker. She shared with the outlet that the two he not been in touch in eight years, since the reboot of Roseanne was axed when Barr, 73, was let go.
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Metcalf, 70, dowplayed their lack of contact. "There's nothing controversial. We just haven't spoken since we said goodbye at the end of the reboot."
Why the 'Roseanne' Reboot Was Scrubbed
The original version of Roseanne launched in 1988 and ended in 1997. Audiences loved seeing the weekly travails of the blue-collar Conner family. Then, some 21 years after it ended, Roseanne found new life in a 10th season. Viewers liked what they saw. The show got the go-ahead for an 11th season. However, Roseanne Barr was shown to the door in mid-2018 because she "tweeted a racist remark about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to former President Obama," per Fox News Digital.
The ABC Brass Would Not Reconsider
The actress apologized but ABC struck with their decision to part ways with her. The reboot was history. The damage was irreversible. "Roseanne's Twitter statement is abhorrent, repugnant and inconsistent with our values, and we have decided to cancel her show," was the verdict from Channing Dungey, who was president of ABC Entertainment back then.
Furthermore, Laurie Metcalf was questioned by The New Yorker about whether she was miffed that Roseanne Barr acted in a way that got her show cancelled. Metcalf sidestepped the question. "I don't even know how to answer that," the actress said. Was she just being diplomatic? Ambivalent? Who knows?
The Two Actresses Had a Complex Relationship
On one hand, Metcalf concedes she "was intimidated by her [Barr], because she was self-made." Nevertheless, she strove to authentically portray a warm, believable sibling connection between her character, Jackie Harris, and Roseanne's, Roseanne Conner.
Metcalf observed, "On the page was a very strong sister relationship, which Roseanne has in real life. So my jumping-off point was to try to show that bond and then hit the jokes."
Behind the scenes, Barr allegedly sought more input into the sitcom. Metcalf seems to have backed her up. "I saw somebody refusing to settle for anything, and it had her [expletive] name on it, and she knew what she wanted. And I saw her being right by far the majority of the time."
'Roseanne' Returned as 'The Conners'
The network did not give up on the show despite Barr's exit. It came back yet again in October 2018, this time rebranded as The Conners. The whole cast was on hand other than Roseanne Barr, of course. Her absence was attributed to the death of her character. The Conners concluded its run a year ago after seven seasons.
Barr Reportedly Said Her Former Castmates "Are All in the Past"
She reportedly told Fox News Digital almost a year ago, "No, I'm not friends with none of them [in the cast]. They're all in the past. I have pleasant memories of what fun we had, wish them all the best. And, no, we don't talk. I've moved on from that horrendous ending and chapter of my life, but, you know, I don't hold any bitterness or nothing to them, but my God, what fun we had on that show."
