John Schneider was iconic on the classic show the Dukes of Hazzard. But just like Bo Duke, he had to get up to some trickery to land the role.
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"I was 18. It's crazy to look back on that. I started in theater and all this when I was 8," he told People. "From New York, my mother had moved to Atlanta with IBM, so I was in Atlanta when Dukes happened. But I'd already done all the theater, because there was a lot in Atlanta at that time, and had done some commercials and I had an agent."
Schneider continues, "The week I auditioned for Dukes, I also auditioned to replace John Travolta in Welcome Back, Kotter, and I auditioned for a movie called The Great Santini with Robert Duvall. So I was only 18, but I really had my head to the ground, listening for opportunities to show up. So when the audition for Dukes came about, they were looking for people 24 to 30 from rural Georgia with racing experience."
John Schneider on 'Dukes of Hazzard'
But Schneider was from New York. He didn't let that stop him. He lied to casting directors and told them that he was from Snellville, Georgia, and had tons of driving experience.
"I was actually 18 from Westchester County, N.Y., and I'd only had my driver's license for about a year and a half," he continues. "Some people would call that lying, but those of us who act, we call that acting. And it got me in and gave me the opportunity to shine or not in that audition. So it was a good move."
Schneider would go on to star in seven seasons of The Dukes of Hazzard.
"It was amazing. There were only three networks, so everybody was aware of Dukes. And when we were top five and number one a bunch of times, life was kind of crazy."
"A lot of times people will come up and say they're 50, they're 60 years old, and they say, 'My fondest memories were with my grandparents eating a chicken pot pie on a TV tray Friday nights watching The Dukes of Hazzard. Those were my absolute best days,'" he also said. "And what an honor it is to be part of those kinds of memories. It's amazing to me. Almost 50 years later, we've got so many real, tried-and-true, wonderful fans of a show that started airing in 1979."
