Interview Patrick Duffy, Kindness and Love Story after 50 years

« I would have never thought watching Dallas and meeting Bobby Ewing, one day! » I said enthusiastically.

« And I never thought coming to Monte Carlo to meet you! » said Patrick Duffy. 

Starting an interview like this lifts up the energy of the space. Moreover, the kindness he gives off filles the room with bliss. Patrick Fuffy enters quickly and naturally into the conversation. He likes to tell stories and he does it so naturally easy that you get kept under his spell. I have never met such quantity of human warmth at any other actor or known person. You look at him and you feel it, you know it: he's a good man.

And, of course, we know it because we saw Dallas and because he was the most loved character, Bobby Ewing.

And, for him, Patrick Duffy, this was a launching rocket for his career. Roles were easily proposed once he mentioned Dallas. 

His fluidity in conversation makes it easy to follow and interact. He jokes a lot, a good sense of humour that is subtle and sweet. A sense of humour of a man who knows what this cinematic industry means. 

"Everything I've done since Dallas has happened because of Dallas, literally. I went right from Dallas to Step by Step, but it is because the producers of Step by Step knew me from Dallas. Instantly! I didn't have to audition for anything... Same thing with The Bold and the Beautiful.... Dallas was my credentials for the rest of my life, not only professionally but personally."

"I never got into a job thinking I was right for it ... I was scared to death. And I'm not unique in that at all. Once, when I received a script I put it under my pillow maybe it would soak in. 

Linda Purr, love story after 50 years

He mentions a lot Linda Purr, his wife since Covid. And the story is quite cute. They met about 50 years ago just bumping into each other but without thinking further. then, they met after 20 years, the same. During Covid they met again and they exchanged numbers just to get in contact with a friend of theirs. And they slowly started to talk which turned into Zoom chats, talking about mashed potatoes, dogs, vegetables and all ordinary things that the Covid period made so important. 

"When I finished The Man from Atlanta, in 1977, I was offered five different scripts, because it was an iconic show. Which is great! One of them was a show called Young Pioneers. Also, it was Lassie, Dallas. Young Pioneers was Linda Purr show."

He chose Dallas as it had more episodes. So they missed working together. 

"Never heard of her, never even thought of her for about twenty years. A mutual friend of our has written a play and wanted to do a play reading in front of a small audience of people. So we asked her to come along with Julie Harris and several other people. I don't even remember her from that reading. 

Twenty years after that, I was doing a play in London with a friend. She came to see him on the play. After the play was over, we met in the dressing room and exchanged a few words. They went out to dinner and ne we saw her again for twenty years. 

Three and a half years ago we were doing a celebrity event in Los Angeles and I was with Linda Gray. Linda Purr had done a TV movie with Linda Gray." 

They greeted, Linda Purr said she was returning to New York, she would meet also Richard the actor he played in the movie but didn't know anything from him so he gave him his number. 

Shortly after, Covid hit. 

"She was by herself in Colorado, I was by myself in Oregon... And then I said "I call you tomorrow, we can talk. ... and then we did FaceTime... so we did FaceTime one in ten days ... and then she got a Zoom account. We had nobody else in our lives to talk to so we ended up, for two and a half months, zooming every single night, for two to three hours. Because we had nothing else to do... Conversations starts like this and then it goes a little deeper... and, then, it got to the point where I realised that this was a very interesting person. more than just interesting! I was attracted, and I was even looking for anything at that point of my life."But, one night, he said the magic words " I love you". They sorted out just like that! 

"I went: "shit!" I said it!"

He thought he ruined it. 

So, the next night, 7 o'clock, emotions all over. Later on, she recognised she shared the same feelings. 

Now, Patrick Duffy started to go to his Irish roots, made a tour and filming and discovering amazing things from his heritage.