MIAMI — It’s been 40 years since “Miami Vice” first took custody of our TV sets, but Don Johnson remembers starring in the iconic show like it was yesterday.
Mostly, he remembers the fans. Especially the female starstruck ones, who had a major crush on the blonde hunk.
Who could blame them? His character, pastel-wearing GQ man/undercover cop Sonny Crockett, was hotter than South Beach in August.
“For a long time, I couldn’t even go anywhere,” Johnson recalls in an interview with People. “I had to isolate. The (women) know where you are. We had security 24/7.”
Though flattered, the actor, now starring in Netflix’s “Rebel Ridge,” admitted that being such a heartthrob wasn’t all kicks and giggles.
“One day, I reflected on Elvis and thought, ‘Isn’t this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?’” said the 74-year-old. “Not that I’m comparing myself to Elvis, but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life. So I learned to manage it and vowed not to let it imprison me.”
Johnson also made sure that future roles (e.g., “Nash Bridges” and a lawyer in “Just Legal”) were nothing like smooth talking Crockett, whom he played for six seasons from 1984 to 1990.
“I had seen the peril of the actors who were too identifiable with their character,” said the Missouri native. “I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so people could eventually see me as other characters.”
The father of five looks back on those halcyon days as the ideal stepping stone for an incredibly successful career that led to a enriching and full personal life.
