‘Dallas’ star Charlene Tilton says castmates ‘protected’ her from being a drug ‘casualty’ of the ‘80s
The actress starred as Lucy Ewing Cooper from 1978 until 1990
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Dallas" star Charlene Tilton is thankful her co-stars prevented her from being a "casualty."
The actress was just 17 when she began filming the hit TV series from 1978 until 1990. The now-62-year-old recalled how she was offered drugs by staffers at notorious New York City nightclub Studio 54.
"I remember one time at Studio 54, and I was so naïve," Tilton recently recalled to Page Six. "I was asked what I would like when I walked in, and I said, ‘Oh, Coke, please,’ and I meant Coca-Cola. And they came back with coke [cocaine], and I looked down and I said, ‘No, no, Coca-Cola, please!’"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}According to Tilton, her "Dallas" castmates made sure she didn’t party with the wrong crowd at the height of her fame.
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"There was a lot of stuff going on in the ‘80s if you remember," Tilton told the outlet. "And I’m telling you, it was by the grace of God in their protection that I was not a casualty of the things that were going on in the ‘80s."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actress Charlene Tilton attending the 'Charlene Tilton In-Store Appearance' on July 15, 1981, at Glamour Magazine in New York City, New York. (Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
Tilton noted that it was co-stars Larry Hagman, Barbara Bel Geddes and Jim Davis who kept her disciplined.
"It really was about the work, and they protected me," she said. "They expected me to... show up early, to be prepared."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So I really learned from the best," Tilton shared. "I had these people protecting me, but at the same time expecting me to do the work, and I wanted to do the work. I loved it."
Actress Charlene Tilton attends the Charmaine Blake Presents The Faber Ryan Youth Foundation Gala at Live House Hollywood on October 12, 2019, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images for Charmaine Blake)
Back in May 2020, Tilton told Fox News she has stayed in touch with her "Dallas" family during the coronavirus pandemic.
"We’re still very close," Tilton said at the time. "We just have so many great memories that we love re-living from our time in the series. We’re still very much a family."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hagman, who starred as beloved villain J.R. Ewing in the series, passed away in 2012 at age 81 from cancer. At the time of his death, he was in Dallas filming an episode of the reboot.
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"We had so many fun times together," Tilton recalled. "He used to love bubbles and he would sneak around with all of these bubble machines and disappeared. I’m talking about hundreds of bubbles. He brought so much joy to the set. I still miss him very much."