“They had every tall brunette, winner of many beauty contests, they were testing,” she tells PEOPLE of the casting process
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NEED TO KNOW
- Barbara Eden recalled being surprised at being cast as Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie despite being a “short blonde”
- Eden also shared fond memories of working with costar Larry Hagman on I Dream of Jeannie and later on Love Letters
- Eden, who turns 95 in August, also expressed gratitude for her health, family, friends and the show’s enduring fanbase
Barbara Eden is best known for her role on I Dream of Jeannie. However, the actress wasn't sure if she was the right fit during the casting process.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE during the red carpet for Project Angel Food’s seventh Lead with Love event at KTLA 5 Studios in Hollywood, Eden, 94, reflected on the beloved series that celebrated its 60th anniversary last year — and said that she “didn't audition” for the role.
“They had every tall brunette, winner of many beauty contests, they were testing,” she explained. “I thought, 'Oh, it's not for me.' The Middle Eastern girl, and that's what they wanted."
Credit: Paul Archuleta/Getty; NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
She added, "I'm a blonde, short blonde. And then my agent sent me a script, and I read it. And then I went, 'Oh, this seems familiar.' And he said, 'Barbara, how did you like it?' "
Eden recalled telling her agent that she really liked the script, and that he responded, " 'Well, that's good because they're going to, they've offered you the part. You have the part.' "
"He said, 'You have the part.' And I said, 'Do they know what I look like?' " she continued.
Eden said that she sat down for tea with I Dream of Jeannie's creator and writer Sidney Sheldon, which sealed the deal on her getting the part.
She starred as the genie named Jeannie from 1965 to 1970. In the series, Eden's character falls in love with an astronaut named Tony, played by Larry Hagman.
"It makes me feel so good," Eden told PEOPLE about the show still living on in the hearts of fans. "It really does. I get a lot of fan mail and some of it from Moscow, from Italy, the U.K., Poland. I'm shocked. I am just shocked, China, a lot of China."
Eden said she had "so many" favorite memories with Hagman, who died in 2012 at age 81. "He was really a character," she said.
According to the Herald-Tribune, Eden and Hagman reunited in 2006 for a production of the play Love Letters that was held at the Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fla.
Credit: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty
"We seem to be on the same wavelength when we're acting," Eden told the Herald-Tribune at the time. "I'm really looking forward to doing this with him."
The two also worked together on the television series Dallas, as Eden played LeeAnn De La Vega and Hagman was J.R. Ewing.
"Oh, yeah, but he's fun. He was fun," Eden reflected on their bond during her recent conversation with PEOPLE. "Even in later years, we traveled with Love Letters, and he was always able to keep everybody happy, I guess."
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As for how Eden feels ahead of her 95th birthday in August, the actress admitted she is "happy to be healthy" and "lucky I have a good family, good friends."
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