I grew up on the sets of Bonanza and most of my (childhood) memory is (on the set of) Little House. I was actually an assistant cameraman on Highway to Heaven. So, I observed my father working for many years. He was a very giving person. I really respected the way he ran his sets. He never treated anyone differently - whether you were the guest star of the show or the grip. Everybody was treated with respect.
Michael Landon, Jr.I just gravitated toward (working behind the scenes by) growing up on the different sets and watching my father and other people in their different capacities...When I was 13 years old, I asked for a Super 8 camera.
Michael Landon, Jr.We're all being segregated or sent to our different rooms to watch television that's geared only for adults, to be honest. There's very little fare - outside of cartoons and a few things for children (and) I guess (some reality shows like) The Voice - that can be watched by the entire family.
Michael Landon, Jr.You know, to me, that's going to influence the culture. They both influence each other - I know that - but, you know, there's no two ways about it. When you're just immersed in kind of this dark, edgy constant flow of entertainment, there's no way it can't affect you. There's just no way.
Michael Landon, Jr.Well, part of it is the general fascination with the Amish. It's an extremely popular genre and Beverly Lewis just happens to have the market cornered. She is the bestselling author in this genre. We had actually optioned another one of her Amish books, The Redemption of Sarah Cain. We retitled it Saving Sarah Cain and it did extremely well for Lifetime so we pursued more of her novels.
Michael Landon, Jr.I think everybody comes to the table with a different point of view and a different need...A lot of Beverly Lewis' material revolves around secrets and bringing those secrets to light. So, you know, there's always that theme, that...we're as sick as our secrets and once they're revealed we can be set free from them. So, that's definitely a theme that resonates.
Michael Landon, Jr.Usually it's just material that resonates with me and I never know exactly what that's gonna be. And there's obviously a certain persuasion, if you will. It's dependent upon the fact that I'm known for certain genres. So, that influences my decision making as well. I mean I'd love to, for example, do an action thriller but there are a lot of very talented people doing that and so it would be very difficult for me to switch over to that genre. So, I do look for things that I know (will resonate with) my audience.
Michael Landon, Jr.