While Loretta Swit starred as Major Margaret Houlihan on M*A*S*H, she was pretty much an open book! However, years after the popular series ended, she decided to set some rules when she was being interviewed. Many questions were now off-limits, including any questions about M*A*S*H!
Her rules began in 1995 because she said that the press had abused her over time. She wouldn’t do any more interviews unless the reporter signed a form promising not to ask certain questions. Reporters were not allowed to ask any questions about M*A*S*H and there were guidelines on what they could write about her character if they even mentioned the show.
Loretta Swit says questions about ‘M*A*S*H’ among other things are off-limits
The form read, “There is no real purpose served by questions relating to Ms. Swit’s role as Major Margaret Houlihan in the television series ‘M*A*S*H,’ which ended 12 years ago. If there is any reference in your piece to Ms. Swit’s role in ‘M*A*S*H,’ her character is not to be referred to as the derogatory ‘Hot Lips’; she should be referred to as ‘Major Margaret Houlihan.'”
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So, what else was off-limits? The form continued, “Ms. Swit’s personal life and privacy are not the topic of this interview, therefore we ask that these aspects of her life be respected. We ask that you refrain from asking such questions as those which relate to where she lives, past, present or future romances, hair color… age, family, weight, height, religion, and other questions of personal and private nature.”
Since it was so difficult to come up with questions that were allowed, many reported just didn’t bother interviewing her. These days, not much is known about her personal life and her years after M*A*S*H. She hasn’t acted much since the late ’90s but she did appear in a film called Play the Flute in 2019.