Victoria Principal started acting in the ’70s, appearing in television series like Fantasy Island and The Love Boat. However, it wasn’t until the late ’70s that she gained wide world recognition for her role as Pamela in the CBS TV series Dallas.
It’s been four and a half decades since the first episode of the series aired, and to celebrate the milestone Principal who exited the show to focus on her skincare line, Principal Secret reminisced about her time working on the TV series.
Victoria Principal enjoyed kissing Patric Duffy on the set of ‘Dallas’
Dallas touches on the story of the romantic relationship between Patric Duffy’s character, Bobby Ewing, and Principal’s character, Pamela Barnes. Bobby and Pamela’s families were sworn enemies, and the newlywedded couple was caught up in the feud as they struggled to save their marriage.
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During an interview with People, the 73-year-old Principal commented on her on-screen romance with Patrick Duffy and even revealed that she enjoyed kissing the actor. “What was it like kissing Patrick Duffy?” Principal confessed. “And here’s my answer: Excellent.”
Victoria Principal talks about her time on ‘Dallas’
The actress also shared that she knew Dallas would be a commercial success from the beginning. “I always believed that Dallas would be a hit but it was a “slow build” in the beginning. The a-ha moment for me occurred in early 1980. (This was before “Who Shot JR.”). It was my day off on a Saturday morning and I had decided to drive to Fox Hills Mall for a furniture sale, specifically a new sofa for my den,” she shared. “I drove to Fox Hills and arrived at the furniture store. I had only been in the store a short time when people who had seen me walking through the mall began to crowd inside the store.”
“The situation rapidly became unmanageable. The quick-thinking store manager locked both of us inside of his office and called the police. They arrived, dispersed the crowd, and escorted me to my car. Everyone in the crowd had shouted for an autograph and addressed me as “Pam.” The policeman also requested autographs and shared their enthusiasm for the show,” Principal added. “I drove home with a new, profound awareness of the popularity of Dallas and the recognizability of its characters — and without that new sofa!”
Victoria Principal enjoyed her time on ‘Dallas’
Principal also stated that although she enjoyed every bit of her time on the show, her most memorable episode was Mastectomy. “I continued to love working on Dallas for many years, but a special episode stands out in my heart: “Mastectomy,” a two part episode. I adored Barbara Bel Geddes, who played the matriarch Ellie Ewing,” she said. “She would come inside the makeup room in the morning, squeeze my cheeks together, like you would a child, and call me her “little monkey face.”
“It was loving and I loved her in return,” she admitted. “I loved every one of the first five episodes in the mini-series. It was called a mini-series because CBS made a savvy business decision to present it as a mini-series, so that they could gauge the audience response and decide if they should spend the money necessary to go to series and order more episodes. The first five episodes, for me, were a lot like falling in love. Everything was new and fresh. Every day of shooting was filled with emotion, bonding with the cast and excitement. Each new script was filled with discovery and surprises. Every moment vividly alive in my memory to this day. It was delicious!”