'Home Improvement': Patricia Richardson Opens Up About Working With Tim Allen
Patricia Richardson revealed the perfect on-screen chemistry she had with Tim Allen as they worked together on Home Improvement for eight seasons. The on-screen pair portrayed iconic characters of Tim Taylor, and Richardson played his wife, Jill.
During an interview with ET, the 69-year-old actress recalled when the ABC network discussed her character being masculinist and feminist at the same time. The actress said that the network wanted to have a balanced life partner, who should look strong enough to work with the character's schemes and deal with equal struggles.
The interview was held to honor Iconic Leading Ladies of the '90s, which invited onboard Jane Seymour, Suzanne Somers, Tisha Campbell, Melissa Joan Hart, and Richardson. Richardson disclosed that she was never the first choice for the creators, but thankfully she was present at the right time in the right place, which eventually got her the role.
Moreover, she also got other projects under Disney's contract, but unfortunately, it didn't work out. Richardson served on the sitcom as a replacement of another actress and joined the project before a couple of days they started filming the comic series.
The actress vividly remembered the introduction she received from her co-star, Allen. She said that the showrunners called her in and said pointed at Allen, saying that he is the person who does standup, Showtime special, and won an award.
Although Richardson said that she had never heard about the 67-year-old actor before, she had seen one of his shows, which failed. However, the actress wasn't confident about playing the character, and she admitted that she wanted to pass the role.
Moreover, she didn't want to work on sitcoms anymore, nor wanted to play the character of an ungrateful mother. She recalled how she entered the room, and the showrunners asked her to start immediately from tomorrow.
Once the show went on-air, viewers loved the on-screen chemistry between Richardson and Allen along with their three children, Mark portrayed by Taran Noah Smith, Randy portrayed by Jonathan Taylor Thomas, and Brad played by Zachery Ty Bryan.
In fact, the actress also admitted that she immediately loved Allen. Other cast members who became popular include Taylor's co-workers Heidi, played by Debbie Dunning, and Al, played by Richard Karn. Of course, the mysterious neighbor, who was introvertedly played by Earl Hindman. The writer of the show, Charlie Hauck, recently passed away on Nov. 14 at his Los Angeles house.