The cheers may have been the bar where everyone knew their name, but behind the scene, Ted Danson was well forgetting one in particular.

In an episode on Wednesday of the podcast “Where Everybody Know Your Name”, Danson sat with his partner actor Helen Hunt to talk about the store, including alchemy (and tension) often uniform that defines chemistry on the screen.

The conversation caused an old memory of 1982, when Danson was chosen in “Cheers” along with an iconic set, although a name, Shelley Long, initially paused.

“I looked at Shelley for a long time when we were auditioning for ‘Cheers’ and I went:’ No, no, I don’t hire her. He will ruin the show,” he recalled.

Ted Danson as Sam Malone and Shelley as Diane Chambers in
Ted Danson as Sam Malone and Shelley as Diane Chambers in “Cheers”.

NBC through Getty Images

Previously in the conversation, he pointed out that people tend to follow their advice and “do exactly the opposite” and, in turn, “are successful.” That, he joked, was undoubtedly the case long.

He confessed that he is initially wrong for a long time because, in her opinion, “she did the show.”

“She hit a home run,” Danson said.

The three times winner of the Golden Globe continued saying that the two were “so different”, but that “he grew up to love her.” But he declared that their “differences” made it difficult for the couple to have a conversation, but that changed once the cameras began to roll.

“But when we got in front of a camera, it was like an awards fight,” he said.

During the 30th program meeting in 2012, Danson praised Long for putting the program on the map.

“And this is not my opinion. This is everyone’s. We hadn’t seen a character like Diane Chambers for years … You really put ‘applause’ on the map with your amazing performance,” he said.