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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Simon Hattenstone

‘My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six’: Alan Alda on childhood, marriage and 60 years of stardom

Alan Alda wearing a light checked shirt and jeans sitting on a rock on a lush lawn with trees around
Alda: ‘These are the times that try men’s souls.’ Photograph: Arlene Alda

Alan Alda never expected this. The 89-year-old is back topping the charts with an update of his film The Four Seasons. In 1981, Alda wrote, directed and starred in the movie about three inseparable couples who holiday together every quarter until divorce, envy and angst intervene.

Now the film has been turned into a TV series by Tina Fey, with Alda as a producer and, at the time of writing, it is the fourth most watched show on Netflix. “It’s really interesting to have my work appeal to a new generation of very smart writers,” he tells me on a video call from New York. What gave him even more pleasure was watching a screening of the original movie a couple of weeks ago. “The people were laughing at the same things they were 44 years ago. And just as heartily. It was so good to see that the point of view wasn’t outdated.”

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