David Hyde Pierce 'Never Really Wanted To Go Back' To 'Frasier'

So many headlines these days are, “Actor In Movie You Liked Would Love To Work Again If It Means Doing A Sequel.” I get it! Having a successful acting career is hard, especially on a giant stage. Just because you are in one movie doesn’t mean you get to do another. That said, it’s nice when I see an actor who I like say, “Nah, dawg.” That was the case with David Hyde Pierce.

I did not watch Frasier. The closest I came was turning on the TV at 5:59 PM and hearing a man sing about Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs as I waited for The Simpsons to come on. Through America’s Favorite Family, I would hear David Hyde Pierce for the first time, as he played sibling to Sideshow Bob. Years later, I would meet Pierce while I worked at a Broadway theater. I was introduced to him at a Tony Award party. Simple pleasantries. Anytime I saw him after that at the theater, he said hello and asked how I was. A mensch if there ever was one.

Because he was so kind, and reboots are so hit and miss, I was pleased to see that Pierce was not in the newest iteration of Frasier. I have nothing against it! Mine is more of a passing indifference. Still, my attitude was more of a, “Ha! Take that, Frasier!” It’s a silly way to react. What can I say? I’m not David Hyde Pierce. He took the highest of roads when asked why he didn’t return.

Pierce recently sat down with the LA Times. When asked why he didn’t return to the show, Pierce had a measured and respectful answer.

“I never really wanted to go back,” he admitted on a recent November morning in the lobby of the Shed before a matinee performance. “It’s not like I said, ‘Oh, I don’t ever want to do that again.’ I loved every moment. It was that I wanted to do other things. And when we got into real talks about the reboot, I had just started on the ‘Julia’ TV show and was working on a musical and going to do another musical, not this one. And I just thought, ‘I don’t want to be committed to a show and not be able to do stuff like this.’ And I also thought, ‘They don’t actually need me.’ Frasier has moved on to a new world. They have new characters. And I think I’m right. It’s doing great. And the new people they have are great.”

It’s a wonderful way to go about it. I love it when people speak their truth, even if it stings. Still, it’s nice to see someone bear no ill will. There were no hard feelings. Things didn’t feel right. That happens. Pierce is done with that part of his life, but he doesn’t begrudge someone who isn’t. That’s a marvelous way to live.