Mackenzie Phillips called out a former “One Day at a Time” co-star by name for his on-set behavior nearly five decades ago.
Phillips, 66, who played Julie Cooper on the Norman Lear sitcom, told Valerie Bertinelli, 66, on Monday’s episode of Bertinelli’s “Getting Naked” podcast that Richard Masur “wasn’t very nice” during their time together. When Bertinelli noted that Masur, 77, only appeared in the first season, Phillips doubled down: “He wasn’t very nice.”
The two actresses, who starred together for nine seasons on the CBS hit, spent much of the conversation reflecting on their complicated relationships with the legendary producer who brought them together. Bertinelli admitted she was “always afraid” of Lear, who died in 2023 at age 101, particularly early in her career when she struggled with an emotional scene.
“He was the one that immediately took me aside when I had to cry in the finale of the first season and I couldn’t do it,” Bertinelli recalled. “And I couldn’t do it. I was too embarrassed. I wasn’t an actor. I was just learning how to do this.”
Despite that fear, Bertinelli emphasized that she “felt very protected and was in awe” of Lear. She credited him with shielding both her and Phillips from the darker side of Hollywood that often consumed young actresses.
“Both of us are incredibly lucky to have such a mentor, and someone who wasn’t what you think Hollywood is, because young girls in Hollywood are eaten up and [spit] out, and we were not, under Norman’s tutelage,” Bertinelli told Phillips.
Phillips echoed that sentiment with even stronger affection for the producer.
“I pedestalized him,” she shared. “I always adored Norman. I loved Norman. I trusted Norman.”
The conversation eventually circled back to Masur, who played divorce lawyer David Kane opposite Bonnie Franklin’s Ann Romano before his character dumped her and left town after just one season. Phillips revealed that she and Masur eventually found closure years later when they crossed paths at an event.
“I saw him and he said, ‘I don’t even remember what it was. I don’t even remember what I said, but whatever I said, I’m really sorry. And I’ve always thought you were so incredibly talented and we were all so young,'” Phillips recounted.
That apology appeared to satisfy Phillips, who noted that she “made peace” with her former co-star despite the lingering memory of his behavior.
The sitcom, developed by Lear, ran on CBS from 1975 to 1984 and also starred Pat Harrington Jr. And Mary Louise Wilson alongside Phillips, Bertinelli and Franklin.
Phillips and Bertinelli’s podcast reunion comes as both actresses continue to reflect publicly on their formative years in television. The two have maintained a connection through their shared experience on one of the era’s most groundbreaking series, which centered on a divorced mother raising two teenage daughters — a premise considered radical for its time.
Bertinelli launched “Getting Naked” as a platform for candid conversations with friends and former colleagues about their lives and careers.