Ted Danson Recalls Initially Having a 'Horrible' Off-Screen Dynamic withCheersCostar Shelley Long: 'A Bad, Bad Idea'

Shelley Long (left) and Ted Danson (right).Photo:Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Ted Dansonis revealing what the early days of his relationship withCheerscostarShelley Longwas really like behind the scenes. On a recent episode ofSmartLesswithJason Bateman,Sean HayesandWill Arnett, Danson, 76, opened up about working on the iconic comedy. Attributing his success to Long, Danson discussed the ins and outs of achieving the duo’s dynamic. “I think I gotCheersbecause of Shelley Long because she just really nailed that part right out of the gate,” he said.

Ted Danson Says 'It's Been the Best' Working with FormerCheersCostar Woody Harrelson on New Podcast (Exclusive)

Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson.Photo:Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Paul Morigi/Getty Images Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage; Paul Morigi/Getty Images Ted Dansonis loving the podcaster life. For Danson, he says he feels “guilty” for how much he enjoys taping the show. “It’s been the best joining up with [Harrelson] again,” he tells PEOPLE exclusively while discussing his upcoming hosting gig atOceana’s 17th annual SeaChange Summer party. “It’s the reason why we decided to do it. It was more of a, ‘Well, why not?

Ted Danson Shares How He’s Used His ‘Celebrity’ to Help Promote His Ocean Conservation Work (Exclusive)

Ted Danson speaks the 2019 Oceana gala in New York City.Photo:Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via GettyThough many knowTed Danson, 76, for his roles onCheersandThe Good Place, off camera, the actor has been working for more than two decades to help save the world’s oceans.His pull to conservation work dates back to his childhood, he tells PEOPLE exclusively, as he “grew up around scientists,” including his father who was an anthropologist, archeologist and museum director.

Ted Danson, 76, Says He Finds ‘Same Joy’ Acting Now as His 20s: 'Makes Me So Happy' (Exclusive)

Ted Danson at ‘A Man on the Inside’ premiere in Los Angeles on Nov. 10, 2024.Photo:Amanda Edwards/Getty Amanda Edwards/Getty Ted Dansonis still in love with acting. “I feel the same joy I did in my late twenties when I drove through studio gate,” the actor, 76, says about his decades-long career at the Los Angeles premiere ofA Man on the Insideon Sunday, Nov. 10. “It makes me very happy, which is why I think I work a lot,” he adds to PEOPLE about seeing “the guards and the crew members and the actors.

Ted Koppel and Wife Grace Anne Open 11th Clinic Providing Access to Treatment That Saved Her Life (Exclusive)

Grace Anne Dorney Koppel and Ted Koppel in 2007.Photo:Star Max via AP Star Max via AP Ted Koppel and his wife, Grace Anne Dorney Koppel, have opened their eleventh pulmonary rehabilitation clinic to help people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)Grace Anne was diagnosed with COPD in 2001 and told she only had a few years left to liveTheir clinics focus on underserved areas where rates of COPD skyrocket — and as Grace Anne says, more needs to be done as COPD is a leading cause of death in the U.