Barbara Eden instantly knew she had “chemistry” with her “I Dream of Jeannie” co-star Larry Hagman.
“I knew it the minute Larry came to the studio — we had something,” the sitcom star told “TV grEaTs” on Wednesday.
“We had a bond,” the 92-year-old said.
Eden recalled filming one scene where she suddenly put her arms around Hagman’s neck.
“Later he told me that I scared him to death,” she chuckled. “I said, ‘What?’ He didn’t expect me to do that. He thought I would snuggle … but I figured out that Jeannie was more of a tomboy. More of an open person. She wasn’t a seductive [being] … but she was open to everything. She was curious. She was a fish out of water.”
Eden admitted that Hagman could get “testy” on set, but she stressed, “never with me.”
“He wanted things perfect,” Eden explained. “And he was his own worst enemy. You learn early on that you don’t always get your way by yelling about it. They wanted to fire him. They were going to let him go. They asked me, and I said, ‘No, he’s worth it.’ And he was. He was really good [in] everything he did.”
Hagman, who went on to star in “Dallas” as J.R. Ewing, died in 2012. He was 81.
Eden also reminisced about her time working alongside Elvis Presley in the 1960 film “Flaming Star.” Temperatures were rising – at least that’s what the public thought.
WATCH: ELVIS PRESLEY’S 1968 BORDELLO SCENE WAS CUT FOR BEING TOO RACY: DOC
For years, there were whispers that the actress had been wooed by The King after cameras stopped rolling. But 64 years later, Eden put a halt to the rumors.
“We were just good friends,” she insisted about the crooner. “I met him when he just got out of the Army. He was very happy.”
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Back in September 2023, Eden spoke to Fox News Digital about befriending Presley.
When the pair were filming “Flaming Star,” the singer was already romantically involved with someone overseas. However, he had some reservations about taking their relationship to the next level.
“Elvis told me about this girl that he really liked a lot,” Eden said.
“He said, ‘I want to know how you and your husband survive this business. I’m a little worried about bringing her to the United States.’”
At the time, Eden was married to actor Michael Ansara. Presley was curious about how they managed to stay together in Hollywood.
“I told him, ‘This is our work,’” Eden shared. “’He goes on location, I go on location. But we’re always together. This is how we make money, but we are a team. And as long as the two of you are a team, it will work out.’ But Elvis was worried. ‘I just don’t know,’” he would say.
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“He was such a well-bred gentleman,” Eden added. “Just wonderful to work with. I’d come on the set, and he’d immediately pull up a chair for me. Actors don’t do that. But he was so courteous and gracious with me. He was truly a nice guy in this business. I remember he would have his father on set and another man he called his cousin, but I later found out it wasn’t a cousin. But they would all just sit together, play guitar and sing.
“Well, sure enough, he brought that girl over — and it was Priscilla.”
Presley was 24 and stationed in Germany during his time in the Army when he met 14-year-old Priscilla Beaulieu in 1959. With the blessing of Priscilla’s reluctant parents, the pair spent more and more time together. After Presley returned to the States, they continued to correspond long-distance. In 1963, Priscilla moved to America to be with Presley.
Eden said she “had no idea” how young Priscilla was.
“She was very young to me,” Eden said. “I just met her recently, and I told her the story about Elvis. She is a lovely woman, and I like her a lot.”
Presley and Priscilla married in 1967, and they welcomed a daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, in 1968. The couple called it quits in 1973. Elvis died in 1977 at age 42.
Eden said she still has fond memories of Presley.
“What surprised me was how decent he was and just a regular guy,” she explained. “I guess that surprised me, because I only knew him for his wonderful singing and his knees rocking together and all that. But I should have known better. . . . He was a very intelligent, talented, sweet man. And in [our] movie, he got the best reviews. It didn’t make the money his other movies made, but he got recognition for being a really fine, natural actor.”
Eden also described how she later became great pals with Hagman.
“Oh, he could keep things popping on set,” said Eden. “Larry was always full of energy. It was great. I just loved him. The thing I really appreciated about Larry was just how talented he was. This was a man who could do anything when you got that camera rolling. I had a really good time with Larry.”
