When it comes to working, many of us have had that moment in life where we’ve had to bite the bullet and take a seemingly unappealing job. Doing this is by no means an easy feat, but sometimes it’s important to step out of your comfort zone and take a chance.

In the case of actress Michael Learned, she admitted in a recent interview with Fox News that she didn’t initially have interest starring in “The Waltons.” But, circumstances in Learned’s life forced her to take a chance. 

“Oh, I didn’t want to do it. I wasn’t drawn to it at all! I had finished doing ‘Private Lives,’ which Francis Coppola directed, and I played Cleopatra that same season at the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco. I wasn’t ready to play a 40-year-old farmer’s wife,” said Learned. “I didn’t want to do it. But I was going through a divorce, and I had three kids to support. I wasn’t getting any alimony at that point. And of course in retrospect, it was a gift from God. It saved my life.”

Learned’s role as strong housewife and mother, Olivia Walton, not just provided the actress with a steady acting job, but it also helped her children greatly. Learned notes that the money she earned from “The Waltons” afforded her children the opportunity to attend private school.

Mentioned Learned: “You know, people who are in an hour show, they earn their money. You really don’t have a life. You need to do it when you’re young and save your money.”

In 1979 – two years prior to “The Waltons” concluding – Learned exited the now iconic series after 169 episodes.

“There’s been times when I’ve regretted [leaving the series] only in that it probably would have been better to complete the whole show,” explained Learned. “But frankly, when John-Boy came back with a new face and a new voice, it was like something happened. I just couldn’t do it anymore… and also, I felt a lot of the times I was sitting around for 14 hours saying, ‘More coffee John.’ The fact is I was bored. And I thought I had enough money, which wasn’t true.”

Since her time with “The Waltons,” Learned has appeared in numerous TV series, movies, soap operas and stage productions. Now at the age of 78, she remains focused on doing what makes her happy.

“[Acting is] what I do,” relayed Learned. “When I’m not working professionally, I’m home cleaning the kitchen and that’s so boring. I’ve been doing that since I was 17. I always can’t wait to go to work and get out of the house! What am I going to do? Sit around and clean the refrigerator? That is even more boring than pouring coffee on Walton’s mountain… I try to have fun now. I’m old and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to make me unhappy.”

-Adam Grant

Be sure to watch “The Waltons” weeknights at 5pm ET/2pm PT on VisionTV!