Steve McQueen said television didn't give you ''a chance to learn to be an actor''
It's a debate as old as time. Which industry is better for actors: television or film? At first, film was seen as prestigious, with the biggest stars on the big screen. Those who could not make it in film turned to television. Some actors, though, enjoyed television and did not care about being the biggest star; a steady paycheck was enough.
Western star Steve McQueen worked in both, but seemed to prefer film to television. During an interview with the Associated Press in 1961, he said, "I think television is great for people who don't care about anything except that kind of career. But I've got a wife and child — and another one soon — and I want to have a chance to live my own life."
He also said that playing the same character for a while can get dull and tiring. "Besides that, playing the same role year in and year out doesn't give you much of a chance to learn to be an actor. I'm still a pretty young guy, and I need to learn and try things out — I need a chance to learn my craft."
Despite how the actor felt about television, it still didn't sit right with McQueen that CBS changed the day and time slot of Wanted: Dead or Alive, ultimately killing the show after its early success. "But I still feel burned up when I think about how they killed a pretty good show by moving it to a bad spot."