Christina Applegate:

Al Bundy raised me in real life too

Christina Applegate, Ed O'Neill and David Faustino "A terribly nice family"

(Bild: picturedesk.com/mptv)

Having Al Bundy as a father was a real dream for her and still is today. In her "MeSsy" podcast, Christina Applegate has now revealed that Ed O'Neill not only played her father in the cult sitcom "A Terribly Nice Family" - "he raised me in real life too!".

Applegate had invited her series dad as a guest star and began with: "I don't even know how to explain this man. He raised me. If you don't like something about me, it's his fault. But also, if you like something about me, he's behind it". As "Kelly 'Dumbass' Bundy", she spent eleven formative years of her life in front of the camera with O'Neill between 1986 and 1997. She raves about "Eddie", as she calls him: "He's an incredibly great actor and an incredibly great human being!"

Only positive memories
O'Neill also had only positive memories of working with his series daughter: "Christina was great. Most people know that she has a photographic memory. She was a real pro who knew the scripts by heart before I even read my part." The 78-year-old admits, "I drove Christina crazy a few times."

Many problems
Applegate then revealed to her audience that she struggled with many issues during her teenage years, from her mother's cancer diagnosis to her eating disorders. This often led to her withdrawing alone on set: "Eddie knew what was going on in my life and was always there for me when I needed him."

Even 26 years after the show ended, the entire Bundy family is still "closer than ever". Her series mother Katey Sagal, aka Peggy Bundy, came to her after her MS diagnosis "and lay in bed with me." Christina sees her brother Bud Bundy, aka David Faustino, regularly because he doesn't live far away: "Our children even went to the same school for a while."

But it is the relationship with O'Neill that takes precedence over all others for Applegate: "It has grown over the years. Now that I'm 52, we can talk on the phone for hours and talk about everything. I talk more on the phone with you Eddie than I do with any other person - because I actually hate talking on the phone."