You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life! Lisa Whelchel of Facts of Life fame stopped by Us Weekly‘s New York City offices this week and proved that she’s still got it.
The actress, 51, dug up her signature Blair Warner moves, including that enviable hair flip and “brilliant idea” quote, from the NBC TV show and even sang the beloved theme song.
During her nine years on The Facts of Life, which ran from 1979 to 1988, Whelchel became close friends with her castmates, who included Kim Fields, Mindy Cohn, Nancy McKeon, and even George Clooney, who appeared on the show in the mid-1980s.
“The truth is, he was kind of in his twenties, he was young, he was gawky, he was so much fun!” she said of Clooney, now 53 and engaged to marry Amal Alamuddin. “He’s really aged quite well. Back then, it was kinda fun to have a big brother around.”
“I don’t know, maybe I was just not smart, or not thinking ahead, because I did not anticipate what he would grow into,” Whelchel added. “I think if I had, I would’ve worn makeup to rehearsal a little bit more often.”
While the star didn’t snag Clooney during his time on the show, his years, which also starred Cloris Leachman as Beverly Ann Stickle, who took over for her fictional sister Mrs. Garrett (Charlotte Rae), were her favorite.
“I think the scripts were more fun—the writers and everything,” she said.
Whelchel is currently promoting her new Hallmark Channel movie For Better or For Worse, which serves as a reunion for her and her Facts of Life costar Fields, AKA Tootie. For more from the cherished actress, watch the video above!
