The FLASHBACK interview: heather thomas

In this comprehensive new Flashback Interview, Johnny Caps speaks with 80s icon Heather Thomas about her multifaceted career, from acting in The Fall Guy to writing novels and leading political activism. Thomas shares candid stories from TV and film sets, including memorable moments with Rodney Dangerfield and Telly Savalas. She also discusses the impact of 80s fitness culture, her audiobook work, and how she navigates today’s divisive politics with humor and purpose. Now involved with Don’t Get Purged, a site that helps voters restore their registrations, Thomas remains active, engaged, and grounded, still farming, still fly-fishing, and still fighting for a better world.

Hello, everybody. It’s Johnny Caps here. Before I share my conversation with actress/activist/author Heather Thomas, I wish to address my whereabouts since my last interview with actress/dancer DeeDee Rescher last year.

Put succinctly, a colostomy reversal surgery I’d gotten in October of last year was unsuccessful, leading to a period of several months, occasionally off, but mostly on, of being in the hospital, dealing with things like abscesses and an ileostomy. The ileostomy reversal surgery in April of 2025 was a success, though, and I’ve started making my way back again to doing interviews. That leads me to the subject of my newest Flashback Interview, Heather Thomas.

I’ve been a fan of Ms. Thomas’ work for a long time, and when she started following me on Twitter several years ago, I knew I wanted to interview her. That interview wouldn’t happen until this year, which was when I saw that my friend Danny Deraney, who set up interviews for me in the past with talents like Lori Alan and Lizz Winstead, was representing her. I knew that I wanted to interview Ms. Thomas about her work in multiple fields, not just as a performer, but also as a writer, an activist, and a sportswoman.

That interview happened on Tuesday, June 17th, and I hope you all enjoy getting to know her.

Say hello to Heather Thomas!

Johnny Caps: I have my questions ready to go, starting with this: One of your earliest works was as a young interviewer on an NBC series called Talking With A Giant, so who were your favorite interview subjects during your time on that show?

Heather Thomas: Patty Duke was lovely, as was Kenny Rogers and some other people.

Johnny: Alright.

Heather: Kenny Rogers was good, but they censored us a lot. We couldn’t ask Patty Duke half the questions we wanted to.

Johnny: I’m sorry to hear that.

Heather: They said we wrote the show, but if we wrote the show we’d want, they’d cross it all out. (Heather and Johnny laugh)

Johnny: Have any episodes of Talking With A Giant survived, or were the tapes wiped?

Heather Thomas: I don’t know. Look on YouTube.

Johnny: I will. Going into the 1980s, you memorably played Jody Banks on The Fall Guy. Of the more Jody-centric episodes of that series, which ones were your favorites to work on?

Heather: The surfing ones were fun because we would shoot at the beach, and we could surf. You know, almost every episode was fun because we would goof around with the stuntmen on our lunch hour, even though the studio would freak out because, on location, we’d play with the cars. They were all fun to work on.

We had great guest stars.

A lot of times they’d kidnap me as they couldn’t think of anything else. I had some really funny ones where I was in ladies’ prison or fighting in mud pits. It was so sexist, but it was fun.

Johnny: A couple of years ago, I actually interviewed a stuntwoman who worked on The Fall Guy. Her name was Marian Green, and she spoke well of working on that show.

Heather: I love stuntpeople. My greatest respect was always for them.

Johnny Caps: If you had to make an estimate, how many of your own stunts did you do on The Fall Guy, and how many were done by stunt doubles?

Heather Thomas: Well, they wouldn’t let me do anything dangerous. I mean, I’m not going to fall or catch on fire. We do things like the fake punches.

I liked the breakaway bottles. You could conk someone over the head with it, and it would break because it was made out of candy. That was fun.

They let me ride on motorcycles sometimes. They hung me from a crane above the entrance of Fox when they needed to make it look like I was parachuting in a bikini, which was kind of, “Hi! Welcome to Fox!”. It was kind of embarrassing that one morning.

I got a lot of teasing over that. I did minor, minor stuff with the car, like a quick 4-wheel slide, but nothing too dangerous. I mean, everybody thinks everything’s dangerous now, and it’s not.

Johnny: Alright. Only the first season of The Fall Guy was released on DVD, at least in the United States. With Disney currently holding the rights through their purchase of 20th Century Studios, do you think the show will ever be seen again, either in physical format or on streaming?

Heather: It’s streaming now.

Johnny Caps: Oh, it is?

Heather: Yeah. Would you like me to look it up for you? I’m in front of my computer.

I’ll look it up right now. (Heather pauses a moment to search online) It’s on Amazon Prime.

Johnny: Aaah, okay. I’ll revisit it on there. I was just thrown off because I was expecting it, as a 20th Century Studios property, to stream on Hulu.

Heather Thomas: Maybe it’ll flip over to Disney, but right now, it’s on Amazon Prime.

Johnny: Thank you for the heads-up. One more question related to The Fall Guy before we move on: Lee Majors and yourself made cameos in the film version of The Fall Guy. Although critics liked it, it didn’t do too well with audiences, so besides larger roles for Lee and yourself, what do you think The Fall Guy, the TV show had, that The Fall Guy, the movie, did not?

Heather: That’s really hard to say because The Fall Guy, the movie, was like a love letter to stunt people. I loved it, and I thought the banter between the two leads was wonderful. It was like apples and oranges, in a weird way.

I have no idea (laughing). Don’t ask me.

Johnny Caps: Alright.

Heather: I loved it.

Johnny: Well, let’s move to a different credit. We’ll get more in-depth about your work in the field of politics later, but I wanted to ask a question along those lines in regard to one of your films. You’re a liberal politically, and Scott Baio is very conservative, so was it difficult to work with him on Zapped!, or were you able to manage it?

Heather Thomas: Of course! He was delightful, and his father was there. They were gentlemen.

It was wonderful. I loved doing Zapped!. I was not a big fan of the producers, who were rather nasty to me, trying to get me to take my shirt off, but we cleared that up.

They got a body double and we moved on, but that had nothing to do with Scott or his father. I don’t trash actors because I don’t judge them by their politics.

Johnny: Fair enough.

Heather: Yeah. Even if they trash me, I’m not going to trash them back. Professional courtesy.

Johnny: That makes sense.

Heather: I was very happy. They gave me a job. Why would I bite that hand?

Johnny: Alright. On what’s hopefully a lighter note, you took quite a few pin-up photos in the 1980s, most memorably including several shots in a pink bikini. When I think of the glamour of the 1980s, my favorite decade for pop culture, those pictures come immediately to mind, but I don’t know how you feel about them, so are your memories of those pin-up shoots good memories?

Heather: Oh, yeah. Those photo shoots were fun. You know, in that time I was so happy.

I really did not consider it exploitation. I was proud that I was young and in good shape, and I showed as much as I felt comfortable showing.

Johnny: Those really are some fabulous shots. I actually got one signed by you when I met you at a convention, which I’ll be talking more about later…

Heather: Aww!

Johnny: …But quite a few of your pin-up photos and magazine covers in the 1980s were fitness-themed, and you’ve adhered to exercise throughout your life.

Heather: Yeah. I was on the first cover of Shape.

Johnny: I’ve asked this question of people like Max Wasa, Julie Winchester, Darcy DeMoss and Sandahl Bergman, and now I’d like to ask it of you as well: What do you think made fitness such a big form of entertainment in the 1980s?

Heather: There was a discovery that you could make exercise not grueling, and people were discovering that exercise routines made them look better and feel better, plus there was music around them, you know? Aerobics was just introduced into the zeitgeist, and people weren’t just running along a track. They were having fun, and then fashion got into it.

It was fun. I taught aerobics for a while as I was working my way through school.

Johnny: What were your favorite forms of exercise in the 1980s, and have they changed as you’ve gotten older?

Heather: Not much. I do a combination of weight and floor exercises. I might not be able to run the stairs four times.

I might go a little slower, but I try to do the same thing. I had a knee injury, and I was walking within a month, but the reason I have never had any arthritic deterioration is because I keep my quads strong, and I keep moving, and I keep my hamstrings strong. I do exercises that strengthen them, and I use weights and machines.

Johnny: I can relate to that. I do a lot of walking myself. I try to walk for an hour after breakfast, two hours after lunch, and an hour after dinner.

Heather Thomas: Wow, that’s…Two hours a day? That’s more than I do.

Johnny Caps: Returning to your acting work, going into 1988, you played Lt. Carol Campbell in what would be the last Dirty Dozen TV movie, The Dirty Dozen: The Fatal Mission. What stood out the most to you about working on that film?

Heather: The Dirty Dozen was a hoot to work on. I was in a trailer with, like, six guys, out in the middle of nowhere in Yugoslavia, blowing stuff up, shooting guns everywhere.

Johnny: I’m glad that was a good memory.

Heather: Yeah. I loved every single one of those guys. I’m sad that Telly Savalas and John Matuszak aren’t with us anymore.

Johnny: What are your favorite memories of working with them?

Heather: Oh, just the jokes. I must’ve learned about 500 bar tricks, like ones to do with matches.

We had an awful caterer with us, and some people were really funny about it. We had an English caterer, and we were in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, which is Croatia now. They have gorgeous food there.

We could see all the delicious food in the restaurants, and we had an English caterer who would give us boiled brussell sprouts. It was awful, but it was kind of funny.

I remember I was driving Ernest Borgnine around in a jeep, and he kept insisting on standing up right when I turned the corner. I didn’t want to be the actress that ended up killing Ernest Borgnine, so I had one hand behind him grabbing his belt to keep him up (laughing). He wanted to stand up in that one shot, and I don’t even know if we used it.

Johnny Caps: Well, returning to the United States, in 1989, you worked on the Rodney Dangerfield special Opening Night At Rodney’s Place. Mr. Dangerfield is one of my favorite comedians, so what are your favorite memories of working with him?

Heather Thomas: He was just one of my favorite humans. We had the same manager, and I would go to his shows, and I would just marvel at how many jokes he memorized, like 1500 jokes, and he’d get them all out. He was the most generous, sweet man I ever met in my life.

He came to my house one Thanksgiving. I was in the kitchen, and it was my first Thanksgiving I ever did by myself, in my own home, as hostess. There were more people than I anticipated, so I had to make an extra tray of stuffing, and I cut myself and bled all over the stuffing.

He came in, and I was practically in tears bandaging my hand.

He could tell right away. He just walked up to the stuffing, grabbed a spoon, and started stirring. He stirs it up and says, (in a Rodney Dangerfield voice), “Honey, they’re all drunk!”.

(Back to Heather’s voice as she and Johnny laugh) He put it back in the oven, and everybody ate it, so there you are.

Johnny: (Laughing) That definitely sounds like Rodney. Going into the 90s, you appeared in a mockumentary promoting the movie Edward Scissorhands, portraying one of two Tortured Siamese Twins opposite Jim Brown.

Heather Thomas: That’s probably my favorite weird credit to mention (laughing). That was funny.

Johnny: When you were offered that role, what was your first thought upon reading the script?

Heather: I was like, “Yay! I get to meet Tim Burton and work with him, and Jim Brown and work with HIM!”. I was stoked.

Johnny Caps: I need to refresh myself by looking that up on YouTube. Pretty much everything is on there, but I’ve really got to refresh myself on that special. It’s been a long time.

Staying in the 90s, you played Felicity in the 1997 Jim Wynorski movie Against The Law. Jim still speaks fondly of you to this day, so did you like working with him?

Heather: I know who Jim is. Yeah, I loved it. It was a lot of night shoots.

Johnny: A lot of night shoots. Do you prefer night shoots or day shoots?

Heather: I prefer getting paid and working as an actress. That’s what I prefer. (Heather and Johnny laugh)

Johnny Caps: Fair enough. Making our way into your literary pursuits, you narrated the 1988 audiobook version of the Pamela Beck novel Rich Men, Single Women. I purchased it from the AudioBooksNow website, and I enjoyed your work on it, so what was the most challenging part for you of narrating an audiobook?

Heather: Not laughing. (Heather and Johnny laugh) It was an interesting book. Deborah Raffin and I were cracking up when we were recording it.

She was great. She really worked hard on those books.

Johnny: I think you did a great job with it.

Heather: I also narrated David Pepper’s audiobook last year.

Johnny: Oh, I’ll have to look that up. You yourself are an accomplished writer, so as I like to ask performers who venture into writing, what has writing provided for you that acting has not?

Heather Thomas: I like being part of storytelling, no matter what, but what writing does is that writing allows you to create the entire world, create an entire story, a point of view, a message, an experience…To create something completely different happening. You’re making, basically, a map for a filmmaker. It’s all collaborative.

I love being part of it in all aspects, whether it’s producing, writing or acting.

Johnny: Okay. What was the inspiration behind your novel Trophies?

Heather: When I married my husband, there’s this thing that goes on in just about any metropolis, or even small towns. When I married him, I inherited two small children, and then I had one for myself, but they’re all my kids.

They call mothers, usually from schools, and they want them on their boards, so it’s kind of open season on wives that don’t work every second, so when I decided to step back from working, I started getting on the board of this charity and that charity, this environmental movement or this political campaign or this political party, and I just cracked up because it’s this subculture.

I just marveled. There’s not a museum, there’s a university, a politician, a cause that gets off the ground without trophy wives. You know, women who are usually powerful, pretty and married to rich guys, or wealthy in their own right.

Most of the time, people write them off as trophy wives, and what they’re really doing is making the world go round.

Whether they’re dumb or they’re highly educated, they’re affecting what the world is like. They shouldn’t be ignored, and some stuff was just too funny to not put it down.

Johnny Caps: That’s really quite a unique view, and I never really thought about it that way before, but you’re right.

Heather Thomas: Yeah, they do that. You look at the Real Housewives, and they’re quite popular, but they really don’t delve into the effect they have on everybody. The TV show kind of misses a big chunk of power these people have, and these women have in particular, when you’re wealthy and fun-loving, and have time on your hands, and want to get something done.

I still go to them when I’m funding things.

Johnny: Okay. Returning to the matter of audiobooks, did you ever record an audiobook version of Trophies?

Heather: No, I did not, BUT if you look on YouTube and search for Trophies Chapter 45, we did a chapter of the book by animating Barbie dolls! (Heather and Johnny laugh) It’s narrated by Gore Vidal…

Johnny: Wow!

Heather: …Who was a friend. It’s fun as hell.

Johnny Caps: After this interview is over, I’ll definitely go onto YouTube and look that up.

Heather Thomas: I’m one of the voices. Catherine Bach is one of the voices. Pat Crowley is one of the voices.

Johnny: Nice.

Heather: Remember her from Please Don’t Eat The Daisies? Gorgeous woman, married to Andy Friendly? We laughed our butts off recording that, and then Larisse Bell, my girl friend who did a lot of early hip-hop videos directed it.

Johnny Caps: That definitely sounds interesting, and I’ll definitely look it up.

Heather: Oh, it’s funny as hell. It was shot at Patrick’s Restaurant in Santa Monica. You know Patrick’s, who also has that restaurant in New York?

Johnny: Um, I’ll have to look it up.

Heather Thomas: It’s an iconic restaurant on Santa Monica’s Westside.

Johnny: Alright. What are you currently working on in terms of writing?

Heather: Currently, I’m working on making sure our elections will actually happen, and I’m writing a pilot right now that I’m going to shop around.

Johnny: Alright. That actually leads neatly into my next question: Another thing you write often about is politics, so what led you to becoming so politically active?

Heather Thomas: The first time I got politically active was because I was told boys could do that, but I couldn’t do that because I’m a girl. I was marching with UFW and Dolores Huerta against lettuce when I was in high school. I was first a feminist, and then a Democrat, a liberal and an environmentalist because if you don’t have the environment, then all the other stuff is moot.

Meanwhile, they just fired the head of nuclear safety, so this is not boding well. (Sighing) Anyway…

Johnny Caps: As you’ve been active in politics for decades, and as we’re in rather turbulent political times right now, do you think things will get better politically, worse politically, or continue with its’ ups and downs as the rollercoaster that politics always has been?

Heather: Did you see the news this weekend? I think they’re going to get better. I think people are finding out they’re not alone, that we are Americans and we have no teams, and that no one small, tiny group of people gets to dictate the health and the welfare of Americans.

They’re getting rid of regulations that let you know if there’s nuclear waste in the air, or a chemical spill. It’s crazy. Stealing Medicaid from the poorest people to give it to billionaires?

Give me a break. We’re not Russia, and they’re trying to push that Russian system of just a dictator and favored billionaires ruling over people. Hell no, and the Americans are wising up to it.

We might not see eye to eye on every policy, but we know we believe in the rule of law, and we know that nobody’s above the law.

Johnny Caps: I wasn’t able to vote last year because I was in a hospital, dealing with health issues…

Heather: I’m so sorry. You couldn’t get an absentee ballot?

Johnny: No, it was too late for me to get one by that time.

Heather Thomas: Aww. There shouldn’t be states like that. You should be able to go out and get one right away.

If you’re trying before election day, what’s the difference? Why would you want to stop an American citizen from voting? Only one party wants to do that.

Johnny: I do know that if I had been able to vote, I would’ve cast my vote for Kamala Harris. I’m not a Trump supporter at all.

Heather: Well, it doesn’t matter who you vote for. You should be allowed to vote.

Johnny: Right. That’s true.

Heather Thomas: That’s my first statement. We need both parties, but I don’t recognize the GOP anymore. They’re not Republican.

I think they’re looking for something more like to destroy our country and sell it for parts.

Johnny: Yeah. This may seem like an unusual thing to ask, but what’s been the most fun thing you’ve ever done in relation to politics, whether it was a performance, a benefit, or participation in a protest?

Heather: Oh, gosh. I’ve done so many fun things. I’ve had fundraisers in my home with Bonnie Raitt and The Eagles, or Etta James.

The old-fashioned fundraisers used to be really fun. Protesting is really fun. When you’re with people, there’s a collective energy that you can only get sharing with people something that is bigger than yourself.

It’s this righteous joy when you know you’re doing the right thing and using your voice. You’re not being silent.

I love all Americans, whether they’re Republicans or not. They’re our fellow Americans, and I just hate to see us this divided, ridiculously trying to one-up people. “You do more violence than I do”.

Who cares? All violence is bad. “You guys lie more than we do”.

All lying is bad.

We need to decide on some American values because one man should not be able to skirt the laws and steal our money, and billionaires shouldn’t be getting freebies from Congress or stealing from people who put their whole lives into a system.

Whenever they say “benefits”, Social Security is not a charity. It’s something that people pay into, and who would want a society where some people get to live and some people don’t get to live, depending on their address or financial system?

When we lift one person, we lift us all, and we need both Republicans and Democrats. Republicans keep Democrats from getting too airy-fairy and giving away the farm, and Democrats keep Republicans from killing us with pollution and other money-grubbing pursuits, but it really is Americans versus fascism at this point. It’s not even fascism.

It’s worse.

Johnny: Well, staying in that area, you remain active on Twitter, where we follow each other, even though I haven’t really used the website in years, so how are you able to keep your peace of mind when you see what’s being posted on there nowadays?

Heather Thomas: Oh, you mean when people get nasty?

Johnny: Yeah.

Johnny Caps: 99 percent of them are robots, or Russians, or people in India. The people who are real who come at you with such venom? They’re doing it for clicks, and I just kind of block them.

I’m not really going to address somebody who just wants to say “F you” and a slur. Anyway, I’m kind of immune to insults. I raised three daughters.

There’s not much you can yell at me about or hurl at me that is going to hurt my feelings. I don’t personalize it.

Johnny: Alright.

Heather Thomas: If I can go there and I can say something that makes one person who’s brainwashed into believing that Trump is a god, and I can place a crack in the fault, why not?

Johnny: Alright. Returning to physical pursuits, you’re also an accomplished fly-fisher. What drew you to that particular outdoors activity?

Heather Thomas: My husband would’ve dumped me if I couldn’t fish. He got me to fish, and I like it.

Alright. Of all the fly-fishing trips you’ve been on, does one stand out as a particular favorite, whether it’s because of what you caught or your surroundings?

Heather Thomas: I had an incredible fly-fishing trip in Alaska where we saw lots of bears. We go every year to the Blackfoot reservation. You can only enter at the invitation of the Indigenous people who live there.

We go, and it’s kind of amazing because there’s only one boat allowed a day to fish on a stretch of river, so it’s whitewater. It’s hard fishing, but the fish are gigantic because they’re not disturbed that much. I catch and release.

Johnny Caps: Aaah.

Heather: I don’t want to clean a fish at the end of the day. I’m lazy.

Johnny Caps: Speaking of traveling, you’ve attended a few conventions over the years, so what’s been the most rewarding part of attending conventions for you?

Heather Thomas: Well, I’ve got to say that the best convention was when we nominated Obama. That was fun as hell. I like all conventions because you see the same cast of characters everywhere, but it was really fun that year in Denver.

That was a fun one because it was inspiring, and the music was good, and the parties were good.

For the second time we nominated Obama, I had a good time, too, because I had a book party as one of the parties. There was another party for Bobby Shriver’s ONE charity. I was there, too.

Kanye West and Jamie Foxx came, and they performed Gold Digger. At 3:00 AM, there was pancakes and eggs.

They were great parties. Inaugurations and conventions are always fun, as long as you don’t have to be the one banging out the platform.

Johnny: Actually, when I said conventions, I meant autograph conventions.

Heather Thomas: Oh, let me go back then. Erase everything I said.

Johnny: No, no…

Heather: Autograph conventions are great. It’s actually more fun now because when I was on TV, they got a little pervy, the fans. The kids were great, but a lot of the guys were a little pushy, and I dealt with them with a bodyguard, but now I have really nice fans now that I’m “vintage”.

Johnny Caps: What’s been the most wonderful piece of memorabilia you’ve signed at an autograph show?

Heather Thomas: I have signed the craziest stuff, a lot of hoods of trucks, people’s T-shirts and people’s heads and arms. That’s kind of weird, but they find old magazine articles I’d forgotten about for years. It’s pretty fun.

Johnny: Alright. We met at the April 2022 Chiller Theatre convention, and you were very kind to meet.

Heather: Oh, thank you.

Johnny: Oh, no problem. What do you recall the most about attending Chiller Theatre?

Heather Thomas: Oh, Chiller’s fun. It’s a big show. I remember one year, I got to sit next to Micky Dolenz.

How fun was that? We had the same person booking us. That was fun.

Johnny: I really liked meeting you. I even said to you there that if there were more people like you on Twitter, I’d be more active on there.

Heather Thomas: Aww, thanks. You’re going there, and you’re going there to reach people, and I’ve got followers who are fantastic on Twitter. They’re interesting people, and I usually repost more than I post, but I’m on Twitter and Bluesky.

I love them both, and Twitter? I’m not scared. You’ve got to have sharp elbows to do Twitter.

Johnny: Alright. This next question is a bit wordy, so please bear with me: I’ve lived all my life with autism spectrum disorder, and one aspect of ASD is having a particular focus on a subject. For me, it’s the pop culture, fashions, hairstyles and makeup of the 1980s, which I developed a fascination with in the 1990s and the 2000s as those were very rough decades for me.

I’ve noticed, though, that the 1980s are still more likely to be made fun of, 35 years after they ended, than the 90s are.

Johnny Caps: The hair was pretty goofy, you’ve got to admit. The side ponytails, or when they frizzed up the Flock Of Seagulls front. The hair was a little goofy.

Some of the makeup was pretty fun, though.

Johnny: As you were active in both the 80s and the 90s, why do you think people in 2025 are still eager to make jokes about the pop culture and styles of the 1980s, while giving those of the 1990s a free pass?

Heather Thomas: Oh, just wait. You mean like grunge? There’s more to poke fun at with the 80s.

There was a lot of goofy stuff, a lot of corny stuff (laughing) like Osmond Family dance things. You know, it was funny.

Johnny: Well, the thing that drew me to the 80s during my troubles in the 90s and 00s was because I saw in that decade what I aspired for in my own life. I saw fun. I saw glamour.

I saw excitement. I saw being able to make your dreams come true. I saw all of that in 80s pop culture.

I didn’t see much of that in the 90s or the 00s, and those were very dark times for me…

Heather: I’m so sorry to hear that. There was great pop culture in the 90s.

Johnny: I’m not saying there wasn’t.

Heather Thomas: Hip-hop? I just loved it. It was fun.

Johnny: There is stuff from the 90s I like.

Heather: Grunge and hip-hop.

Johnny: Yeah, I was never really into grunge.

Heather Thomas: Oh, there was some great grunge. “Smells Like Teen Spirit”.

Johnny: Ooh, ahh, well…

Heather: Kurt Cobain. There was great grunge. Anyway, anyway, anyway…I don’t think there’s any one era I prefer.

They were all eras of my life and I love them. I’m happy to be above ground, frankly.

Johnny: Well, that does key into my next question: As with quite a few of my previous interview subjects, you’re part of a unique mini-generation. Some call them Generation Jones, but I call them the Boom’Xers because these people born from 1955 to 1964, bridge the Baby Boomers and Generation X, so how has being a Boom’Xer impacted your outlook on the world?

Heather Thomas: I think I appreciate more points of view, probably because culture has changed so much.

Johnny Caps: I can see that.

Heather: I appreciate that, even though I was a child, I was able to witness some real cultural revolutions. Civil rights, women’s liberation…I was also able to witness a lot of depression. The rise in the 80s of the mega-rich, and watching government be purchased, and watching, during Obama, the Supreme Court say corporations are people.

That’s crazy, crazy stuff that you would never think could happen.

If you were raised in the Roosevelt years, that would blow your mind that Americans would want to hurt Americans in order to make money, but at the same time, during the 80s and 90s, you learned more about how awful we were to certain races and to Native Americans, and how privilege protected people’s abuse. It was horrible. It’s a time we don’t want to go back to, although some people in Washington do.

Johnny: I understand. Although I do have nostalgia for the pop culture of the 80s, I don’t have it for the politics, but I know that there were people like you on the ground floor in the 1980s who were, in your activism, laying the groundwork for the positive changes that would come in the following decades.

Heather Thomas: Yes, like gay rights. There was wonderful stuff happening then, and horrible stuff happened, too, but every era has that. It happened, and you just try and fight the good fight to make it better.

A more perfect union.

Johnny: And that’s definitely what you’ve been doing.

Heather: I try, I try.

Johnny Caps: On a lighter note, actress, author, sportswoman, political activist, journalist…You’ve shown many talents throughout your life, so which talents that you’ve never shown off before would you like to make known next?

Heather Thomas: (Laughing) I’m a pretty good farmer. I grow a lot of our food…

Johnny: Alright.

Heather: …And I do show off our flowers on social media, and sometimes my chickens.

Johnny: Okay, but have you ever considered, like, singing?

Heather Thomas: No (laughing). Some people tell me I’m a good singer, but I think they’re lying. I think when I sing, the moose come out of the bushes.

Johnny: Alright. Well, I now come to my final question: Whether it’s a new acting project, a new writing endeavor, or a new political campaign, what’s next for you?

Heather: I am trying to be somewhere where I’m useful (laughing). I don’t necessarily want to be the chief. I’m a good Indian.

I’m going to go where I’m needed, where I can be useful. I’ve got a website, Don’t Get Purged, that works with people, when they’ve been purged from voter rolls, to get their name back on. It depends on the state.

—-

I again wish to thank Heather Thomas for taking the time out of her schedule to speak to me, and I again wish to thank Danny Deraney for helping to set up this interview. Coming soon to the Flashback Interview is my long-awaited one-on-one interview with the lovely actress/comedienne/Playmate Julie McCullough, going far more in-depth than our red carpet interviews from the Hoboken International Film Festival.

Key Takeaways From the Heather Thomas Interview

• Heather Thomas remains proud of her 80s work such as The Fall Guy and Zapped, viewing even its more sexist moments as fun memories shaped by the era.
• She emphasizes deep respect for stunt performers, recalling playful moments on set and the limitations she faced on doing dangerous stunts herself.
• Her political engagement began early in life, starting with UFW protests and expanding into activism focused on women’s rights, voter suppression, and environmental causes.
• Thomas’s novel Trophies explores the unseen power of trophy wives, drawing from her own experiences in elite charity circles and community leadership.
• She advocates for civic participation, including founding the site Don’t Get Purged to help voters re-register after being removed from the rolls.
• Her fitness philosophy prioritizes strength and mobility, focusing on weight training and motion to stay healthy with age.
• She brushes off online toxicity, stating that insults, especially from bots, do not bother her, and she prefers using wit to change minds.
• She finds modern autograph conventions more enjoyable, noting her fans today are kinder and more respectful than during her fame peak in the 1980s.
• She enjoys a grounded lifestyle away from the spotlight, including farming, raising chickens, and fly-fishing.
• Thomas expresses hope for the country’s future, emphasizing the fight is not about left versus right but about preserving democracy.

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