Miami Vice is one of the most popular and influential TV shows of the 1980s.
What happened behind the scenes, off camera, for the stars was astounding.
And a Miami Vice star revealed one dark side to fame he never expected.
Don Johnson’s fame skyrocketed after Miami Vice
The NBC crime drama Miami Vice ran for five seasons from 1984 to 1989.
Actor Don Johnson played detective Sonny Crockett who worked undercover with his partner Rico Tubbs, played by Philip Michael Thomas, in Miami, Florida for the Metro-Dade Police Department.
The series became a cultural phenomenon and turned Johnson into a star.
Miami Vice featured the colorful setting of Miami, big-name guest stars, and a soundtrack featuring some of the big artists of the era.
Action scenes often included fast cars and speeding powerboats. Off the screen, Johnson was a championship-winning powerboat racer, so body doubles were not needed when filming.
He went from being a little-known actor to one of the biggest TV stars of the 1980s.
Johnson told People magazine that his life completely changed once he started playing Sonny Crockett.
“For a long time, I couldn’t even go anywhere,” Johnson recalled. “I had to isolate. The [women] know where you are. We had security 24/7.”
He compared it to what Elvis Pressley experienced at the peak of his fame.
“One day, I reflected on Elvis and thought, ‘Isn’t this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?’ Not that I’m comparing myself to Elvis, but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life,” Johnson said. “So, I learned to manage it and vowed not to let it imprison me.”
Don Johnson walks away from career-defining role
Miami Vice’s ratings began to slide during the end of the show’s run but according to Johnson, the network wanted to keep it going.
“When we got to the end of the fifth season, obviously Universal wanted me to make more episodes,” Johnson said. “They basically said, ‘You can do it anyway you want. You can do two-hour movies if you want. You can do all this.’”
But Johnson knew he did not want to get typecast as Sonny Crockett.
“My goal then was to not be Sonny Crockett forever,” Johnson said. “I had seen the peril of the actors who were too identifiable with their character. I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so people could eventually see me as other characters.”
Some 40 years after the 1984 debut of Miami Vice, it is arguably still Johnson’s most recognizable performance.
He went on to star in CBS police drama Nash Bridges for five seasons and starred in movies like Tin Cup, Django Unchained, and Knives Out.
Now Johnson can be choosy with the roles he picks.
“Work-life balance is an interesting thing as an actor because movies eat your life. Television shows eat your life,” Johnson explained. “Luckily, I’m at a place where I can pick and choose roles, and sometimes I often prefer the supporting role because I still get joy out of what I do, but I don’t want to work those long hours and be away from my family.”
“Fame is a condition,” Johnson added. “But it also goes away.”
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
