Skip to main content

It may have been a staple of the 1980s, but the hit show The Golden Girls still holds a place in the hearts of millions of viewers. To this day, fans love watching reruns of the iconic sitcom and reliving the adventures of Dorothy, Blanche, Rose and Sophia. While the four main actors are household names today, it turns out that the breakout star of The Golden Girls wasn’t even supposed to be a main character. 

The legacy of ‘The Golden Girls’

Why was The Golden Girls so popular? Viewers looked forward to tuning into the show that featured four older women sharing a house in Miami, and enjoying the hysterical storylines that aired each week. Even more entertaining were the things that fans could expect in almost every episode — the women gathered around the kitchen table discussing their latest problems over a late-night slice of cheesecake, Sophia telling one of her notorious anecdotes that began with “Picture it, Sicily, 1922…”, or even Rose causing Dorothy to roll her eyes and Blanche stare in a state of disbelief as she recalled a wacky story that took place in her hometown of St. Olaf, Minnesota.

According to the BBC, the classic sitcom remains popular all these years later. The show was the first to feature four female senior-citizen housemates, and being elderly didn’t devalue the characters one bit. In fact, TV Guide reports that The Golden Girls gave millions of people a reason to look forward to growing older, as it showed the women enjoying life to the fullest, and that the passing years didn’t stop them from taking part in everything that they were passionate about.

Sophia wasn’t supposed to be a main character on ‘The Golden Girls’

By the time The Golden Girls premiered, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Betty White, who portrayed Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose, respectively, were already well-known actors. Estelle Getty, however, who played Dorothy’s wisecracking, pasta-loving mother, Sophia, only had a background in theater acting, and was less experienced than the others. Sophia was originally meant to be a supporting character on The Golden Girls, popping in every now and again. However, the character got such high ratings from test audiences that the producers decided to make her a permanent part of the show, according to ScreenRant.

How makeup and a handbag transformed Estelle Getty into Sophia on ‘The Golden Girls’

Related

‘The Golden Girls’ Should Have Moved to St. Olaf

Getty was 62 years old when she landed the role. However, viewers know her character was much older. So much so that Getty hired a makeup artist to “transform” her for the audition. When the show filmed, it took 45 minutes in the makeup chair for Getty to become Sophia. Many fans also may not know that the role was Getty’s first on television, and as a result, she had extreme stage fright to the point where she would forget her lines.

Viewers may also recall the straw handbag Sophia carried on the show. While it is easy to assume that it was provided to the actor by the costume designers, it was Getty herself who discovered the bag. She was so adamant to land the role, that she looked for props to give her an edge during her audition. While out shopping in Los Angeles, the actor stumbled over the bag. The producers loved both the handbag and Getty, and the rest is history. Getty went on to win an Emmy award for her work on The Golden Girls, and Sophia will live in our hearts forever.

Best in TV