“Love Boat” star reveals why she broke down in tears on set as a teen
“Love Boat” star reveals why she broke down in tears on set as a teen
Sharareh DruryMon, April 20, 2026 at 10:26 PM UTC
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Jill Whelan in 2024Credit: Rocket Weijers/GettyKey Points -
The Love Boat actress Jill Whelan recounted crying one day while filming for the memorable ABC series.
Whelan played the captain's daughter Vicki Stubing on six of the series' nine seasons.
The Love Boat aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986.
While The Love Boat most often provided romantic storylines and comedic bits, actress Jill Whelan is remembering a more stressful time while on board — as well as a costar who came to her rescue.
Speaking on the Patrick LabyorSheaux podcast, Whelan recalled a particularly challenging day of filming for the ABC television series."I remember one time when I was just 13 and quote unquote becoming a woman, the very day of, and I was doing a scene with Loni Anderson, and we were in the purser's lobby, and I used to get everything in one take," Whelan, who played the captain's daughter Vicki Stubing on six of the series' nine seasons. "I didn't mess up like that. And I couldn't get this line out. I couldn't get it out," she said on the podcast.
She remembered becoming emotional when thinking about everyone on set, and if she was wasting their time. "I started thinking in my head, ‘Oh my god, money is time, time is money. All these people are here, everybody’s waiting,'" Whelan shared. "So then, I just started to cry."
Gavin MacLeod and Jill Whelan on 'The Love Boat'Credit: Aaron Spelling Productions/Courtesy Everett
What made the already difficult situation even worse was the director for the episode became "really angry" with Whelan.
However, co-star Lauren Tewes came to the rescue and put an end to Whelan's on-set anxiety. The actress, who starred as cruise director Julie McCoy on the television series, "admonished the director and said something to the effect of ‘leave her alone, this is not helping her at all, and all you're doing is making things worse.'"
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Set aboard a real luxury cruise ship, The Love Boat followed romantic and comedic adventures of both the passengers and crew. It originally aired on ABC from 1977 to 1986.
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Whelan recently reunited with a few of her former cast members at the Off Broadway premiere of Lady Patriot, a play written and directed by Ted Lange, who portrayed bartender Isaac Washington on the beloved series.
Lange's play also featured Whelan as well as former costar Fred Grandy, the actor behind yeoman purser Burl "Gopher" Smith on the show. Bernie Kopell, who performed as the ship's physician Adam "Doc" Bricker, joined his former costars for a photo at the play's opening night.
on Entertainment Weekly
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
