The Brady Bunch made stars of its cast, responsible for bringing one of the most beloved fictional families to life in American homes for five years.
The show's young stars especially were its most popular, with youngest Brady sibling Cindy Brady, played by Susan Olsen for the show's entire run from 1969 to 1974, becoming a nationwide symbol of child stardom.
However, despite the many years she spent in the spotlight, the allure of acting and Hollywood quickly grew tiresome for the star, who recently spoke with ReMIND Magazine about her decision to deprioritize acting and pivot to other pursuits.
© Getty ImagesSusan, who turned 65 on August 14, told the publication: "For reasons I can't even explain, I continue to do acting or to pursue it. I think to please my mother, even when I was like 18."
She explained that she originally intended to go to college, but instead continued to act. "I had an opportunity when I was accepted at USC, even though my grades were not quite good enough."
"I do not know why I didn't go ahead and join the film school, because I must have known that I had an inkling for that," the former child star mused. "And now I know that's really where I belong, and it's just weird to me that I didn't know it [then]."
© Getty Images"It wasn't until I was 23 that I actually landed an acting job and was driving home with the script and went, 'Oh my gosh, I hate acting. What am I doing? This is terrible.' Of course I did the role, but I called my teacher, I called my agent and said, 'I can't do this.' It wasn't my medium," Susan continued, saying that's when she realized she could instead find more fulfilling work as a graphic designer.
Although, while being an actress wasn't her true passion, neither was being a graphic designer for quite a while. "[Becoming a rock star] was really what I was dreaming of," Susan told the publication.
"I did more dreaming than practicing," she quipped. "I think in my head I didn't even consider being a filmmaker because I knew I was going to horrify my mother by becoming a rock star. So that was my ulterior motive… So yeah, I was in bands and stuff when I was younger."
© Getty ImagesThe actress opened up further about her ambitions as a musician. "I started out as a guitar player, but I really found that I was much more suited for bass."
"And this was before bass became the token female position in the band. And you didn't see girls playing bass, but it felt so much more natural. The only band I was really in, I was kind of best friends with the drummer so it just all made sense."
Susan's last appearance as Cindy was in the 1990 sequel series The Bradys. Since then, she has made minor appearances in a variety of shows as herself, although her most memorable stint since was a two-episode arc of The Young and the Restless in 2010.
© Getty ImagesHer most recent on-screen appearance was in the 2021 TV movie Blending Christmas, which included several cast members from the Brady Bunch franchise. Over the years, she has pivoted more to radio and animal rights activism.
