Much more to Mike Farrell than

Press, 16 August 1984, Page 9

Much more to Mike Farrell than

Privacy can be a problem for someone with a face as well known as Mike Farrell’s. Better known to New Zealand television viewers as the man who plays B. J. Hunnicut in “M*A*S*H,” Mr Farrell has for the last few days been touring the South Island in a campervan. With him are his two children, Mike and Erin, and his friend, Shelley Fabares.

Keeping as low a profile as possible, they have visited, among other places, Picton, Westport, Greymouth, Franz Josef, Haast, Queenstown and Te Anau, before arriving in Christchurch on Tuesday. A sightseeing holiday is the main reason for his visit, although he has managed to do some “public service announcements” for the Water Safety Council. (He does not call them commercials unless he gets paid for them.) He has found New Zealanders more reluctant to impose and less likely to badger him than Americans.

Campaigning for peace has taken up much of his time since the filming of “M*A*S*H” finished last year. His outlook is reflected in ffle projects he bait-been

involved in since “M*A*S*H.” They include a film titled “Memorial Day,” about a Vietnam veteran, another titled “Choices of the Heart,” about the murder of four American churchwomen in El Salvador, and a one-man show for television about Joh& F. Kennedy.

Mr Farrell has become known as a vocal critic of the Reagan Administration and its involvement in Central America, a region in which he has spent some time during the last two years. He passed on his message of concern to several delegations and candidates at

the Democratic convention which endorsed Walter Mondale as the man to oppose Mr Reagan in the Presidential election.

Mr Farrell supports the dialogue which has been started by nations of the region, including Mexico, Venezuela and Panama. , '|pople of a Latin heri-

tage should be allowed to solve problems of a Latin origin, instead of it being viewed as the Soviets versus the United States.”

He sees “staggering parallels” between the war in Central America and the Vietnam war, “right down to the desire of the present Administration to disclaim any parallels.” “We have American troops there now, thousands more than we had a year ago, and they, view it as a litmus test of your pro or anti-Communist position and all that nonsense. “I am the father of a 13-year-old boy, and if that (the Central American conflict) goes the way of our misadventure in Vietnam, he is going to be one of the troops on the ground. I don’t want to see that happen.” Mr Farrell believes that a Democratic Administration would show a more humane sensitivity to the needs of the people, “Reagan rode to power on a wave of resentment of what was perceived as Jimmy Carter’s ineffectiveness. He has interpreted his election as a mandate for his Conservative viewpoint. “The Reagan philosophy is clearly pro-big business, Enilitary and j>ro-old oned American jfexpan-

sionism . . . which is very out of order these days.” President Reagan’s “joke” about bombing the Russians was “an example of the utter mindlessness of the President of the United States.

“His remark shows his lack of sensitivity and further entrenches the Soviets in their own fear. It sets up a new stage of bellicosity between the two superpowers.” Mr Farrell was one of the first people to visit the new Prime Minister, Mr Lange.

He applauded the Labour Government’s policy of banning nuclear ships. Americans he said, arrogantly assumed that because they were one of the greatest Powers in the world, their opinions were shared by everyone ... and when they were not shared, the other people were wrong. “When someone in a tiny nation like New Zealand stands up and says, ‘that is simply not appropriate . . . we are not having that here’, it makes everyone take notice. The Government’s policy is a great example of the tail wagging the dog.” “M‘A*S , H,” which has been the most popular television series in the United States, is “a wonderful tes-

tament to the durability of the human spirit. “The Korean conflict was far enough away from our immediate experience that we were able to look at it with more objectivity than a conflict we were right in the heart of,” he said.

“The cast was a group of easily identifiable people removed from their normal circumstances, being forced to inter-relate and react to new situations, and find some way to maintain sanity and humanity. “It struck a universal chord, and has had an astounding reaction around the world. People see in it a basic human striving to survive.”

Since the series, Mr Farrell, who also writes, directs and produces, has been trying to establish for himself a position distinct from B.J. and “M‘A‘S‘H.”

He hopes that his portrayal of John Kennedy will change his image. “It has opened the eyes of people in the industry to the fact that Mike Farrell is an actor, and not just the guy who played 8.J.”

He will return to the United States next week to begin work on two more films, starring in one and directing the other.