The Zócalo Interview with Actor John Ratzenberger

John Ratzenberger is everyone’s favorite mail carrier and piggybank, and now he’s attending Tucson Comic Con’s 15th anniversary. The first time he ever stepped foot in Tucson was to handle a cracked windshield that he got on a trip from Washington, DC, which he said was a great experience regardless of the situation. He also randomly picked up a puppy from a couple at a truck stop which he called a “Heinz 57” breed. He hasn’t truly explored the city and everything it has to offer, but he’s looking forward to seeing the clouds and experiencing the monsoon season, or what’s left of it at least.

“I never wanted to become an actor; it wasn’t on my list of things I wanted to do. I was a carpenter,” Ratzenberger reminisced when asked what led him to pursue acting. “I went to visit England for a week to visit someone I went to college with, and I ended up staying for 10 years. He and I formed a traveling comedy show called ‘Sal’s Meat Market,’ and it turned out we did pretty well for ourselves.” Ratzenberger started as a writer for a sitcom and then auditioned for Cheers, and the rest was history.

Some advice he wanted to share with his younger self and with everyone else besides: “You play the cards you’re dealt. Whether you’re a poor family or rich family . . . you play those cards. You don’t have a choice as a child, so it comes out as it comes out. I think that one thing I would tell myself as a young man is don’t be too anxious about things you can’t control. You can’t do anything about it anyway!” 

John Ratzenberger will be attending Tucson Comic Con Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and is signing at booth Celebrity Signing C2. He made sure to emphasize that First Responders and active-duty Military get a 50 percent discount on signings and photo ops.  He will also have a panel Saturday August 31st at 2:15pm in Panels 105.

Category: The Scoop