At 19, Eve Plumb was determined to get rid of the Brady image
Very few child stars like to hold onto the roles that made them famous. One reason is that they get typecast, not only by Hollywood but by fans too.
When the Brady kids got older, it was hard for many people to see them outside their characters. Eve Plumb was Jan Brady, the middle daughter of Carol and Mike Brady on The Brady Bunch. The role would become one of her biggest, although she appeared in productions before and after the series.
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In an interview with the Journal Tribune in 1977, Plumb talked about her determination to break the Brady image. "I didn't want to wind up 32 and still be known as Jan Brady," she said.
The actress was 19 at the time of the interview and decided to turn down an offer to return as Jan Brady for a new series, and she was the only original member to do so.
Instead, she starred in Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway and its sequel, Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn, alongside Leigh McCloskey after not working for three years. Plumb felt the role was the perfect escape from Jan Brady.
"I love my role as Dawn in both films, probably because it's several light years away from Jan Brady," she added. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful. I loved the 'Brady Bunch' years. I learned a lot, and the people were terrific to work with. But now I want to go on to other things and become an individual... not just one of the Brady group."
At the time, she was a college student at California State University majoring in theater. Plumb focused on the behind-the-scenes part of creating a production. She helped paint sets and even worked on a few costumes.
As Plumb stated, she was grateful for the role, her castmates, and the success that came with it, but it was time for everyone to see her as a versatile actress.
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