What is the most fun thing to do in your job with The Jim Henson Company?

I think we do quality work with great attention to detail most of the time. It's rare in show business for money not to dictate the bottom line and JHC still retains some of Jim's work ethic. As the company grows, I hope and pray that remains, because it is one of the big things that has made the Muppets unique in an industry presently inundated by puppets on television.

The most fun thing is being able to do good work with the people who are the best at what they do in the world, and it's an ever-growing group of people. Not just with The Jim Henson Company, but the celebrities we work with are first rate professionals. It's a rare honor to work with true friends, and I've had the good fortune to do it now for twenty years.

What is the hardest thing to do in your job with JHC?

Probably achieving a balance between being at home and traveling. I love my home and my life at home and traveling is always an interruption of that. Still, it's nice to see the world, and it's great to see the effects of our work on millions of people. Without the travel, I wouldn't be a part of that, so I try to take it in stride. I sort of take home with me in my heart, and most of my closest friends are people who can take up where we left off.

How many skits have you recorded for Ernie on Sesame Street, since resuming the role as played by Jim Henson?

I'm not sure of the exact number ... maybe 15 or 20? We've recorded new ones every year for a few years now, and there are twenty something years of Jim doing Ernie that is still in use.

How do you feel about your performance as Kermit?

It's an unavoidable situation, isn't it? What's not good about it is that Jim isn't performing Kermit anymore. There's nothing anyone can do about that. What's good about it is that it's no longer a copy of Jim's character, although I believe it to be truthful and faithful to who Kermit was from within Jim. Kermit comes from me, from my heart, rather than simply my recollection of Jim's performance, although I usually have Jim in mind as I perform Kermit. It will always be my tribute to Jim and all that he taught me. I'm constantly thrilled and rewarded when I meet people, children and adults, who love Kermit and I get the gratification of seeing the elation on their faces as they meet him.

The last time I saw Jim, about a month before his death, my wife and I had dinner with him in Florida. At that dinner he told me he was frustrated that I really didn't have any major characters other than Rizzo in the main Muppet family of characters, since I was one of his main performers. We hadn't really done anything that gave me the opportunity to develop any other roles. He said that when he returned to New York one of his first priorities was going to be to find a major character for me ... I suppose he did.

Thanks for the interview, Steve!

You're very welcome, Gina!

Interview copyrighted January 30,1998, by Gina