MARG HELGENBERGER HONORED WITH A STAR ON THE HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME – TRANSCRIPT OF DANA DELANY’S SPEECH
January 23, 2012
Hollywood Blvd, in front of the legendary Musso and Franks
“Can you believe this? How hot is this woman?” (Marg pointing at Dana: “How hot is ‘this’ woman?”)
“And how perfect that she’s in front of Musso and Franks because she has always reminded me of some femme fatale from a Raymond Chandler novel. Perfect place for her to be.”
“I met Marg Helgenberger 24 years ago when we did China Beach. It’s hard to believe. I went to her wedding with Alan Rosenberg, who’s here today. I…some of you might not know this, but I actually delivered Marg’s baby. (Crowd laughs). I did. She was pregnant when we were shooting China Beach, and we had a scene where I was delivering her baby and she actually was pregnant. I think she was like eight months pregnant. Thank God she didn’t actually deliver the baby because I would not have known what I was doing! But I remember… (Marg: “You were a nurse!”)
“I was a nurse!” (They both laugh)
“Yeah, but that’s true acting when you’re actually eight months pregnant and you’re having to push and pretend that you’re having a baby and not really deliver the baby. That’s a little scary.”
“What I remember most about K.C. from K.C., which is the character Marg played, was that she had to wear the skimpiest outfits in the world. They were constantly spraying her down with water. (To Marg) Remember that, you were always getting wet. To look like she was sweating in Vietnam. And Marg always had the best spirit about it. We were constantly torturing her. Ummm, she laughed through the whole thing.”
“We had one scene when we were sort of like the yin and yang – the saint and the devil – and there was one scene where I was trying to help her get off of heroin. And I had to punch her to knock her out. Poor Marg. I actually did punch her. On the chin. Knocked her out. And she was a champ about it. She just got up and started laughing. And anybody who knows Marg knows she has the best laugh in the world!” (Crowd cheers)
“My favorite memory of her acting, and if Warner Bros. ever gets their act together and releases China Beach on DVD (crowd cheers), you’ll get to see it…but one of the best acting moments I’ve ever seen in my life was Marg. She had just delivered Hughie, who is now a grown person who works at CSI. She had just delivered Hughie and had to go back to work. (To Marg) And I don’t think you were too happy about having to go back to work.” (Marg laughs)
“And it was a scene on the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon. And it was the last chopper out and Marg’s character K.C. had to put her child on the chopper and watch her go off, possibly never to see her again. And it was the most gut wrenching acting I have ever seen in my life to see Marg Helgenberger, who had just delivered a baby, who was at home, which was where she wanted to be, and put her child on this chopper, off, leaving, and I…if you ever get to watch it because it’s an amazing piece of work. Amazing!”
(Turns to Marg)
“And I’m just so proud of you. So proud of you. I’m glad that we’re still friends after all of these years. You are still just doing beautiful work. It’s a long way from the meat packing plant in Nebraska! You are now one of the highest paid actors in television. You have a lot to be proud of and I think you deserve to take a little break right now. So you just go live your life. You deserve it. I love you.” (They hug).