Don Johnson is still having a moment, even though it has been forty years since the premiere of his celebrated series Miami Vice.
The actor, who is 74 years old, is presently appearing in two projects that are running in tandem: the critically acclaimed film Rebel Ridge, which is available on Netflix, and the brand new series Doctor Odyssey, which is being produced by ABC. He seems to be in better shape than he ever has before. What is his secret?
It is with a chuckle that he tells PEOPLE, “Marry the right!” “A bad marriage will age you.”
Naturally, the father of six children, who has been married to Kelley Phleger since 1999, asserts that the only other option to maintain a youthful appearance and sensation is to just exercise regularly.
“You have to exercise, and do it a lot,” according to him. “How do you think I got six kids?” In a humorous tone, he says, “That I know of, anyway!”
Johnson has had those superstar looks, but for a period of time in the 1980s, he also became a (reluctant) style star. This was the case when the pastel linen suit and loafers without socks look that he donned on Miami Vice suddenly became the de facto wardrobe for young men worldwide.
He disclosed his distaste for all of the carbon duplicates of Detective James “Sonny” Crockett in a cover story that was published in the year 1985 in People magazine.
“Here’s the only look I ever liked and felt individual in, and now every guy, his brother and his dog are wearing it,” he remarked to reporters. (He also divulged his method for achieving a stubble that lasts for two days in a row: “I shave with a sideburn trimmer.”)
These days, Johnson is grateful that he is “still on the menu.” He does not care about his appearance, whether it be his clothing or his beard.
“My goal back then was to not be Sonny Crockett forever,” he adds, referring to his efforts to manage the success of the hit program throughout his career. “I had seen the danger that was posed by performers who found themselves too easily identifying with their characters. I got the impression that I needed to keep my distance from Sonny in order for people to finally acknowledge me as a character in my own right.
Since the conclusion of Miami Vice in 1989, after a total of five seasons, he has, without a doubt, experienced a great deal of success and failure.
As he puts it, “I’ve experienced periods in my career where I wasn’t certain that I would ever get a job again.”
“I’ve always stated that as an actor, you go through these phases from time to time: ‘Who is Don Johnson?’ After that, “Take me to Don Johnson!” “Get me a piece of Don Johnson!” he said. Then, let me have a younger version of Don Johnson! And now, at long last, we are back to the question, “Who is Don Johnson?”
As he chuckles, he shrugs again. “That is the way things are going to be.”
