Barney the Dinosaur actor David Joyner has answered some viewers’ burning questions after spending over a decade playing the iconic kids TV character in the 1990s
It’s been 23 years since kids TV staple Barney & Friends premiered in 1992, and to celebrate the milestone we’ve taken a look at some of the actor’s wildest tales.
Actor David Joyner, 61, was the legend behind the iconic purple dinosaur and spent over 10 years playing the character from 1991 to 2001, though he has a very different job nowadays.
In our deep dive, we found that back in 2009, David started a Reddit thread to answer any fan questions about his time on the show.
After one fan asked him about “bathroom breaks” he let a huge confession slip. David introduced himself on the thread by saying: “Hello my name is David Joyner and I played Barney the Dinosaur for over a decade on the Hit TV Series, Barney and Friends. Ask me anything!
“I played the character between 1991 and 2001. After leaving the show in 2001 and moving to Los Angeles, I continued doing Barney performances, personal appearances and training other Barneys in other countries.
“I’m also the body of the Hippest Bear in the world, Hip Hop Harry. The Hip Hop Rapping, Break Dancing Teddy Bear.”
Responding to his thread, one user asked: “When in costume how big of a deal was it to take a bathroom break?”
To which he answered: “It was pretty easy to get out. There were a few times when getting out to use the restroom was not an option.
“There was one occasion during the Mardi Gras Parade in New Orleans when I was on the float and I need to go really bad.
“The costume wrangler pushed a Gatorade bottle up the crouch opening of the costume and I had to aim, use, put on the lid, hand it back to her, all while waving and dancing on the float.
“That was a pretty cool thing to do. Very impressive I must say. LOL.”
Another fan asked: “What was your least favourite thing about playing the character over a decade? Any on-set debacles or arguments that made you think it was time to call it quits pre-2001?”
David replied: “Well the reason I called it quits in 2001 is because I knew it was time to move on to do other acting.
“I always wanted to move to Los Angeles and this was the best time.
“There was a moment that I remember that really upset the chemistry of myself and Bob West.
“I had just order this new car from the Mazda Factory. A 1993 3rd Generation RX-7.
“Not too many people had them at the time. Mine was Black and beautiful. 3 months later, Bob West buys a red one.
“I was so mad…. Our friendship bond was shaken. I know it may not seem like a big deal to some, but it meant a lot at the time.
“And of course there were some other things that happened between us before that moment. But I won’t go into detail. LOL.”
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
