Andy Griffith Thought He Was ‘Hot Stuff’ After Mayberry, But ‘Sat Around the House for Several Years’ Instead

After the tremendous success of The Andy Griffith Show, it makes perfect sense that star Andy Griffith thought he could easily transition his career to movies. But as he shared in a recently-resurfaced 1986 interview with PEOPLE, “I thought I was going to be hot stuff. Instead, I sat around the house for several years.”

Despite Griffith’s plans for big-screen stardom, reality was very different. He made one film, 1969’s Angel in My Pocket, and ended up starring in a few failed shows including Headmaster and Salvage-1 before finding success once again as the star of Matlock in the 1980s.