'One Day at a Time' Actor Reveals Why Co-Star Told Him to Speak Up at 14
In 1980, Glenn Scarpelli made his debut as Alex Handris on One Day at a Time. The actor was just 14 years old when he joined the cast of the CBSsitcom alongside veteran stars Bonnie Franklin, Valerie Bertinelli, Pat Harrington, Jr., and Mackenzie Phillips, who returned to the show the following year.
During an appearance on The Patrick Labyorsheaux podcast, Scarpelli, 59, looked back on his three seasons on the hit Norman Learsitcom, noting that it was "the happiest set" to work on. "We laughed from the moment we got there to the moment we left," he said. "There were no burdens; everyone got along."
Scarpelli also noted that Lear allowed the actors to "play a really big part in the development" of his TV series. "We would sit Monday mornings, we'd read through the script, they'd give us Art's Deli ...We basically would then go through the script all day, Monday, page by page, with notes from the actors, with the writers, and we would really talk about what was going on," he explained, adding, "When I say we, I didn't say a word for the first month I was on the show. I'm 14 years old. I'm loving the show. I can't even, I've won the lottery. Like, I can't even believe I'm on the show."
Scarpelli revealed that Franklin, who played the lead character Ann Romano, finally pulled him aside to give him a tip.
"Bonnie pulls me over about a month into being on the show," he shared. "She goes, ‘You don't talk.' I'm like, ‘What do you mean?' She's like, ‘We do these things and you don't talk.' And I said, ‘Well, honestly, I didn't know I could.' She goes, ‘You better. Because I'm going to teach you how to do some notes. And even if something comes out,' she goes, ‘First of all, these f---ing 65-year-old writers don't know how to write for a 14-year-old boy, know what a 14-year-old boy thinks like or acts like or sounds like. So, we need your input."
Scarpelli said Franklin's gesture was an "invitation to a lifetime of education" for him in character development, arcs, and story lines.
"And Norman really set that pace of allowing the cast to really play a big role in where the characters go, what is real life to them, how can they make it more authentic, how can they bring it home," he added.
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Glenn Scarpelli said other sets weren't like ‘One Day at a Time'
Scarpelli has fond memories of his years on One Day at a Time. In an interview with Blogcritics, he compared the sitcom to doing a play and said it was unlike other TV shows he worked on.
In 1983, the actor left One Day at a Time to appear in a new series, Jennifer Slept Here. He noted that the creative process was very different on the short-lived series.
"I think what it did for me was make me realize how special One Day at a Time was, because on Jennifer Slept Here, although everybody was really sweet and I looked forward to getting to the set every day, the cast wasn't involved in the creative process," Scarpelli said. "We were told when to come: ‘Here's your lines, this is what you say, and stand there.'"
"On One Day at a Time, the cast had so much creative input, and that was thanks to Bonnie, because she had been there longer than most of the writers and most of the producers," Scarpelli added. "Even though I was only 14, they always asked for my input: ‘What do you think? Would a kid your age say that? Where do you want your character to go?'"
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This story was originally published April 25, 2026 at 8:09 AM.