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Bankrate: So do you have a magic financial number for you to
retire comfortably?
John O'Hurley: I do, but the number seems to be more fluid than
beer. I thought I had a number, but that number keeps moving every year (laughs). Now that we have more
responsibilities, I bought a lot of property over the last year.
Bankrate: I read where you are selling your Los Angeles villa
for $6 million. Is this part of your real estate investment plan?
John O'Hurley: Yes, and I bought a really unique parcel up in
central Vermont. It's a 200-acre estate with the largest private body of water. What attracted me is its
own private 28-acre lake. All my life, I wanted to have my own pond, and this is a lake! We'll keep a presence
in Los Angeles because I have a commitment to "Family Feud." I still have a commitment to "Spamalot" in
Las Vegas at the Wynn Hotel, so we're spending time out there as well.
Bankrate: In your new book, there's a chapter that says big
blue elephants waste time and money. What has been your biggest waste of time and money?
John O'Hurley: (laughs) I would say all the years that I wasn't
married and didn't have a child. I have found that marriage has really fulfilled my life and I have found
that having the little boy has completed my life in a way that was unimaginable to me before.
Bankrate: I know you are very fond of your dog, Scoshi, who is
given credit as the author of your new book. So does the J. Peterman catalog feature any canine couture?
John O'Hurley: It doesn't -- yet. We've stayed away from pets.
And for no other reason than it's an area we're not interested in doing yet, but never say never.
Bankrate: I read where the real J. Peterman catalog offered
you the opportunity to buy part of the company after you played J. Peterman on "Seinfeld."
John O'Hurley: Yes, actually they were near bankruptcy. The
first year that I came on board, we turned a profit. I don't know that it was directly related to me,
but it's nice to think so.
Bankrate: What kind of people buy from the J. Peterman catalog?
John O'Hurley:
A very high-end group, and not necessarily because
the products are expensive, but it's just a very
eclectic type and there's a sense of romance to
the catalog. The theme of the company has always
been "The life you always wanted to live." The
clothes and products bring back the sense of authenticity.
Bankrate: Speaking of authenticity, you've voiced a lot of
regal animated characters such as King Neptune on "SpongeBob SquarePants," King Wallace, and you're
playing King Arthur in "Spamalot." What is it that gives your voice such authenticity?
John O'Hurley: Oh I've done many more kings. I have all
sorts of kings on my resume, especially animated ones. But I think I have a very practiced tone to
my voice. I studied voice so I speak correctly and most people don't. That's OK; I just choose to
speak correctly. I love the turn of the phrase and of the written word.
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