Bankrate: It's so vicious -- but not to sound so naïve in Hollywood happenings -- was it a malicious thing or did they not care?
Cybill Shepherd: Well, the executive head writer at the time, as soon as I was off camera, refused to allow me into the editing room to continue my collaboration as a producer. And why did he do that? Because he could. That was really a shock. Plus, 10 days after the show went off the air, I had emergency surgery, I had a double twist in my small intestines. It was a crazy time. It was stressful.
Bankrate: So who stepped up to the plate?
Cybill Shepherd: Carsey-Werner finally decided that they were going to let it loose after 10 years, maybe. I don't know. I'm really happy that they did it. I mean, I'll never make a penny and I totally understand that but I don't care. I just wanted to get it out there.
Bankrate: How did you pick the episodes that are in this collection?
Cybill Shepherd: Well, we couldn't have any that I sing in. One of my favorite episodes is when I sing "That's Life" on top of the sushi bar. But it would have cost $65,000. I thought about paying for it myself, but then I thought with the economic crisis the way it is now and decided to save my money.
Bankrate: Cybill Sheridan, your TV character, worried about her finances on the show, being an actress and all. How did you relate to her at that time? You're also in a tenuous business as well.
Cybill Shepherd: Yes, it's very tenuous and yes, I'm in the same business. I can really relate to that. I've had many ups and downs. My career spans over 40 years if you count going to New York when I was 18. And I have definitely had times when I didn't know what I was going to do. I mean, I went out and did dinner theater just to have some income coming in and that's after I had already had a movie career. I hadn't done "Moonlighting" yet. But being an actor is really tough. I'm very fortunate that I continue to work … very fortunate.
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Bankrate: Ever think, as an actress and the tenuous nature of the business, I'll produce my own projects? Have you and if you do, will it be films as opposed to TV?
Cybill Shepherd: It would be both. It would be everything. The show was the last thing I produced. It didn't help my producing career that it kind of fell off the face of the earth and wasn't available on DVD for 10 years (laughs). It really wasn't good for my career.