Ray Romano began work on Everybody Loves Raymond convinced he could be fired at any moment, while carrying the scars of an earlier sitcom dismissal as he stepped onto the set of the show that would eventually make him one of television’s biggest comedy stars.
RadarOnline.com can reveal Romano, 68, reflected on the anxiety that overshadowed the launch of the hit CBS comedy during a reunion panel to mark the hit show bearing his name.
Appearing alongside series creator Phil Rosenthal and original writers Tom Caltabiano, Tucker Cawley, Mike Royce, Lew Schneider, Steve Skrovan, and Aaron Shure, Romano looked back on the uncertainty he felt when production began in 1996.
Although Everybody Loves Raymond would go on to run until 2005, win 15 Emmy Awards, and collect 69 nominations, Romano said he arrived on set haunted by an earlier experience on NewsRadio, where he had been removed from the cast before filming had properly begun.
Sources close to the reunion said Romano’s recollections highlighted just how uncertain his future once seemed despite the enormous success that followed.
One source told us: “People tend to assume Ray walked straight into stardom, but that’s not how he remembers it. He was carrying a lot of self-doubt because he’d already experienced rejection on a major television project.”
Another insider said, “The remarkable thing is that he was starring in a show named after himself and still worried he might not last. That insecurity stayed with him through those early episodes.
“Looking back now, it’s easy to forget how inexperienced Ray felt as an actor. He was a stand-up comic being asked to lead a network sitcom, and there was genuine fear about whether he could pull it off.”
During the panel, Romano explained how his earlier experience on NewsRadio shaped his mindset.
He said, “I was doing stand-up for a living. A couple acting opportunities came up, and one of them was the show called NewsRadio. I got cast in the original cast of NewsRadio. I’d never really acted before; I was doing stand-up. And on day two, I got fired.”
Romano said the experience left him deeply uneasy when cameras began rolling on Everybody Loves Raymond.
Romano noted, “Fast forward to the first day, and I’d just gotten fired from a sitcom, and this sitcom has my name… and it was a little terrifying for me.
“And I know when I watch that first season, I see myself get better towards the end of the season. I was a little stiff still, a little green.”
The role of sportswriter Ray Barone transformed Romano into a household name.
His sitcom centered on the challenges of family life on Long Island, with Patricia Heaton starring as Debra Barone and Brad Garrett playing Ray’s giant brother Robert.
Acclaimed stars Doris Roberts and Peter Boyle portrayed Romano’s character’s parents, Marie and Frank Barone.
The cast also included Madylin Sweeten and twin brothers Sawyer Sweeten and Sullivan Sweeten.
Sawyer died in 2015 at the age of 19.
The reunion also revisited the show’s enduring popularity and its recent 30th anniversary celebration.
Romano recalled taking one famous prop home when production ended.
He said: “That’s the first thing I took – that’s the only thing I wanted to take was the couch.”
Discussing the floral sofa featured throughout the series, he added, “I took the couch, and it’s in my home theater. I hate saying that I have a home theater, but yeah, it’s in the theater.”
Romano said the couch was temporarily returned for the anniversary gathering.
“They came and got (the couch), and they brought it back,” Romano explained.