This interview was conducted in the early 1990s. It was my wildest dream, a dream come true, even as a professional reporter.

Curly dark hair. Disturbing eyes. Deep voice.

Women over thirty will probably remember the introspective Pete Cochran of the early seventies with the hit ABC series MOD SQUAD. Michael Cole, the actor who played Pete, is very different spiritually today than he was then.

However, when it comes to appearance, an important point is equally obvious. Between MOD SQUADAfter a five-year career, Michael was in a serious car accident. His eyelid was almost separated from his face; surgery saved him, but an obvious scar remained. Girls across America sighed in relief and dreamed of his weathered face again.

Today, the face is even more leathery; the building medium, which ranges from middle-aged to toned; dark hair, streaked with gray, still curly. The voice has not changed. He wears glasses.

Those teens who once dreamed and yearned for him are now adults with lives no longer centered on Michael Cole’s fantasy, and he’s been aware of that for a long time.

“I got in trouble [afterward]”he admitted.” It was unreal to have nothing, then say, ‘I want that house’ and be able to buy it. “The words opened into deeper scars, invisible to the eye but obvious to the ear.” Everything bad was my fault. I don’t blame anyone else.

“I started in acting school working on plays. The stage was my bedroom.” He laughed and his eyes lit up as he gave a lengthy dissertation on how he literally lived on stage for many years. “Then I went to Las Vegas. There I met Paula.” Paula Kelly was once a member of The Modernaires, a talented singer and the woman who became Mrs. Michael Cole.

“She was beautiful. I was shy.” His smile was crooked; his gaze deepened. He looked like a big boy. The mention of Paula, the woman he married, the mother of his beloved daughter, softened his voice and brightened his face.

His ideas moved so fast. Next, he was talking about his stardom. “MOD SQUAD he was a pioneer. There were always mail bags in the hall outside Aaron Spelling’s office. He leaned across the table to look at his hands. His thumb and index finger formed a triangle, the rest spread out evenly, a gesture of thought. “It changed lives. I remember a letter from a drug addict, she was a prostitute. Thanks to our program, she became a social worker.” Many years later, the idea still excited him.

A faceless boy helped towards a better life by Michael Cole, at that time a young man who had everything. However, it was ready to self-destruct. What followed were years of anger, confusion, and a lot of drinking and mindless complacency. How come you now own a spacious hilltop home? Do you speak often and generously of the spirituality and meaning of Christ in your life?

The accident. He found God in the middle of his car accident. “I was in a slippery spot on the Laurel Canyon Freeway; [he and Paula] hit the mountain. I went through the windshield twice. “That reminded him of the moments immediately after, when he rushed to the hospital.” People were coming in and out of my room. “

He looked at his fingers, once more spread. “After everyone left one night, I looked in the mirror and knew it could be over.” He looked up with a slow smile. “So I did this,” he showed how he covered his eye with one hand. “I thought maybe it would be an interesting image.” He was probably not that philosophical about losing an eye and his career. After the eye was saved, after MOD SQUAD, staggered, appearing as a guest on television episodes and doing plays across the country. He related an experience.

“We were in a small town at one point. The weather was bad, we didn’t know if we would have an audience. But three old women were there, one celebrating her 80th birthday.” He ran his index finger over the side of his nose and then readjusted his glasses. “In the intermission, a stagehand got a dozen red roses. After the play, we had a party.” He stopped talking and took a deep breath. His next words were thick. “We both cried. It remains a special memory.”

How could a man who cries at a stranger’s party become an alcoholic and belligerent? “I was scared. I remember waking up in the middle of the night. Something real took hold of me. Paula hugged me and left.” Despite the love, Paula could only handle so much in the midst of such powerful emotions, and she finally left him.

“She didn’t do anything wrong,” he was quick to assure, “it was me. She just couldn’t take it anymore.”

Then came a long period in which he did nothing. “Absolutely nothing. People began to die around me … my manager, my mother. Other people were worried, they told me to go back to work, but it was not the time. I knew when the time would be.”

Michael reads avidly, quotes Dylan Thomas, the Bible, and other writings that have affected him. He dropped out of school in the tenth grade, eventually came back but never finished college; however, you can speak with the insight of a scholar. For someone who did nothing for so long, his thoughts and words speak of a healthy spiritual life.

Many years have passed since each of the aforementioned milestones happened in Michael Cole’s life. Despite all that has tried to bring him down and drive him to despair, today he has peace of mind, a spiritual understanding of his life, and friendship with his ex-wife.

He showed me a sketch that he had made on his wall, a cross with a humanistic flower object wrapped in it as Christ had been hung on the cross. Along with his drawing, he wrote: “This time, father, they know what they are doing.”

“Yes,” he smiled when our interview came to an end, “all in God’s time, not bear’s. God gave me a gift, I wasted it for a while, but not anymore. I’m ready to start using it again.” . “

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This was one of my favorite interviews. Michael picked me up in a 7-Eleven at the foot of the long, winding road that led up to his beautiful big house in the hills of California. He got me into his very expensive dark green car and when I closed the door it slipped away and slammed shut.

“Hey!” he exclaimed as he stood next to her. “Do not do that!”

I apologized, explaining that it had not been done on purpose. He was clearly very careful with his vehicle.

We arrived at his house and he led me into the house, where we sat together at his dining room table. He got me a diet soda and then we talked. And I spoke. And I spoke. It was as if a dam had been broken.

Remember, this was a dream come true for me. Michael Cole had been the perfect boy from my childhood and here I was as an adult, at his dining room table, in his house, chatting with him as if we were lifelong friends. Amazing!

When we finally finished talking, he allowed me to take his picture in front of his drawing on his wall.

But the most surprising part, really, beyond everything else … interview finished, photos taken: Michael Cole, the Michael Cole, wanted to make me dinner. Yes, he wanted me to have dinner with him, and he was going to be the chef. Spaghetti, in fact. I thanked him for the offer and, for reasons I will never understand … I said, “No thanks.”

You can imagine ?!