'80s Heartthrob Don Johnson on Surviving ‘Perils’ and Isolation of Stardom

Miami Vice star Don Johnson spoke to People about the “perils” and “isolat[ion]” of his mid-’80s stardom, which was so fervent he required round-the-clock security.

Johnson played Detective James “Sonny” Crockett on the stylish NBC crime drama from 1984 until 1990. The show was a tremendous success and largely rewrote the network procedural, making Johnson one of the most famous men in the world. During that time, he recalled, “I couldn’t even go anywhere.”

“I had to isolate. The [women] know where you are,” Johnson joked. “We had security 24/7.”

He felt something had to change after drawing an unflattering parallel between himself and a deceased icon. “One day, I reflected on Elvis and thought, ‘Isn’t this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?’ Not that I’m comparing myself to Elvis,” Johnson said, “but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life. So, I learned to manage it and vowed not to let [fame] imprison me.”

In addition to the pitfalls of fame, Johnson was also worried that audiences wouldn’t be able to see him as another character. “My goal then was to not be Sonny Crockett forever,” he said. “I had seen the peril of the actors who were too identifiable with their character. I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so people could eventually see me as other characters.”

Once Miami Vice ended, Johnson starred in a handful of less-remembered movies before taking on the role of Nash Bridges, another stylish cop in a hip city but this time on CBS. Only in the last decade or so has Johnson shed the specter of that archetype, taking on more varied character roles in movies like Django Unchained (2012) and Knives Out (2019).

Forty years after Miami Vice premiered, Johnson is earning rave reviews for his villainous turn in Netflix’s equally acclaimed thriller Rebel Ridge, which has reportedly notched 1.5 billion minutes streamed since its Sept. 5 premiere.

“I’m still on the menu!” Johnson proclaimed happily. While the industry may offer its share of unknowns, the actor knows one thing is certain. "Fame is a condition," he said. "But it also goes away.”