William Christopher Had An Unexpected On-Set Habit During M*A*S*H

There a lot of lovable characters on the classic sitcom "M*A*S*H," but Father Frances Mulcahy, played by William Christopher, is easily among the most lovable. He's kind of an odd duck, an Irish Catholic priest who is wise beyond his years in many ways but is also occasionally rather childlike. Despite being a priest, he rarely harps on his comrades for any perceived moral failures, understanding that morality is complicated (especially in wartime), and people's morality is between them and their maker. He's complicated and compelling, and Christopher's performance is integral to making him feel real. It's funny, because Christopher originally completely tanked his audition, but he ended up bringing so much to Mulcahy that he and the character became somewhat inextricable. Heck, writer and co-star Alan Alda even created an episode around Christopher's bout with hepatitis in a case of art mirroring life. 

There was one thing that Christopher would do that sounds exactly like the good Father himself, and it's pretty funny. In an interview with the Tuscon Citizen (via MeTV), Christopher shared that he liked to spend his time between shooting scenes on the "M*A*S*H" set by reading ancient Greek poetry — in its original ancient Greek! 

Though Father Mulcahy was a Catholic priest, he was well-educated in other faiths and had an impressive vocabulary that he deployed frequently, making him a little unique for a holy man. There was a worldly depth to him that belied his sweetness, and that came in large part from Christopher. He told the Tuscon Citizen:

"In this transistor life of acting I pick up Homer, which is almost 3,000 years old, and recall that Alexander the Great always carried a copy of the 'Iliad.' Lord knows I enjoy nothing more than reading Homer in ancient Greek. I'll be reading the 'Iliad' for 20 years now. I find the beauty of ancient Greek poetry exciting. As you read it, you don't really feel hooked up to time. That gives me a feeling of the continuity of life. It's cumulative and proves to me that some things in life do last." 

That's some pretty deep stuff, and you can almost picture Father Mulcahy explaining the exact same thing to Hawkeye (Alda), Klinger (Jamie Farr), or any of the other members of his somewhat wayward flock. And while most priests don't read or speak ancient Greek, they do generally know Latin, so it wouldn't be a huge jump. The characters on "M*A*S*H" were pretty heavily influenced by the actors who played them, and it feels like there was a whole lot of Christopher in Father Mulcahy, despite the actor not even being Catholic. There was one big difference between the man and the character he played, however, because only one of them was a good listener. 

Despite sounding so wise discussing ancient Greek, Christopher was quick to mention that his beatific stare as Father Mulcahy was an old acting trick. "People often believe I am thinking deep thoughts when I look off into space. It's not that at all, but I don't like to disillusion them," he said. He said that it's actually a bit of fright and that he learned to use that stare in improvisation sessions while learning to act. He also said that he used the same look on his teachers in school so that they believed he was paying rapt attention when really he was just zoning out. While that's extremely relatable, it's also pretty different from Father Mulcahy, who cares deeply about the people who occasionally seek his counsel. That's what makes his losing his hearing in the series finale so heartbreaking; he has lost his ability to listen even though he has always listened so deeply. 

Though Mulcahy's hearing loss was retconned for the short-lived follow-up series "AfterMASH," the character's arc over the course of "M*A*S*H" is fantastic, and he's one of the best characters in television history. Thank goodness for William Christopher and his quirky habits for making Father Mulcahy so truly great.