Barry Williams is still in the running to be the next Dancing with the Stars champion with partner Peta Murgatroyd. Barry and Peta have made it to Week 8 and will be dancing a rumba to Whitney Houston’s “Didn’t We Almost Have It All.” Hollywood Life spoke exclusively with the actor about his next dance and the stamina it takes to compete on a show like this.
“I don’t think it would be overstating to say that it’s the most demanding project I’ve ever been a part of in my rather lengthy career,” Barry, 69, said. “I’m feeling good. I can tell you that I’m really excited every week.”
Season 32 has passed the halfway point, and Barry admitted that all of the dancers are feeling the sheer physicality of ballroom dancing. “We deal and we work through it,” Barry said about the pain. “I’m feeling very good. I have my own tics and tight muscles and things like that, but I get up early and try to stretch. But it does come with the territory.”
The Brady Bunch star revealed he’s looking forward to his rumba for Whitney Houston Night. “It’s a very passionate dance, and I love the emotion,” he told Hollywood Life. “I love the drama of it. I love the sensuality. It’s a smoother dance than the quickstep, for instance, which I did last week. I think it’s more suitable for me, but there’s a beautiful song we have to interpret as well. It has nice builds and creates lots of layers for the journey of flirtation and the journey of the two of us.”
Peta, 37, is a longtime DWTS pro and has forged a strong dynamic with Barry in the ballroom. Barry noted that he loves how Peta takes “all the elements of technique of classic ballroom and then applies that to the choreography, but interprets this specific song that we’re given and retelling, which really gravitates to me as an actor.”
He continued, “Sometimes I’m learning my steps based on emotions or beats or dramatic moments as opposed to just learning it by counts and things like that. I really appreciate that about her, and she is a really disciplined athlete. She likes to work, and I have never heard her complain. She’s always ready to go again.”
Dancing with the Stars is a learning experience for every celebrity involved. As he performs new dances every week and gets feedback from the judges, Barry said that he’s learned “not to be too critical of myself. It can be very frustrating after being shown something many times and not really being able to catch it because it’s new movement. It’s a new posture. It’s a new form.”
The beloved actor stressed that he’s been trying to stay “out of my way, and it’s really helped. The self-criticism just stalls the whole process. I’ve known this for a long time. It doesn’t really help the move forward movement. But here, there’s just no time for it. So I’ve been able to just say okay, I don’t have it yet. We got to work with what we’ve got. Let’s keep a fresh attitude on it and go again.” Dancing with the Stars airs Tuesdays on ABC and Disney+.