‘I Dream of Jeannie’ star Barbara Eden never saw her character as sexual

Barbara Eden The audience rubbed the right way as a genie 2,000 years ago, but the actress insisted that she never saw herself as a sex symbol.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, “I Dream of Jeannie” tells the story of astronaut Major Tony Nelson (Larry Hagman). The two fall in love and continue to build lives together.

The beloved sitcom premiered on September 18, 1965, catapulting Eden into a superstar.

“I’m a Jeanie Dream” star Barbara Eden recreates iconic jeanie pose at 94

She starred in “I’m a Jeanie of Ginny,” starring Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman, which premiered on September 18, 1965. (Everett Collection)

When Fox News Digital asks a 94-year-old how it felt Becoming a sex symbolshe replied, “I didn’t know.”

“I’ve never thought about it [Jeannie] She sexually said, “She was so honest and open, and obviously dedicated to her master, so she was adorable. And she was learning. It was fun to play that part. She was learning everything about this time. She’s 2,000 years old and people seem to forget.”

“I Dream of Jeannie” aired five seasons from 1965 to 1970. (NBCU Photobank/Getty Images)

“She was a real entity. She was not a real woman,” Eden shared. “She was of course a woman, but she was not a human, but an existence. And it’s your comedy. She felt she was human, and of course he knew that she wasn’t.”

Barbara Eden celebrated her 94th birthday on August 23rd. (Harry Langdon)

But one thing Eden didn’t expect was the public’s appeal to the buttons on her belly, or lack of it. actress I was wearing a pink two-piece With high-waisted swirling pants and a crop top that hides her belly button.

“Mike Connolly [a columnist for The Hollywood Reporter] Eden recalled. Well, that’s because I lift my arms and do all sorts of physical things.

Barbara Eden’s belly button stirred up the headline, causing the studio to tense. (Getty Images)

“But he enjoyed teasing me. He thrusts me into the middle and says, ‘I don’t think you have it!” And he began writing about it.

Click here to sign up for our Entertainment Newsletter

Barbara Eden had to wear high-waisted pants to hide her belly button. (Getty Images)

“I thought it was funny, but it’s strange,” she laughed. “All of a sudden, the standards and practices, or what they called it in the film industry, I realized I had a belly button. Even in the studio, I realized I had a belly button!

Eden noted that no one in the studio had decided to cover her belly button first until the topic of her so-called disappearing act spread like a wildfire.

Barbara Eden said she was surprisingly covered in “I’m a Jeanie dream.” (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

“Then they said I had to lift my hips high,” she said. “But not only that, I was wearing pretty thick dancer pantyhose. It was pretty thick, plus underwear, then chiffon. And then there was silk. It was very interesting.

Barbara Eden chose the colour for her outfit. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Eden gave his opinion on one thing about her midterm stop outfit.

“Color,” she said. “Gwen Wakeling, Oscar-winning costume designercame to me and showed me a sketch of her. And of course, I loved them. Then she said, “What is your favorite color?” I said, “Well, it depends. Now it’s hot pink.” And she went with Pink. I’m still very happy that she did that. ”

Barbara Eden told Fox News Digital that she still has memories of bringing “I’m a Jeanie of Johnny’s Dream.” (Harry Langdon)

Looking back, Eden still has memories of bringing the show to life with Hagman, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 81.

Like what you’re reading? For more entertainment news click here

Larry Hagman as Anthony “Tony” Nelson and Barbara Eden as Jeannie. (NBCU Photobank/Getty Images)

“I was doing movies at Universal and by then I knew I had already got the Jeannie part,” she recalled. “[Show creator] Sydney Sheldon One day I called me and said, “Can I do this scene with this young man? We’re thinking he’ll play your master.” I know they were testing another actor, but they didn’t ask him to come and see me. ”

Barbara Eden and Larry Hagman quickly got together on set. (via Getty Images via NBCU Photo Bank/NBCuniversal Getty Images)

“So, while I was working at Universal, Larry came to me,” she said. “We were in the dressing room and we had the first scene of the pilot together there, and in that scene, [Jeannie] Just love him and give him a big embrace. And of course, I did my part. It wasn’t Barbara, it was Genie doing this. Well, a few months later, Larry told me, “You scared me! I didn’t know what you were doing.”

For Eden, magic was being made.

Larry Hagman passed away in 2012. He was 81 years old. (Frank Miscellotta/Getty Images)

“The first time I worked with him I realized our chemistry while I was piloting,” she said. “I quickly realized that it worked. He was very good and I was pretty good myself. But we wanted to do the same radio frequency, or you wanted to call it. We understood each other. We enjoyed it.”

“He was a very sweet and kind man,” Eden continued. “He was a little different to the rest of us. He marched into his own drums. It was always quite interesting and fun. I loved him.”

Before “I Dream of Jeannie,” Barbara Eden starred in the 1960s alongside Elvis Presley. (Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images)

Despite the success of “I Dream of Jeannie”, Eden reveals that there is no feud between her and her. Elizabeth Montgomerystarred in the sitcom as “Enchanted.” Montgomery played Samantha Stevens, a charming witch who tries to live a normal suburban life with her deadly husband.

Click here to get the Fox News app

Barbara Eden is grateful that she loves “I Am a Jeanie Dream” decades later. (MJ Cheshire)

“I enjoyed being with her,” Eden said. “We didn’t have much time to talk or be girlfriends. Remember, we were in the makeup department in the morning, preparing for the scene. We had to get to work.

“I’m a Jeanie’s dream.” It aired five seasons from 1965 to 1970. The star said over the years he didn’t feel that Jeannie’s powerful presence had overshadowed his Hollywood career.

Watch: Elvis Presley’s 1968 Bordello Scene was cut for being too prominent: doc

“I was always happy and I was happy with her,” she explained. “Even when I was doing ‘Genie’, I was lucky enough to still do other things. I opened the MGM Grand Las Vegas. I went back to singing again. ”

Barbara Eden is still busy. (Harry Langdon)

“When we had a break from filming ‘Ginny’, I did another film in the meantime and then came back. It was a long ping pong. And I’m so happy that people still like her. I never thought the show would have an impact all over the world. ”

“At the time I didn’t think about being famous,” she recalled. “I was just working. I didn’t have time to sit down and say, ‘I made it.’ When you were working hard I couldn’t do it. ”

Barbara Eden told Fox News Digital that the dedicated author and welcoming cast contributed to the enduring success of “I Dream of Jeannie.” (MJ Cheshire)

“And I don’t think there’s one secret behind the success of the show,” Eden said. “I think it’s a really good idea, a great cast combination…it worked, and that magic doesn’t always work. You can have a really great actor, but if the writing is not right, a lot of things won’t work. But we were lucky.”

Barbara Eden told Fox News Digital that she never felt a typecast for the character Jeannie. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Eden doesn’t think about what she wants to do next. She’s too busy staying active.

“I want to achieve anything that can be thrown at me,” she laughed. “I look forward to my next challenge.”