18. Producers came to Betty White about starring in a new project called "The Golden Girls", about four single women living together in Miami, sharing the problems and laughs about middle age. Which role did producers originally have in mind for Betty?
From Quiz Betty White: Television Royalty
Answer:
Blanche Deveraux
Producers had planned for Betty to play the role of Blanche, the lusty seductress, while Rue McClanahan would play the more timid and naive Rose. Worrying about being typecast, both White and McClanahan felt they would be better off swapping roles. Betty, who wasn't sure how to play Rose, found inspiration when the director told her not to think of Rose as dumb, but rather that she believes the first explanation of everything she hears. That insight helped Betty to develop one of her most famous and beloved characters. She went on to play the character of Rose Nylund on four different sitcoms! "The Golden Girls", "Golden Palace", "Empty Nest" and "Nurses".