Debbe Dunning's professional nightmare turned into an episode of the show she so loved.
In a conversation with Entertainment Weekly about reuniting with Home Improvement costar Tim Allen, 72, on Shifting Gears, Dunning recalled overhearing Allen entertaining the idea of bringing Pamela Anderson back to the series in some capacity.
Anderson played Tool Time girl Lisa in 23 episodes of the series before exiting, at which time Dunning joined the cast as Heidi Keppert.
"I go, 'What are you guys talking about?' And Tim was like, 'Yeah, she really misses the show,' " the actress remembers. "And he goes, 'Well, I was telling her maybe we could sprinkle her in once in a while and you guys could both kind of share the role,' " she shared.
The possibility felt like the beginning of the end for Dunning, who shares, "I just remember my head slowly turning towards him and going, 'It's your show. I guess that's what you want.' "
Dunning recalled her voice trembling, as well as, "My entire neck got blotchy red splotches, and I was like, 'I need to be excused for a moment.' "
"I had just had a baby, so let's just give me a little bit of grace. I was a little bit emotional," she notes.
The stage manager later came to check on Dunning, reassuring her that her role was safe.
"And she goes, 'Well, that's not happening. You're not going to share. But we need to get through this scene.' I go, 'Okay, I'll try.' And then I started crying like a baby, and then we had to go through makeup again."
Later, she got a call from a producer offering more reassurance. "He said, 'Listen, Tim was probably just throwing ideas out there. We're not bringing her back as a team. This is your role. Would you be opposed to letting us write about this situation just now?' "
"And I go, 'It's not my show. It's your show. Do whatever you want to do. I just don't want to feel threatened with my job. I love my job so much, and I just had a kid and I'm supporting a house and a child.' "
The situation was what gave Anderson a vehicle for a return, with a fictionalized version of what had transpired behind the scenes. "The Kiss & the Kiss-Off" was the 25th episode of season 6, airing May 20, 1997.
"She came on, she had her husband, she had the kids. She was fine," the actress says. "We didn't have a ton of time together. We worked together. But then her kids were little, so she went to her dressing room and she was being a mom. So at the end of the show, it was great."