Josh Charles Remembers Smoking with Divine at the Hairspray Wrap Party at Age 15: ‘A Memorable Experience’

From left: Josh Charles on ‘The View;’ and Divine in ‘Hairspray’.
Credit :

ABC; New Line Cinema/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Josh Charles reminisced about his first Hollywood job alongside iconic drag performer Divine.
• Charles, 54, featured in the 1988 cult classic Hairspray, directed by John Waters.
• The actor also discussed his latest project, Best Medicine, currently airing on Fox and available on Hulu.

During an appearance on The View on January 5, Josh Charles shared memories of his very first role in Hollywood, which involved working with the legendary Divine.

Co-host Sara Haines prompted the discussion by asking about Charles’ memorable role in the film Hairspray, featuring Ricki Lake. Charles expressed amazement, recalling, “I was 15 years old!” He described the experience as “probably the greatest gig ever.”

Reflecting on the iconic moment, he shared, “What a cool first movie to do. I had one line. I asked Ricki Lake if she would ever swim in an integrated swimming pool when she was auditioning for the show [The Corny Collins Show]. She said, ‘I certainly would, Iggy!’”

Charles continued to recount the star-studded cast of the film, which included Sonny Bono, Jerry Stiller, Debbie Harry, Ruth Brown, and Divine. “Smoking with Divine at the wrap party. What 15-year-old doesn’t remember that? … Those are lifelong memories,” he noted.

Divine, whose real name was Harris Glenn Milstead, was renowned for originating the role of Edna Turnblad in the John Waters-directed classic and also portrayed Arvin Hodgepile, the biased owner of a local television station.

From left: Colleen Fitzpatrick, Debbie Harry, Divine and Ricki Lake in ‘Hairspray’.

New Line Cinema/Courtesy of Getty

In addition to his nostalgic reflections, Charles discussed his current role in the Fox comedy series Best Medicine, where he plays Dr. Martin Best, a brilliant physician with limited social skills relocating from Boston to a small fishing town in Maine. The show features co-stars Annie Potts and Abigail Spencer.

Charles explained his choice for the comedic role, stating, “I’ve done comedy in the past but of late I’ve done a lot more heavier fare, so this was part of a desire to want to live on some lighter air for a while. And the show definitely has that … sort of an escape from this current world that we’re living in.”

He further noted, “And I think that sort of is the charm of the show.”

Josh Charles in ‘Best Medicine’ on Fox.

Francisco Roman/FOX

Based on the British series Doc Martin, which aired for 10 seasons beginning in 2004, Best Medicine marks a new venture for Charles, who admitted he had not seen the original before joining the cast. “I didn’t know the original when they asked me to do the show, but then I became a fan,” he shared.

Excited about the project, he added, “Martin Clunes, who plays my character in the original, actually will be a guest on our show playing my father!”

In terms of blending elements, Charles noted, “We’re taking a lot from [the British version], and also … bringing a lot of our own stuff into it and sort of making it our own.”

Best Medicine airs on Fox on Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. ET and is also available on Hulu.