Barbara Eden, who played the 2,000-year-old genie on the sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, said she never considered the role to make her a sex symbol despite the character’s midriff-baring costume and enduring public fascination.
The show, which premiered Sept. 18, 1965, is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year. Eden, now 94, told Fox News Digital that she saw Jeannie as "an entity — she wasn’t a real woman," adding that the character’s charm came from being "lovable because she was so honest and forthright and obviously devoted to her master."
Eden said she did not view Jeannie as sexual while performing the part and noted the comedic premise derived from a supernatural being trying to appear human. "She was learning everything about this time. She was 2,000 years old, which people seem to forget," Eden said. The series ran five seasons, from 1965 to 1970, and turned Eden and co-star Larry Hagman into television icons.
A recurring real-world curiosity about Eden’s costume grew into a headline-making episode: the so-called mystery of Jeannie’s missing belly button. Columnist Mike Connolly teased Eden on set about it, and his coverage ignited public interest. Studio standards and practices later insisted that Eden’s costume be altered to conceal the navel more clearly. Eden described the layers of clothing she wore, saying her wardrobe included dancer’s pantyhose, an extra pair of underwear, chiffon and an internal silk layer. "It was so funny. All I could do was laugh at the whole thing," she said.
Eden also recalled having creative input on the costume’s color. Oscar-winning costume designer Gwen Wakeling showed sketches to Eden, who said she preferred "hot pink" at the time; Wakeling adopted the suggestion.
Eden described her on-screen relationship with Larry Hagman — who died in 2012 at 81 — as immediate and collaborative. She said the pair discovered their comic chemistry in a pilot scene filmed in her dressing room and that their rapport helped the show work. "We were on the same radio frequency," she said. "We understood each other as the characters. We enjoyed it."
While the series is often compared to programs with supernatural female leads — notably Bewitched, starring Elizabeth Montgomery — Eden said there was no feuding between the two actors. "She was always pleasant," Eden said of Montgomery, adding that their schedules left little time to socialize beyond makeup mornings and getting to scenes.
Eden stressed that Jeannie did not limit her career. Before the sitcom, she appeared opposite Elvis Presley in the 1960 film Flaming Star, and during I Dream of Jeannie’s run she continued other projects, headlined performances such as opening the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and pursued singing work in breaks between episodes. "I was always content and happy with her," she said, noting she was able to alternate television work with other engagements.
Reflecting on the show’s longevity, Eden credited a combination of factors rather than any single element. "I don’t think there was one secret behind the show’s success," she said. "I think it’s the combination of a really good idea, a terrific cast … it just worked. And that magic doesn’t always work. You can have very fine actors, but if the writing isn’t right, so many things can go wrong. But we were lucky."
Eden marked her 94th birthday on Aug. 23 and said she remains active and open to new challenges. She expressed gratitude that audiences worldwide continue to embrace Jeannie and the show she helped define.
I Dream of Jeannie’s mix of fantasy and domestic comedy helped it secure a place in television history, and Eden’s recollections underscore both the playful on-set dynamics and the unexpected cultural debates — from costume design to celebrity perception — that accompanied the series during and after its original run.