Until very recently, you might have assumed Steve Burns was dead.
The inceptive host of “Blue’s Clues” though, is far from it. Now 49, Burns has taken up residence in a remote cabin in an undisclosed location. Here he lives “like a monk, completely alone on purpose.”
When he does leave home these days, it’s often to attend Comic Cons and speak at universities across the country. One of his stops along the way was UCA’s Reynolds Performance Hall on April 4.
This ongoing tour stemmed primarily from a viral Twitter video posted Sept. 7 of 2021. In it, Burns gave a heartfelt reminder that he never forgot about “you.”
“I didn’t know there was a connection there like that. It took me incredibly by surprise,” Burns said. “I literally thought all of you thought I was dead. I kind of gave up. I was like ‘oh, they just think I’m dead, so whatever.’”
Though the death hoaxes came after his 2002 departure from “Blue’s Clues,” Burns had been dealing with an identity crisis from the show’s beginning. Burns later realized he had been battling severe clinical depression during his time as Steve.
“I remember being incredibly confused and feeling incredibly frustrated and lost while I was the host of an amazing children’s television show,” Burns said. “I mean, that was the whole identity crisis. That was why ‘Blue’s Clues’ was difficult for me for the first several seasons, as I thought for sure that I had taken the wrong path. I never felt good at ‘Blue’s Clues.’ Never.”
Burns felt they had “the wrong guy the entire time” mainly because “Blue’s Clues” was engineered to be a highly educational, intelligent children’s show.
“The show wasn’t created by television people. It wasn’t created by film people. It was created by child development specialists to be a highly potent piece of educational entertainment,” Burns said. “It seemed to me that what they really wanted was an educator more like a Bill Nye or something, more like someone who’s just a presenter of their curriculum. I didn’t know how to do that, so I just acted it really hard.”
To add insult to injury, Burns was making virtually no money from the role. “Blue’s Clues” was his “side hustle” away from voice acting.
Simply put, “Every waiter you’ve ever met makes much more money than I made the first several seasons of ‘Blue’s Clues.’”
Steve Burns answers a question from the event moderator, David Keith. Keith is a professor of journalism at the University of Central Arkansas and the advisor of The Echo.
Originally, Burns imagined himself pursuing a more “gritty” acting style, on par with the likes of Al Pacino or Dustin Hoffman.
“I am good at the sort of subdued seventies style of acting. That’s what I love to this day. I always imagined what that would’ve been like. And I think without ‘Blue’s Clues,’ I do believe that I probably would’ve had an unremarkable bit-player kind of career. I would’ve failed very privately,” Burns said. “I can honestly say though, that even if [‘Blue’s Clues’] wasn’t the path I would’ve chosen, it was a wonderful path to walk. I love doing it now.”
When the healing began for Burns post-“Blue’s Clues,” the biggest hurdle was reaching out for help. Asking for help came from his Steve persona because that’s “all he ever did.”
Burns has grown a passion for silence, solitude and music since “Blue’s Clues.”
“Life was pretty hectic, you know? I was on the show, I was the only actor, I was in every take of every shot every day.
“When it was over, I was full of music and full of songs. I pursued that pretty intensely for four or five years.” During that period, Burns become good friends with “The Flaming Lips.” He still spends time with the group regularly.
“I don’t know that I call this a passion, but a great joy in my life is not pushing. I’m still busy.
I still do a lot of stuff. But I have enjoyed not being public,” Burns said.
“I’m much happier. And I’m also more social now that I live completely alone in a town of 300 people. I’m more social because there’s more of me that’s available, I guess.”