Don Johnson Says Being an ’80s Heartthrob Was Dangerous: ‘We Had to Have 24/7 Security’

Rebel Ridge star Don Johnson knows that nothing is guaranteed in show business.

“I’ve always said you go through these stages as an actor,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It starts with, ‘Who’s Don Johnson?’ Then, ‘Get me Don Johnson!’ Then, ‘Get me a Don Johnson type!’ Then, ‘Get me a younger Don Johnson!’ And finally, it’s back to ‘Who’s Don Johnson?’ “

He shrugs and laughs. “That’s just the way it goes.”

Of course, the veteran actor, 74, who has been in the biz for 54 years, is clearly in the ‘Get me Don Johnson!’ phase again.

He’s currently starring in the hit Netflix film Rebel Ridge, which has seen over 1.5 billion minutes streamed since its Sept. 5 release, and will next also star in the Hulu series Doctor Odyssey.

“I’m still on the menu!” he admits with a laugh. Back in the mid ’80s, when he rose to stardom playing Detective James “Sonny” Crockett on Miami Vice for six seasons between 1984 and 1990, he was more than just on the menu — he was a total snack.

“For a long time, I couldn’t even go anywhere,” Johnson recalls of dealing with his ardent Miami Vice fans.

“I had to isolate. The [women] know where you are. We had security 24/7. One day, I reflected on Elvis and thought, ‘Isn’t this kind of the way Elvis lived and died?’ Not that I’m comparing myself to Elvis, but in terms of him not being able to have a personal life. So I learned to manage it and vowed not to let it imprison me.”

For a while, he was anxious about being forever typecast as Sonny Crockett.

“My goal then was to not be Sonny Crockett forever,” he says of trying to navigate the popularity. “I had seen the peril of the actors who were too identifiable with their character. I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so people could eventually see me as other characters.”

Still, he’s not mad at the exposure the role gave him. “It’s the 40th anniversary of Miami Vice this year, and hey, I’m still here,” he says with a laugh. 

These days, the father of five (his second kid is actress Dakota Johnson) says he’s grateful he can pick and choose roles instead of worrying if he’ll ever work again.

“Work-life balance is an interesting thing as an actor because movies eat your life. Television shows eat your life,” he says. “Luckily, I’m at a place where I can pick and choose roles, and sometimes I often prefer the supporting role because I still get joy out of what I do, but I don’t want to work those long hours and be away from my family.” 

As for the screaming female fans disrupting his life? It’s not a problem like it used to be, and that’s just fine with him.

“Fame is a condition,” he says. “But it also goes away.”