Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers Talk Their ‘Hart to Hart’ Chemistry: ‘We Always Had a Joyous Time’

Their chemistry was undeniable. As sexy amateur sleuths Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers sizzled as they chased down bad guys on their hit 1979–1984 series Hart to Hart. And 40 years later, they’ve still got that special spark. “We adore each other,” Stefanie, 76, confides to Closer Weekly in the magazine’s latest issue, on newsstands now. “Robert and I live in separate parts of the world, but he’ll visit for dinner at times.” In fact, she says, the two “talk quite regularly and send each other dirty jokes!”

The stars were so believable as a happily married couple, fans often wondered if they ever took their TV romance off camera. “No, I was married [to Natalie Wood] and she was with Bill Holden. What you saw was strictly for the roles we played,” Robert, 89, tells Closer. “The reason we had this great relationship was because we’d worked together on It Takes a Thief [in 1970]. We always had a joyous time.”

So did viewers who watched the adventures of the millionaire industrialist and his journalist wife, their loyal pooch Freeway and dedicated butler-chef-chauffeur Max, played by the late Lionel Stander. “RJ [Robert’s nickname] looked at my dad as sort of a father figure,” Lionel’s daughter Jennifer Stander tells Closer. “Through every big moment in my life, RJ was there.”

But this amazing team didn’t come together without any drama. TV execs first considered Lindsay Wagner, Suzanne Pleshette, Kate Jackson and Robert’s then-wife, Natalie Wood, to play Jennifer. “We did ask Natalie,” said exec producer Leonard Goldberg. “But there was some feeling that audiences didn’t want to see a husband and wife playing a husband and wife.” As for Robert’s role, the studio wanted Cary Grant — but he turned them down flat!

So when Robert came aboard, he went to bat for Stefanie. “At first, they didn’t want her — they didn’t think she had the humor to pull off the part,” he says. “After running out of possibilities, they realized she was perfect.” Each proved their comic chops with plots that found them investigating crimes — sometimes in silly disguises (“I played a fortune teller and a lot of other things on the show,” Stefanie laughs), often holding cocktails, and always trading bon mots. And the fun didn’t end when the cameras stopped rolling. “RJ, Stefanie and Lionel were pranksters, always trying to outdo each other,” Lionel’s widow, Stephana Stander Kamer, tells Closer. “One time, Stefanie had a photo of RJ from [his 1954 film] Prince Valiant blown up. RJ opened a door on set to find himself face-to-face with himself!”

So just what was the secret that’s kept the show (now on Cozi TV) so popular? “This couple really admired and supported each other,” Robert says. “The characters were really in love with each other, and you never saw any domestic squabbles.” Would they be up for another reunion? “It’s one of those maybe/who knows things,” Stefanie teases. “Never say never!”

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