Reader TTS

After 50 years in show business, Emmy-winner Craig T. Nelson, 80, still appreciates his fans. Each week, he says he personally autographs photos and answers the 50-some pieces of mail that

find their way to him. “People want to know, ‘What am I doing?’ ‘Am I OK?’ ” Nelson says. The actor, known for his roles on the popular TV series _Coach_ and _Parenthood_, will reprise his

_Young Sheldon_ character, Dale Ballard, in the new spinoff _Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage_, premiering Oct. 17 on CBS. And he hopes his eight grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren

will enjoy hearing him voice a corgi on the Disney cartoon _Pupstruction_ (Season 2 premieres Oct. 15). Nelson tells AARP why his life is busier than ever, how he spent his 80th birthday

and why fans will be seeing him take to the field at an upcoming NFL game. _This interview has been edited for length and clarity._ How are you feeling about reprising your _Young Sheldon_

character in the show’s spinoff series? I love working with Annie Potts [Nelson plays her character’s love interest], and being asked to come back is neat. I’m looking forward to going back

to doing a live audience filming. I haven’t done that, I don’t think, since _Coach_. Nelson will reprise his "Young Sheldon" character in the new CBS spinoff "Georgie &

Mandy’s First Marriage," premiering Oct. 17. His character, Dale Ballard, is the love interest of costar Annie Potts, who plays Connie "Meemaw" Tucker on the show. Sonja

Flemming/Getty Images WHAT DO YOU ENJOY ABOUT HAVING A LIVE AUDIENCE? I enjoy meeting the people afterward. It’s fun to talk to them, see what’s going on, and see who’s coming to these

things. I still recommend _Parenthood _to people looking to binge a great series. Do you have a favorite series you did? Oh man, no, not really. There’ve been different shows I’ve really

liked, different aspects of them. I’ve kind of grown up doing this, so I look at it as kind of a journey of my own growth. And also how fortunate I’ve been to be a part of so many different

things. _Parenthood_ was very special to me also. It was an amazing group of people. Nelson, seen here with costars Bonnie Bedelia and Miles Heizer, starred as Zeek Braverman on the NBC

drama "Parenthood," which ran for six seasons starting in 2010. Ben Cohen/Getty Images HOW ARE YOU SPENDING YOUR DAYS WHEN YOU’RE NOT WORKING? It seems busier now than I’ve ever

been. I don’t know why that is, except I am writing a book. I’ve been writing a book for about two years now. And finding time to do that is pretty difficult. It’s historical fiction. I

don’t want to say too much because I’m very closed about revealing it. You were the commencement speaker at the University of Arizona in May. What message did you want to resonate with the

graduates? [Nelson attended the school but left for Hollywood before graduating. He was awarded an honorary doctorate of fine arts at the ceremony.] Do for one what you would do for many.…

To have a relationship with one person that perhaps you can be of help [to], or you can instruct, or you can change a course of direction — and see what we can build rather than the

infrastructure that’s around us, which seems to be caught up in some kind of madness.