Ted Danson Signed On for New Doc After Receiving One of Longtime Pal Don Henley's 'Terrifying' Emails (Exclusive)

Lizzie HymanTue, March 31, 2026 at 6:02 PM UTC

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Ted Danson (left) and Don Henley.Credit: Getty(2) -

Ted Danson voices Ralph Waldo Emerson in the new docuseries Henry David Thoreau, which was executive produced by Don Henley and Ken Burns

The docuseries also features the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Jeff Goldblum

Henry David Thoreau is now available to stream on PBS

When Ted Danson hears from Don Henley, he answers.

The 78-year-old actor, who voices the esteemed 19th century essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson in the new PBS docuseries Henry David Thoreau, says it was an easy yes once he learned the project was being executive-produced by the Eagles musician, 78, alongside Ken Burns. The three-part docuseries, narrated by George Clooney, is about the author of the groundbreaking memoir Walden, who is voiced by Jeff Goldblum.

“Everybody runs to be part of whatever Ken Burns is doing,” Danson, who joins Clooney, Goldblum and Meryl Streep as voices in the documentary, tells PEOPLE. “And almost 40 years ago, Don started raising money to save [the Massachusetts ecological site] Walden Woods. I was part of a fundraiser or two, and then he would come help raise money for my organization, the American Oceans Campaign, which is now Oceana.”

Ted Danson and Don Henley in 1993.Credit: Ron Galella/Getty

When he received Henley’s email about the documentary, Danson’s quick yes was both out of interest and slight fear. “He is such a precise human; his emails will terrify you if you’re lackadaisical about plans,” Danson says. "If I get a Don Henley email, to this day, I kind of flinch.”

Despite his eagerness to participate, Danson admits he had never actually read anything by Thoreau or Emerson before signing up for the doc. “This should be embarrassing, but it's not," he says with a laugh, adding, "The embarrassing part is that I lied for years, going, ‘Yeah, yeah, I’ve read it.' "

But through making the docuseries, he realized he shares more with the conservationist than he once thought. “The first thing I immediately thought of from the documentary was my parents,” he says.

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He continues, “I was raised outside of Flagstaff, Arizona, in the woods, in the pines. We had no TV growing up until I went to Stanford [University] and bought one off the street. Our entertainment was going outside. And the thing I got from my archeologist father was the knowledge that there’s a lot that has come before us and a lot that will hopefully come after us, and it’s about the stewardship of what you’ve been given, honoring the environment and trying to do your best to protect it.”

From left: Ted Danson, Don Henley and Jeff Goldblum at a screening of 'Henry David Thoreau' on March 11.Credit: Timothy Norris

The Emmy-winning Cheers actor, who is well known as a prominent environmental activist, with a particular focus on ocean conservation, says that in today’s political climate, voices like Thoreau's are more important than ever.

“Social justice and environmental justice go hand in hand,” Danson says. “And that is exactly what Thoreau was talking about. It was about the value of the environment, nature and social justice. He believed in civil disobedience.”

Danson hopes the docuseries resonates with others the way it has with him. “Social and environmental justice are two of the biggest concerns in my life right now,” he says. “The documentary really resonates with me, and I think it will resonate with a lot of people out there.”

Thoreau, whose best-known works are Walden (published in 1854) and the 1849 essay Civil Disobedience, suffered from relapses of tuberculosis for much of his adult life. The philosopher and abolitionist died in 1962 at age 44. His friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, a leader of the 19th century Transcedentalism movement who gave the eulogy at Thoreau's funeral, died in 1882 at age 78.

Henry David Thoreau is now available to stream on PBS.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”