Alan Alda’s Favorite Memory of Shooting 1981’s The Four Seasons Involves Carol Burnett and Moo Shu Pork (Exclusive)

Alan Alda is recalling a memorable meal he once had with Carol Burnett.

During a break in filming 1981’s The Four Seasons together, the beloved M*A*S*H actor, 89, says he and Burnett, 92, met up for lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

“There was a dish of moo shu pork on the table, and it had vegetables wrapped up in a pancake,” Alda tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “At one point Carol stood up, held the pancake up and let the whole thing unroll and said: ‘It’s a message from the king.'”

Before filming began on the movie, which he also directed, Alda says he got to spend three weeks rehearsing and “trading stories” with Burnett and the rest of the cast, which also included Rita Moreno.

“Most of that time was spent getting to know each other, having dinner together, having lunch together,” he says. “There was a lot of laughing and admiring one another’s work. When everybody really engages, the ease of real old friendship comes out [on screen], which is important for that story, because you have to believe that a friendship is being jeopardized. It was a very happy shoot.”

Alda similarly had a great experience shooting Tina Fey’s new Netflix series adaption of The Four Seasons, in which he makes a surprise cameo.

“I’m so happy for Tina,” says Alda. “The movie meant a lot to me, and people are reacting to her work very much as they did to mine.”

In the original film Alda plays controlling lawyer Jack Burroughs. In Fey’s series Will Forte plays a reimagined version of Alda’s role, while Alda appears as one of the character’s fathers.

Related Stories

Alan Alda Shares Health Update on Managing Parkinson’s Disease (Exclusive)

Alan Alda Makes Surprise Cameo in Netflix’s The Four Seasons with ‘Sex Day’ Advice

During a scene with Fey and Colman Domingo, his character offers them some hilarious marriage advice: “Every once in a while … [my wife would] say, ‘Congratulations! Take off your pants, it’s a sex day.’ You might think of trying that with your spouse.”

Like his character, Alda regularly calls upon advice from his own wife of 68 years, Arlene, 92.

“She always says, ‘The secret to marriage is a short memory,’” he says. “We both try to practice being there when we’re there: listening, answering, taking an interest. You can get used to somebody no matter who it is. I’ve always thought if the Pope and Mother Teresa were a couple, after a few years, they’d have to work it out.”

The Four Seasons is streaming now on Netflix