Don Johnson Says Being an '80s Heartthrob Is Dangerous: '24/7 Security' (Exclusive)

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

“I’ve always said that as an actor you go through these phases,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue. “It starts with the question, 'Who is Don Johnson?' Then: “Get me a Don Johnson!” Then: “Get me a Don Johnson.” type!' Then: “Get me one younger Don Johnson!' And finally, it goes back to “Who is Don Johnson?”

He shrugs his shoulders and laughs. “That’s just how it is.”

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

He is currently starring in the hit Netflix film Rebel Ridgewhich has been streamed over 1.5 billion minutes since its release on September 5th and will also star in the Hulu series next Doctor Odyssey.

“I’m still on the menu!” he admits with a laugh. Back in the mid-80s, when he became a star with the role of Detective James “Sonny” Crockett MiamiVice For six seasons between 1984 and 1990, it was more than just on the menu – it was a real snack.

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“For a long time I couldn’t go anywhere,” Johnson remembers about dealing with his passion MiamiVice fans.

“I had to isolate myself. The [women] knows where you are. We had 24/7 security. One day I was thinking about Elvis and thought, “Isn't that the way Elvis lived and died?” Not that I'm comparing myself to Elvis, but that he can't have a private life. So I learned to deal with it and vowed not to let it trap me.”

For a while he was afraid of being forever labeled as Sonny Crockett.

“My goal back then was not to be Sonny Crockett forever,” he says of trying to cope with the popularity. “I had seen the danger posed by actors who identify too much with their characters. I felt like I had to separate myself from Sonny so that people could eventually see me as other characters.”

Still, he's not upset about the notoriety the role has given him. “It’s the 40th anniversary of MiamiVice This year, and hey, I’m still here,” he says with a laugh.

These days, the father of five (his second child is actress Dakota Johnson) says he's grateful he can choose roles instead of worrying about whether he'll ever work again.

“For an actor, work-life balance is an interesting thing because films eat up your life. TV shows eat up your life,” he says. “Luckily I'm at a point where I can pick and choose roles and sometimes I often prefer the supporting role because I still enjoy what I'm doing but I don't want to work so many hours and be away from my family.”

As for the screaming female fans disrupting his life? It's no longer a problem like it used to be, and that's completely fine with him.

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

Rebel Ridge is now on Netflix. Doctor Odyssey Premieres Thursday, September 26, on ABC and Hulu.

For more on Don Johnson, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.