Interview: Andrea Evans on Returning to Llanview

Unless you’ve been under a rock lately, you know that Tina Lord is back on “One Life to Live,” and she’s just as cool and crafty as ever. Fans have missed their favorite mischief-maker, and her portrayer, Andrea Evans, is thrilled to be back.

Andrea Evans left Llanview 18 years ago, and she went on to create memorable characters on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “Passions.” With the cancellation of the latter, rumors were running rampant that Andrea would come back to her old stomping grounds.

“It’s so funny,” Andrea tells me, “because (in the past) whenever I would step foot in the ‘OLTL’ studios, the rumors would start that I was coming back to the show. In actuality, I would be there simply because I was visiting friends, and some of my friends happen to work on ‘OLTL.’ But inevitably, the rumors would start that Andrea Evans is returning!”

However, this time, the timing was right for a Tina Lord return, with Andrea back in one of her favorite roles. “The fans really are the ones that prompted my return. They been wanting me to come back, and the producers have been anxious to have me back.” So, how could a girl say no to that?

“It’s really such an honor (to have such a supportive fan base). I am working hard to honor their request. They are very important to me. They really could not have given me a greater compliment.”

Andrea’s fans have always played a great role in her career, even following her from one show to the next. “I had such a great fan base when I was with ‘The Bold and the Beautiful.’ When I left ‘B&B’ to go to ‘Passions,’ Finland, which didn’t air ‘Passions’ before this, started airing it because all the ‘B&B’ fans wanted to keep watching me.”

While it is a given that Andrea is excited to be playing Tina again and to be working with old friends, she is especially intrigued by the prospect of “exploring Tina as a mother. The actress who plays Sarah, Justis Bolding, is such a good physical match to me, and she’s a very good actress. I love being able to work with all my old friends, as well making some new friends.”

So, for an actress who has always been such a consummate professional, playing Tina again was like riding a bike, right? “Eighteen years is a long time,” Andrea explains. “I was pretty nervous. But as soon as I said my first line, I was like, ‘Whew, I’m back!’”

Andrea is as excited as the fans are to see what the writers have in store for Tina. “So much has changed since I’ve been gone. I am excited to find out where Tina has been all this time. She is such a glamorous, over-the-top character — I really have fun playing her, and I know the fans will really enjoy what she has in store for them.”

Andrea can relate to Tina much like an adoring fan might: “It is so much fun to play her. I call her my alter ego — she’s my split personality. To be able to step into those very high stilettos for a while is a lot of fun.

“Tina is someone that so many people can identify with. I love her spirit. She is such an underdog. She tries so hard, and yet she almost always screws it up.”

What else can “OLTL” viewers expect from Tina? “We will find that Tina is bigger and better than ever,” Andrea gushes.