Interview AMC: Melissa Clair Egan Enjoys Going Off the Deep End

When Melissa Claire Egan was 12 years old, she made her debut on All My Children as an extra during a baseball game. She never could have imagined then that years later she would play resident psycho Annie Lavery.

Melissa says: “I kind of watched the show on and off when I was growing up, like when Erica was married to Dimitri, that whole time. And I remember Sarah Michelle Gellar being Kendall. I was about 12 or 13 at the time, and they asked if I wanted to be an extra. I remember it was a baseball game with Olivia and Trevor. My parents still have the VHS tape of it. It was only one day of shooting, but it was so much fun. I had a blast.”

If possible, Melissa is having even more fun as of late playing Annie. Annie used to be a good, straight-laced character. But then, as often happens to the good guys on soaps, something inside her snapped. In the course of trying to save her marriage and keep her family together, she killed her brother, Richie, tried to kill Greenlee, killed Di Henry in self-defense, stabbed Erica Kane, tried to strangle Ryan … and the list goes on.

Although the residents of Pine Valley might be up in arms, Melissa, however, is loving every minute of it: “The whole switcharoo of her becoming manipulative and dangerous has been a lot of fun. It’s been nice switching it around, being the bad one and causing trouble for a change.”

Melissa is grateful that this newfound craziness didn’t just happen overnight. She explains: “I like that it is very well written and that we can see where it all comes from. You can see that all of her choices were based on good decisions, but the way she goes about handling it is by making bad decisions. It all kind of spirals down for her. It came from somewhere, but it all went too far.”

Another perk of being off-kilter is the fun it produces on the set. “It’s great fighting with Greenlee all the time. I love Rebecca, so being able to fight with her, and going back and forth with her, is always fun. It’s nice to have this different take on my character.”

With the help of Aidan, who also got himself institutionalized in order to keep an eye on Annie, will she finally be able to reel in “the crazy” and rein in her murderous tendencies? “I remember saying that it should have been Annie’s New Year’s resolution to not murder or attempt to murder anyone anymore. She’s just trying to kill everyone lately, isn’t she?”

More Cast-Trimming News From Days

Hot on the heels of Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn's exits, word has it that supercouple Kayla and Steve (Mary Beth Evans and Stephen Nichols) are the latest casualties in the budget cuts over at Days of Our Lives. I agree with the anonymous on-set source who said: "It's like they're getting rid of everyone over 40."

My guess is that Bo and Hope are next, as they are already on their way out with Bo's ridiculous story line of having "visions" of future events and such. This might actually be a blessing in disguise for these actors — get off the sinking ship while you can!

Clint Ritchie, 70, Has Passed Away

Clint Ritchie (pictured left, with Erika Slezak), who played One Live to Live's Clint Buchanan from 1979 to 1998 (with several visits, his last in 2004), died on Jan. 31. He was 70. According to RadarOnLine.com, Ritchie had suffered a heart attack in late January. He died 10 hours after being fitted with a pacemaker.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of our dear friend, Clint Ritchie," said Frank Valentini, Executive Producer, OLTL. "He will always have a special place in our hearts and One Live to Live's legacy. With his creation of the role of Clint Buchanan, he helped to bring to life one of the most memorable families in the show's history. The OLTL family will always hold dear the memories of the man we fondly referred to as 'Bucky.' Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."

Days: Such a Tease!

NEXT WEEK:

• EJ questions Brady about his true motives with Nicole.

• Stefano (Joseph Mascolo, pictured) hints that he’d like to date Kate.

• Chloe breaks off her engagement with Lucas.

• Philip warns Stephanie that he’s not the “hero” of her fantasies.

• Hope tells Bo she’s moving in with Doug and Julie.

Thursday – Victor catches Brady giving Nicole money from his safe.

Friday – EJ sets a date for his wedding to Nicole.

Y&R: Such a Tease!

• After Michael questions his parenting skills, Eden breaks down and they share a poignant moment.
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• A desperate Phyllis reveals her fears about Nick to Jack.
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• Colleen and J.T. begin a desperate search for Brad.

• While stranded in a cabin together overnight, will Nick and Sharon be able to resist temptation?

• Kevin and Amber (Adrienne Frantz, pictured) make more risky plans to help Kay. Will they go too far?

GL: Such a Tease!

• Alan confronts Beth about Coop.

• Shayne and Edmund form a partnership.

• Olivia and Natalia become Doris's new target.

• Mallet (Robert Bogue, pictured) reveals the truth about his past to Marina.

ATWT: Such a Tease!

• Meg's worst nightmare comes true.
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• Katie and Brad get bad news.

• Alison (Marnie Schulenburg, pictured) and Casey give it one more try.

• Carly rails at Craig for his behavior.

B&B: Such a Tease!

• Remnants of what Phoebe left behind continue to haunt Ridge.

• Stephanie is livid when she overhears disturbing information.

• Rick receives a uncompromising threat.

• Jackie M hires an extravagant new Head Designer.

• A fragile Taylor (Hunter Tylo, pictured) is blindsided by more distressing news.

GH: Such a Tease!

The death toll at the hospital continues to rise.
Maxie and Johnny realize they’re a lot alike.
Claudia tells Sonny (Maurice Benard, pictured) the truth about Anthony.

Elizabeth and Lucky remember happy times together.
Jason, Sam and Patrick are in a race against time.
Robin and Emma are in dire straits.

A lethal Sonny confronts Anthony about shooting Kate.
Spinelli takes matters into his own hands.
Johnny and Maxie find Robin, but there’s no sign of Emma.

Sonny comes through for Jason.
The hospital is hit with a new catastrophe.
Maxie is extremely alarmed by Robin’s behavior.

OLTL: Such a Tease!

Antonio and Talia are suspicious of Tea.
Wes warns Marty (Susan Haskell, pictured) that she needs to be honest about her feelings.
Cole catches Matthew about to smoke pot.

Nora stuns everyone with her latest legal maneuver.
Dorian bites her tongue to keep her charade alive.
Clint decides it’s time to tell David the truth.

Todd won’t allow Starr to suffer for his sins.
Jessica draws the line with Natalie.
Dorian’s confident that her plan will succeed.

Jessica starts to have memories of Tess.
Blair warns Marty to stay away from John.
Wes looks more and more like a murder suspect.

AMC: Such a Tease!

Aidan gains more insight into Sinclair.
David tells Krystal how she can repay him.
Ryan tries to ease Greenlee’s fears.

Kendall grows wary of Zach and Reese.
Frankie comes through for Amanda.
Greenlee has it out with Erica.

Kendall wants Bianca and Reese to hit the road.
Jesse (Darnell Williams, pictured), Tad and Jake team up to bring David down.
David puts the screws to Amanda.

Greenlee is hit with another bad omen about her and Ryan.
Aidan sets out to uncover Sinclair’s tie to Richie.
Krystal realizes that Jesse is setting up David.