Interview: 2008 — The Year in Review

Just like in the world of soaps, a lot can happen in a year in the life of a soap-opera actor. Let’s take a look back at some of the things that stood out in 2008:

Luke Perry (pictured, ex-Dylan, Beverly Hills, 90210): “There are certain things I wanna do before I’m done. I want to run on top of a train. If the script says I get to run on top of a train, I’ll do it. I accepted a role a while back — my manager didn’t want me to because it wasn’t that good — but the script called for running on top of a train. I didn’t care, I wanted to do it, so I took the role. The movie ended up falling through, though, which I guess was good.”

Andrea Evans (Tina, One Life to Live): “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. 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.”

Antonio Sabato Jr. (Jagger, General Hospital: Night Shift): “Working with the cast, old and new, has been wonderful. It’s great seeing Kimberly (McCullough) again and working with her. I remember working with her when she was 16, and now she’s 30. I also worked with a director I used to work with — it’s like family. It really is like coming home.”

Nadia Bjorlin (Chloe, Days of Our Lives): “She was always very likable, but she was a damsel in distress. And she is human. No one stays the same their whole life. I love the sassy Chloe. And I especially love all the catfights with Nicole. A lot of people are happy for me as Nadia the actress, because I get to play new sides to Chloe.”

Sharon Case (Sharon, The Young and the Restless): “I’m glad there are those who feel that way (want Nick and Sharon back together). If there weren’t, then they wouldn’t care so much about the current story line. The conflict wouldn’t be there, and no one would want to watch. I also think this is something that we all can relate to: being with one person that you love and longing to be with another who you’ve loved longer and who really is your soul mate. It’s a tragic love story.”

Texas Battle (Marcus, The Bold and the Beautiful): “You always hear the cliché about soaps and how it’s not real, and how the acting is not real. Well, I have to say that the people I’ve met are the nicest, kindest people, and they really know their stuff. This is the same hard work that people put into other TV and film projects. If you’re good, you’re good. Period. And these people are good.”

Tristan Rogers (Robert, GH: NS): “Night Shift is a different version of General Hospital, no question about that. It gets back, in some respects, more to the roots of the show. I wasn’t around when the show first started, but it would certainly seem to touch on a lot of those themes of when the show first originated. It has a great entertainment value. Fans basically get to see another version of the show. We get to see a lot more of the medical side; we don’t go outside the world of the hospital. While we are in the same building, it definitely is different.”

Lesli Kay (Felicia, B&B): “Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester) is the best. She is my momma. I spend every holiday with her. She took me under her wing and there was mutual respect right off the bat. I love Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) too. She’s my best friend here. As far as the rest of the cast, they are the most caring, loving, supportive people I’ve ever met. I’m very lucky to be on B&B.”

Casting News Galore!

Lots of casting news to report, kids, so let's get right into it:

• Grant Aleksander (pictured) has confirmed that he will be returning to the role of Phillip Spaulding on Guiding Light beginning in January 2009.
• Jay Kenneth Johnson is leaving Days of Our Lives after stalled contract negotiations. Some report that it all came down to money -- while Days has been renewed through 2010, they had to massively trim down the budget, and it would appear that Jay was asking for too much. While others say it came down to story -- or lack thereof. The way his character has been being treated lately, I can't say that I blame him for picking up and leaving.
  
• Drake Hogestyn (John Black) and Deidre Hall (Marlena Evans) are OUT! Days' executive producer Ken Corday told Soap Opera Digest: "The couple will be happily reunited after a long period of angst and separation and will be off-screen after January for an unknown period of time. It was a very tough decision to make."
• Beginning Dec. 12, look for MacKenzie Westmore (ex-Sheridan, Passions) to play Annie's psychiatrist (boy, does she ever need one!), Dr. Sinclair, on All My Children.
• One Life to Live's Andrea Evans is out after her six-month stint as Tina Lord. However, they have kept the door open for her to return at any time.
• Rebecca Budig will be exiting All My Children in early spring 2009, when her one-year contract expires. Rebecca cited the bicoastal lifestyle (she is on the East Coast, her home and hubby, Bob Guiney, are on the West Coast) as the reason for her departure.
  

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.

CASTING: Tina Lord Is Back!

With Passions having wrapped filming for the series, Andrea Evans didn't have to look for work for very long. It appears that One Life to Live has scooped up the talented actress to reprise her role of Tina Lord. As if she wasn't causing enough trouble in Harmony: Look out Llanview!

Her first airdate has not yet been announced. Stay tuned!