Interview: Greg Vaughan's New Role on Days

Eric Brady, Sami’s twin brother, hasn’t been on the Salem scene for more than a decade — until now, that is. Daytime veteran Greg Vaughan stepped into the role, and into a clerical collar, a few months ago, with a story line that was unexpected to Greg and his fans. I spoke with “Father” Greg a few weeks back about taking on this new role and how he’s adjusting to the “Days of our Lives” set.

Daytime Dial: In order to prepare for the role of Eric Brady, did you read the backstory, watch some old episodes, etc., or did you decide to do none of this to come in with a fresh take on the character?

Greg Vaughan: I did want a fresh take, but I have history with the show from the outside looking in because I dated a young lady who was once on the show. And then I knew a lot of the cast, and one of them being Jensen (Ackles, who played Eric from 1997 to 2000). And so in portraying the role and the character itself, I was familiar with everything up and to that point. But it’s been more than 10 years, and so much has changed, and I just felt like he had definitely come into his own as a man. I wanted to use my own pallet of colors on the character, if you will. I wanted to create my own vision, and what better way to do that — especially when I was informed that he was going to be a priest?

DD: I think a lot of us were surprised by that turn of events!

GV: For me, it was more of a deer-in-the-headlights kind of shock, like: “Wow! Now THAT is going to be a challenge!” I was thinking he’d be more of a Jason Bourne type of guy. But then when I heard he’d be a priest, I explored into that and my personal life journeys, and then I’m like, “You know, this could be kind of interesting.” And it will be challenging, because I’ll be out of my element. What better way as an actor to challenge yourself than getting out of your comfort zone?

DD: How much have you filmed? I know Christmastime always plays a big part in Salem.

GV: We film very far in advance, and that’s very much out of my box. We’re shooting like three months ahead of time, so half of the stuff I’ve already done I don’t even recall. I think our Christmas scenes were filmed before Halloween. But as I recall, there’s going to be a lot of good quality and a nice, really spiritual family time, and I think everybody is going to be taken by it.

DD: How were your first few days on the set? Were you excited, nervous?

GV: There was a lot of excitement, like Christmas Day or something, because I knew a lot of the cast previously. There was just an overall feeling of “this is going to be fun.” Everybody has graciously welcomed me. I was a little bit overwhelmed because the pace is so fast. It was not something I was used to. Alison Sweeney and I were doing a movie a little while back, and she said: “Things have changed quite a bit. Not just with the genre, but each show.”

DD: How has that changed you as an actor?

GV: It definitely made me step up my game. It’s like, you’re being given a great opportunity, so take the bull by the horns, do your work and come in here and perform. You get a lot of people who are used to the stage and a lot of people who are used to prime time, and they can’t keep up with the pace. It’s so fast — you have to digest it, regurgitate it, spit it out, and then start over and move on to the next scene. Out of the gate, I didn’t eat for like the first two weeks. Not by choice; it was just I was being pulled in so many different directions because I was in so many different scenes. I was interacting with so many new faces, and I was trying to get some sense of rapport and history and education about where and who I was. But now I finally feel like it’s a nice, steady flow. I’ve gotten into a good rhythm.

DD: Can you tell me anything about Eric’s future in Salem?

GV: In Eric’s journey, he’s definitely had his own issues and battles to deal with. There are a lot of layers that are going to be revealed along the way, and we’re going to communicate that. Where he’s going, what his temptations are and reuniting with past relationships — whether it’s with Nicole and the temptation of that, and the struggle against the family and his sister, and the butting of heads with the DiMeras.

Eric is coming from a whole new perspective that’s nonjudgmental. And that’s hard. Especially when you want to stand up and fight for somebody. It’s definitely been an exciting journey so far, and I’m always looking forward to what kind of ride I’ll be taken on. I’m just glad to be working with a great cast and to be a part of such a historically great show. From the younger cast members to the veterans, there’s not one person I haven’t been taken in by or drawn in by what they’re doing.

Party in the Big Apple with GH Hunks

From the Official General Hospital Fan Club newsletter:

Make your plans now for an exciting event with Ted King (ex-Alcazar) on Saturday afternoon, April 18th, from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. in our new venue, The Solas Bar, 232 East 9th, between 2nd and 3rd, in New York City! We thought the new year deserved a new place and a new format, and we hope you’ll come and try it out. Tickets are $65 per person. Then, hang around and get ready! Greg Vaughan (who plays Lucky, pictured above) will be partying with us on Saturday evening, April 18th, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. We’re ready to kick off 2009 with nothing but fun, so this is absolutely the place to be! Tickets are $65 per person. Then … stay up late, party on with your friends …enjoy the New York City nightlife …we’re starting a little later on Sunday than normal! Finally, an afternoon of fun is guaranteed as Rick Hearst (Ric) joins us on Sunday, April 19th, from 3 p.m. until 6 p.m. We’ll do our best to get you out on time … but you know Rick!! Tickets are $65 per person.

To order tickets, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with your money order made payable to Debby O'Connor to: Debby O'Connor, P.O. Box 16212, Irvine, CA 92623. Be sure to include the name(s) of all of your guests to ensure you are seated together. You may also purchase by going to our website at http://www.yournumberonefan.com/ to purchase using PayPal. Please note: Add an additional $5 per ticket for use of PayPal to cover shipping and handling, and all tickets are nonrefundable. Contact Debby O'Connor at debbyoconnor@aol.com with questions.

Ignacio in New York City!! Make your plans now for an evening of comedy and fun with Ignacio Serricchio (ex-Diego) on Saturday, May 16th, from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. in our new venue, The Solas Bar, 232 East 9th, between 2nd and 3rd, in New York City. It’s going to be a night to remember, and you won’t want to miss it. Tickets are $20 per person. Must be 21 years or older to attend.

We also have two fantastic events with cast members from One Life To Live earlier in the day. Go to http://www.yournumberonefan.com/ for information on those. What a way to fill up a Saturday in NYC! To order tickets, please send a self-addressed, stamped envelope along with your money order made payable to Debby O'Connor to: Debby O'Connor, P.O. Box 16212, Irvine, CA 92623. Be sure to include the name(s) of all of your guests to ensure you are seated together. You may also purchase by going to our website at http://www.yournumberonefan.com/ to purchase using PayPal. Please note: Add an additional $5 per ticket for use of PayPal to cover shipping and handling, and all tickets are nonrefundable. Contact Debby O'Connor at debbyoconnor@aol.com with questions.

Interview GH: Greg Vaughan Is Happy to Be a Part of Television History

(Super Soap Weekend, Nov. 15, 2008)

Everyone knows the love story of Luke and Laura Spencer. Their wedding on General Hospital back in 1981 was the highest-rated hour in American soap-opera history. Their union has produced three children: Nikolas, Lucky and Lulu.

The royalty status of Tony Geary and Genie Francis isn’t lost on Greg Vaughan, who plays their son Lucky. When Genie come backs to play her recurring role of Laura, Greg admits, “I catch myself watching them (tape their scenes) in awe.”

Greg continues: “I think I speak for Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) and Julie Berman (Lulu) when I say that we are just watching them and thinking, ‘These guys are a part of history.’ Not just the history of daytime, but the history of television. Thirty million people watched these two get married. The foundation they laid for television was great, and just being a part of that history and being able to say, ‘Yeah, Luke and Laura are my parents,’ is pretty great. Most anyone you ask knows who Luke and Laura are, women especially, and just being a part of that is nice.”

While Greg loves being a part of American soap-opera history, he also can’t wait to see what’s coming next for Lucky and his future.

Greg explains: “There is so much about Lucky that is undiscovered. There is much he hasn’t really embarked on. I think there is something greater that has not been told with my character.”

Like most actors, Greg is eager to delve deeper and really get to the crux of Lucky. “I love the character; I just think there’s been a very minimal amount of opportunity to show what this character can do — not just what he has already done, and the history of the character.”

Later this year, Greg will be celebrating a personal milestone. “I will be the first actor to portray Lucky longer than six years. For me, I hope that for the next few years, he gets to do something, something really challenging and interesting. I’ve been waiting for a great opportunity to do something. I’ve only been given one chance with the drug story, and that never really went anywhere. I’m just hanging on.”

And Greg is content to hang on for as long as it takes, because he knows he is a part of something that is much bigger than his character. “There is just so much that is great about General Hospital and the history of the show. It’s been on television for 45 years, and the fact that I am a part of that is really cool.”

Coming next month, you can also see Greg on the original Beverly Hills, 90210, when Season 7 is released on DVD. Some of you might remember that Greg portrayed the recurring character of Cliff Yeager, the hunky firefighter who dates Donna Martin.

Tyra Banks Gets Schooled in Soaps

This should be a fun episode that fans of any soap would enjoy:

Talk-show host Tyra Banks graduates from soap opera school after getting lessons in cat fights, passionate kissing scenes and the inevitable death bed scene from The Young and the Restless’ Joshua Morrow and Michelle Stafford, General Hospital’s Rebecca Herbst and Greg Vaughan, Days of Our Lives’ Brandon Beemer and Martha Madison and Passion’s Heidi Muller and Adrian Bellani. This episode of The Tyra Banks Show airs on Friday, January 26 (check local listings for time/stations).

(photo credit: Warner Bros./Carin Baer)