Interview Outtakes

Most of the time when I am conducting an interview with a soap star, I have more interview material than space for printing the interview. Here are some blurbs from stars that did not make it to the print version of the interview, but were too good not to publish.

Julie Marie Berman (Lulu Spencer, “General Hospital”) on whether Dante’s feelings for her would change if he knew she had had an abortion years ago: “I think she feels like she wants to be honest about everything that’s gone on in her life, whether it’s necessary for him to know is anyone’s opinion. But in Lulu’s case, I think she wants to be completely honest with who she is and what she’s been through. This is something that is still a big thing that goes on in her head, and I don’t think she can live her life without being reminded of this. Because it has shaped who she is today, I think she wants to be honest with Dante about that episode. With that, I think she is worried that he might not look at her the same way. Even if he can accept it, I think she’s just worried that it’ll change what they have right now. Obviously if he were not to accept her for that, I think it would heartbreaking, but at the end of the day, she’ll be with someone who can accept her for the choices that she’s made in life and who she is today.”

Justin Bruening (ex-Jamie Martin, “All My Children”) on getting recognized by fans: “Sometimes you get into a little routine with something, and I remember there was a situation on ‘All My Children’ once, I was signing autographs and stuff, and you start getting used to people stopping you on the street. The second someone stops you and they’re like, ‘Hey, you’re Justin, right?’ and you’re ready to sign an autograph. That happened to me once, and it was actually someone that I went to high school with who just wanted to say hi.” 

Marnie Schulenburg (ex-Allison Stewart on “As the World Turns”) on comparing getting her start on soaps to “acting boot camp”: “It’s an incredible; it’s like a school. You learn so much. If you are lucky enough to have that opportunity, then you are truly a blessed actor. This has certain limitations, because it is very specific in its delivery and in its style. So, if you are someone who wants change or wants something different to grow from, you can either do both (‘ATWT’ and NY theater) like I was lucky enough to do. I had the freedom to do other acting stuff while I was there, but you are not always able to do that. But I loved it. I loved it for the people and for what I learned from it, but I think I’m ready to try some other venue now.”

Ken Corday (Executive Producer, “Days of Our Lives”) on how the “Days”/“Friends” tie-in came about: “It happened when Jeff Zucker was the West Coast chief programmer —it came out of his fertile mind. Brandon Tartikoff, who had trained Jeff, was always a staunch believer in the talent pool of daytime television. He said, ‘You know, Ken, from your talent pool of 30 or some odd actors that we see every day, there are usually one or two who catch our eye that we want to break out.’ Alison Sweeney is the current example. It was NBC publicity that came to us and said, ‘Wouldn’t it be fun if Drake’ — the ‘Friends’ character of Drake Ramore, who was modeled after Drake Hogestyn — ‘was the name of the character on the “Friends” version of “Days” who would be played by Joey?’ We call it cross-pollenization. It’s wonderful. It lets the primetime viewer know that NBC has respect for ‘Days of Our Lives,’ and it lets ‘Days of Our Lives’ viewers know that their favorites on primetime are watching the show.”

Interview (GH): Dante and Lulu — Finally

Like most soap couples, Dante Falconeri and Lulu Spencer have been through hell and high water together. Unlike many couples, they had yet to consummate their relationship — until this week, that is. After months of waiting — for Dante and Lulu, and not to mention, “General Hospital” fans — we get to see, as Julie Marie Berman describes it, “fireworks.” But, as always, we have a rigamarole of other Port Charles obstacles in the way of long-lived happiness.

Daytime Dial: Lulu has been very supportive of Dante and all the stuff he’s been going through with Sonny. How does she feel about Dante being Sonny’s son?

Julie Marie Berman: I don’t think it would matter that he is Sonny’s kid, except for the fact that Sonny shot him knowing that he was a good person and that he had saved his life, and he had saved Morgan’s life and he had saved Lulu’s life — the fact that Sonny didn’t have enough respect for Dante as a person when he shot him, regardless of the fact that Dante is his son. I think Lulu lost a lot of respect for Sonny, and she doesn’t like Sonny as a person. I think it would take a long, long time before she’ll ever come around to ever having any sort of respect for Sonny again.

DD: Lulu has a way of being able to see both sides of pretty much any situation, what with Luke being her father. Do you think that helps her with the Dante/Sonny situation?

JMB: I think it makes things a little more confusing. I don’t think she ever tries to say that one way is right and one way in wrong, or whether the law is 100 percent right or not. I think for most of her life, she hasn’t trusted the law, and for the first time being involved with someone who enforces the law, I think she is trying to live her life and let the system do the right thing. Obviously, being in Port Charles, the law never really is enforced when it comes to Sonny. I think we’ll see what happens with Lulu’s point of view then if Sonny still never has to pay for what he does.

DD: Lulu is also very loyal, especially to those she loves. What are some other Lulu traits that you admire and that you can relate to?

JMB: At the end of the day, she’s always trying to do the right thing. I don’t think she always succeeds. I don’t think it’s really possible to succeed; she’s not perfect. She’s always trying to see the bigger picture. She sticks up for what she believes is the right thing, and I think that’s really admirable. She’s not a pushover. She learns from her mistakes, and I find that really interesting and admirable — it’s good for the progression of the character.

DD: That’s not a quality you see on daytime nowadays: people actually learning from their mistakes!

JMB: Absolutely, and if Lulu’s around for another 20 years, I might not be able to say that anymore, but, in this case, she has definitely never made the same mistake twice.

DD: Dante and Lulu finally consummate their relationship — they’ve certainly been waiting a long time, especially by soap-opera standards.

JMB: It’s definitely worth the wait. These characters are wonderful together, and I think they have a great chemistry that’s always passionate and exciting to watch.

DD: How is Dominic Zamprogna to work with?

JMB: I’ve always said that I like working with people who love what they do. Dominic constantly wants to make things better and challenge himself, and I totally thrive in that kind of environment where people want to make things great. We come together mutually in that respect, and we have a ridiculous amount of fun working together. It’s very easy when you both have that drive to make things great and you actually like the actors that you’re with. It’s the perfect combination.