In case you missed the final episode of One Life to Live, here are some highlights:
Clint (not Mitch) turned out to be Jessica's biological father, much to her relief.
Tomas came back and wanted to tell Blair the truth (that he did not kill Victor Jr.) but alas she was now in bed with Todd.
Starr went to L.A. to visit Markko and Langston and to tell them that Cole was alive but that she would never be able to see him again. Shortly thereafter, a knock at the door produced Cole there in the flesh, ready to join Starr and their daughter happily ever after.
Destiny went into labor with Matthew by her side. They named the baby Drew.
Clint asked Viki to marry him.
Allison finished reading aloud her story about Llanview and the camera panned over to her listener — a bound and gagged, and very much alive, Victor Lord Jr (Trevor St. John).
However, for some OLTL characters, their story is not over. Roger Howarth (Todd Manning), Emmy-nominated Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), Kristen Alderson (Starr Manning) and Michael Easton (John McBain) will join the cast of General Hospital in late January in the same roles that they've played on One Life to Live. So, if you need your Llanview fix (now in Port Charles), catch up on your GH knowledge and support the last remaining ABC daytime soap!
After 43 years, "One Life to Live" becomes a part of television history as the people of Llanview say goodbye and Agnes Nixon's mission for "One Life to Live" draws to a close: stories about richly diverse people as their lives intertwined, as they interacted with one another...To explain the hopes and hardships, the goals, fights, and failures that are ultimately shared by all mankind no matter how disparate their lifestyles. The "One Life to Live" series finale airs Friday, January 13 (2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC.
ABC LICENSES ITS ICONIC SOAPS “ALL MY CHILDREN” AND “ONE LIFE TO LIVE
TO PROSPECT PARK
EXCLUSIVE MULTIYEAR, MULTIPLATFORM DEAL ALLOW THE SOAPS’ STORIES TO CONTINUE BEYOND THEIR FINAL AIRDATES ON ABC
BURBANK, CA – July 7, 2011 – ABC has licensed its iconic soaps, “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” to Prospect Park, it was announced today by Brian Frons, President, Daytime, Disney/ABC Television Group & Janice Marinelli, President, Disney/ABC Domestic Television and Rich Frank & Jeff Kwatinetz of Prospect Park. The exclusive multi-year, multi-platform deal enables the soaps’ stories to continue beyond their finale dates on ABC. ABC will broadcast its final episode of “All My Children” on Friday, September 23rd and will air the final episode of “One Life to Live” in January, 2012.
The licensing agreement, brokered by Disney/ABC Domestic Television Group, enables Prospect Park to continue production of “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” beyond their life on ABC. Prospect Park will produce and deliver the two long-running programs to consumers via online formats and additional emerging platforms including internet enabled television sets. Under the terms of the arrangement, the programs will continue to be delivered with the same quality and in the same format and length. Additional details of the new productions and tune-in will be forthcoming from Prospect Park.
“We are privileged to continue the legacy of two of the greatest programs to air on daytime television, and are committed to delivering the storylines, characters and quality that audiences have come to love for over 40 years. ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ are television icons, and we are looking forward to providing anytime, anywhere viewing to their loyal community of millions,” said Frank and Kwatinetz. “Technology changes the way the public can and will view television shows. Now that there are so many devices available in addition to television sets, viewers are taking advantage of watching shows wherever they are and on any number of devices. The driving force in making the switch and attracting new audiences is to have outstanding programs that people want to watch. We believe that by continuing to produce the shows in their current hour format and with the same quality, viewers will follow the show to our new, online network.”
“‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ are iconic pieces of television history that captivated millions of fans since their beginning over 40 years ago,” said Frons. “Each of the shows have made an indelible mark on our culture’s history and informed our consciousness in their own way. We are so glad Prospect Park has assumed the mantel for these shows and that they will continue for the fans.”
Marinelli continued, “From the time the shift in the daytime strategy was announced, our hope was to find a new home for these treasured shows. We are thrilled to license them to Prospect Park so the stories of life in Pine Valley and Llanview can continue to be told for the passionate and loyal fans that enjoy watching each day.”
“I’m just so happy that ABC found a home where the legacies of ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ can continue. I’m excited for their future with Prospect Park,” added Agnes Nixon, creator of both “All My Children” and “One Life to Live.” “It takes a lot of living to make a soap opera a serial, and the wonderful teams on both shows have done just that. Together, we are a big family that keeps going, and I’m looking forward to working alongside these wonderful people as we ensure that the shows will continue with all the love and excitement we’ve always had. I also am so happy for our loyal fans, whom we love so much, and who have been so supportive over the last 40 plus years.”
ABC announced that daytime mainstays All My Children and One Life to Live will go off the air in September and January, respectively. General Hospital will be the network's only remaining daytime drama.
The network also announced the shows' replacements, which will be The Chew and The Revolution, which are a show about food and a show about dieting.
Emmy-winner Roger Howarth returns to ABC Daytime’s “One Life to Live” and will begin taping in May. Howarth created the role of “OLTL’s” Todd Manning in December 1992, turning what was originally a day-player into a compelling long-term character. He was awarded the Daytime Emmy for Outstanding younger Actor in 1994. Howarth last appeared on “OLTL” in 2003.
“We are thrilled to have Roger return to ‘One Life to Live,’” said Frank Valentini, executive producer. “As ‘OLTL’ viewers know, Trevor St. John has been playing the role of Todd Manning since 2003. We have a great story planned that will involve both actors.”
“I am looking forward to returning to ‘OLTL,’” said Howarth. “We are going to have a lot of fun telling this story, and I am excited to see how it will unfold.”
Roger was last seen on "As the World Turns" as Paul Ryan, a part he had been played from 2003 until the show's cancellation in 2010.
ABC Daytime and SOAPnet's Soap Nation tour team up with ABC 8 to bring "All My Children's" Jacob Young and “One Life to Live’s” John-Paul Lavoisier to the Women’s Living Expo on Saturday, Feb. 12, and Sunday, Feb. 13, in Tulsa, OK. The heartthrobs, who play JR Chandler and Rex Balsom on the popular daytime dramas, will do a Q-and-A and sign autographs with fans. Young is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Saturday, and Lavoisier is scheduled for 1:00 PM on Sunday.
"All My Children" can be seen weekdays at 12:00 PM on ABC 8 and at 8:00 PM on SOAPnet. “One Life to Live” can be seen weekdays at 1:00 PM on ABC 8 and at 9:00 PM on SOAPnet.
Tulsa Women's Living Expo, presented by ABC News Channel 8, is located at Expo Square, Tulsa, OK (Expo Square is located one block west of the corner of 21st and Yale)
Beginning Monday, February 7th and running throughout the month of February (for four consecutive weeks), viewers of ABC’s three daytime dramas “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital” will get the first-ever opportunity to watch a sneak peek clip of their shows on the award-winning website www.abc.com. The clips air weekdays starting at 7:00 p.m., ET/PT, before it airs on the network.
Mariette Hartley has done and been through it all. She details how she survived abuse, mental illness and familial suicide in her memoir, “Breaking the Silence.” But it isn’t all calamity and heartbreak. Mariette has wonderful memories of just starting out in the business, of wonderful times with family and friends, and especially of those infamous series of Polaroid commercials she made with “The Rockford Files” star James Garner.
“I started acting when I was 10,” Mariette tells me. “It was so exciting, so fulfilling. I came to Hollywood and met Sam Peckinpah (legendary Western writer, director and producer who directed her in “Ride the High Country”) — it was terrifying, yet exciting. Back then, television was new and powerful. Robert Redford was doing episodics; Leo Penn, Sean Penn’s father, was a terrific director.”
Mariette credits her agent with keeping her on the Hollywood map: “I had a very good agent, and I just kept working. I was very much a character actress. But I’ve never stopped doing theater. I did four plays with John Houseman’s theater group. Theater has always been my less-fickle friend.”
On those famous Polaroid commercials — where Mariette and James Garner were a playful, bickering husband-and-wife team — Mariette has fond memories. “Jack Dillon, who was one of the great advertising men, came up with the commercials. He wrote about 250 of them. I loved working with Jimmy; he was wonderful.”
In fact, Mariette and Garner were so convincing as husband and wife that people thought they were married in real life. They were also early victims of the now ubiquitous paparazzi: While filming a kissing scene for “The Rockford Files,” which she was co-starring in with James, a photog snapped a pic of the kiss and passed it off as a “real” kiss, insinuating that the actors were cheating on their spouses with one another.
Mariette remembers hearing that the picture was going to be in the next day’s newspaper. “Nothing like that had ever happened to me. I’d never been a great sex symbol, but I was flattered.”
Lately, Mariette has been doing a lot of series work, including “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Law and Order: SVU.” She tells me, “I loved my part on ‘Grey’s.’ I had just come out of the hospital with a scare, so I could really relate to that fear. I love those kinds of parts that don’t seem to be huge, but they really strike a chord with the audience. I wanted to bring my experience to it, the terror of not knowing where your life is going to go. I hope I brought that to the role for the audience to see.
“I also love the character I did on ‘SVU.’ I would like to do it more; I’m greedy, I know. I just really love them at the show. Mariska (Hargitay) is terrific, and Chris (Meloni) is just nuts — I adore them both.”
Acting seems to run in the family: Her daughter, Justine, played a rape victim on an episode of “SVU.” Mariette recalls: “I’m watching her film her scene, and I see Chris coming on to her. I said, ‘Chris, I am that beautiful young woman’s mother!’ The look on his face — I laughed so hard.”
As for her future in acting, Mariette doesn’t plan to slow down. “My dream is to do my own series again. I just love to work, and I am always interested to see how an ensemble works together. I also love hosting shows. I love to be the host and make people feel comfortable. So, we’ll see!”
Mariette Hartley has been the comedic darling of television and movies for decades. She has starred in “Ride the High Country,” “Marnie,” “Peyton Place,” “One Life to Live” and the uber-popular series of Polaroid commercials with “Maverick” actor James Garner. Behind the smiles, she was hiding devastating secrets: familial suicide, bipolar disorder, physical abuse. It all came out when she wrote her autobiography, “Breaking the Silence,” which was initially released in 1990 and has been re-released to reach a whole new audience.
Mariette was kind enough to open up with me about her life.
Daytime Dial: What made you decide to put your life story out there in a book for all to read?
Mariette Hartley: Putnam Publishing called me in. This is when I was very, very actively involved in a career, although I still am, but people are not that sure of it anymore. And Putnam called me in, and nobody knew my life because I had been sworn to secrecy by my mother about my dad’s suicide. I was sitting there with all these big, big agents, and I didn’t have a clue about who these people were. And there was my publisher, Neil Nyren, and a couple of other people and my manager all in a small room in New York. I told them my story, and they all about fell off their chairs. And they decided they wanted to do it.
DD: Tell me about the different organizations you are involved with that help other people who are dealing with familial suicide.
MH: I co-founded the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in 1987 and am the national spokesperson, although they don’t really use me enough. So, I don’t really do it through them; I kind of do it on my own. I have survivor groups. That has had a profound affect on my life. I’ve met the most extraordinary people. Some people I have no idea, honest to God, how they’re walking on this earth still — people who have had multiple suicides in their lives. I’ve learned a great deal about it. I don’t know if the right word is “healing,” but certainly listening and sharing my experiences and strength and hope with others about it. That has kind of become my life now, and I love it. It’s wonderful when you have a book out that kind of really supports that. And I love speaking to young people too about it. Secrets don’t work; you have to talk about it. For all that, and that’s kind of what it’s become. Who knew, you know? All I wanted to do was be Ingrid Bergman.
DD: You are still doing a lot of incredible acting work too. Tell me about your one-woman show, “If You Get to Bethlehem, You’ve Gone Too Far,” which you put on a few years ago to rave reviews and sold-out audiences.
MH: What I tried to do with my one-woman show is to have people pulled into a life so profoundly that they could not shake it loose. That they could not say, “Oh well, that’s an interesting play,” and go home and go to sleep. People were so pulled in by the short hairs because I really took people into my world as a 4-year-old. I became that 4-year-old girl, and I was looking up to these two parents who were played by me. I think it is extremely healing, not just for me but for others. There was one person in the audience who came to see it twice, and he was ready to die. That was the main reason why I did everything ... to show people the effect it has on one’s life, one who’s still alive and well, and had been deeply enlightened by the experience.
But even so, when you go through that experience, it’s excruciating. It’s something in which you can hardly explain to anybody unless they’ve gone through it. The problem is that there is such a sense of isolation with it that you don’t know who to talk to. You really begin to feel that there is nobody there. And of course, when my mother swore me to secrecy, there was nobody there but me. And I had no answers for it. So that is one of the reasons why I am so deeply committed to the groups, because of the people who I call my daily survivors, who have experienced it three months ago, five months ago, six months ago. I really wanted the show to be a lifesaver if it could be. And I do know it was for at least one person.
DD: Because you are opening up about your struggles with suicide and mental illness, it really lets others know that it’s OK for them to be open as well.
MH: It’s more than OK; it’s lifesaving. And I think that’s what people have to know. You can’t keep quiet about this stuff — especially mental illness. I go up and down the countryside trying to erase the stigma of mental illness, because that’s basically what my family had. My parents were not just alcoholics, they were both profoundly mentally ill. And they were covering it up because they didn’t know it, bless their hearts. They had no concept of mental illness in those days, although my father was painting a picture of manic depression. He was trying to tell us, but even then we weren’t educated. My mission now is to educate. And what the ASFP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) does, which is quite wonderful, is to support research. We support grants for college graduates or students who are studying the brain. There is a young woman at Johns Hopkins who received one of our research grants, and she is studying the suicide gene.
DD: And if they can find a physical cause, maybe they won’t have to prescribe all these drugs left and right, especially if you are misdiagnosed, like you were.
MH: Yes, and it’s very dangerous because it happens with many people. As you know, I was one of them, and that will probably be my next book. During my divorce — which was just awful, and it brought back so many memories — I ended up being diagnosed as depressed. I was given Prozac and I was given Zoloft, and this is what happens also to young people. Now they have the warning on the box, because those straight depression medicines can be extremely dangerous for bipolar. It can also show you if you are bipolar, but you don’t want to go through that. So what I tell people is that if you need to, find a psychiatrist who’s really good and give an entire family history — no holds barred. My diagnosis was absolutely by accident. But I kept after it, and it took me a good year to find out what was going on.
DD: Your grandfather, Dr. John B. Watson, the founder of Behaviorism, was of the school of thought that children should receive minimal affection. How has that affected you and how you look at parenting?
MH: I think it has affected whole eras, whole decades of childrearing, and we’ve swung back and forth and back and forth, and I really went the opposite way. I nursed my kids until they were 2 or 3, and I loved that. It was the most wonderful and nourishing experience for me and for them. And it has held all of us in good stead, I’ll tell you.
When Dad died, I was in such a state of shock about all of it. The book actually gave me a sense of perspective. I realized I did blame my mother; I did blame Big John for that. I felt that on some level Dad was really misrepresented in that household. He was also so deeply ill. And my mother just didn’t have a chance. It makes me so sad today. I was so grateful that when she did pass, our relationship had completely healed. And I was so grateful for that. She died in my arms, and my brother came down, and people were around her. It was a totally inclusive passing.
When I let myself, I can get pretty angry at the son of a gun (Dr. Watson). But I also realize that he was sick. I’ve seen his lab experiments since then with “Little Albert,” which was the famous one, all of these kids were orphans basically. When he made them afraid of these things in the experiments, he never unconditioned them. They went back to the orphanage scared to death of dogs or whatever the hell he was conditioning them to be afraid of. That was the cruelty to me. It was along with the books about not touching and not holding and all that. That must have come from his own background; I always tried to understand it with him. This strange background that he had with his Baptist fanatic mother and this father who had all these Native-American mistresses. Very strange. I have a very colorful background.
Tune in next week for Part 2 of my interview where Mariette discusses the wonderful change in her life now, the projects she is working on and those infamous series of Polaroid commercials with James Garner.
Hot on the heels of the news that ABC’s “Castle” has been renewed for a third season, the show’s star, Nathan Fillion, is tickled pink. The former “One Life to Live” star — who has never shied away from the show or his soap-opera beginnings — is excited to see what new adventures the show’s writers have in store for Castle, Beckett, Esposito, Ryan and the rest of the crime-solving crew.
Daytime Dial: For me, one thing that sets this show apart from others of its genre is the cast. What is it like working with the “Castle” cast?
Nathan Fillion: We’re just finishing off an episode today where I get to work a lot more with Ryan and Esposito, played by Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas. When we go to rehearsal, I love it, because the guys have always worked something out — a little bit that they’ll do. They always put personality into whatever they are doing. They always have a bit of a history, like they’ve come from someplace. Something always reflects in the history of their relationship. It’s always a pleasure to watch. I always call them my Rosencrantz and my Guildenstern. Were I Hamlet, they would be my Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
DD: I also love Susan Sullivan, who plays your mom on the show. She is hilarious!
NF: She’s a real hoot. She's an actress who comes to work with incredible life built into her character. If you see her in only one scene an episode, you still have a sense that she’s come from somewhere, and then she’s off to do her thing. She has a life elsewhere, and she’s busy and active, and her life doesn’t center on what we see. I just love her energy and her comedic intelligence. Her instincts are amazing to watch. It’s almost distracting. I catch myself being an audience member rather than a participant at times.
Much the same with Molly (Quinn, who plays his daughter, Alexis Castle). She’s so well cast. She truly is intelligent beyond her years. She seems so much more clever than girls her age. I have to keep reminding myself that she is 15 years old. She is well adjusted and well socialized — I tell that to her parents all the time.
DD: I love that they have created a Richard Castle-written book, “Heat Wave,” as a tie-in book to the show. What’s the book like?
NF: It’s exactly the kind of book that you’d expect Richard Castle to write based on his experiences with Det. Beckett. He is borrowing real-life experience from Castle’s real life — you’ll see lines that were said on the TV show appear in the book. You can see the tie-ins from Castle’s real life to the book. It’s really clever. It’s a great idea. We even went out to do some book signings.
DD: Do you sign as Richard Castle or Nathan Fillion?
NF: Hey, if someone wants me to sign it "Richard Castle," if they want me to be a fake dude, that’s fine, I can do that. However, the "Nathan Fillion" autograph is the one I’ve practiced since high school.
DD: Here's a question on the minds of many of my readers. Will there be a sequel to “Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog,” and will you be involved?
NF: There ARE plans for another “Dr. Horrible,” and Capt. Hammer WILL be involved.
DD: Are you surprised that what started out as an underground, in-the-know kind of project has become such a cult phenomenon?
NF: I’m not surprised that it has become so popular and so well liked. That’s Joss Whedon for you. He’s got something going on. Whatever he touches seems to turn to gold in one way or another — if not with mainstream success, then with culture status. That’s his gift; he tells stories that people yearn for. There’s nothing I like more than getting involved in a Joss Whedon project and taking credit for all his hard work.
Daytime Emmy-nominated actress Crystal Hunt (left, photo by Alex Kroke) recently left her role of Stacy Morasco on “One Life to Live,” but she hasn’t dipped below our radar. As a woman who always has something in the works, she’s got plenty to keep herself busy. When I caught up with her recently, she was thrilled to take me on a trip down memory lane, as well as keep me up-to-date on her future plans.
Daytime Dial: You received your first Daytime Emmy nomination as Lizzie on “Guiding Light.” Take me through the day of the Emmy ceremony.
Crystal Hunt: That day was crazy. I can’t imagine a wedding day being more nerve-wracking or crazy. You not only spend all day getting ready because you want to look perfect, but you’re going to a televised awards show, so you don’t want your stomach to stick out, but you don’t know how you should eat, or what you’re supposed to eat. Will I get sick if I eat because I am so nervous?
When you get to the ceremony, you are walking down one of the longest red carpets you will ever walk on. You stop at every single journalist to interview with them, answering a lot of the same questions over and over again. By the time the show starts, the last thing you want to hear is your category being announced, because you are so nervous.
There is that moment when they are reading your category, calling out the nominees, and there’s the camera right there in your face, waiting to see how you react, whether or not you win. That is the most stressful moment in your life. You feel your face getting hot, and you feel like a train is crashing into your chest. When they say someone else’s name as the winner, secretly you are relieved because you don’t have to go up onto the stage and take the chance of flubbing up a speech, but yet because you did want to win, you are hoping your face doesn’t look too disappointed for the person who did win.
DD: Tell me about some of the charities you are involved in.
CH: Recently I’ve been doing a lot for the breast cancer charities. I did the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, and I am getting ready to do the Revlon Walk. My mother survived breast cancer last year. It is incredible to be there walking next to my mother, and seeing all these people walking with these signs on their backs, these 5-year-old kids walking with their dads and wearing a sign that says “In Memory of Mommy.” There are a ton of “In Memory of” signs.
As you’re walking, you’re trying to hold back tears as you read people’s backs. I walked with some of my cast members from “GL” and from “OLTL,” and we were so proud to be walking with my mom, with our signs that said “In Honor Of” my mother. It was such a cool feeling.
DD: Do you get a lot of your co-stars to support your charities?
CH: Oh, I always rope people in. Especially for the Susan G. Komen Walk. Tom Pelphrey and Bree Williamson came with me and decided to run instead of walk, and they were waiting for us at the finish – they left us in the dust.
DD: What do have planned next for your fans, who are eager to see you onscreen again?
CH: Stay tuned. I am working on some stuff. I have a film coming out this year that I did a while ago called “Brooklyn to Manhattan.” It’s a suspense-thriller.
Crystal Hunt(pictured left, photo by Robert Milazzo) was recently killed off “One Life to Live” after playing bad-girl Stacy Morasco for the past year. Love or hate Crystal’s character, Crystal herself is anything but the dastardly diva that Stacy was.
Crystal fully acknowledges that Stacy was quite the schemer, but admits: “She was a blast. I absolutely loved playing her. I got to do things I wouldn’t normally do. I wouldn’t withhold stem cells from my nephew; I wouldn’t be a stripper. And I definitely wouldn’t go after my sister’s man — that’s for sure.”
Some of her fondest memories are when she was scheming with Kim, played by Amanda Setton. “Everything that she did with Kim I love, because they were like the dynamic duo. We played off each other so well. Every scene with Stacy and Kim, the audience knew they were up to no good and that there’s going to be trouble. And that was so much fun to play, especially with two people working toward the same end, and you have an ally. We were each other’s wingman in bringing our schemes to fruition.”
With Stacy’s story line coming to its natural end and Crystal eager to start new acting projects, she knew it was time to move on from “OLTL.” But that doesn’t mean she’s left the fond memories behind.
“I miss Amanda, for sure,” Crystal reveals. “She and I used to work with each other almost every single day. There was never a day where I didn’t give her a huge hug when I saw her. It’s funny, because the first day we met, it was written into the scene that I had to grab her boob. And she was like: ‘It’s OK. I don’t care.’ So here I am, grabbing her boob. From that day on, it was like we had known each other for years.
“I also miss Bree Williamson like crazy; she was my dressing-room roommate. We used to hang out on set with each other and have lunch together all the time.”
Crystal also has fond memories of her years spend on “Guiding Light,” where she played Lizzie Spaulding from 2003 to 2006. “I grew up there. I got there when I was 17 and left when I was almost 21. I spent a lot of my teen years there, where you change from a teenager to an adult. It happened with them. That was the hardest show to leave, because I truly and genuinely loved them all very much.”
Because of her strong connection to “GL,” she was devastated when she learned of its cancellation in 2009. “I was so upset. I got teary-eyed. I found out on my way to the studio. There’s an area where fans hang out outside the studio, and I was there signing some autographs, and they asked me how I felt about ‘GL’ being canceled. I thought they must be mistaken. I was distraught, especially to find out that way.”
Tune in next week when Crystal discusses the anxiety of being nominated for an Emmy, and the special charity that is near and dear to her heart.
Entertainer/Hip-Hop pioneer Snoop Dogg wrote the words "all that I have is One Life to Live" when he put his own spin on the theme song for his May 8-9, 2008 appearance on One Life to Live. Snoop Dogg's remixed theme will once again air when he returns to Llanview for his second visit tomorrow, Wednesday, February 24.
The pop icon reached out to One Life to Live to once again play himself and perform on the show. Snoop Dogg will perform "I Wanna Rock" from his new album Malice in Wonderland.
(Photo Credit: ABC/Heidi Gutman; L-R: Robert S. Woods, Hillary B. Smith, Snoop Dogg, Eddie Alderson)
Tika Sumpter, the beautiful young actress who originated the role of Layla Williamson on “One Life to Live” back in 2005, was used to playing a supporting role. Now that Layla has some front-burner storyline action going on, Tika couldn’t be happier to show off her acting chops.
Daytime Dial: Have you enjoyed watching your character change and develop through the years? Tika Sumpter: I really like it. I’m glad now they gave me this storyline, and people can see different sides of Layla, other than just the supporter. It was good to see raw emotion and just a different side of her. Colleagues were coming up to me and saying, ‘Wow, this is great.’ I got the chance to show people I can do this, I can handle this.
DD: Layla was instrumental in getting Fish to come out of the closet — take me through how Layla felt when she first found out, because she was falling for him before she knew he was gay. TS: Layla is a hopeless romantic and she was always getting into these dead-end relationships, and she finally got with someone she thought she could have a genuine relationship with. When she found out Fish lied to her, she didn’t want to believe it. It rocked her. It made her not want to open up. It made her feel very vulnerable. There is always that scary place where you feel like it’s gonna get messed up somehow, no matter how good it is. It literally, physically hurts her every time she thinks about it. She is still going to give love a chance, but in the back of her mind, she might not want to give everything at this moment.
DD: At first, it was hard for Layla to get together with Cristian because of Evangeline. What changed for her to allow her to accept her feelings for Cristian? TS: She’s always seen the good qualities in Cristian. He was there for her in her time of sorrow and pain. With all those mixed emotions and feelings, she gave in to him. She always had a secret longing for that kind of man: manly and authoritative, but he has a sweetness about him and a vulnerability.
DD: What do you like best about Layla and about playing her? TS: I love her ability to not only be tough, but to also be vulnerable at the same time. Nobody likes to be taken advantage of, but she tries not to allow herself to be a victim. She’s not afraid, even though she has been hurt over and over again. She keeps getting up; she’s a strong girl.
DD: What do you hope for Layla and her future? TS: I want her to be successful in any career that she chooses, but hopefully she’ll go back to acting and singing. I hope she gets some kind of peace from her mother. Her mother always places Evangeline on a pedestal and kind of looks down on Layla. I hope she finds some peace with that, as well as find peace with her dad passing.
DD: Snoop Dogg is coming back in February. That must be a lot of fun when he’s on. TS: He’s my homey. He’s pretty amazing. He is so chill and relaxed and easy to work with. He’s just a good guy and supersweet.
DD: You just filmed “Stomp the Yard 2: Homecoming.” Can you tell me about your character? TS: I play a girl named Nikki. She’s a law student and comes from a really good family. She’s a strong girl and really, really smart, but she has her insecurities. Basically she is the girlfriend of the main character, and there’s a little love triangle thing going on.
DD: Do you get to dance in the movie? TS: I had to learn how to step for the film, and it was really hard at first. But I learned it, I did it and filmed it, and I was superexcited. I can’t believe I did it, because it is VERY hard. It’s a really good workout too!
Don't miss tomorrow's Good Morning America, as One Life to Live stars Eddie Alderson (“Matthew Buchanan”), Kelley Missal (“Dani Rayburn”) and Shenell Edmonds (“Destiny Evans”) appear to participate in GMA's "Warm Coats & Warm Hearts" coat drive.
Nathan Fillion first burst onto the scene as Joey Buchanan, a character he played for three years on One Life to Live. After that, he branched out and went on to star in the TV series Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the feature films Serenity and Waitress, to name just a few. But Nathan never forgot his roots, and he is proud of them.
Daytime Dial: Many actors who start out on soaps but go on to other things tend to try to forget their soap-opera past, but you embrace it. Why is that?
Nathan Fillion:OLTL was an incredible experience for me. I’ve talked to other guys from other shows whose experience wasn’t nearly as positive as mine. I went to One Life to Live, and it was my first show, and I knew I had a lot to learn. I was surrounded by people who’ve been in the business for 15, 20, 25, 35 years. They nurtured me. They took me in and treated me like family. I can’t say enough about them and about my experience there.
If it weren’t for Bob Woods (Bo Buchanan), I’d have never moved to Los Angeles. I’d probably still be doing daytime. He sat me down and said, “This is how it’s gonna work, and this is what you’re gonna do.” I followed his advice to the letter, and here I am. Every time I go back to New York City, I buy him a bottle of scotch down the street, I walk in and say, “Thank you, Bob Woods.”
These people took care of me, they taught me, they mentored me. I’ll never pooh-pooh on soap operas. They are a valid source of entertainment with a plethora of talented people, probably the hardest-working people in the industry. I can’t say enough about them.
I went back — I think it was two summers ago — and I did two episodes of OLTL as Joey Buchanan to attend the funeral of Asa Buchanan, played by Phil Carey, who tragically died a short while after that. Some people expressed surprise that I had come back. I was like: “Why are you surprised? You know I had a wonderful time here. This is my home.” For three years, that was my home, and I loved it.
DD: Your hit show, Castle, will be back to start its second season on Monday, Sept. 21. Why do you think the show has struck such a chord with fans?
NF: I think I am a pretty good judge about what’s good. I don’t know much about art, but I know what I like. Obviously crime shows, murder mysteries and procedural shows are doing very well right now — I don’t know how many CSIs are out there, but I don’t think you can hold them all in one hand — so there is something very appealing to being presented with a mystery and trying to figure it out. I get caught up in that as well. I think what we do on Castle is we take away the brooding, haunted cops and the obscure, weird lighting of those shows, and we try to make it more real life.
We filmed the pilot in New York City, and we had a bunch of New York homicide detectives hanging around as consultants. And I tell you, these guys were not brooding, and they weren’t haunted, and they weren’t tortured. They were hilarious. They had the most brilliant stories that had me bent over double laughing, and they all start with, “So this guy gets killed ....” They bend toward being light to kind of lighten up a bit of a dark job.
DD: Is it fun for you to play a character who is kind of a jerk and do things you would never do in your real life?
NF: There was a time when I said, “I don’t care what kind of job I do, so long as I’m acting.” But now I’ve learned that I do care. I want to do things on TV that I don’t really do in real life. Castle is a nice guy; there’s nothing really wrong with him. I just don’t think I’d really want to hang out with him that long. He’d weigh on me after a while.
He just doesn’t have that filter that says, “Maybe now’s the time to stop” or “Maybe this joke wouldn’t go over right about now.” He really wears his joy on his sleeve. He’s joyous, and I like that about him. He’s unapologetic. He’s kind of fearless. He doesn’t have a sense of “This looks dangerous”; he’s more like “This looks fun!” He’s living this dream life that he only would write about in the past, and now he’s in the position to live it and he is so excited. It’s kind of like me in that I used be like “I’d love to be on movies and TV,” and now I’m living my dream. So I can really relate.
DD: Richard Castle certainly has a nontraditional home life. How does this factor into who he is?
NF: The nuclear family certainly still exists — the mother and father who are still married and the 2.5 kids. It’s still out there, it’s just no longer the norm. The nontraditional family is now the majority. I think the family unit that these people have is very realistic: an irresponsible mother who is now a grandmother, living with her son who is now a father, whose daughter is a mother to him, and he is kind of a parent to his mother. These are very realistic family dynamics. It’s very modern and contemporary, this whole idea.
I think it plays very well with the kind of person Castle is. He never had a responsible adult role model in his life. He doesn’t have any male role models in his life, no father figure. No one ever taught him how to be a man, so he runs around in his life being a boy. It’s part of his charm and part of his flaw.
DD: Another aspect of the show that makes it a success is the solid foundation in the cast. You all seem to work so well together and get along. How is the working environment on the Castle set? You must have a lot of fun.
NF: We do have a lot of fun, and it is great. There’s not a weak link in the cast. And we’ve also been blessed with our guest-cast members. It takes only one weak guest-cast member to make your show suck, and we’re just always so blessed with who we get on the show. It’s been wonderful.
And you have to take into account that there are 200-plus people who are on set when I arrive in the morning and who are still there when I leave. They work harder than we do and they deserve every accolade I can give them.
Tune into ABC on Monday nights at 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT to catch Nathan in new episodes of Castle.
Bradford Anderson, Kassie DePaiva, Bobbie Eakes, Chrishell Stause, and Bree Williamson to Appear as Part of Free Pre-Concert Festivities
A Special Performance by the Divas of Daytime — Kassie DePaiva, Bobbie Eakes and Kathy Brier (pictured left)
WHAT: Free event with stars from “All My Children,” “One Life to Live” and “General Hospital” leading up to the Sara Evans concert at night. The event is open to the public and will include talent autograph signings, meet and greets, games and giveaways. Sara Evans ticket holders who attend will receive a special premium. The American Red Cross Blood Services will also be on site to collect Blood Donations
WHEN: Saturday, August 22, 2009 at Noon
WHERE: Billy Bob’s Texas in Ft. Worth, Texas
WHO: “All My Children’s” Bobbie Eakes and Chrishell Stause; “One Life to Live’s” Kassie DePaiva and Bree Williamson; and “General Hospital’s” Bradford Anderson. The DIVAS of DAYTIME (Kassie DePaiva, Bobbie Eakes and Kathy Brier) will also perform.
Tea’s met her match with Elijah. Blair wants to uncover the secret Tea’s been hiding. Dorian gets a surprise visitor.
Blair hires Rex to get the goods on Tea. Bo and Nora continue to deny what they really feel. Dorian gives David the boot.
Jessica confides in Marty. Natalie and Jared (John Brotherton, pictured) are faced with a mystery. Cole makes a wise move.
Viki wants no part of David’s latest scheme. Brody finds proof that Jessica’s mysterious stalker really exists. Cristian leaves Fish with an ultimatum.
Rex fills Blair in on what he uncovered about Tea. Elijah has Tea over a barrel. Cristian confronts Fish.
All My Children and One Life to Live are getting new homes — but you can still catch them at their old times.
ABC Daytime announced today that it would move production of AMC from New York to Los Angeles and that OLTL would move into AMC's former New York space, giving both shows facility upgrades and streamlined production models.
AMC's new facility is twice as large as its current one. It includes two stages, which will allow it to keep more standing sets. It will also allow the series to switch immediately from standard-definition to high-definition TV.
OLTL will enjoy similar upgrades when the show moves into AMC's old home, which is 30 percent larger than OLTL's current space.
After the show relocates in December, AMC will begin taping episodes in Los Angeles the week of Jan. 4, 2010, and will begin airing in HD in February. The move of OLTL to its new home takes place soon after AMC relocates.
Rex unleashes his pent-up anger on Gigi. Matthew blackmails Bo and Nora. Tea won’t be a part of the game Todd’s playing with Blair (Kassie DePaiva, pictured).
Bo and Nora dodge a bullet. Jessica catches another glimpse of the mystery man. Cole’s undercover operation gets under way.
Nora faces a dilemma. Blair and Dorian try to drown their sorrows. Brody is concerned for Jessica.
Blair imagines a bleak future for herself and Dorian. Nora wrestles with her feelings for Bo. Gigi’s upset to learn that Rex is letting Stacy stay at his loft.
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