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All My Children’s February Sweeps, kicked into high gear today when the ambulance carrying Kendall, who is in need of urgent and risky heart surgery, gets into an accident, thanks to Annie!  Meanwhile, three doctors band together (with another one in the wings) to try to save her life, and in the process sparks seem to fly between two pairings, Kendall and Griffin, and Jake and Cara, or do they?

As everyone knows by now, the powers-that-be who preside over Pine Valley, decided to finally reveal Jake Martin’s back-story, and in the process fans get to see Ricky Paull Goldin (Jake) back where he belongs, front and center.  Add to the mix, the casting of sexy soap spitfire, Lindsay Hartley, last seen on Days of our Lives, as his former flame, the beautiful Dr. Cara Castillo (She was known as Cara Finn there for awhile) and Jordi Vilasuso as heartthrob newcomer Dr Griffin Castillo, her brother, and stories are set to explode, relationships are about to be tested, and fans of the show are about to see if they like the new and surprising arc of Dr. Jake and Cara’s story, and if they will accept a Griffin/Kendall pairing.  Hard for many to do considering that Thorsten Kaye and Alicia Minshew (Zach and Kendall) were the soap’s power couple.  But now with Thorsten gone, Vilasuso has the difficult task of being the next romantic interest for the heart of Kendall Hart Slater. But he tells us he is up for the job.  But what of Dr. Jake and Dr. Cara?  First off, Jake is happily married to Amanda and they have a family.  That truly complicates things.  Second, there is so much baggage with these two and so much left to be uncovered from their past, that only time will tell which
way this may go.

On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Pine Valley’s fictional medical team and hottest threesome, Ricky Paull Goldin, Lindsay Hartley and Jordi Vilasuso, just after they finished taping the episodes that you, the viewers, are seeing play out on-air now.  Funny, refreshingly honest and insightful, are just a few of the words we came away with after talking with these three soap veterans (Remember, the charming Mr.Vilasuso used to be on Guiding Light, too!), about their thoughts on the direction of their storylines and the lives of the characters they play.  Here’s our very special interview while hanging out with this dynamic trio!

MICHAEL:

Ricky, it seems there is a repositioning going on at All My Children with the character of Jake. They have laid the groundwork for major story for him by bringing in Lindsay and Jordi, as Cara and Griffin.  Do you feel there is refocusing of the character of Jake Martin happening?

RICKY PAULL:

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We are an ensemble, but here is what I think. I think audiences of daytime drama are very much in love with their families and stories and history.  Once I was here long enough to be a viable, plausible Jake, and a Martin brother, who marches to his own little beat, and once they feel comfortable and have gotten to know him, do I feel now they have come to the table with big story?  I am referring to the writers and the powers-that-be who say, “Let’s go to the table and create the back-story, and let’s find out what has been bothering and plaguing him, and what is the real story.”  So to answer your question, in many ways, yes, and I am thrilled.  So that makes me the luckiest guy in the world if they cast these new players and I get to see that come to fruition.

MICHAEL:

Lindsay, when you got the role as Cara, you had just been let-go by DAYS.  And then you got this gig at AMC.  It all happened really quickly! What went down?

LINDSAY:

I was devastated of course, losing my job at Days of our Lives.  It’s hard to get a job as it is, and I liked the job, and then it was over and you’re stuck with, “Am I ever going to work again?  What am I going to do?  Should I just be a full-time mom?”  Those questions pop up, but I love working.  Right when I found out they were going to end Adrianna’s life in Salem, they had two options.  Option (A) is not the option they went for, which would have been fun, but they decided to kill her.  So they give me six weeks notice and that was a blessing.  DAYS co-executive producer, Gary Tomlin, I love him. He brought me in and apologized. And he said he couldn’t believe this is happening, but the good news is, you have six weeks and you are going to be very busy, but go do what you need to do. You know my feelings were hurt, but I called my manager within five minutes and I said to him,” Here’s the deal. I’m over.  Let’s call everyone you can in Los Angeles, as I am not sure I am ready to leave L.A. for a job.  So All My Children wanted to see me that week for a meeting.  I went in for a meeting and a long conversation with Executive Producer Julie Hanan Carruthers, and Judy Blye Wilson the casting director, and it was lovely and I fell in love with them.  They are exceptional women.  Julie has it all together – she is a strong woman; a mother, a businesswoman, she is calm, and she is everything I would love to be.  After that meeting they called me and said, “We would like to have you test with this guy, Ricky, and see how or if you guys have any chemistry.” And, I actually did not know “The Ricky”! (Laughs) But, I heard about his reputation.

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MICHAEL:

So what happened in the test?  Did Ricky Paull treat you well?

LINDSAY:

So they had me test with Ricky Paull and I had my sides and I learned them.  I went in to read with him and we had a blast.  I got a call the next day that I was hired.

MICHAEL:

Ricky, did you have any input into this?  Did you say to them, “I really like that Lindsay girl”?

RICKY PAULL:

I would like to say that I had input.  I thought she was remarkable and great and she nailed it, and everybody there knows she nailed it.

LINDSAY:

But Ricky was amazing as a person. You hope when you are trying to get a job that your partner is going to not only be there as an actor, but he wanted me to know that we are on the same team, and that we are in this together.  And this was the first impression I got of Ricky, and so I thought, “This guy is great.”  You only pray to get somebody like that when you are auditioning for a job.

MICHAEL:

But the real question now is: What do you think of him after working with him for a while?

LINDSAY:

Oh, my God!  I can’t stand him.  He is a jackass and not talented!  Just kidding!  I am so enjoying it.  Ricky is incredible and his work ethic is incredible.

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MICHAEL:

I was on the soundstage watching you guys work and seeing the care Ricky took in getting the most out of these upcoming key scenes, caring about the camera shots, speaking with the directors, and making sure all of the minutia was taken care of.  This was the first time in my career I had been able to see Ricky at work, and it was simply amazing how on top of it all he was.

LINDSAY:

I would say even one better than that, he did that under pressure.  It’s really difficult to be that way when there is so much going on in these big types of disaster scenes.  But he was right there being a hero.

MICHAEL:

In some pivotal scenes coming up during February sweeps, Jake sees a ring around Cara’s neck that seems to have significance!

RICKY PAULL:

The truth is, my character came to town, and I don’t know if people out there who are watching keep copies of shows, but I had the same secret when I came to town or the same secret close to my heart.  In fact, it was the identical scenario when I came to Pine Valley, and I was with Doctors without Borders and I had a ring around my neck on a chain.  And I played it at that point in time, I knew what the story was and it was made up for me.  However, now I am watching it come through on camera, so that is kind of cool.

MICHAEL:

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Jordi, being a newbie at AMC, are you enjoying your Pine Valley experience thus far?

JORDI:

I am enjoying it, and it is exhausting.  I get to work with some great people and I have a lot of great material and they have given me a lot of great story to play.  I am proud to be part of such a great show that has been on forever.  In terms of production and the acting, the quality here is very high.

MICHAEL:

You were specifically brought in to be a love-interest for Kendall.  Had you met Alicia Minshew (Kendall) before shooting AMC?  What are your thoughts on her?

JORDI:

I met Alicia eight years ago in New York.  Actually, Ricky Paull and I met her around the same time when we were going to an event.  I feel like our personalities mesh.  She makes me laugh and she can be very dirty and raunchy, and I like that. (Laughs)  She is a breath of fresh air.

MICHAEL:

How are you guys playing the adversarial relationship of Griffin and Jake?  They have to now work together to save Kendall!

RICKY PAULL:

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It’s not the type of adversarial relationship like a Jake and David Hayward. With my ex’s brother, I just didn’t understand.  I think once Jake understands where Griffin is coming from he gets it.  I think he respects him on a professional level as a doctor, and I think to play it the same way would not be right at all. There is a hatred there that my character feels for David Hayward.  Jake had misinformation about Griffin, and everything was an untruth anyway, and as that gets unmasked and pulled away, I can do nothing but respect the man, the doctor.  I don’t have to like the guy, but you can respect somebody and not like them.  When Cara ran off with Griffin, no one knew they were related and no one knew the story or the reason.  So now, as opposed to him being her lover, he was her brother somehow protecting her.  Jake to this day still does not know everything that happened there, but he and the audience are finding that out.

MICHAEL:

So give me the set-up Jordi, as to what happens when the ambulance crashes, thanks to Annie, with a desperate Kendall in need of heart surgery?

JORDI:

Kendall is having an aortic abdominal aneurysm.  And since Kendall has had a heart transplant previously, she is a patient of high stakes already.  She has not been treating herself with a disciplined fashion that you would expect with someone with a heart transplant. Health is number one with that, and you got to show up at your doctor’s appointments, and she is kind of living her life and having a not-letting-it-hold-her-back attitude.  She is suffering with this crisis of her husband just dying, and I as Griffin, kind of try to be as understanding as possible.  But, I am also a surgeon and I think they have written me that I don’t really want to care, but in reality I think this girl piqued his interest early on.  I think he gets off on what a non-conformist she really is and how she does what she really wants.  I think in our first meeting she had stolen something, and Griffin thinks, “Oh, my God.  I want to get to know you. Will you be my friend?”  This incident happens, and just before that I am telling her to go fly a kite, you are a pain in the ass, and I don’t want to work with you anymore. I can’t help you, and go find another doctor!  And what brings me back is my sister, Cara.  She makes me realize it’s okay to be vulnerable and to care.  It’s a great dynamic with Lindsay.  I feel very comfortable working with her and feel very paternal with her where we can kind of get along and have some fun with our lines, which is a departure from the heavy drama of soaps… which is life and death.  So it’s a lot more comic relief scenes with her, and lets me settle in more where I don’t have to be in fifth gear all the time.

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LINDSAY:

We are exact opposites… that’s how we are.  But Cara and Griffin are both doctors, but chose to do so for completely different reasons.  Cara is a tough doctor, but fun.  Griffin is always serious.  Cara always wants to break him down.  So, whenever or however she can get through to him she does by trying to get his attention and then going, “I gotcha.”   Like Griffin likes to eat, so Cara is always giving him food.  It’s a constant thing and it’s crazy.  I think that is the mother in her, and she is very nurturing that way.

MICHAEL:

So, Lindsay and Jordi, what do you think of how Ricky Paull plays a doctor?

JORDI:

What am I suppose to say to that?

RICKY PAULL:

Should I leave the room? (Laughs)

JORDI:

I will say this…I think Griffin respects Jake as a doctor, but does not necessarily want him hanging around his sister.  I have these women in my life who just do what they want and I just have to say it’s exhausting, and Griffin can’t really control anything.  So that is part of my evolution of the character; to be able to let certain things go, especially for someone like Griffin, who is such a know-it-all, and has such expertise and really appreciates highly skilled stuff.  Even myself personally, it’s something I understand and can bring to this character… that a situation will either work itself, or if not, you have to deal with that, too.

MICHAEL:

Finally, do you think come Valentine’s Day, we will know certain things about Jake and Cara, and why Cara truly left Jake in the first place?

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RICKY PAULL:

There is a lot more than meets the eye.  I’ve got to say this for Donna Swajeski and David Kreitzman, our head writers:  Kreizman was the youngest head writer in daytime at the time when he wrote for Guiding Light and Donna knows her stuff.  I think she knows how to weave story and unfold story, and David Kreizman just goes for it.  So I like the combination, I’ve got to tell you.  I am bringing them up because this story is unpeeling and when you think you’re done, it’s still going and you find out more.  We obviously know more as actors, because we are ahead of the audience, and I actually love what I am reading. This is the first time in a long time that I have loved reading a script and look forward to reading what is coming next week.

MICHAEL:

How is Chrishell Stause (Amanda) taking all this?

RICKY PAULL:

(Laugh) Well, she is pissed! (Laughs) She is the consummate professional, and she has walked through the hair and make-up room sometimes while we are running scenes, and she has pretended to be miffed.  But, Jake and Amanda’s love is a pure love. There haven’t been any lies, and there hasn’t been any cover up, there haven’t been many half-truths and half-baked stories, and nobody left anybody in the lurch and hurt them.  Half the life we fall in love and it’s pure, and the other half of life we are like, “How do we forgive and forget or not.”  So it’s like that.  You have this pure unadulterated vase that isn’t broken and can hold water, and this other vase that has fallen off the shelf.  Can we put it back together again and can it hold water again?  It’s a silly analogy, but makes sense.

MICHAEL:

Lindsay, what do you want to see happen for Cara?  She has both Martin men in her life, Tad and Jake.

LINDSAY:

I think Cara has feelings for both Jake and Tad, and I love working with Michael Knight (Tad).

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RICKY PAULL:

It’s like waking the giant within, if you put Michael Knight in with us.  For me personally, he is so much fun to work with as the Martin brothers, and we are really alike in a way here on set, too.

MICHAEL:

Is Cara going to marry Tad?

LINDSAY:

That is something she might actually consider doing, and then she will flaunt it! (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

But Tad’s last wife, or shall we say his beloved wife Dixie, died from eating pancakes!

LINDSAY:

Well, I don’t want to eat any pancakes on this show!

MICHAEL:

Jordi, had you seen Lindsay before working with her at AMC?

JORDI:

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No, but she called me before we began working together.

LINDSAY:

Yeah, I wanted to hear his voice and kind of get his vibe and feel out how he was going to be before I actually got to work with him.  And… he was great.

MICHAEL:

After the big crash, even though you were driving the ambulance (laughs), will Griffin feel some sort of desperation to save Kendall?

JORDI:

I think that you see Kendall near death, but she shows some spunk and fire, and that is the part Griffin is interested in.

MICHAEL:

How did you feel when they brought you in and were told you were going to be the love interest for Alicia?  And, you knew Thorsten Kaye (Ex-Zach) was the big deal around there!

JORDI:

I did not know about Zendall being a big deal before I came to the show, but I had seen Thorsten on television or something, and I saw what a great presence he has.  I met him on a fluke when I was here at the studio.  I think I had a wardrobe meeting and I met him and I just liked him.  I did not realize that was Alicia’s on-screen partner, and then later I realized he was nominated for all these Daytime Emmys, and then I went, “OK, I get it.”  I then knew they had a huge fan base as Zendall, and I knew I had huge shoes to fill.  There has been a lot of pressure, tons of it, but I think as an actor you have to take it upon yourself to assert yourself, and not in an egotistical way, but a professional way.  If you need time to do this or that, or something is going on that you didn’t feel comfortable with that day, you need to be able to fight for something.  I am becoming more familiar with it all, and I think it will ease the pressure, which I think a large part of that is all in the head. They have written Griffin as a very strong character and I feel I am up for the task.

MICHAEL:

What is Jake feeling now?  He loves his wife, Amanda, and here he is now getting closer or feeling a pull to Cara!

RICKY PAULL:

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It’s very hard to ignore this woman, Cara.  She has ingratiated herself into your life, your work, and your family. You can’t erase the past, and it is definitely a huge tug of war, but really my job is showing that we would like to be able to see a person in this position do the right thing. You have a wife and you have a baby, and she has never done anything to him…well she has done a couple of things.  I think that is the measure of a man, isn’t it? You start weighing it all, and that is where the fun will be…a man torn.  Can you be in love with two women at the same time?  I don’t think that scenario can last forever.

MICHAEL:

If you are really drawn to somebody and have that pull towards him or her, nothing can truly stop it. We have seen this happen in real life, when the perfect families are torn apart because of an enduring love with someone else.

RICKY PAULL:

I think it has a lot to do with how your spouse deals with the information and you see their true colors come out, or how they play it.  I am not saying that this is happening, but you have to be careful.  If somebody keeps pushing you and pushing you, and you are guilty of some thing, I have seen it happen where you are getting blamed for stuff you haven’t even done, and you actually end up pushing someone into somebody else’s arms.  I don’t know how much of that we are going to get to play out, but that is the human condition.  It is a very human thing to see what would happen in that situation.  I mean, the only thing that would have broken up Jake and Amanda, if anybody were going to, would be somebody from his past, not somebody he met at a bar!

MICHAEL:

Fans are always upset if things are not plausible stories to them, and when characters are shoved down their throats. From a viewers’ perspective, you also have to understand where they are coming from.

RICKY PAULL:

Silly as it might sound, the only thing that this couple may have to face that would break them up, is something that has to be very powerful, with the ex showing up and maybe still having something in her heart and having a different story than when she left.  That might be it.  I don’t know, but it might be the thing that takes them apart.

MICHAEL:

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Lindsay, you are the spoiler in this, did you feel any pressure taking that on and being responsible for driving a wedge between super-popular couple as Jake and Amanda?

LINDSAY:

First of all, I am a big fan of Jake and Amanda.  I saw them and went, “Oh, my God! They are hot!”  They are both hot and sexy.  I am having a blast though, and you gotta come in and be one of the players.  I like working, talking, and looking at Chrishell Stause.

RICKY PAULL:

We all like looking at Chrishell!