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Y&R’s Eileen Davidson Talks on Ashley’s DID Storyline, the Challenges of the Alters, and Working with Trevor St. John

Photos: JPI

The Young and the Restless two-time Daytime Emmy-winning actress, Eileen Davidson, has recently been given the ball by series executive producer and head writer, Josh Griffith to tell the ltin the latest of Ashley Abbott’s emotional struggles. This time, Ashley has splintered into multiple personalities: Ash, Mrs. Abbott, and Belle.

Given Ashley’s history (which has included several mental breakdowns), Y&R has chosen to revisit her psyche in a brand new twist in 2024 by launching a Dissociative Identify Disorder storyline. When things spiraled downward to her marriage to Tucker (Trevor St. John), and a flashback to a car crash which took her unborn baby in 2003, Ashley began to hear voices in her head and her alters began to emerge.

Speaking live on a virtual appearance on Tuesday on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Davidson shared her thoughts on the storyline, how she crafted Ashley’s various alters and what she thinks of her co-star, Trevor St. John.  Here’s a few key remarks from the chat below.

Photo: JPI

Eileen talked about Ashley’s overall emotional make-up, explaining, “Everybody always talks about her being so strong and so together, and they don’t like seeing her weak. I’m like, ‘Ashley’s never been as strong and together. She’s had issues from the gate out of the gate … years … forever.’  She had amnesia. She had all sorts of issues. I love her fallibility and her vulnerability.”

Taking on the different personalities is a challenge, but Davidson pointed to one, in particular, that she feels is the hardest to play, “Ash has been the most difficult one,” explained the actress. “Because I didn’t want to do anything too broad and too ‘teenagery.’  So it was just trying to be honest about somebody who’s kind of young and sees the world in a certain way and is perhaps defensive and is an angry teen.”

Photo: JPI

However, embodying Ms. Abbott was a lot easier for Davidson. “It wasn’t hard for me to figure her out,” she expressed. “It was the very first time she was introduced on paper. She’s in Tucker’s hotel room. She’s breaks in. I’m like, ‘Okay. she’s sitting in the chair and it, it says kind of like a ‘Sharon Stone-type moment.’  I felt pretty comfortable embodying that in control, kind of toying with a man. She knows how to put on vulnerability and softness to get what she wants, but is always in control. And her ugly side shows more and more as the story has been coming out.”

The newest alter to emerge was Belle. Davidson shared how much she knew of the alter before she began playing her, stating, “They gave me southern, flirtatious, likes tequila, and always looking for a guy’ and I was off to the races. It’s been really, really fun for me. I didn’t want her to sound like she’s from the South completely, because Ashley is not from the South. It’s just a persona of how Ashley thinks a southern person sounds. So, she’s not playing a southern character. She’s playing a personality that thinks she’s southern. It’s very different.”

Photo: JPI

Currently, it looks like Tucker’s life may be on the line as Ashley’s alters want to get rid of him once and for all.  Eileen explained why, revealing, “The most fascinating thing about DID and what I kept trying to inject into the performance is these alters are created to protect somebody. They all believe they’re protecting Ashley. Ms, Abbott thinks the way to protect Ashley is to kill Tucker because Tucker’s caused Ashley so much pain. So I mean, from that aspect, it’s good daytime drama.”

A lot of times in DID storylines, a very traumatic event from the childhood is revealed which caused a person to fracture into a multiple personalties. When Davidson was asked if she thinks something will come to light that the audience never knew happened to Ashley, she responded, “You would think so, right?  I mean, why not? The one thing that’s true about Ashley is that she had a traumatic childhood. Her mother abandoned her when she was very young, and then found out in her early twenties that her father wasn’t her biological father. So, who knows what happened. Whether or not they choose to explore that, I’m not sure. You have to kind of keep reinventing things to keep them interesting. I think like that stands true for characters (on a soap) as well.”

Photo: JPI

Over the years, Eileen has worked with several leading men. When asked how she feels the dynamic is working with Trevor St. John, she enthused, “I love working with Trevor. I just told him you breathe fresh air into the scenes. We work well together. We don’t really know what the other one’s going to do (in a scene), but we play off of each other. There’s a huge trust factor and that has been there from the get-go. When I first started working with Treb, I told him, ‘We got lucky.’ When you meet somebody out of the the blue and you start working together, we just had something and it just worked beautifully. I always know that when I work with Trevor, it’s going to be a terrific experience.”

Photo: JPI

Watch the full conversation with Eileen below.

Now let us know, which of Ashely’s alters do you enjoy seeing the most? Do you think something happened to Ashley as a child that we never knew about that is causing her DID? Share your theories via the comment section below.

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Truthfully, I’m sick of this whole SL.

Loved the original pairing of Ashley and Tucker. fun, witty, refreshing. Then writers ruined it!

I think this SL stunk and it will get worse when Ashley goes to Paris with that letch of a Dr.,Good thing her sister is going along and hopefully Tucker will arrive in time to stop “the mad scientist ” from harming Asley even more.

Violet…oh I agree. Also, to me, that so-called doctor looks like a serial killer in disguise. BEYOND YUCK!!!!!

I agree with you jaybird. He is a slimly looking thing. He gives me the creeps

General Hospital

General Hospital’s Jophielle Love Talks On Violet’s Emotional Scenes with Finn, the Loss of Gregory, and Taylor Swift

During General Hospital’s recent episodes surrounding the death of Gregory Chase (Gregory Harrison), who succumbed to complications from ALS, many in the cast delivered touching performances; including Jophielle Love (Violet).

In story, Violet learns of her grandfather’s passing when she comes home from school and her father, Finn (Michael Easton) sits her down to explain that Gregory passed away in the middle of the night. Violet’s reaction was one of devastation and tears.

Michael Fairman TV caught with Jophielle on the red carpet at the recent 51st annual Daytime Creative Arts and Lifestyle Emmy Award ceremonies, where she was a nominee for Best Original Song for the song she co-wrote, “Shine.” The track was first heard back on a December 2023 episode of the ABC daytime drama series and is currently available on Spotify and other music streaming platforms.

Photo: ABC

When talking about the departure of Gregory Harrison, and Violet’s reaction to her grandpa’s passing, Love shared, “Well, I was very tired from the taping of the three-day wedding, so I already had the tears in me. I knew that I was always going to see him (Gregory Harrison) in real life, but I was also very, very sad he was leaving the show. He was such a delight to work with.”

When Violet saw how difficult it was for her on-screen dad, Finn, to cope with with the death of Gregory, Love shared, “It’s hard for Violet, but Michael and I, we still see each other and he’s always happy (in real life). But, those scenes were hard. I was comforting him.”

Photo: ABC

Receiving her first Daytime Emmy nomination as songwriter was a thrill for Jophielle: “Well first of all, I was jumping up and down and Frank Valentini (executive producer, GH) came and told me while I was on set. I was just so excited.”

Photo: JPI

Since pop superstar, Taylor Swift, started at a very young age as a singer and a songwriter, does Love see herself as a mini-Taylor? Jophielle emphatically stated, “I’m a mini Me“.  As to what she thinks of the record-setting Swift’s music, and if she likes her work. Love shared, “Yeah, yeah … so, so…”

What did you think of Jophielle’s performance during the passing of Gregory? And her comments here on Gregory Harrison, Michael Easton and Taylor Swift? Comment below.

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Days Of Our Lives

(WATCH) 51st Annual Daytime Emmys Red Carpet Interviews

A week ago, at the 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards, many of your favorite soap opera stars took to the red carpet prior to the telecast on CBS and streaming on Paramount + and posed for pictures for the paparazzi and several spoke to the media before going inside and taking in the ceremonies and rooting on their castmates and shows.

While on the red carpet, Michael Fairman TV interviewed those who stopped performers who stopped by and those we could catch on the action-packed bustling arrivals. All of the video interviews are now posted and complete on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel.

Look for conversations with Days of our Lives, Tamara Braun (Ava), Suzanne Rogers (Maggie) with Rob Scott Wilson (Alex) and Paul Telfer (Xander), Dan Feuerriegel (EJ), Greg Rikaart (Leo), and Eric Martsolf (Brady) with wife Lisa and their twin sons, Chase and Mason.

Photo: JPI

Stopping by to chat from General Hospital were Maura West (Ava) and Finola Hughes (Anna), and from The Bold and the Beautiful, Thorsten Kaye (Ridge) and his daughter, McKenna, Annika Noelle (Hope), Kimberlin Brown (Sheila) and John McCook (Eric) and his wife, Laurette.

Photo: JPI

From The Young and the Restless, Peter Bergman (Jack), Courtney Hope (Sally), Christian LeBlanc and Tracey Bregman (Michael and Lauren), Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea), Michael Mealor (Kyle), Melissa Ordway (Abby), Kate Linder (Esther) and Bryton James (Devon), and making their first appearance on a Daytime Emmy red carpet were Neighbours stars: Stefan Dennis, Annie Jones and Georgie Stone.

Photo: JPI

Below is the complete playlist of 2024 Daytime Emmy Red Carpet interviews. Make sure to check them out. Then let us know who you loved seeing and hearing from the most via the comment section below.

 

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General Hospital

GH’s Evan Hofer Talks Life for Dex After Sonny’s Beatdown, Giovanni Mazza, and If Josslyn is Love Endgame

General Hospital’s Dex Heller (Evan Hofer) has been at the epicenter of Sonny Corinthos’ (Maurice Benard) paranoia, which led to the beatdown of Sonny’s former right hand man.

Now, Dex is licking his wounds, and trying to move on with his life after joining the PCPD; following attempting to move away from working for the mob and under Sonny’s thumb. Problem is, Dex has a soft spot for Sonny. Meanwhile, looks like there still may be a future for Dex and Josslyn (Eden McCoy) as the two are trying to mend their once-fractured relationship.

Michael Fairman TV caught up with Evan Hofer at the 51st annual Daytime Creative Arts and Lifestyle Emmys (in which Hofer was a presenter during the ceremonies), to discuss the current life and times of his Port Charles alter-ego.

Photo: DHoferIG

Evan has now gotten to see and feel first-hand what is like working in soaps and television, when you have to wear prosthetics on your face after Sonny accosted Dex at Brook Lynn and Chase’s wedding reception.

Hofer recalled the experience. “Our makeup team is incredible. Priscilla, my makeup artist is just so talented. She layered silicone every day so she could control the swelling, so that way, she would have control over how it looked as it progressed and, you know, decreased, increased,” Hofer revealed. “She was incredible and very, very detailed.”

Paying a nod to actors who have to take on TV or movie roles where they have to wear complete facial prosthetics, Evan shared, “I do not envy people who wear full face prosthetics. I think my longest tape day was probably seven hours in it. I got a little claustrophobic. It does cause you to have a lack of of depth perception, which is a rough one.”

Photo: ABC

Hofer weighed-in on if he thinks Dex will ever turn in Sonny and press charges against him for his character’s recent beatdown. “I hope he doesn’t. It’s hard though, because he loves him (Sonny) and that’s the problem,” stated Evan. “That’s what we do with people we love. It’s almost an abusive parent relationship, isn’t it? I have this theory that Dex almost feels like he deserves these things.”

Now might be the time for the GH writers to explore more of Dex’s backstory which could include a backstory of abuse. “I really would love them to. I think it’d be incredible,” hoped Evan. However, he added, “I’m just grateful for whatever I get to do every day and excited for whatever story we get to tell.  Something like The Departed – undercover with the mob- would be cool (for a storyline), and then everybody’s wondering which side I’m on the whole time.”

Photo: ABC

Is there hope for Dex and Josslyn fans that they will still may be each other’s love endgame? Hofer teased, “I think they start spending a little more time together, but who knows what’ll happen. You never know on a soap opera. Maybe Dex’s evil twin will show up and steal Josslyn away.”

Photo: ABC

A few months back, Evan shared some major scenes with the one and only Finola Hughes (Anna). In story, Dex admits he was going to kill Cyrus on Sonny’s orders. Hofer shared it was a big moment for him since his time being on GH. “What an honor to get to do those scenes with Finola. I had only worked with her once before and that was when Dex broke her out of prison and he got shot the first time,” recalls Hofer. “She’s all about working the scenes ahead of time, which I am, too. We got to get a lot of reps in and when we get up there on stage, she’s incredibly affecting. I’ll kind of have an idea of maybe of how the scene will go, and then I’ll just look in her eyes and suddenly I am just so in a different space that she’s pulled me into. In those scenes, having Dex feel like someone cares about him was really beautiful.”

Photo: ABC

Recently, Giovanni Mazza premiered as Gio. In Hofer’s first on-screen scenes with Mazza, the two talk about Gio’s dad having been in the military and Dex’s experience in the Army and serving in Afghanistan.

This raised some GH viewers eyebrows to what if the two characters could somehow be related? Perhaps, brothers? Evan responded to those inquiring minds, “Oh, I don’t know. We look pretty alike. There is the military connection. I think it’ll be interesting. Those first scenes we had together were incredible. I was so excited to work with Geo. He couldn’t be any nicer really. He’s an incredible person. He’s so easy to be around. We hang out outside of work all the time, already.”

Photo: JPI

Does Evan think there will come a day where Jason (Steve Burton), Dex and Sonny will all be working together on the same side, and thus, Sonny will have both his former henchman at his disposal?  While Hofer doesn’t know what’s coming down the pike, he expressed, “It’s been incredible to have Steve around. He’s a really wonderful man. I’d only met him on Zoom previously to him coming back.  I hope we get to work together more. We got one batch of scenes together and I hope we get to do more soon.”

Photo: ABC

As to what GH viewers should be on the lookout for in the weeks ahead, Evan teased, “We’ll see what Joss and Dex get into, and we’ll see what happens within the police department.”

So, are you rooting for Dex and Joss? Do you want Dex back working for Sonny, or hope he stays with the PCPD? Would you want to see more of Dex’s backstory explored? Comment below.

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Video Du Jour

Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

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