On-Air On-Soaps caught up with some of the dazzling stars of Revenge, and the executive behind the scenes, to get some inside scoops of what is to come, how they like working with each other, why the series has become such a runaway hit, their thoughts on daytime soaps, and of course, some dishy and fun tidbits! These steamy stars truly know how to show us … The art of revenge!
Today, our chitchat with Henry Czerny who plays Conrad Grayson, whose rocky marriage to Victoria will certainly be even more tested in upcoming episodes! Henry payed homage to the daytime soaps, talked about his amazing co-star Madeleine Stowe (Victoria) and gave us an insight into the character he plays.
Why do you think people are responding to Revenge?
HENRY: I think people respond to Revenge for a myriad of reasons, and it’s hard to contemplate that there is just one. First of all, I think the writing has style and substance with its style, and I think those two elements together always make it intriguing. I think the execution of the scripts is terrific. I am not talking about the acting, but the technical side of things. We have well-built sets and the costumes are very well taken care of. It matters a great deal. Also, the daytime soaps have been phased out, so there is a huge audience there who want that genre to be back and in full force.
How is it working with Madeleine Stowe?
Courtesy/ABC
HENRY: The scenes with Madeleine Stowe are incredibly rewarding to do because of the way they are written and what we expect to be explored and shared within those scenes. They are very challenging and very rewarding at the same time.
What is the hardest part of playing Conrad?
HENRY: The hardest part for me is to talk to the people who are Conrad. And, if we go one way or another with Conrad, then we lose the people that we are talking to, if we want to talk to those people. Especially, if we want to talk to the Conrad’s out there and go, “What is going on with you? How are you processing this stuff?” If he is too much one way or the other, than you lose that interest in the character, cause then people can simply say, “That is not me.” It’s to put people in his skin, which is very difficult to do in this genre and the most challenging.
Do you and Madeleine laugh when they yell, “cut”, especially when the two of you play the very unhappy couple, The Graysons?
HENRY: Sometimes we will laugh after a scene, as any couple might do the next day after they just had a huge fight. They might look at each other and go, “What the hell were we at each other’s throats about yesterday?” But Madeleine and Henry are never at each other;s throats. But drumming that up before we shoot a scene, I notice there will be a different energy with Madeleine that I have with the other characters of course, because there is so much at stake for Conrad and Victoria. And that has to be present in any of the scenes we shoot.
What do you think Madeleine would say about you?
HENRY: She would say, “He’s very silly.”
You had mentioned the daytime soap audience losing their daily dramas in the afternoon. Do you think the cancellation of some of them has helped Revenge become the success it is?
Photo Credit: Kathie Hutchins
HENRY: First of all, my wife loves soaps. She has been going through withdrawal losing so many of them, and of course, she loves to watch Revenge. I think she is a part of a large audience who is missing a large part of that genre. And needless to say, Revenge is that genre with a twist and with some deeper resonating themes. It’s a darker soap.
Can you preview anything coming up?
HENRY: I can only tell you, it gets more and more intriguing, and more and more impossible to not watch and to figure out. But you know what? If you looked back at your life ten years ago and imagined what you saw coming and what actually came, you would be shocked. That is what Revenge is about. It’s shocking what shows up in a day!
An all-new episode of Revenge airs Wednesday, April 18th (10PMEST) on ABC called “Doubt” Here is the lowdown: Daniel’s imprisonment sends Victoria to depths that no one thought possible, as the surprise return of a past love (James Purefoy as Dominik Wright) provides a destructive but welcome distraction from her family’s struggles. Meanwhile, Jack’s search for Amanda grows more desperate as he comes under suspicion for murder, on “Revenge.”
(WATCH) B&B’s Katherine Kelly Lang and Annika Noelle Talk Lead Actress Emmy Nominations and Brooke and Hope’s Mother/Daughter Relationship
May 2, 2024
Two of The Bold and the Beautiful’s leading ladies, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) and Annika Noelle (Hope), are in the running for the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series at the upcoming 51st annual Daytime Emmy Awards.
Original series star Lang, along with Noelle, play mother and daughter on the series, which makes for an interesting dynamic on-screen and off. For Katherine, this marks her fourth Daytime Emmy Acting nomination. She previously won a producer Emmy for Venice the Series, and for Annika, this is her first Lead Actress nomination after previously scoring a nod in the Supporting Actress category.
On B&B, Brooke and Hope have had a rocky road this past year, with Brooke disapproving of Hope giving into her feelings and desires for Thomas (Matthew Atkinson), and the dissolution of her marriage to Liam (Scott Clifton). Meanwhile, Hope watched Brooke have marital troubles with Ridge (Thorsten Kaye), in part to Taylor (Krista Allen), only for her to win him back.
Photo: HutchinsPhoto
The two actresses chatted with Michael Fairman for an exclusive livestream interview this week on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel where they shared their thoughts, reactions and scenes from their nominated reels, how they see the current climate between Brooke and Hope, and much more. Below are some excerpts from the conversation.
Katherine, what are your thoughts on getting a Lead Actress nomination as this point in your career?
KATHERINE: I think it’s great. I was so happy to be nominated. It was unexpected, but I was really happy about it. Of course, I think everybody wants to be nominated, or get an Emmy at some point in their life, especially if they’ve been on a show for a very long time and you put a lot of work in. You do many, many scenes and hopefully, good enough scenes to be able to be nominated, and get in into the running. But yes, it’s hard to me. It’s hard every time when it comes around. I get anxiety whenever Emmy-time comes around.
Photo: JPI
What scenes were on both of your nominated reels?
KATHERINE: I just submitted the two back to back shows that I had between Brooke and Taylor (Krista Allen). It was when their relationship came to an end because they became friends, which was really nice. They swore off Ridge, which was great, and they had a nice relationship for a little while. But then, Brooke finally realized Taylor still had her sights on Ridge and this wasn’t going to work. So, she ended the relationship with Taylor. At that point, she really had it with Taylor, because she really trusted her and she really liked their friendship. She was shocked to find out what Taylor was still doing and how she still wanted Ridge in the end. And so for Brooke, there was no going back after that.
Photo: JPI
ANNIKA: My reel launched into Hope’s denial of “I’m nothing like you, mom. I have a solid marriage.” Cut to Liam confronting her about what happened in Rome and the choices that were made there. And then Brooke walking in on her and Thomas together and mother/daughter going toe to toe, and then finally kind of wrapping it up with Hope just coming into her own and just not being so swayed by other people’s choices.
Is it difficult for you to chose to enter into the Daytime Emmy race?
KATHERINE: I don’t want to do a competition, because we do this for a living, because we love it. I think if you don’t love it, you won’t be here for very long. So, it just feels weird in a way that it has to be a judging where everybody’s judged against each other. I don’t like that feeling because I like it all to be about family, which it is. Sometimes in a competition it can get kind of of strange. So to me, the prize is just coming to work every single day, getting to work with wonderful people like Annika, everybody in the office, the producers, the writers, the directors, the crew, and just working with everybody. It’s wonderful how we all work so well together and just being able to do something that I love to do every single day and play this character of Brooke on a TV show on CBS.
ANNIKA: I would have never thought in a million years you would get anxious from it. For me, it’s very obvious that I get very anxious.
Photo: JPI
Katherine, what do you recall about Annika when you first met her and then shared scenes with her, after having Kim Matula as her predecessor in the part?
KATHERINE: Honestly, it was super easy to work with Annika. She just fell right into the character. I loved her immediately and her energy. Actually, I got to read with her. I loved her, even then in the reading. I was kind of mesmerized with her, like her eyes. She’s very innocent, open face, and you can feel her. I loved Kim Matula, too, who played Hope before Annika, and there was a little time between them. It was nice that they didn’t recast somebody right away, because that’s always kind of shocking. You want to give it a little time, and for the audience to accept it and to find somebody new and bring them on. People come and go andyou have to kind of go with the flow.
Annika, what was your first impression upon meeting Katherine?
ANNIKA: Oh, I understood that this was the legend who had been on the show since the beginning. I think you were my second callback. I think the first one I read with Scott Clifton (Liam). When they called me back again and they had me read with you, I remember I just opened the doors and she was just standing there. I was like, “Oh, Gosh. Okay. I’m reading with Katherine Kelly Lang.” She was very professional, knew her lines like back and forth, and she was saying the lines as if she was really the character. It wasn’t even like acting. That’s how good she is.
Photo: JPI
Where do you think Brooke and Hope’s relationship is at now?
ANNIKA: Brooke and Hope have maybe ironed out some misunderstandings. I think there’s still that little bit of Hope’s baggage or just unresolved trauma, or she needs to go see a psychiatrist about not wanting to become like her mother. I think she acted out in a lot of ways within the Thomas storyline.
KATHERINE: Brooke wasn’t happy with Hope and Thomas. She didn’t approve. Brooke’s a little bit more relieved and doesn’t have to deal with that pressure and can get back to the relationship with her daughter. I think they’re really good friends and I think they have a good understanding of each other and their positions within this relationship. I think it’s only going to get stronger and better, when they realize that they are two powerhouses together.
Photo: JPI
Remember when Brooke and Thomas had their psychedelic berry trip and we didn’t know if they slept together?
ANNIKA: I try not to think about it. (Laughs)
KATHERINE: Well, I loved it! I almost have to say that was my favorite fun story. In it, our plane crashed in the ocean and this was a huge production. They had made a pool inside a hangar, and then the pool was full with broken plane pieces, and we are sputtering up out of the water. It was dark and misty, they had the smoke, everything. It looked like a movie. So, we got to do that which was so much fun. When we were stranded on the island, we actually shot those scenes in Malibu. But, they also made a huge deserted island on set. It was humongous. It almost took up the whole stage, and that’s when Brooke and Thomas were high on berries, and the flowers would come out of the the cave. There were a lot of CGI effects. It was crazy and incredible. Adam Gregory was playing Thomas then, and we had a lot of fun. We never knew if Thomas and Brooke actually did it or not, but then it turned out they didn’t, because they realized it was like something in a dream.
ANNIKA: We like to keep things vague.
Photo: JPI
The show, at times, likes to pull out the classic line, “Slut from the Valley.” How do you feel about your character being called that when it was originated by Stephanie Forrester, who used to dig at Brooke?
KATHERINE: Do I mind, “Slut from the Valley?” I didn’t mind it when Stephanie (Susan Flannery) would say it, but I kind of mind it when other people say it. I thought that was Stephanie’s line, and that should just come from her.
Photo: JPI
Annika, one of the hottest topics on B&B’s fans mind in our live chat, is when Thomas returns from Paris, will he and Hope rekindle their relationship or is it truly over?
ANNIKA: I’m just as in the dark as everyone else about what is to come with that. So, I’m kind of waiting on pins and needles to see if we revisit it, or if Thomas has moved on. I’m just so curious to see what is to come. I think we’re going to find out very soon.
Check out the full video interview with Katherine and Annika below. Now let us know, do you enjoy the mother/daughter scenes between Brooke and Hope as played by Katherine and Annika? Are you rooting for one of them to win the Daytime Emmy for Lead Actress? What do you think will happen in the future for Brooke and for Hope? Weigh-in below.
Juliet Donenfeld is the Temporary Recast as General Hospital’s Georgie
May 2, 2024
Those who saw the GH preview for today’s May 2nd episode were a bit confused when they saw a young actress sitting with Lois (Rena Sofer) and Violet (Jophielle Love). As it turns out, that young girl is a recast Georgie.
Juliet Donenfeld is stepping into the role temporarily replacing Lily Fisher. As viewers know, Georgie is the young daughter of Maxie (Kirsten Storms) and Spinelli (Bradford Anderson) named after Maxie’s sister, Georgie who passed away.
According to Soap Opera News, Fisher will be back soon in the part.
As for Donenfeld’s credits, she has appeared as JJ in the Netflix’s WWE series The Big Show Show, Better Call Saul, Good Girls, Station 19, and Sydney to the Max to name but a few.
In addition, Juliet became the youngest nominee for an Annie Award, gaining recognition for voicing the character of Sally Squirrel in the Animated TV/Broadcast Production of Pete the Cat.
Watch today’s GH teaser below, and let us know your thoughts about Juliet as a recast Georgie via the comment section below.
‘Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit For Stand Up To Cancer’ Live Virtual Event Announced; Featuring Soap Opera Notables and Moving Tributes
May 2, 2024
Stand Up to Cancer in collaboration with Alan Locher and Michael Fairman, will come together for a a three-hour livestream benefit, Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story.
Several stars from from daytime drama television past and present are scheduled to participate for an evening of stories of emotional on- and off-screen experiences with cancer, and moving tributes to beloved daytime favorites who lost their battle plus musical performances.
Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer … We All Have a Story, streams live on Thursday, May 16, from 8 to 11 p.m. ET/5 to 8 pm PT simultaneously on StandUpToCancer.org and YouTube channels The Locher Room and Michael Fairman Channel.
Photos: CBS and JPI
Tune-in for cancer survivorship stories with General Hospital’s Cameron Mathison and The Young and the Restless’ Colleen Zenk, who will reflect on the impact of publicly sharing their diagnoses; 2024 Daytime Emmy nominee Eric Braeden, who shares his cancer journey as well his memories of beloved The Young and the Restless co-star Meg Bennett, who passed from cancer April 11; and more.
Moving tributes to soap stars who’ve lost their cancer battles, including: Daytime icon Jackie Zeman, who played nurse Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital for 45 years, shared by daughters Cassidy MacLeod and Lacey Gorden, a tribute to Elizabeth Hubbard who played the iconic Lucinda Walsh on As the World Turns and Dr. Althea Davis on The Doctors, as shared by her on-screen daughter Martha Byrne and real-life son Jeremy Bennett, two-time Emmy Award-winner Jerry verDorn (Guiding LightOne Life to Live), shared by widow Beth verDorn and his on-screen wife on Guiding Light, friend and co-star Liz Keife, the iconic Andrea Evans, who played Tina Lord Roberts on One Life to Live, shared by her husband Stephen G. Rodriguez and daughter Kylie Rodriguez and Kamar de los Reyes shared by his One Life to Live co-stars Michael Easton(General Hospital)Trevor St. John (The Young and the Restless).
Photo: MEastonFacebook
Poignant reflections from actors who have portrayed breast cancer survivors, including Sharon Case and Eileen Davidson from The Young and the Restless; Erika Slezak from One Life to Live; Tina Sloan and Kim Zimmer from Guiding Light and more.
Additional talent slated to participate in the virtual benefit include (*subject to change): Eddie and Kristen Alderson (One Life to Live); Elia Cantu (Days of Our Lives); The Day Players, Featuring Days of OurLives castmates Carson Boatman, Brandon Barash, Wally Kurth (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee), Eric Martsolf (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee); Kassie DePaiva (One Life to Live); Don Diamont (The Bold and the Beautiful); Linsey Godfrey (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee, Days of Our Lives); Leo Howard (Days of Our Lives); LesliKay (The Bold and the Beautiful); Eden McCoy (General Hospital); Kin Shriner (GeneralHospital); Michelle Stafford (2024 Daytime Emmy nominee, The Young and the Restless).
Courtesy/LaceyGorden
“Daytime television invites viewers into the private lives of characters, often bringing important issues like cancer screenings into living rooms and around water coolers. Soaps debuted the first cancer storyline in 1962 – years before the topic was discussed in the mainstream, and it left an indelible impact: a whole generation of women who scheduled a potentially life-saving Pap smear for the first time,” said Daytime Stands Up host Alan Locher. “For so many viewers, this brought the issue front and center,” added co-host Michael Fairman. “Today, it’s become almost impossible to avoid; but there is hope with cancer research, thanks to organizations like Stand Up To Cancer.”
SU2C Co-Founder Sue Schwartz, SU2C President and CEO Julian Adams, Ph.D., and SU2C Health Equity Committee Member Elizabeth Jaffee, M.D., will also participate to speak to the importance of early detection, exciting scientific breakthroughs, and the ongoing work yet to be done to make screenings and treatment equitable for all.
“This year, an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with cancer, presenting an opportunity for the public to stand with us and rise to the occasion,” said Adams. “We’re thankful to Alan Locher, Michael Fairman and our friends from the daytime television community, who will raise critical funding to honor those we’ve lost – and to propel new scientific breakthroughs for current and future patients. Everyone has a story, and we’re grateful to all of you for sharing yours.”
For over 15 years, SU2C has leveraged its relationship with the entertainment community – which includes more than 1,100 celebrity ambassadors – to generate public donations, increase awareness and fund cutting-edge cancer research. SU2C research has contributed to the development of more than 10 scientific breakthroughs that have significantly impacted the field and provided new treatment options for breast, colorectal, lung, melanoma, pancreatic, pediatric and prostate cancers.
Photo: SUTC
In support of the event, SU2C will also be launching a 10-day eBay silent auction, from May 16 through 26, for fans to bid on items, including a meet-and-greet experience with the cast of NBC’s Days of Our Lives; an autographed script from the cast of Young and Restless and signed merchandise from the Bold and Beautiful cast; a 1:1 video call with General Hospital’s Cynthia Watros, Maura West and Laura Wright, and with daytime legends Robert Newman, Vincent Irizarry, Colleen Zenk, and more. Full details will be shared the evening of May 16, on Stand Up To Cancer’s website.
Are you looking forward to this very special one-night only virtual event to help benefit cancer research and shed light on the stories, performances and lives of the people we love and have loved in daytime TV? Comment below.
Glad to see that he recognizes the withdrawal that the fans are going through over the loss of their soaps….