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Hamilton's Renee Elise Goldsberry On Her Time On One Life to Live: "It Was A Beautiful Experience"

Courtesy/AOLBuild

Courtesy/AOLBuild

Tony nominee and former One Life to Live star, Renee Elise Goldsberry (Ex-Evangeline Williamson) sat down for a very special half hour edition of the one-on-one AOL Build interview series.

Goldsberry, who is wowing audiences every night on Broadway as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton, may just take home her first Tony when the awards are handed out next Sunday night,  June 12th on CBS.   Goldsberry is nominated in the Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical Category.

During her AOL Build interview, in which the host noted that the studio was packed for Renee, and one of the most highly-attended, Goldsberry discussed her time in Llanview and how important her daytime soap experience, and the fans, have been to her success.

Renee on what she learned from her time as One Life heroine Evangeline:  “I was on One Life to Live for four years and it was a beautiful experience, and another wonderful family of people  …  another dream come true .. and another really awesome opportunity to learn.  I learned so much about acting on a soap opera.  Fortunately, we get so much opportunity to fail – it’s trial and error.  When there are five hours of show a week, just the pace of that is fantastic and crazy.  So that was one of the great things about it, but one of the other great things about it was learning about ‘the rooting factor’.  Meaning, who is the audience rooting for?  It serves me in everything I do, whether i am Nettie in The Color Purple, or Geneva Pine in The Good Wife, or whether I’m Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton.   It’s always my job as an actor for you to understand what I am doing, because that is what ‘the rooting factor’ is, and I am always going to be trying to get that from the audience.  So that is another thing I learned from One Life to Live.  And then I have to say  … the fans.  I still have a lot of them and the medium of daytime knows that the currency is really the fans, and I am excited that we had Broadway-Con this year.  I’m excited that we are learning that the greatest resources we have in the theatre are the fans.”

When asked if the One Life to Live fans have been like, “Excuse me, Hamilton fans! We knew about her a long time ago!”, Goldsberry replied: “Back in the day, we had soap operas in New York City.  We don’t have that anymore and it makes me want to shed a tear.   So the actors were all theatre people.  It was not a stretch to go see your favorite actor on a soap opera at night in a Broadway show, or at an Off-Broadway show somewhere.  They have always been a very savvy audience the daytime people, and they will support you doing anything.  If you want to write a book … if you want to put a clothing line together … whatever you do they will support it, and that is what I feel about the theatre fans as well.”

Watch the complete AOL Build with Renee Elise Goldsberry after the jump! Then let us know what did you think of Renee’s comments about the soap opera fans?  Working on One Life?  Will you be watching the Tony’s with excitement to see if Renee takes home her much-deserved first Tony for Hamilton? Comment below!

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Miss her and OLTL…

Me, too!

Loved everything she said! I was always rooting for Blair, not Evangeline, but I’m still a fan. Hope she wins the Tony! And I sure wish they would bring back the NY soaps!

I love Renee, great actress. Y&R need to recast the role of Drucilla winters with Renee. She would be terrific as the new Drucilla.

Renee is a truly gifted actress and singer. I loved Evangeline on One Life to Live. I always felt Evangeline was a much better match for John McBain than flighty Natalie. I know. I’m in the minority there. I was so sorry when she left OLTL. New York theater actors brought the very best to daytime drama. I definitely miss their spark.

Have my fingers crossed that Renee wins her Tony award and wish her continued mega success in everything she does.

I liked her with John too.

I say recast the actress who plays GH’s Jordan with Renee. The current Jordan acts silly and ridiculous, like a primping schoolgirl rather than a serious and dignified police chief. Renee would be perfect. Moreover, she could be paired up with Michael Eastman again.

You’re so NOT in the minority! There are PLENTY of us who wanted John with Evangeline. There were plenty of us who knew that John’s true love was Evangeline. We know that John settled for Natalie because she didn’t have any standards.

At the time, John couldn’t be the man that Evangeline deserved. Natalie, on the other hand, simply wanted John any way she could have him. She required nothing, and basically got nothing in return.

Go, Renee! I’m so rooting for her to win the Tony!

I absolutely loved her as Evangeline and Jovan will always be OTP.
They had this magnetism that drew them to one another it was breathtaking. She challenged John and that chemistry… Damn! So pleased for her!!

Very, very grateful for your support for the daytime genre, Renee Elise Goldsberry. Good luck at the Tony’s. I hope you win!!!!!

Towards the end of the interview Renee says that Phylicia Rashad is one of her theatre heroes. Coincidentally, Phylicia also played a strong black female lawyer on One Lofe to Live.

I really enjoyed this interview and am so happy that Renee is garnering the accolades we all know she deserves.

She’s a class act and a major talent, and not enough good things can come her way.

And I surely do and always will, miss OLTL.

I hope she wins!

News

Robin Strasser Meets Kristen Alderson’s Baby Kiera in a One Life to Live Reunion

For years, Robin Strasser (ex-Dorian) and Kristen Alderson (ex-Starr) have been the best of friends and the best of co-stars. On One Life to Live, Kristen was only six-years-old when she began her journey as Todd and Blair’s daughter and met the iconic Strasser.

Now in 2024, Kristen is a new mom to her baby girl, Kiera. Strasser, who lives in New York, along with her best friend, John, traveled to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, just a few days ago to visit the Alderson family and spend the day with Kiera.

Taking to her Instagram a very happy Kristen shared, “Look at who came to visit today! Robin & her bestie John! Robin and I got all misty eyed when she met Kiera today!”

Photo: JPI

In a very touching part of her post, Alderson expressed, “Robin is such a special person in my life, it means so much to me that we’re as close as we are. She’s just the best❤️ A great day of laughs & a great brunch spread😍”

Robin added, “I’ve been smiling since I met her. I’m a big softie for babies, but what a doll Kiera is!” The Daytime Emmy-winning star, also shared, “I’m so grateful for my ongoing friendship with Kris and Kathy. Amazing women and loyal friends!”

What do you think about Kristen and Robin’s enduring friendship and recalling their time on One Life to Live? Comment below.

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General Hospital

Nancy Lee Grahn’s Star-Studded ALS Fundraiser Reveals “I’ll Be There” Video Featuring Soap Opera Notables

Talk about your impressive line-up! It’s a soap fans dream and for a great cause. General Hospital’s Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) is prepping her one-night only ALS fundraiser which will feature many of her friends and co-stars.

The benefit is set for May 4th in Glendale, California. Slated to participate are Genie Francis, Jane Elliot, Peter Bergman, Maurice Benard, Eileen Davidson, Thorsten Kaye, Michelle Stafford, Stephen Nichols, Rena Sofer, Jason Thompson, Kelly Monaco, Melissa Claire Egan, Maura West, Kristina Wagner, Gregory Harrison, Trevor St. John, Kate Mansi, Kirsten Storms, Cynthia Watros, and many others.

On Wednesday, Grahn took to her social media and released an “I’ll be there” video shout-out featuring, Monaco, Elliot, Bergman, Bernard, West, Harrison, St. John and more. In a touching and important moment in the new video, Michelle Strogny, who is battling ALS, is featured.

Photo: ABC

Previously, in speaking with Soap Opera Digest on the impetus of the event, Grahn recalled, “I was actually doing Zoom events during Covid and I met this woman that I just fell in love with, Michelle Strojny. At the time, Michelle had been living with ALS for four years. Now, it’s five years. She is a mom of a teenage son, she has the most wonderful husband, and she has been dealing with this [disease] for quite a while. And obviously, there isn’t a cure yet. It’s not survivable yet. But as she says, it’s not incurable. Nothing is; it’s underfunded. But anyway, I just really dug this woman. She is so grounded and filled with grace, and she spends all of her time working to raise money for the cause. We did a fundraiser for her last year and then I thought, ‘You know what? The soaps don’t ever get together to do something for charity.’ Collectively, we have this amazing community and we don’t collectively use it for a good cause, and I think it’s such an easy thing for us to do and we could potentially really make a difference.”

As GH viewers know, Gregory Harrison is playing the character of Gregory Chase, who is also battling ALS in a touching storyline that is currently playing out shedding a light on this disease.

For information on Nancy’s event, including the stars who are s scheduled to participate click here. To purchase tickets to the event click here.

Check out the video featuring Nancy’s friends and co-stars below.  Now let us know, your thought son the line-up for the benefit and helping raise awareness and funds for ALS research via the comment section.

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General Hospital

‘General Hospital’ Writer Shannon Peace Let Go, and Shares on Sprina: “One of My Only Regrets is to Not Have the Opportunity to Develop That ‘Ship’ Further”

As General Hospital’s new head writing team of Elizabeth Korte and Patrick Mulcahy gets off the ground and running, there are still changes a foot on the writing team.

Now comes word via breakdown writer Shannon Peace that she is no longer on contract with the long-running ABC soap heading into its 61st season. Peace shared a heartfelt message on her Instagram, thanking the fans, and the show for the opportunity and the importance of diversity in the writers room.

Peace began, “After almost 3 years on staff and 106 episodes penned, I am no longer on contract with General Hospital. Writing for this country’s longest running television serial drama has been an education of epic proportions; I will forever be grateful that I earned my WGA card on a daytime fixture that holds memories for so many.” (Peace pictured below with GH EP Frank Valentini and script writer, Charlotte Gibson from about ten months ago).

Photo: SPeaceIG

Shannon added “Even more importantly, as the sole Black breakdown writer (and only POC in the writers room) during my tenure, I pushed for vital interactions and discussions that prioritized inclusion, visibility, and representation”

The writer pointed to the example of vital interaction when in story, “Stella and Portia’s frank July 2022 conversation about the role race played in Esme’s framing of Trina is just one example of the impact I’m gratified to have had.”

Acknowledging former GH co-head writers was also part of Peace’s farewell expressing, “Appreciation to my former bosses, Chris Van Etten and Dan O’Connor – not only taking a chance on me, but for valuing my opinion and championing my voice.”

Courtesy/ABC

Many GH fans know that Peace was key to the development of the love story between Trina Robinson and Spencer Cassadine as played by Tabyana Ali and Nicholas Chavez. Shannon gave a special shout-out to ‘Sprina’ fans, “I also want to thank fans who were supportive of my work, especially the recognition of my love for ‘Sprina’. One of my only regrets is not having to develop that ‘ship’ further.”

She concludes her statement with,”In the aftermath of a historic writer’s strike that shed new light on the troubling ways writers are regarded in daytime, my sincere hope is that General Hospital recommits to valuing staff writer efforts and input, with a more intentional focus on diverse viewpoints — and thrives for another 60 years.”

Accompanying her post, Shannon added, “Thank you all for the love and support these last few years. I hope GH fans get all they hope for and more!”

So, what do you think about GH not renewing Shannon’s contract? Will there be more continued changes afoot? What do you think is the future of ‘Sprina’ anyway at this point as viewers wait to see if Nicholas Chavez officially returns to the show?  Comment below.

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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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