By Michael Fairman

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP
You have here a new addition to the Luckinbill clan.   Introduce Australia to your new son!

THAD:
The baby’s name is Rowe.

AMELIA:
Thaddeus Rowe.  He is a big boy!

THAD:
He first weighed in around 8 lbs 21 inches, I believe.

TV SOAP:
So, Amelia, you bring Rowe to the studio with you and he stays in the dressing room. How has that been working out for you and Thad?

AMELIA:
Well, it’s been great having him so close by.  The only thing was, one time Thad and I were on set doing a scene and we heard this baby cry off set.  We looked at each other terrified that it was Rowe.  We come to find out it was the baby who was playing Victoria’s newborn son, Reed.  He was crying off-camera.

THAD:
Yeah, it can get a little intense sometimes.

TV SOAP:
Amelia, how is your other son, August, who’s now 11. (From previous marriage to actor, Michael Weatherly)  How is he handling the new big brother role?

AMELIA:
He loves it.  August is going to be his much older big brother.  But it is so wonderful.

TV SOAP:
As many fans know, they put Victoria in a coma for a long time, allowing time for your maternity leave.  Finally, she wakes up and is ready for a ‘quickie’ wedding with JT.  What is the rationale behind the race to the altar?

AMELIA:
The characters, as it was written, did not want to waste their lives anymore, so they wanted to get married right away and be husband and wife. We don’t’ want to waste a minute, because Victoria was sick.

TV SOAP:
Thad, how was the wedding tape day?  Sometimes, as on-screen weddings go on soaps, they can be long and arduous workdays.

THAD:
No, it was actually not too long.  It was an easy day,

TV SOAP:
We heard you wore a very famous, “Y&R” wedding gown from the past?

AMELIA:
It was Nikki’s old gown.  It is designer Badgley Mischka’s creation.  It was pretty and nice.

TV SOAP:
Recently, they had Victoria talking slow and fumbling around after waking up from her coma.  Was that part of the recovery difficult to play?

AMELIA:
I can remember the producers put up a website for me to read about people recovering from Comacide.  I looked at it and it said, ”After waking up from one, sometime people have a hard time walking.  Also, they talk really slow and also slur their words.”  I don’t know how to slur my words without talking really silly.  So, that is what they made me do it.

TV SOAP:
But now, Victoria seems to have regained back all her functions at a rapid rate, don’t you think?

AMELIA:
Oh yes, I moved on quickly. (She laughs)

THAD:
She is very articulate. (He laughs)

AMELIA:
It was taking too much time, and it was really boring to watch me talk slow.  (She laughs)

THAD:
People were falling asleep on couches all over America.  (He laughs)

AMELIA:
I would go, “Am I better now?” And the production booth would go, “Yes, just hurry up!”

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TV SOAP:
For a very long time, the two of you remained tight-lipped about your real life romance. Tell us about how the relationship came about.

AMELIA:
It’s self-explanatory.

TV SOAP:
The connection happened and then…..?

AMELIA:
We were friends first and I knew him from around here. We hung out a little bit and had a lot in common.  Sometimes, you know someone for a while, and you really don’t know how much you have in common with them. Then one day, somebody says something and you go, “Wait.  That’s how I feel, too. And then one thing led to another.”

TV SOAP:
But, to everyone on the outside looking in, it looked as though your relationship happened very fast.  Was that true? It was fairly fast though?

THAD:
We kept a lot of the relationship quiet.  To be quite honest, not a lot of people at “Y&R” knew we were even dating.  So, it was kind of a shock to some of the cast when they found out. We had actually been seeing each other for quite awhile before then.  We are just really sly! (He laughs)

AMELIA:
We were just trying to be professional.

THAD:
Professional, yeah, we are both private people and I always like to keep things quiet.

TV SOAP:
Thad, what qualities or attributes attracted you to Amelia?

THAD:
Oh, there are so many to talk about.  As far as “Y&R” goes, Amelia is easily everyone’s favorite person here.  Everyone here loves her personality.  She is bubbly, and she has a way with people.  Obviously, I was drawn to that and with the whole package.  It goes on to everything in our lives that have been very similar… to the way we were raised and what we like.

TV SOAP:
Some Hollywood couples never make it because of the demands and pressures of the business.  Now that both of you are married, do you think it might cause an obstacle in the relationship if one was to leave “Y&R”, and the other one stayed or took another gig?

AMELIA:
It’s probably just in line with any other types of problems couples face.

TV SOAP:
I don’t think it would be a problem.

AMELIA:
Yes, I don’t think it would be a problem.  I am secure in our relationship.

TV SOAP:
Thad, what can fans look forward to from JT?

THAD:
I don’t know.  Hopefully, this year, they write a great story for Amelia and me.

AMELIA:
I think they are writing material for JT, where he is dealing with being a new father and all of a sudden being a Newman.  That is the stuff I see!  There are undertones of him being a Newman and getting involved with my father’s company, which can be a whole story in itself.  JT gets drawn into all things Newman from there.

TV SOAP:
What’s next for Victoria?

AMELIA:
She is going to work at the offices right away, after her coma.

THAD:
I think, for JT, Amelia is right.  It will be a whole new switch in professions and he gets into a whole new environment.  He has always been a little bit of a loose canon, and a rebel with a cause. We will see how he fits into the corporate structure.

AMELIA:
It should be interesting!

TV SOAP:
Over the last year, viewers have noticed a shift in the scenes on “Y&R” and the pace. They are much shorter and quicker than in the past.  Do you like the shorter scenes, or do you prefer the ones with more substance?

AMELIA:
When I first started, I came in at the tail end when they were writing those huge scenes.  I was overwhelmed by the dialog, and then I got the flow of it.  I found the shorter ones were a lot easier, but I thought the longer scenes were much more interesting.

THAD:
I agree.  I think you are going to see with the current writing staff, a change back to that. It may not go all the way back to what it used to be, but maybe some sort of compromise.  I start to see that in the scripts right now.  I see the scenes are a little longer and they have a little more substance to them.

TV SOAP:
Will Victoria and JT stay together?  Or, do you think the writers will wreck them as a couple?

AMELIA:
I think they will stay together for a while before they wreck it.  Look at how long I was with Brad!  It went on for years almost, and that was not even a good, true love story.  At least, I don’t think it was.

TV SOAP:
Fans in Australia want to know how it is working with Aussie, Tammin Sursok, the newest Colleen!

THAD:
She is great!  It has been strange for me to be here for 7 years now, and see so many actors and characters come and go. I have seen different people play the same role, and with Tammin, it’s nice to play with her.  She does a great job in that part.

TV SOAP:
Amelia, Josh Morrow (Nick) has some emotional moments while Victoria lay comatose. What did you think of those?  Oh, wait; you could not even open your eyes to see them!

AMELIA:
I heard the work.  Everyone did a great job.  They all came in and would do those huge monologues.  It’s easier when you are talking to someone who is asleep, though.  As an actor, I always find it that way.

TV SOAP:
Thad, of your time on “Y&R” do you have a favorite JT moment?

THAD:
I actually have to say, just because I am a guy and I love action, and we never get action on the show, was when JT had to carry Colleen out of this burning fire and things were falling on me.  It was actually a taxing scene.  I remember going, “I want to be an action-hero.”

TV SOAP:
Would you like to be doing an action-adventure feature film?

THAD:
No.  It’s just fun as a guy.  It’s like you want to do war movies or something stimulating like that.

TV SOAP:
Do you mean like the macho face- off, JT basketball scenes?

THAD:
I don’t know when they caught wind I play basketball.  I tell you what happened.  The fans really liked this initial scene where Korbell and JT played basketball. They loved the competition.  So then, they kept writing it over and over again.  They catch wind upstairs and that’s what happens!

TV SOAP:
Amelia, what are some of your favorite Victoria moments?

AMELIA:
It’s none of the stuff you see on TV, it’s the stuff you don’t see.  Like when we have scenes in the Newman house with Eric Braeden (Victor), Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) and Josh.  They all goof around a lot, so it’s fun.  I remember when I first came on the show I was terrified of all of them pretty much.  I was just sure that they hated me as Amelia because I was replacing Heather Tom (Ex-Victoria).   I was pretty sure I was hated all around.  It’s fun to be with them all now, knowing that they love me and care about me.  We have a good time.  We can make fun of the dialog, goof around, and then ultimately pull it together.

TV SOAP:
Do you guys pull pranks?

AMELIA:
Just jokes, no pranks.  As far as the character, I can’t think of anything that was my all-time favorite.

THAD:
She has not had her action scene yet!

AMELIA:
Well, my action scene was in the Clear Springs storyline when the ice cube hit me on the head.  I did not even get to do that because I was pregnant, and they had a stunt double! (She laughs)

TV SOAP:
Do you mean that funny-looking pebble that hit Victoria when she came out of the tunnel that caused her coma?

AMELIA:
Yes, the piece of Styrofoam!

THAD:
Tell me you did not think that was funny? (He laughs)

AMELIA:
We laughed. (She laughs)

THAD:
We had worked so many long hours; it was like we were all delirious.

AMELIA:
They were like, “It’s lame.  Let’s just go to the next scene, and go to the next.”  We were all so tired by then.

TV SOAP:
Since you began here at “Y&R” who has been most helpful to you, or whom did you bond with?

AMELIA:
My friend, the “Y&R” make-up artist, Patty Denney.  She is great!

THAD:
Initially when we first started, I was close with David Lago. (Ex-Raul)  He and I had a neat friendship. We helped each other outside the show, as well.  So, I definitely would have to say, it was him.