Interviews

The John McCook Interview – The Bold and the Beautiful

November 26, 2012

Photo Credit: Getty Images

Photo Credit: Getty Images

For the past 25 years fans of The Bold and the Beautiful have witnessed the ups and down of the show’s patriarch and matriarch, Eric and Stephanie Forrester. And now with the departure of series star and multiple Daytime Emmy winner, Susan Flannery (Stephanie) a new chapter will begin, but not before viewers, the characters and the actors themselves are put though the emotional ringer of having to say goodbye to this soap icon, and central figure to B&B’s ongoing drama.

And while Susan Flannery, and rightfully so, is receiving all the accolades for her bravura final performances, it is her on-screen partner John McCook (Eric) who has been doing some of his most subtle and heartbreaking work of his career. So what does John think the on-screen death of Stephanie will mean for Eric? A new lease on life? A deep grieving process? You will find out as On-Air On-Soaps sat down with John in his dressing room to get him to share his thoughts on the end of a 25-year plus on-screen relationship.

From Stephanie’s goodbye party to Susan and John’s final scenes, one thing is for certain; John feels a tremendous amount of respect for what Susan Flannery has meant to B&B and to the genre. However, as one door closes another one opens. Hopefully, this will give John the opportunity to explore new story arcs… and as he expresses, after the dust has settled… with the stunning departures and losses of both Ronn Moss (Ridge), his on-screen son, and Susan, his on-screen wife. The series is turning the page, but not before we all have a very good cry.

MICHAEL:

John, what did you think when you found out that there was going to be an on-screen party celebrating Stephanie’s life, which for all intent and purposes was going to be the vehicle for Stephanie, and for Susan Flannery, to say goodbye on-air to all the characters?

JOHN:

Courtesy/CBS

The premise of the party was Eric wanted to throw her a celebration of her life. Stephanie originally told Eric, “I don’t want to have a party. Everyone will just sit around and cry.” And he said, “No. Not like that… a real celebration of your life while you are still here to enjoy it.” So she decides to go for it, and then Stephanie comes up with the idea to handwrite invitations to people that she loves and that she wants to be there. So, she hand-delivers them personally to people, which was a wonderful device for our show, that as she delivers them to different people we see flashbacks of her with whatever character Stephanie is delivering the invite to.

MICHAEL:

Have you gotten to see any of those episodes? The one where she delivers the invite to Brooke, and the performances of Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) and Susan was fantastic.

JOHN:

Yes I have. It was a great opportunity to indulge in these flashbacks, instead of just sticking them in when she is dead. So instead of having a party where we go back and look at all of that, we do that beforehand. Eric is kind of the host and is the ringmaster of the party. He says to the guests, “No long faces! No crying. I want everyone to enjoy themselves. I know this is a difficult thing.” But then he sits down and serenades Stephanie at the piano with When Irish Eyes are Smiling, and then starts to cry himself. He does a short little rendition of it, but quietly, and it’s sad. And then Eric hired Celtic Woman, who came from far and wide to be at the celebration, and he brings them in from outside and they come in to the party and sing.

MICHAEL:

Did you know before this arc of the story that Stephanie was even Irish?

JOHN:

Courtesy/CBS

Well, I could tell from time to time with her temper! (Laughs) And, she can drink like an Irishmen! (Laughs) Brad Bell, our executive producer and head writer, said to me one day up in his office, “You’re Irish, right?” And I said, “Yeah. some, but I am Scottish mostly.”   Brad replies, “Good, because we are going to do this party…”   It wasn’t exactly out of nowhere, but it was. (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

Is Eric breaking inside? This has got to be so deeply painful for him dealing with the impending death of his beloved, Stephanie.

JOHN:

He and Stephanie decided to commiserate a lot before the party. We see them in the doctor’s office. They heard the news that her cancer had returned. They are mourning together. And as a couple and a team, they decide they are not going to do that anymore.   They decide, “Let’s show everybody that we can rise above this. Let’s be matter-of-fact about this, and try to get everybody to be as joyful as humanly possible.” Is he dying inside?   Of course, but only very little. It’s very important for him to have this whole thing be a celebratory thing for her and for everyone. They want to leave the party at the height of it, and they do. So Eric and Stephanie say goodbye, and everyone realizes it’s the last time they are going to see Stephanie, and she says, “When Eric comes back, he is going to be by himself. You are going to need to help him.” And, oh my goodness, we leave and we go away and she doesn’t return, and there you are. I am very pleased by the way that Brad and the show was able to handle this, and that Susan Flannery was gracious enough to be selfish as an actress in a good way, and that is to say, she said, “I want to play this! I don’t want you to sweep her death under the rug. I want you to kill Stephanie Forrester. I want to stay here and play it out, so that we have really wonderful drama.” Brad then rolled up his sleeves and created a really terrific way to salute her character, and salute Susan.

MICHAEL:

How was it for you and the rest of the cast to step on set and film those heart-wrenching and emotional goodbye party episodes?

JOHN:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

This was real and those feelings were real, when we look at one another in the scenes and indulge in the reality of losing our friend. It wasn’t just the characters losing Stephanie; it was also all of these actors losing Susan as an actor and everything else she brings to work. Susan brings a great deal to work. She takes up a lot of room, and she makes choices and she forces you to believe what you need to believe in a scene, and you argue with her if you think you are right. If you are right, then Susan will let you do it in a scene. But Susan is probably one of three of four most knowledgeable actresses on daytime television for this genre. What she knows about this type of material is more than all of us combined. I really give her that credit.

MICHAEL:

How was the taping of your final scenes with Susan?

JOHN:

It was wonderful. And as the two old war horses that we are, we love it when it is real. We have years and years of manufacturing, in our way, big emotions and big love, and being actors together.

MICHAEL:

Will Eric go through a deep grieving process?

JOHN:

So far, yes. When you lose a character like Ridge and you sweep it under the rug until you decide what to do, it’s not very fulfilling and it’s unsatisfactory. The audience is going to mourn the loss of this Stephanie character like crazy. You don’t sweep that under the rug. You mourn with them, and show how Eric mourns the loss, and how Brooke mourns her loss, and how Pam mourns her loss. These characters all of had relationships with Stephanie.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

There have been some recent scenes between you and Alley Mills (Pam) that have been very sweet. There was one in particular where Eric held her when she started to cry at work after Stephanie delivered more invitations to the party. Could it be that Pam and Eric could eventually develop a romantic relationship coming out of their grief and loss for Stephanie?

JOHN:

I think Eric and Pam will continue to enrich the relationship that they have, whatever that is. We wanted to indulge in that at the beginning when Pam first came on the canvas. At that point, they started to write a competition between the sisters for Eric. But then we got away from that. Pam is very sad about losing Stephanie. She says to Eric shortly before Stephanie passes, “Are you going to send me back to Chicago?” And he says, “What?” And she goes, “Well, I am not family here. I don’t have anybody here.” She then says, “Wait, and remember when I was in love with you?” And Pam just does not know what to say or do at the moment. She is like ten years old in those scenes. She is alone in the world now having lost both her mother and her sister. Eric says to her, “This is your family now.” There is sweetness between them that both Alley and I want to mine. I don’t know what is going to happen down the road, but certainly they can mourn together. My opinion is that Pam and Eric depended on Stephanie in a way that nobody else did. They can grieve in a way that is private, and in a way that nobody else sees or knows about. I would love for Eric to see Pam weeping on the floor at Forrester Creations, and for him to comfort her, and for her to comfort him through the loss of Stephanie.

MICHAEL:

We heard from many of your co-stars when Ronn Moss (Ridge) decided to exit the series so abruptly. Were you shocked by his decision to leave, and then Susan’s?

JOHN:

Susan has been talking about leaving for ten years and she never left. Of course not, she has been snarking about it for years! But when this negotiation began, Ronn, Susan, Katherine and I went out to dinner one night after taping the show. Ronn said at that meeting, “I am not going to stay.” And then Susan said, “I don’t know if I am either.” But in fact in the next coming weeks when Ronn’s deal did not happen, Ronn was willing to go. He was very excited about leaving. That is because he had the music thing going on and was looking forward to it. Ronn was not bitter, or angry, or anything like that. He felt that he had really given the show a lot and he loved doing it, and that it was time to turn the page and move on. We all said, “We respect that.” The fact that Ronn was being so honest with us, and did not hide it from us was really cool. Katherine was going, “Oh, my God!” And then Susan said, “I am going to leave! But I am going to go talk to Brad and tell him to kill my character. I will stay the weeks it will take to give my character a proper send-off.” She did not want to just go up to the toilet and not come back down for the next three months! (Laughs) I am very happy for what the show had done for her, and for the fans.

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

MICHAEL:

Now as B&B move into the future, there are only two of the “core four” original cast members and characters … played by yourself and Katherine Kelly Lang!

JOHN:

And then there was two … Katherine and myself.   On-screen, she and I cross paths in the night. She and I have not had scenes together about anything, about the kids, let alone our past relationship. Things have changed around here, though.   Katherine is in Susan’s old dressing room now. It’s refreshing for her to have a new environment. And, it is not about “getting” Susan’s room; it’s about having a new beginning for all of us. My dressing room has been cleaned up a bit. I have a parking space now, and I never had one before. Katherine has one now that is hers, too. This is not the beginning of the end for this show; it is the end of the beginning. We have turned the page … Katherine and me, and Hunter Tylo (Taylor) and the young couples, and the Spencer family. That is good. That has plugged in here very well. Don Diamont relishes the part of Bill Spencer. He has brought to the show a different flavor and spice that we didn’t have before. I salute that. And, to put Heather Tom (Katie) with Don is a brilliant move. I am glad that Rick (Jacob Young) is back, also!

MICHAEL:

With the current battle over the top spot of Forrester Creations raging on since Ridge is now off the canvas, don’t you think Eric should step in there and take the reins over Thomas and Rick?

JOHN:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

I hope I get to be a mentor in there and a referee, and get to step in there. We shall see. That is a very key part of losing Ronn Moss as Ridge.   Now it’s about who is going to run the business? It’s an international fashion house. I get that Thomas and Rick want to run the family business, but I think Eric needs to step back in.

MICHAEL:

What is your takeaway from working with Susan Flannery for these 25 plus years? Good, and or bad?

JOHN:

When I got here 25 years ago to do this show, I was armed and educated for what I needed to know to work with Susan Flannery, or anybody else. What I learned from Susan was how wonderful it is to trust another performer and another performer’s opinion, and what it is like for years and years to be dependent on each other’s talent, preparation, and commitment. Susan has stolen scenes from me over the years. I have been able to do that to her, too. When it happens, she goes, “O.K.” When she would do it to me, I would go home and yell at my wife, Laurette! (Laughs) I have had times when I wanted to play a scene a certain way and Susan absolutely refused. You pick your battles. Stephanie has been wearing the pants in the family for a long time. I have used the expression that Eric has been in Stephanie’s shadow quite a lot over the last few years on the show. So as an actor, I look at this as an opportunity to be, “all about me” for a minute, because that is what actor’s do. I relish the opportunity to be out in the light, and be part of the future here for a while.

MICHAEL:

We know viewers hope to see Eric really going through the appropriate stages of grief, and the isolation of that. Will we see that play out on-air?

JOHN:

Courtesy/CBS

We are just beginning to do that now. We have so many viewers that are more than 70 years old, and a lot of grown up viewers. Some of them have experienced this. So we can’t be cavalier about, “Oh, he is going to drink too much now and start having sex with younger girls.” I think that is kind of cliché, folks. That is soap opera cliché. We could do it and do it well, but let’s have Eric mourn in a real way, and be alone and feel what it is like to be left behind. I don’t think he feels he was ready to be left behind. Yes, your family is there for you. However, when you are alone in your house, it doesn’t matter how much your family loves you. At the end of the day she is not there anymore.

MICHAEL:

Clearly, you would tell fans to have their boxes of Kleenex ready as the final moments of Stephanie approach … and even past that?

JOHN:

No question about it. People have cried all ready just at the idea of losing Stephanie. I am going to even say, I think that would be true of any of your favorite beloved characters on any soap opera. When one of those dies, the show needs to honor that, and go there and indulge in that loss, and show the audience that, “Yes, we know how hard it is going to be, as in this case, for Stephanie not to be there.”

MICHAEL:

So when all is said and done, John, what direction do you hope B&B takes with Eric once Stephanie is no longer on the canvas?

JOHN:

Photo Credit: Gilles Toucas

What are they going to do with Eric? I am not sure. I know I will be rattling around that house for a while. Will Pam be there? Sure. But everybody else is going to be there too, trying to help Eric. Is he going to have a new relationship and get laid? Who cares! That is not what the story is about. What we need to do is show Eric being by himself for a while, and coming back into his work life for a while. Just about him trying to get through the day where he is thinking to himself, “Where is my coffee? Where is she? Where is my Martini?” These are sad things. It would be so funny for Pam to try to make a Martini for him, and for him to say, “I am never going to have a Martini ever again in my life.” And for her to say, “O.K.” and then she walks away, but then all of a sudden for Eric to say, “Do you know how to make a Manhattan?” (Laughs)

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Guest

k/kay

I hope they have the character of Eric and Brooke have some growth after all this I do not care to see either one jump into relationships. The one thing I would disagree with is Winsor Harmon has played Thorne the longest he should have a meatier role but maybe it is because I disdain the actor who plays Rick. The show will go on but I fear we will get back to the horrid teenybopper triangle. Mr. McCook has done some good work this last month.

Guest

CINDY MORRISON SCOTT

I love the show and have been watching it since the beginning. I’m ready to carry on with the young people and see what will happen with Liam, Steffy,and Hope. I’m already seeing Katie and new baby Will back together and Dollar Bill will follow. As for Brook, don’t know maybe she will be laid back and alone for a while like Taylor. Bring back Jackie and her gang. The next few weeks or months will be something to see. Like always I will be glued to the T.V. everyday at 12:30 on CBS. Great Show!!!!!

Guest

It appears that Eric will not be supporting Thomas. He sides with his snake-of-a-son Rick over Thomas every time, which is funny because Rick can’t design a dish cloth!

Many viewers would like to see the Logans – Brooke, Donna and Hope — gone from Forrester Creations and have the Douglas/Forester clan can pull together. Thomas is the star designer and Rick is supposed to have business savvy, too bad their bad blood will not allow them to work together.

Guest

GreatFlannery

I just watched the last episode of the great Flannery. KKL and SF both made incredible performances. For me this was really the end of The Bold and The Beautiful. The show lost a lot when the late great Darlene Conley passed away, but with SF in the key role, B&B stayed alive though show’s golden years were gone (90’s). It’s extremely sad to see Flannery retiring (she absolutely deserves it!!). In the last 10 years, she has been the only reason to watch this show that has become only a shadow of what it once was! Thank God we… Read more »

Guest

normadavis

Iagree susan was and is a great actress,. she was in another soap years ago but i cant rember which one and she wa great in that one to . SoSUSAN COME BACK TO SEE USin spirit on occasion,like john does on y&r. thank you for such great acting it was so beliveable

Guest

Robin

GR8 interview, Michael. I just watched the final Stephanie scene and am still sniffling. It’s hard to imagine the show without her. Still miss Ronn Moss. I hope that John McCook is right and the writers give us something different than expected soap mourning. I’d love to really see Brooke and Eric mourn before jumping in bed with new relationships, and more focus put on their characters not the teeny boppers (which has gotten old fast). I find myself missing Nick, Jackie and Bridget too. Enough of preachy Taylor and her “entitled” kids. BORING. But excellent writing here, Michael. You… Read more »

Guest

Julie Manning

I have watched this show from day 1 and I love Susan and Katherine. The writers did a wonderful job with the hate love relationship between these 2 women. I cried my eyes out today to see Stephanie go but I think it was wonderful that Brooke was with her. I hope to see more exciting things for this show so that I can watch for another 25 years.

Guest

Patrick Mulcahey

Nice interview, Michael. And I am one of McCook’s biggest fans.

Guest

Julie Manning

Guest

Terri

SUSAN I HAVE ENJOYED WATCHING YOU ON B & B, I HAVE WATCHED THE SHOW SINCE THE VERY FIRST SHOW IN 1987, SF WILL BE MISSED, I ALSO MISS RONN MOSS, HOPEFULLY YOU BOTH WILL HAVE A GREAT TIME IN WHEREVER LIFE TAKES YOU BOTH. I WILL MISS YOU BOTH BUT THE SHOW WILL GO ON & BE GREAT AS EVER, SO MANY NEW YOUNG CHARACTERS BUT THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER SF.

Guest

Earlene Cutter

I just want to say the very best to Susan for alll the years on t.v. You are one amazing lady B&B will not be the same without you May our LORD be with you and Bless you in whatever you intend to do love you Susan and will miss you

Guest

Kimberly Reid

Stephanie Forrester it was a pleasure watchin you on th B&B..
I wish you didnt have to leave the show, you really made my day
When i watch you on the show, you were a woman not to mess with..
Well all must come to an end.. I wish you luck in everthing you do…
You will be missed!! <3

Guest

Sharon Drame

I am so sad to see Susan leave I am glad though her and Brooke had quit feuding that was getting tiring I still dont understand why they gotr
id of Nick and Jackie they just quit showing them I wish they would bring them back. i was hoping they would do more with Deacon and Ambers characters it doesntlook like they will though,I wish I could write for them.

Guest

CINDY MORRISON SCOTT

Today was a great day for B&B. I cried and am still upset even through I knew it was coming that Stephanie would die on the show. I think Brook did a great job and I wonder if those tears were real because they sure looked real and always do when she cries. Great ending for a new beginning. Looking forward to all future shows with all the young and old . Thank you B&B . At one time I watched 2 soaps everyday but sometime way back I only tune in for the B&B and if I miss an… Read more »

Guest

Syreeta

These last couple of weeks have been hard I have road with BB for the entire 25 years ever since they took ove the Capital spot,even though the selfish side of me wants things to stay the same,with the oringinal characters, I understand that people must move on and make room for the next generation the next chapter,but it is still sad, we the viewers forget that these actors work as we do and there comes a time when wanting to retire kicks in, be it acting ,bus driving, people want to retire,people want to experience new horrizons,I wish Susan… Read more »

Guest

ethel

excellent interview michael!

Guest

Stephanie

WOW!!! What can I say. I have been there the whole 25 years of the show also. I think it is wonderful that they let Stephanie & Brooke end with a good relationship. Susan will be missed so much. She was one of those characters that you had a love/hate moment with. I like watching the new actors on the show but the old ones are the best. It is hard to replace those. I would love for NBC to make B&B a hour long Soap Opera. There seems to be a down fall on the Soaps now. I am… Read more »

Guest

normadavis

bold and beautiful is on CBS notNBC

Guest

Kristina

I really enjoyed this interview. I hope JM will get the chances to shine in the spot light again. When I watched the flashbacks and saw how beautiful his hair was I almost swooned. I remember those days so well. (He is still a handsome man but when he was salt-and-pepper he was so debonair.) The actors who have recently left will be missed, but I know that JM and the rest of the cast will make the show so interesting that we will all continue to wait impatiently for it to begin every week day! I am an Irish… Read more »

Guest

STEPHANIE

I have not seen the passing of Stephanie yet .here in Cyprus we are behind……….have watched entranced since 1987.in South Africa now here in Cyprus……………..I salute you Susan and thank you for the many many years of great entertainment i have enjoyed in my living room…will miss Ron too………Blessings and thanks to all at B AND B

Guest

normadavis

SUSAN SPASSING WAS A WONDERFUL SEND OFF DONE WITH PASSION WARMTH AND SO VERY WELL DONE WITH GRACE AND DIGNITY. THANK YOU WRITERS.

Guest

normadavis

MICHAEL. THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL INTERVEIW YOU DID ON THE bold&beautiful.

Guest

James

Is Eric going to leave the show and the people on there should let him be with the woman he wants in his life

Guest

Peggy Miller

In the Sept 30th episode di John Mccook leave the show?

Guest

dante williams

I don’t think he did, he said in an interview that he was glad to have frontburner for the first time in years. I think he just passed out again in today’s episode though.

Guest

Freeda Perera

I am from Sri Lanka, I am trying the best to contact John McCook and Stephanie for over 10 years. It’s a shame, because I am a very good fan of both of them. I cn even giv my personal no.0094767733195
Pls contact me. I love both of u.
God bless both of u
With love, Freeda

General Hospital

GH’s Laura Wright Talks on Mob Boss Carly and Her 30-Year Evolution in Daytime

June 2, 2021

She’s a fierce, force to be reckoned with, one who delivers raw and emotional performances time and time again, while never forgetting from where she came, and always willing to pass on to her newer co-stars’ the wisdom she gained from the grind of performing in front of the camera in the toughest acting genre there is … daytime drama.

General Hospital’s Laura Wright’s (Carly) real-life soap journey actually has a very humble beginning when in 1991 – fresh off a job at a gas station – she landed in Corinth and the role of Ally Rescott on ABC’s Loving. Up next, a jaunt to its re-imagined version, The City, until the series ultimate demise in 1997. But that was just an appetizer for soap fans of Wright’s burgeoning talent, when next she ventured to Springfield and CBS’ Guiding Light to take on the role of a stripper with a heart-of-gold who ultimately would be crowned a princess, Cassie Layne. Then, after a popular 8-year-run, she would head to General Hospital, and one of the most coveted roles in soaps, that of Port Charles’ Carly Corinthos following in the footsteps of powerhouse actresses, Sarah Brown and Tamara Braun. In her 20th year in daytime, Laura took home the gold for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series back in 2011, and that brings us to now. Next week on June 7th, marks Laura’s 30th year in daytime filled with memorable on and off-screen moments that she has cherished.

Meanwhile, currently on GH, Laura is getting to play Carly in a whole new set of circumstances as she enters her three-decade soap anniversary. In story, we find Carly stepping up to run the mob, now that she and everyone else believes her husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) is dead, and while her best friend and mob enforcer, Jason (Steve Burton) had to go on the run. And from the looks of it, Carly is adjusting to the mob boss role quite well … but is she really?

Michael Fairman TV spoke with Laura to get the lowdown on Carly’s life without Sonny, which has pushed her front and center into managing crimes and misdemeanors, mafia-style, all to protect the ones she loves, and to reflect on her amazing ride in daytime; which has made her one of the all-time leading ladies of the soaps. Here’s what Laura shared about it all.

Photo: ABC

When you first found out what the structure of this storyline was going to be, where Sonny was going to “die” along with Julian (William deVry), and then he turns up alive and has amnesia, what was your initial thought? Did you know how far they were going to take this for Carly, as far as her now running the mob in Sonny’s place?

LAURA: I had no idea about the mob part of it until about two months ago. As far as Sonny having amnesia and having another life now, I love those kinds of stories. It also gives you as an actor something to play, and what else are you going to do with Sonny and Carly? You can’t really break them up. You’re talking to the person who is game for almost anything, so I loved it. What does Carly’s life look like now as everybody believes that Sonny has died? How does she even take care of herself? For me, it gave me great material to play because of how it all started to crumble. Ava (Maura West) takes Avery, Cyrus (Jeff Kober) starts taking over the territory and the town, and Carly starts losing all of this security in her life as she knew it in trying to protect her family, and it was scary for her.

Photo: ABC

Of course, viewers could see where this storyline was heading once Carly lit in to Nina (Cynthia Watros), when Nina was in Nixon Falls and saw that Sonny was very much alive! You could see that Nina was going to seek revenge on Carly and not tell her about Sonny, aka “Mike”, all the while getting closer to him. What do you think Carly would do if she found out that Nina was with Sonny and kept it from her?

LAURA: You know, Carly before taking over the mob would have been awful, but now… and I was thinking about this the other day … I’m like, “Carly would go after her with a gun!”

For years, I’ve always loved this idea of, “What if Carly became a mob boss?”

LAURA: If they did have Carly go after Nina, then Jason and Sonny would be like, “You cannot do this.” I think there is this blind rage, at least for a moment. It can’t just be standing there and yelling at her, do you know what I mean? Carly would probably take action and then Nina would disappear, or it’s like ‘get me away from her because I am going to kill her’ for what this woman did. So, you have to have at least an episode of that before you come to your senses and realize that you have children and responsibilities, and you’re going to have to do this the right way, but you have to have the moment of losing it. It’s stealing their life. It’s great stuff. My other thoughts are, “Poor Cynthia,” (laughs) because she’s got to be the nicest human being on the planet, and she is so fun to work with, and so great and committed, so we are going to have some interesting times getting through whatever they write. I have no idea what they’re writing by the way, and I have no idea when it’s going to happen, but I am sure it will be great.

Photo: ABC

With the way GH shoots their taping schedule, I am assuming now you barely see Maurice, because you are basically in two different parts of this interconnecting story?

LAURA: We shoot by set. So, if Maurice is working in the morning, and I am scheduled at let’s say at noon, by the time I get there, he’ll be gone. So, it’s fascinating. It’s kind of running parallel of what is happening on and off screen because I don’t see him at work, either.

Photo: ABC

Carly seems that she is becoming pretty comfortable in this mob role. There was a scene that recently aired between Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) and Carly, where Carly was discussing her options of what to do with Gladys (Bonnie Burroughs). Does Carly like the power this brings her?

LAURA: I think so, but it’s not like she’s sitting around going, “Oh, this is amazing.” It’s seriously what she has to do. What she is seeing is that there are so many moving parts that she didn’t realize how difficult it was. Sonny made it look easy. There’s not a time to even take a breath. You’ve got to always be on your toes. You know, she is doing it in ‘Carly fashion,’ so it’s always entertaining, and trying as a woman to put out all the fires, but there’s 20 fires behind it, because there is just someone constantly trying to take your seat, trying to hurt your family. There’s just always something to look out for whether it be from the other families or law enforcement. I think that Carly is surprised that she is good at it and surprised at how making these decisions is becoming easier and easier for her, but I don’t know if she sits back and enjoys it. At this point, from air to what we are taping, the decisions don’t stop, and the danger doesn’t stop, and more decisions have to be made, and there is no one else to do it. This is a world that is life or death. This isn’t like, “Well, if they don’t like me, I’ll just find someone else to do the job.” There’s nobody else to do that job. It’s not that world. You don’t get to walk away, and she is learning that more and more, as she plays in the big world.

Photo: ABC

So, Jason went on the run with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud). How does Carly feel about that?

LAURA: Britt saved his life. She said that on camera. “She saved your life; she can take you wherever. I trust her.” Carly saw how Britt stepped up and helped him. I don’t think there is anything else that Carly is thinking right now. Carly doesn’t have the luxury of being old Carly and being snippy, catty, wanting to vet every person in Jason’s life. It’s just not her reality right now. That would be a luxury if she could go back and be that person, but that’s not it. Right now, it’s assessing the situation. “Is he safe? Is she taking care of him? Great. I don’t care about anything else right now.” This is the difference between old Carly and mob-boss Carly. Those days are gone. She would give anything to go back to those days because she didn’t have to have the world on her shoulders because Jason was safe, and Sonny was alive. It’s not where she is now. It’s a different dynamic that she was forced into.

Photo: ABC

When you and Steve Burton are in scenes together, whether it’s just in your eyes, or expressions or emotions, there is so much going on, or at least that’s how it plays to the audience. Is the relationship between Carly and Jason one of your favorites to play, because it’s so unique and deep rooted into their history?

LAURA: Oh, I love the Carly/Jason relationship. It’s the loyalty and that their dedication to each other is unbendable, unbreakable. It’s so unwavering. It’s great to play because it’s like being in a really good relationship, even though he’s not her ‘person’, but he kind of is. It’s being in a great relationship that means that you get to be 100% you and everything that means, and that person loves and accepts you. There’s such incredible love and freedom, and that’s what it’s like to work with Steve because Steve approaches our scenes – and almost every scene when I watch him with other people – that there is no undercutting judgment, only help. If I’m struggling with a line or I don’t want to do something, he’s either like, “Yeah, I agree. That’s unnecessary; cut it,” or he gives me a really great way of looking at it, where I’m like, “Oh, that is a really interesting thing, thanks!” So, then you have full freedom to feel and play and do anything, and that’s kind of what you see. There’s just a confidence, and I think it is also the relationship. I think it has to be there when I work with Steve because the relationship between Carly and Jason is that way.

Photo: JPI

Carly and Jason accept each other for who they are, all their flaws, and the dangers that come with their lives. Wouldn’t you say?

LAURA: She accepts him 100% for who he is. She wants to manipulate the world around him, so he is safe, and perfect, and always there, but she still accepts him when nobody else does and vice versa. He knows that Carly is going to destroy things, and mess up, and spiral. Like, she had that scene where she said, “Even when Jason knows I’m wrong, he supports me.” It’s really that right there that is everything between the two of them, and it’s the hardest thing to find in any relationship, real life, TV, etc. We always want to change people to make them be who we want them to be so that we feel okay. It’s a great soap opera relationship because it causes conflict in every other relationship that they have, which is great for storytelling in a show because then there is always a challenge, always a hurdle, always a problem built-in if you need drama. It’s because there is so much acceptance and unconditional love and support that they are free to be who they need to be, and I feel that as an actor working Steve as well. I think that’s what you see when you say there’s ‘a lot going on’.

Carly’s plan for Gladys took quite a turn!

LAURA: Well, Carly thought the second that Cyrus finds out that Brando (Johnny Wactor) is the father of Sasha’s (Sofia Matteson) baby that Cyrus is going to want to take him out, so she basically said to Gladys, “Look, I’ll set you up. I’ll give you all the money you want. Hell, I’ll even buy you a house. Leave town, but you have to tell everybody that you lied about Jason,” and she doesn’t bite the bait. So, you then have Carly saying, “Well, we can do this the easy way where I just pay for your life and you go, or we can do it the hard way,” and the hard way is me letting her know that, “You have a grandchild on the way, and your son is going to be murdered if you don’t do this for me,” because it puts Cyrus back in prison because he is on probation, and he has now obstructed justice. It’s all on Gladys’s testimony. That was Carly’s plan. Right now, her biggest threat is Cyrus and obviously as viewers have seen things did not go as planned!

Photo: ABC

June 7th you will be celebrating 30 years on daytime! Do you remember your first day on Loving? What happened?

LAURA: I do. Oh, God! I remember what dress I had on. I remember how my hair was.

Were you like in “Oz”?

LAURA: I looked like Oz. (Laughs) I looked like Dorothy… the dress they had me in, the hair, are you kidding? I didn’t know what a boom was! I was really loud. I had one line: “Grandma!” and that was it, and then they had to note that because I kept saying, “Grandmaw,” and they were like, “It’s not ‘Grandmaw.’ It’s ‘Grandma.’” Then, I did whatever they said at first, but then the longer I was on the show, I was like, “I say ‘Grandmaw.’ I’m not saying ‘Grandmuh.’ I don’t care. (Laughs) Everyone gets their own personalization of how they say what they say.” That was my big argument, and now I’ve had a thousand arguments over 30 years, but that was my first big pushback because I would be doing, what in my mind was great work. I got all of the lines out, my God, and that was before we could do pickups, and when we shot the show in order. Those cameras had wheels. So if you were on set, and they shot the scene before us, you had to be ready to go, and they would fly down the studio on those cameras to set up to start shooting the next scene. If I got through a scene and they had to do it over again because I said, “Grandmaw,” I would be so angry. (Laughs)

Photo: ABC

Who helped you the most on Loving?

LAURA: Nada Rowand, who played my grandmother, Lisa Peluso, who played my aunt on the show, and Eric Woodall was my best friend and he played Matt Ford. He and I would get together every Sunday night, and here’s a little bit of trivia for you … Eric lived with Billy Porter! They graduated from Carnegie Mellon together. So, I would go over to his apartment, and on Sunday night, we would go over all of the scripts together for the whole week because Eric graduated from Carnegie Mellon; I worked at a gas station. (Laughs) We had very different talents that we were bringing to the table for this soap opera job. Eric helped me a great deal, my gosh, and so did Bernie Barrow (Ex-Louis).

Bernie was an amazing actor and the only Daytime Emmy winner, ever from Loving!

LAURA: I had scenes with Bernie because he played my grandfather on the show. I had no idea about half the notes that they were giving me. Bernie would pull me aside and explain what they meant and teach it to me in a way where I knew how to incorporate it into my scenes and adjust and take the notes. He was extremely helpful. Then, there is the famous Noelle Beck (Ex-Trisha) story, where two weeks after starting the show, Eric and I were invited to go to the Daytime Emmy Awards. I was dying because I grew up watching daytime television, and I grew up watching the Daytime Emmys. So, when I was allowed to go, I told my mom to ship me my prom dress from my senior year of high school, which was this poufy, emerald green thing, and it looked like something from Dynasty with jewels all over it. I got it, and I was so excited, and everyone on the show was like, “Oh, my God, someone has got to tell her … she cannot wear that dress.” I didn’t know you could go to wardrobe and ask to borrow a dress, because I’d only been on the show for two weeks maybe. The same day, they came to me and said, “So, if Susan Lucci (Ex-Erica, AMC) doesn’t win, you’re going to be interviewed on Good Morning America the next morning about how the gas station girl got a job.” So, it was a big deal. I’m getting ready for the Emmys, and to put this emerald-green dress on, and there is this knock on my door, and it’s Noelle Beck. She has this beautiful, black, strapless dress. She’s like, “Your dress is beautiful, but I don’t know, I think this is really simple, and I think you might really look beautiful in it if you want to try it on.”

Photo: JPI

Her dress?

LAURA: Her dress! It was a dress that was in Noelle’s closet on the show because she went to wardrobe and was like, “Laura cannot wear that emerald green prom dress. She will be laughed at.” I would have been mortified because I did not know what people wore. I had never been to a red carpet! Noelle went to wardrobe, and they all came up with this dress, and so she came to me and said, “Your dress is so pretty, but I think this might go better with Eric’s suit,” or however she sold it! I tried it on, and I just felt so sophisticated, and I was like, “It’s okay if I wear this!?” and she’s just like, “Oh, my God, yeah!” When I think back to that story, I’m like, ‘thank God for Noelle Beck’. It was one of the funniest stories ever, and her dressing room was right across the hall from me, and she was from Maryland; I was from Maryland. She was like a sister. Noelle was always looking out for me, personally.

Photo: ABC

Over the years, you have become one of the great leading ladies of daytime. Was there a moment, when you were like, “I’ve got this down now … I really know what I’m doing.”

LAURA: There have been different moments. I remember the first time where I felt like ‘an actor.’ It was when they shot and killed Casey (Paul Anthony Stewart) on Loving, and he had to die in my arms. I embodied something and felt it in a way that was different. I didn’t know what it was at the time because I was playing my emotions of Paul leaving the show. I was really confused because I was like, “Do I really like this guy?” like in real life, because I didn’t know. I didn’t have any tools of acting to know how to separate. I was so in love with the characters’ love story, which was also my feelings at the time because I didn’t know the difference. I didn’t know where Ally stopped, and Laura started. I was just kind of playing myself. I remember they called Paul to the set for a goodbye, and they were giving him a big cake and everything, and I could barely hold it together. I couldn’t believe he was leaving. I was like, “You’re going to say, ‘I changed my mind,’ right?” and I really believed that. I really was like, “There’s just no way he’s going.” Then, we had to shoot his scene, and I was very emotional and upset. But, it was the next day where I had to go and play the scenes where he is dead and talk about it to the family, and that was when I just lost it. I just changed as an actor in those scenes. I remember having an opinion. When the writers were telling me the story that they were going to tell, I remember saying, “Well, I think the interesting moment is she is not going to believe it,” and they were like, “What do you mean?” I say, “When she comes home from the hospital, I think she needs to be like, ‘We have to go back. Casey is at the hospital, and he needs us,’ and they were like, “That’s such a great thing to play.” That’s what shifted for me. I just remember there was a moment where Ally couldn’t lie anymore. She couldn’t convince herself, and then she had to tell her son that Casey wasn’t coming back. I really understood what it was to get lost to a scene; what it was to not be Laura going, “I’m going to act now and play this scene.” I learned how to become the character and transform in the moment.

It’s was on-the-job training.

LAURA: Oh, for sure on-the-job training, because I went to one acting class thinking that in New York City I need to know what I’m doing, and I was so terrified to get up and speak in a scene that I literally could not talk. I couldn’t even function outside of the safety of what I knew on a soap opera set. I had that happen with my meditation teacher training a few years ago. I almost left the training because it was terrifying for me to get up and not know what I’m going to do and have the script, no cameras in front of me! It was very bizarre.

Photo: CBS

And later, Guiding Light came your way!

LAURA: When The City got canceled, I shot a pilot that did not get picked up, and my agents were like, “What do you want to do?” and I was like, “I’m really good at daytime… can we just stick with that? I don’t really want to do this auditioning thing.” So, then all of the sudden within a week of me saying, “I think I’ll do daytime again,” I had a screen-test for All My Children and Guiding Light at the exact same time. I was like, “What are the parts?” and I wasn’t going to pit them against each other because my agent was like, “It’s bad taste. We don’t represent that kind of negotiation.” You have to pick because before you go into any screen-test, you already have a pre-negotiated contract, and the deal has been placed. So, you know going in what your situation will be. So, it was All My Children, playing a doctor, or a stripper with a heart-of-gold on Guiding Light. It was the role and that Guiding Light just had a better money offer that pushed me towards that screen-test. Then, I had to go in and meet Paul Rauch (Former EP, GL) before I screen-tested, and then Jim Brown and Barbara Esensten who were now the head writers at GL. They wrote for me on The City. They were the ones who said, “Let’s get Laura Wright in here and see if she wants to do this.” It’s interesting, because when they were shooting Annie’s (Cynthia Watros) big trial on Guiding Light, and Kim Zimmer (Reva) had these incredible, long days and tons of dialogue in the courtroom scenes. Then, they throw this screen-test at her with me in the middle of the afternoon! I remember when we were doing the scene. Kim had jumped to another part in it, and of course, I knew the script backwards and forwards because I’ve had it for a week and a half. Kim had probably looked at it that day because she’s got a thousand other lines that she’s learning for that week of shows. We were in the middle of the scene, and they’re rolling cameras, it’s very emotional, we’re going at each other, and Kim had jumped to the next page of a line, but I knew exactly where she went, so I went right there. We got back on track and ended the scene, and Kim goes, “She just saved my ass in that screen-test!” and we just started laughing. It was a great moment.

Photo: LWInstagram

The cast of Guiding Light was so amazing!

LAURA: So amazing, and that’s where I met my man.

Wes Ramsey (Ex-Sam, GL, now Peter, GH) at the time had a crush on you if I recall the story.

LAURA: Yes, he had a crush. I don’t know if he wanted to go out with me because when I first came on, I was pregnant, so that would have been weird! (Laughs) We have a funny story that he told me four years ago when we got together. Wes was going through old photos that he had logged into his computer and was trying to put things in different files, and he’s like, “Oh, my God.” He had come back a few times on Guiding Light after he’d left, and one of the times was after I’d had my son, and this was when Richard had died, and Cassie had chopped all of her hair off. So, he was going through these photos and he showed me that he had snuck a picture of me. (Laughs) Then, he’s like, “See, I told you I had a crush!” I’m like, “Oh my God, that’s so funny!”

Do you and Wes run lines together at home, even though you are in different storylines on GH?

LAURA: If he needed me too, I would, but Wes has a totally different way of learning his lines than I do. His prep work is very different than mine. His is very professional and probably how you should do it. He is a Juilliard graduate. So, he was taught well, and I’ve just figured it out. Mine is just pure survival …’the gas station girl’.

Photo: ABC

What was the impact Guiding Light had on the trajectory of your career?

LAURA: Guiding Light was 100% an actors show. They told a different kind of story, and the actors across the board were serious and wanted you to take it just as seriously. You were either going to sink or swim on that show, and I had to figure out how to swim. I think I spent the first six months in my dressing room crying when I wasn’t on set, trying to figure it out. I was really taken care of on Loving. I was 20-years-old when I got that part, 27 when I left. When I went to Guiding Light, it wasn’t like I wasn’t taken care of and protected, but it was a new energy. No one knew me. No one knew what I was capable of. I didn’t even know what I was capable of at the time, and you weren’t going to phone it in there. I started working with Kim Zimmer and Jordan Clarke (Ex-Billy Lewis). My God, you’re thrown in with people who make you feel things and play things that are uncomfortable, because that’s what we do as actors. We make it uncomfortable, and we stretch the boundaries, and we play these emotions that are so raw and real. One day I was freaking out over a scene with the characters of Edmund and Dinah, and I just said I would never do this. I was just adamant. The director, said, “We have to do this. So, you have to give me one reason where you could stay in this room.” I said, “I guess my daughter could walk in the door, and I don’t want to leave her,” and he goes, “Great! That’s great,” and I go, “Or…” and it just opened this door of there’s a thousand ways I could play a scene.

Photo: CBS

When you came onto General Hospital and embodied Carly, did you feel like this was it now… and that you were in command of your craft?

LAURA: No, because it took me a long time to get comfortable. I’m the fourth Carly, so you want to honor what they’re writing, you want to honor the fans and what they love about the character, and there were three women who played her before me and somebody loved something about all of them. So, you want to bring that, as well as make your own mark. You’re taking over a leading female role of the show with that much passion and dialogue that comes with the character, so it was a lot of pressure at first, but I was excited for it. I showed up every day ready to kick ass, but as far as feeling like, “Ha ha, it’s mine; I’ve made it!”, I’ve never felt that.

Photo: ABC

I have spoken to many of your co-stars through the years, and they often share how you helped them within a scene, or with something they were struggling with. That is where experience can be a great asset for a performer in this medium.

LAURA: As a female lead on the show, I do think it’s important to lift other women up to become their own female leads, and I do mean that. If I’m working with someone, and I see them get a note that they don’t understand, or it’s a technical note, but gosh, it’s an important scene for them emotionally, anything I can do to help them in that moment, whether it has anything to do with me or not, I am there for. There was a bathroom scene that I think aired a week or so ago with Carly and Sasha. In the scene, Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) has all of her makeup in front of her, and the shot they need to get is through the mirror. Sasha has a full conversation with Carly, who is standing upstage. It’s very difficult to do that when you don’t have rehearsal time to figure it out. They gave her the note that they needed her to say her line into the mirror, or they can’t get her face, right? I’m like, “Hey, do you have any idea how you’re going to do that?” because it’s so hard! I wanted to help. Having 30 years’ experience in something feels great, and it’s shocking because where did those 30 years go? What incredible memories I have, but what it’s gifted me the most is being able to help people through my experience, and through what I have learned along the way. The whole show shines when we all shine, not just when one person does.

Photo: LWrightInstagram

What do you think your late parents would say about your 30 years in daytime?

LAURA: Oh, they would be so proud… so happy. It’s just so crazy that it’s been 30 years, and 2020 being the longest year with what we all experienced with Covid-19. Looking back on my daytime career, I don’t know why, the shows didn’t let me go. I think it really was work ethic. I can really say my work ethic is a huge part of me sticking around because I never got lazy. I was never not going to figure it out. I was never one to show up not knowing her lines, or being a problem, or not caring. I think that’s what kept me going, and then listening, watching, feeling, and I’m just so grateful. I’m like, “Wow, what a ride!”

Photo: ABC

… And what can you say about what your time as Carly has meant to you within your now illustrious daytime career?

LAURA: I love every second of it. It’s my choice how I show up on that soundstage. After 30 years, I am not bored. I have had my moments of trying to find the fun in it and caring about Carly’s storyline at the time. That’s my own choice though, right? It’s a choice – how I choose to show up every day there – and what I choose to find interesting and challenging, and I do. No matter what storyline they’ve given me, I can choose for it to be, “Okay, I’m here. I’ve been doing this for so long, I could do it in my sleep,” or I could choose to show up and go, “Where am I going to kickass today? Where is the moment?” Now, I don’t love the amount of time it takes for my hair to get blown out; I’ll be honest (Laughs). I’m an antsy person. But when I get on set, it’s my choice to find the love and the fun of it, whatever that is for me. I choose to open up every script I get, the second I get it, and am always excited to see what I’m doing.

Photo: ABC

Finally, what would you say, as a tease of what we should look forward to in the coming weeks involving Carly?

LAURA: All I can say is there is amazing stuff coming, amazing performances, amazing excitement, amazing heartbreak, amazing surprises. It’s all coming.

So, are you into Carly running the mob? What do you think will happen when and if Carly finds out Nina has been with Sonny aka Mike for months? What has been your favorite moment of Laura’s on the soaps throughout her 3 decades in daytime? Share your thoughts and congrats to Laura in the comment section below.

Interviews

Y&R’s Telma Hopkins and Bryton James Talk on their ‘Family Matters’ Connection, Amanda Sinclair’s Past, and the songs of Tony Orlando and Dawn

June 1, 2021

This week, kicks-off a very special guest appearance by Telma Hopkins on CBS’ The Young and the Restless. Hopkins plays Denise Tolliver, a private eye with some very important intel for Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan), about her past, her father, and her biological family drama.

Photo:CBD

Telma’s guest stint on Y&R reunites her with her dear friend and former on-screen son, Bryton James (Devon Hamilton) after they appeared together on the late 80’s and 90’s sitcom Family Matters. Fans of the comedy series remember a very young Bryton as Richie Crawford and Telma as his mother, Rachel. Year laters, they now have the opportunity to work together in Genoa City.

Photo: CBS

In a new interview out today on the Michael Fairman Channel, Telma and Bryton chat virtually with Michael, and we learn that Telma is a longtime fan of Y&R, a huge fan of Mishael Morgan’s, and just how Denise Tolliver’s arrival in Genoa City will set the stage for fireworks to come.

And while Telma and Bryton reminisce about first their first impressions of each other on the Family Matters set, we also delve into another key part of Hopkins career as part of the iconic singing trio Tony Orlando and Dawn, whose hit singles included: “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole’ Oak Tree”, “Candida”, “She Don’t Love You” and more.

Photo: CBS

So, excited to see Telma and Bryton together again? What were your first impressions of Telma as Denise Tolliver on today’s Y&R? What is your favorite Tony Orlando and Dawn tune? Did you watch “Family Matters” with Telma and Bryton years ago? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first check out their full interview below.

Days Of Our Lives

WATCH: Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2021 Replay

May 27, 2021

Last night, during the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Livestream on the Michael Fairman Channel, 15 nominated performers who will be going for gold on the upcoming 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, shared their reactions and their excitement at learning they were in the running in the major Daytime Drama performer categories as chosen by their peers.

Throughout the livestream, the actors also shared what scenes they chose for their reels in the competition that landed them in the top spots in their respective categories.

Photos: ABC, CBS, JPI, NBC

During the broadcast, Michael welcomed: The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darin Brooks and Courtney Hope, General Hospital’s, Maurice Benard, Finola Hughes, Max Gail, Briana Lane and Dominic Zamprogna, The Young and the Restless’ Bryton James, Melissa Claire Egan and Alyvia Alyn Lind, and Days of our Lives nominees: Victoria Konefal, Cady McClain, Wally Kurth, George DelHoyo, and Tamara Braun.

In addition, NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp shared insight into this year’s nomination process, the year in daytime, and teased what to look for on the upcoming Daytime Emmy Telecast on June 25th on CBS, where the award show recently got a two-year pick-up.

In case you missed it, enjoy this kick-off to Emmy season and watch the Daytime Emmy Nominations Replay below. Then let us know what moments you enjoyed the most during our show, and who you are rooting for to take home Emmy gold in the comment section.