Interviews

The John-Paul Lavoisier Interview – One Life To Live

Published

17 years ago

June 26, 2009

zJessica

A spiteful and vengeful Las Vegas stripper, a mysterious bag of blood, and the shocking revelation by the woman you truly love that you have been duped, set the stage for One Life to Live’s Stacy/Rex/Gigi storyline to explode! For months fans of the show have been very vocal about their feelings towards the character Stacy’s airtime, and her machinations of favorite Llanview couple, Rex and Gigi. They want her to get caught!

In a brand new interview with John-Paul Lavoisier, “OLTL’s” Rex Balsom, we discuss the normally street smart private investigator’s fall from grace, and how John-Paul navigated through this difficult storyline, which has included his on-screen son, Shane’s battle with leukemia. Yesterday, Rex and Stacy finally did the deed, but Gigi was on her way to tell Rex the sordid truth about her duplicitous sister, Stacy. Will Rex finally believe Gigi and be reunited with his sweetheart? John-Paul fills us in.

One of daytime’s most talented younger actors also chats about working with his other favorite scene partner, Robert S. Woods (Bo). John-Paul or “JP” (as many know him by), also details how girlfriend Farah Fath (Gigi) and he became an “item”. Charming, unpredictable, witty and funny… here is JP!

Listen to the audio:

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MICHAEL:

Rex has been involved in this heavy story with Stacy, played by Crystal Hunt. Fans have been upset that Rex seemingly has had no clue that he is being duped.

JOHN-PAUL:

Rex is the dumbest he has ever been. He’s confused, he’s weak, and he will pull at any line that has food on it at this point. He’s a starving little fish just swimming around. Gigi dumped him. She made it look like she was with two guys. He had to walk in on her in bed with another guy. Even though it was staged and it was all lies, in Rex’s eyes, it’s all been the truth. So, the family he never had that he always wanted, he had. It was stripped away from him, and he is getting over his son having leukemia. Rex is coming off this huge storyline where Rex, Gigi and Shane all were brought together as a close family and everything like that, and it’s ripped away. Stacy is manipulating her way into his life and it’s like he has these blinding goggles on.

MICHAEL:

Rex is usually a smart private investigator and a guy who is very street smart!

JOHN-PAUL

I would never hire Rex as a private investigator. (He laughs) I just got done filming a scene today, where another big character on the show hires me to be their private investigator down the line, and do some PI work. I laughed, going “What is this person thinking? I should be giving you a discount.”

MICHAEL:

Has this storyline with Stacy been hard for you to play, JP?

JOHN-PAUL:

It’s incredibly hard for me to play because it’s far-fetched. Rex sleeps with Stacy and it’s such a mistake, and it’s what’s written. It’s where Rex’s head is at the moment.
So, I have to commit to the material, but it is hard to play. I want Rex to see through what Stacy is doing, but right now the way it is being written,
he is not. Stacy is winning and Stacy is able to fake him out at least for a moment. It probably is going to ruin his life down the line, and even more so with the aftermath of the sex. I am doing my best.

MICHAEL:

You are aware at how upset the fans have been about Stacy machinations of Rex and Gigi?

JOHN-PAUL

Everything I read on the Internet and talking to fans on the street, all the fans are saying the same thing, “Somebody needs to kill Stacy. Why can’t Rex see through Stacy? Someone needs to kick her to the curb.” Everybody is on the same page, except Rex.

MICHAEL:

You and your on-screen love interest Farah Fath (Gigi) are a couple in real life. During the storyline, were there times when the two of you were at home together, when you were just like, “Now what can happen with this story?”

JOHN-PAUL:

It’s gotten to the point where we look at each other and give, “I know, I know” looks, and we make a drink and play poker. (He laughs)

MICHAEL:

Rex comes up with a plan to nail Stacy. But he sleeps with her first, and then he sets out to really…nail her?

JOHN-PAUL:

He sleeps with her and then he nails her. (He laughs) Gigi is literally like three minutes too late to the party that Rex and Stacy have. She finally comes to Ultra Violet to tell him the truth about how she was never with Schuyler or Brody, and how they find out that Stacy was not the stem cell donor, and everything like that. But literally, he has just slept with Stacy. Nailing is involved, and funny enough, we do it on dance mats. (He laughs) We do it on the dance mats from a dance class that are left on the floor of Rex’s nightclub Ultra Violet. While they are doing it, Gigi is trying to call Rex, but he’s not picking up the phone. Later, we find out that after they get off the mats and collect themselves, and pull their clothes back on, and Stacy leaves, Rex finds his cell phone wedged under the mats. So the mats muffled the ring tones, and he could not find the phone, and so Gigi decides to just come over. She tells him everything, and he is very happy, and has an “Oh, my God” moment, but inside he is just flushed. He is like, “Oh, my God. Why could you have not gone through those red lights on your way here? You almost got here on time, but three minutes too late.”

MICHAEL:

Now that Stacy has slept with Rex, is Stacy going to gloat about it to Gigi?

JOHN-PAUL:

There is a huge up moment with Gigi and Rex coming together, and their plan to nail Stacy. Then, Rex tells Gigi that we have to lie and play to Stacy, to make her think that Rex is still into her, because if she is not the bone marrow donor, then she must be hiding an extra bag of blood from the actual donor. She must be hiding it somewhere. We might need that, in case Shane needs another transplant. So, Rex has to continue to live with Stacy and pretend that he is into her until he can find the bag of blood.

MICHAEL:

Since Rex is on to Stacy, he won’t soon fall back into Stacy’s grip?

JOHN-PAUL:

I think there might be forced kisses along the way, but there is not a sexy time that I know of.

MICHAEL:

I love your work with Robert Woods (Bo).
Will there be more interaction and upcoming scenes between Rex and Bo?

JOHN-PAUL:

Yes, there will be. I loved the show that aired recently where Rex and Stacy were at the country club and charging things, and they get arrested. After they get arrested and taken to Bo’s police station, Rex is handcuffed wearing only his bathing suit in the police station, and its fantastic! (He laughs)

MICHAEL:

You are wearing fewer clothes now than ever?

JOHN-PAUL:

I know. In the script it said, “Rex wears Speedos,” but it ended up being shorts. Look, if I had to work with Bob Woods’s everyday, I would never complain. It’s great!

MICHAEL:

Why does it work so well between the two of you?

JOHN-PAUL:

John-Paul likes working with Bob. I guess, if you like each other in real life it can roll over. Also, Bob is the older guy and I am the younger guy. Rex is like this little spitfire and Bo is very professional. Bo has things in his past that draw them together, like his son Drew. Bo can see where Rex is coming from, and Bo is the father Rex never had. Rex actually listens to Bo and takes advice from him. Yet, every now and then, Rex screws up along the way, and Bo has to slap him a little bit and go, “What the hell did I teach you all these years?” It’s just fun stuff, and they write it so well.

MICHAEL:

Is Rex’s dad in room 302 in the Boutet Clinic? That’s the room where the guy Roxy pulled the plug on inhabited, who seems to be Shane’s real blood donor. Isn’t it time we find out who Rex’s dad truly is?

JOHN-PAUL:

I know nothing. I just know that something is trying to be worked out and something has to be coming. It’s been discussed so much, and too many fans have wanted to know who it is, and all the actors want to know who the hell it is. So, I can promise this ball will not be dropped. But, I just don’t know when or who it will be.

MICHAEL:

There have been some red herrings along the way. But Roxy keeps changing her story!

JOHN-PAUL:

Finally, he will get answers out of Roxy. It’s like “Is my dad dead or not?” T hen he believes her, and then he finds out she has been lying. Like at one point, Charlie Banks was supposed to be the dad. T here have been so many ups and downs with his father thing that to finally get the answer and to move forward with Roxy, and to give Shane a grandfather, will be interesting. So many people on the canvas will be affected. I have heard people thinking it could be Mitch Laurence, and recently I heard Spencer Truman on the Internet. This is on fan boards and stuff, not from anyone here. So, I don’t know.

MICHAEL:

Farah and you met originally in the hallway at One Life to Live. When did you know, “I am really attracted to this girl?”

JOHN-PAUL:

We hit it off right away. Fortunately, I think what was on my side was that Farah did not know anybody in New York, and I know everything about New York. I feel if she had more friends in town, or knew the town better, I feel we probably wouldn’t have hung out. So thank God she was from Los Angeles. Sparks flew right away. Farah worked here for a while in the first two months, mostly with Erika Slezak (Viki) in scenes at the Bon Jour Café. We would only see each other in the hallway from time to time. The first day we worked together we had two full shows running lines, and from that moment on was when the attraction really started. Yes, there was that funny run-in in the hallway. I was in body make-up. She was cute and had noticed me. She said to herself, “I need to introduce myself to this guy.” And she goes, “Hi. I am Farah and I play Gigi.” I go, “Hi. I’m JP.” First of all, she felt it was weird because she loved my name John-Paul and when I said my name was JP, she was like, “Oh, I like John-Paul. Why does he call himself JP?” She only likes to call me John-Paul, by the way. She said she walked away from that introduction thinking, “I bet he thinks I am an under-five or a day player. Maybe, he did not know that I am going to be working with him, and that we have a storyline together.” But I knew, but she felt maybe I didn’t. But, I thought that was cute!

MICHAEL:

At ABC Super Soap Weekend, you had been the host of The Colgate Triple Play Game Show. Would you ever emcee a television game show, because you were so good at it and very comfortable?

JOHN-PAUL:

I loved doing that. I would have done nothing but the Colgate Triple Play that weekend. I would have done 12 a day and lived in that theatre the whole time, like Bob Guiney lived in his theatre. It was so much fun, and the fans were great. I could have kept going and I throw my voice out every year! For some reason, I don’t get used to the fact that I am mic’d. I keep thinking I have to reach the back of my house with my formal voice. Like Deal or No Deal. If Howie Mandel’s ever sick I would fill in,
in a minute.

MICHAEL:

In closing, it’s going to be one hot July for Rex. What can we expect from Rex in the month ahead?

JOHN-PAUL:

In the future, he will be fathered, be intelligent, and be a husband to Gigi….that would be great. Hopefully, I will become Mr. Morasco soon! (He laughs)

Related Topics:Interview john paul lavoisier One Life To Live Podcast

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Interviews

‘The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden Talks Daytime Emmy Nomination, State of Nikki and Victor’s Marriage, and His Co-Stars (Exclusive)

Published

7 days ago

July 30, 2026

Michael

Eric Braeden has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 46 years. The iconic star of the #1 rated daytime drama series has thus far won once for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 1998 in a ceremony he did not attend. Fast-forward to 2026 and the 85-year-old Braeden is once again nominated in the category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Earlier this month, Eric, along with 4 other actors learned they were going for gold at the ceremonies on October 30. In a twist of fate, fellow co-star and also Lead Actor nominee, Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R) and Braeden submitted the same scenes which centered around Victor firing his longtime attorney and friend, Michael Baldwin.

In a new interview, now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Braeden shares: his thoughts on the nomination, if he will attend daytime’s biggest night of the year, what he thinks will happen with the current cracks within the relationship of Y&R’s Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor, his reaction to the heartbreaking scene where Nick (Joshua Morrow) admits to Victor that he has a drug addiction, and much more.

Photo: JPI

VICTOR NEWMAN AND MICHAEL BALDWIN EMMY SCENES

On his Lead Actor Emmy-nominated reel, Eric recalled, “The show submitted it for me and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead.’ Had I known Christian was part of it, I would’ve said, ‘No!’ I’m kidding. It’s difficult to do a scene with Christian without beginning to laugh in the middle of it. Anyway, he’s wonderful to work with and he did a wonderful job, and I’m grateful for the nomination.”

Braeden also shared plans for attending this year’s Daytime Emmys with his granddaughter making it all the more special, “I will go this year. You know why? It’s an honor first of all, and secondly, my granddaughter, when she heard about it, she says, ‘Opa, can I go? I already know what dress I would buy.’ I mean, it was so sweet. But you bet. Now, I’ll really go to the Emmys!”

Photo: JPI

CAN NIKKI AND VICTOR’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?

Over the past year, Nikki and Victor’s marriage has been on shaky ground, especially after Victor caught his nemesis, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) alone in a hotel room with his wife. Nikki went on a bender and Jack was her AA sponsor, but in order to help her, he almost OD’d himself. Victor believes the two hit the sheets.

Now in 2026, Victor was there after Nikki woke up after surgery to save her eyesight, and she has yet to see post-procedure. However, Braeden notes ‘not so fast’ on a reconciliation.

“I would say it will be a rocky road, because you don’t get over these things so quickly. You don’t,” teased Eric. “It’s jealousy and it’s a very, very deep emotion, and every time there’s something that reminds Victor of that incident, he will feel that emotion. It’s an emotion that is not taken seriously enough by people. Relationships are very difficult because of that sometimes.”

Photo: CBS

JOSHUA MORROW DOING THE FINEST WORK OF HIS CAREER

Back in March of this year, in one of the most unforgettable in this, or any soap season, Nick Newman accompanied by his brother Adam (Mark Grossman), came to see Victor where Nick admitted he now has a drug addiction to fentanyl and how he is so ashamed of himself. In the scene, Victor goes to comfort his son, calling him, “My boy” while broken-hearted.

Eric recalled the taping of the scene: “It touched me deeply and it was one of those moments that a father and son don’t want. They’re horrified by that. I think Joshua made an enormous leap in acting in that scene. He showed what he is capable of. It was a very, very touching scene. We had some scenes after that, again, about the same thing. Now, there’s a whole deeper connection between father and son. Any father would almost have a breakdown knowing that his son is on drugs or his daughter. It was a very well-written scene.”

Photo: JPI

ERIC BRAEDEN AND MICHELLE STAFFORD MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

The Young and the Restless led the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations with 18, more than any other series or programs. One of the nominations belongs to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) who nabbed another Lead Actress nod.

Recently, Eric and Michelle have shared much screen-time since Phyllis took Victor’s company from him. During the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!, Stafford she loved working opposite Eric in the storyline, to which Eric has now responded.

“It’s mutual because I love watching her work,” exclaimed the TV icon. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do in a scene and I love spontaneous moments. I don’t like it to be set and adhered to. I like it to be improvised as much as possible. Michelle is just so facile, so quick, so smart as an actress. She’s wonderful.”

Check out the full conversation with Eric below.

Now weigh-in: are you happy to see Eric receive a Lead Actor nomination? Do you think Nikki and Victor will continue to have issues in their marriage? Did you like the scenes with Michelle Stafford and Eric, and of course the hankie-inducing moment between Joshua Morrow and his TV dad? Weigh-in via the comment section.

Interviews

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Scott Clifton Talks His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, and the Omission of His Scene Partner, Annika Noelle (Exclusive)

Published

2 weeks ago

July 25, 2026

Michael

Less than two weeks ago, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer) received the news he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor category at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Clifton delivered what may have been the best work of his career in 2025; in a heartbreaking story arc where a believed-to-be-dying Liam tries to come to terms with his fate, and what his exit from the land of the living means, and what it would do to the daughters he leaves behind, the women he’s loved, and his father.

Going into this year’s Emmy race, Scott is already a three-time Daytime Emmy winner and a record holder for being the only actor to have won in the three acting categories throughout his career: the now defunct Younger Actor, Supporting Actor and Lead Actor.

Shortly after receiving the news of his latest nomination, Scott shared his reaction and what scenes he decided to include on his now Emmy-nominated reel when he participated in the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!

During the conversation with Scott, it was very apparent that he feels his on-screen partnership with Annika Noelle (Hope) was a key to his success in 2025, and one of the reason for a key scene he chose. However, Annika’s name was left off the nomination list which disappointed Clifton as he shared below.

Photo: JPI

HOW SCOTT CLIFTON WENT ABOUT CRAFTING HIS LEAD ACTOR REEL

“They got a lot of reels to watch. So, I just picked three scenes. It’s important to create a context so that people aren’t completely lost,” explains Clifton on his best practices strategy. “I picked the scene where Liam found out the diagnosis (about his inoperable brain mass), where Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) tell him which sets the stage. And then, there is a scene where Liam is saying “don’t tell anyone.”

Next, there’s the scene at Il Giardino between myself and Don Diamont (Bill) where Liam is telling his father without telling him, by saying, ‘I just want you to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am to you.'”

Then, the final scene, and I owe it all to Annika, was between Liam and Hope. This is where Hope kind of says, ‘I know,’ and then they just have a conversation about their lives and their daughter. Liam also talks about his mom. It just seemed real to me and the best way to close it out. That was it. That was the whole reel about 11 minutes long.”

Photo: JPI

ANNIKA AND SCOTT’S BITTERSWEET EMMY MOMENT

When Scott connected with his on-screen wife, Annika Noelle, following the news of his nomination, which actually came on the Monday before the full nominations were revealed on Tuesday via Extra, there were a rollercoaster of emotions.

Scott detailed, “Annika sent the most beautiful congratulations, and I was trying to figure out if they had announced her category. However, it was in the middle of that conversation that she said. ‘no.’ And then, the conversation turned into my rage for her not being recognized because that whole story was just as much hers as it was mine.”

“My, God,” Clifton continued. “The way that she had to downplay so many things and keep the secret that she knew, that I knew, that she knew. The end of that scene, I couldn’t not include it. It’s more a scene about her and how hard this is for her than it was about Liam. It blew me away that she wasn’t recognized for it this year, but she will next year.”

You can check out Scott’s segment on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live! below at roughly the 25:46 mark into the show.

So, were you happy to hear what scenes Scott submitted that earned him a Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination? Do you think he’s one of the frontrunners to take home the gold when the Daytime Emmys are handed out on October 30? Do you feel as Scott does that Annika Noelle should have been a nominee for her work in 2025? Let us know via the comment section.

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Christopher Sean Opens Up About His Daytime Emmy Nomination to Honor His Late TV Father, Drake Hogestyn (Exclusive)

Published

3 weeks ago

July 18, 2026

Michael

There was not a dry eye in the house when in June of 2025, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) gets up to eulogize his father, John Black (Drake Hogestyn), after the iconic character passed away and his funeral brought Salem together for one last goodbye.

In real life, Drake Hogestyn had passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70 back on September 28, 2024. When DAYS taped the funeral episode, Drake was still alive and had given his blessing to the series longtime executive producer, Ken Corday, that it was OK with him to kill off his character and to have a memorial. Sadly, shortly after the cast filmed the scenes, Drake died leaving a lasting legacy on DAYS that will never be matched.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, Christopher Sean received the bittersweet news that he had received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards for his performances. Christopher appeared shortly after the news of his nomination on the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 were he shared his emotional reaction. Here’s part of what he expressed below.

Photo: JPI

WHAT DID CHRISTOPHER SEAN SUBMIT?

“I submitted Paul’s lowest moments in his life, and Paul’s highest moments, meaning the eulogy with John Black, his father, and for my hero, Drake Hogestyn, and Paul getting married to Andrew (Colton Little). So it was two very opposite ends of his life. But what a great culmination of 12 years of being on Days of Our Lives it was.”

ALWAYS BEING GRATEFUL TO DRAKE HOGESTYN

“Even talking about it now, I have so much love for Drake. I’ve got him here on my wall and I wake up every day and I try to make him proud. It’s hard to talk about it, but I feel that my life is on the path that I am because of him, because of him being my role model, because of him loving and guiding me, because of everything that he has taught me on and off the set.”

Photo: JPI

THE EARLY STRUGGLES WITH PAUL’S EULOGY AND HEARTFELT ADDITIONS TO THE DIALOG

“I had been texting back and forth with Drake and I was actually pretty angry, because I felt that we shouldn’t exploit this, but Drake was so attached to the fan base that when Ken Corday spoke with him and gave him the permission to allow the fans to grieve with us, that’s when I said, ‘OK, if that’s what he wants, then I’m going to go full throttle with it.’ In Paul’s eulogy and monologue I’d read it and without asking the writers, I added a few lines and they allowed me to keep them.”

Christopher continued, “One of the lines was, ‘anytime I see a rainbow in the sky’ and I said, ‘and a baseball up high, or a rainbow in the sky,’ because I wanted to attribute it to baseball and to Drake. It was already perfect the way it was written, but that was my nod to Drake. We all loved him and there’s not a person I know who didn’t love him. Drake lit up any room he was a part of. I would not be here, again, without Drake.”

You can catch Christopher’s conversation on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special at the 2:14:25 mark below.

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed in a ceremony on October 30 from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood California. Current plans are for the event to stream live on the National Academy Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), watch.theemmys.tv and associated apps.

So, will you be rooting for Christopher to take home the gold for his heartbreaking performance of Paul’s grief over losing John and then marrying Andrew? Were you touched by how much Drake Hogestyn had meant to his life and career? Let us know via the comment section below.