Interviews
The Robert S. Woods Interview – One Life to Live
Courtesy/ABC
If there is a sentimental favorite at this year’s 39th Daytime Emmy Awards, look no further than Robert S. Woods! “Woodsy” as those close to him call him, received a nomination in the Outstanding Lead Actor category in the final year of One Life to Live. And who in soapland doesn’t know that the heart and soul of the show, and that salt of the earth character that you could trust above anyone else, was the beloved Bo Buchanan.
An understated performer who can break our hearts, or make us smile, Bob Woods has been giving performance after performance for over three decades on OLTL. And it wouldn’t be such irony, that on Emmy night, it would be Bob’s turn to take home the gold for only the second time in his accomplished career. When you think about his body of work, and in particular last year, he had enough to rival any one of his competitors.
On-Air On-Soaps spoke with the popular Woods to get his thoughts on finding out he landed a nomination, and to find out how life is after One Life to Live. And, we took this opportunity to discuss Bo’s last scenes in the series finale, and the shocking alternate ending that no one knew about! We have to share with you that throughout our conversation, Bob had us beaming with pride, holding back the tears, and laughing and smiling. It was emotional, heartfelt, and direct, exactly what you would expect from this daytime legend. And as you will learn, Bob is just as devastated as all of you are that Llanview is no longer on the TV map. So here we go with our special Emmy interview, and more with Robert S. Woods!
MICHAEL:
What fantastic news, Bob, that you were nominated (and deservingly so) for your work as Bo Buchanan in the Lead Actor category. How did you find out the news that you received the nod?
ROBERT:
Courtesy/ABC
I was out working in the backyard, and I heard my wife, Loyita, screaming, “You’re kidding?” I think Billy Warlock and Julie Pinson called her and told her! (Laughs) I did not know the nominations were coming out that day. I was talking with Leah Webber, one of our producers at One Life. She was handling all of our submissions. She was working on material with an echo in the room, because everyone was gone. Leah is the one that pulled out some scenes for me, bless her heart!
MICHAEL:
All of your fans and colleagues are so thrilled for you that you got recognized for your work in the final full year of OLTL. Did you speak with your OLTL co-nominees, Eddie Alderson (Matthew) and Erika Slezak (Viki)?
ROBERT:
I called Eddie right away. I have watched that guys since he was very young. Hillary B. Smith (Nora, OLTL, now Stacy B&B) says, we have watched him grow since he was three. When Kristen Alderson (Starr, OLTL now GH) started on the show she was five or six, and so Eddie had grown up in the studio. He was being a prop man. He used to help the prop department and strike the sets! I heard from Erika Slezak and she congratulated me, and so did Hillary. Frank Valentini called, too, which was nice. He has been working his butt off at GH!
MICHAEL:
You must have been thrilled! This is coming at such a bittersweet moment with the beloved One Life to Live canceled, and now you receive this recognition!
ROBERT:
Courtesy/ABC
If you had asked me, “How would you feel if you found out you were nominated?” I would think, “Geez, I don’t know what I would feel.” But I was grinning from ear to ear. I think a lot of it is that it is so sentimental. One Life to Live is gone. I still can’t believe it. I thought I would be gone some day, but I never thought One Life would be, nor that ABC would not have those three mainstay daytime dramas all together in their daytime lineup.
MICHAEL:
There is such a hole in people’s hearts who followed One Life to Live for decades, or even if they were new fans. Many are having a hard time dealing with the fact that they can’t see Bo, Viki, Nora, and everyone in Llanview anymore on a daily basis. I have to say, it does feel really odd. A huge piece is missing and it feels like this big chunk was cut out of the ABC daytime lineup!
ROBERT:
I have days where I keep thinking, “I better look at my scripts.” Then I go, “Wait. Oh no. I don’t have to go back.” I went through that for a long time after we taped the final episodes. We are looking back at November 18th of last year when we taped our last episode, and then the last airdate was January 13th of this year. I just remember it was Friday, the 13th! I miss talking to the camera guys, and Michael Easton (John, OLTL now GH). We have been playing phone tag forever. It’s just weird that you can’t go in and walk through the door and see people that you knew and have a kind of reunion. That is what I always thought when I left the show years ago. I thought I would be able to pop back in now and then. And that it would always be there to go home to.
MICHAEL:
And fans are hoping that somehow the show will get another lease on life and be resurrected, but so many hopes have been dashed!
ROBERT:
People are always asking me, “Do you think OLTL will come back now that ABC realized they goofed?” They ask that especially in light of The Revolution tanking, but people in the cast and the production have moved on in just six months. It’s just a shame. We were doing very well. But if the network felt they had to do something they should have cut the show back to a half hour, as well as All My Children, and have two half hour shows and then GH! Then some day when everything gets reinvented again, they go to an hour.
MICHAEL:
Photo Credit: Robert Milazzo
I always said, “thank God” when ABC decided to cancel The Revolution. However, instead of airing the GMA Summer Series in its timeslot for the summer, they should have taken that nine weeks and brought back One Life to Live to wrap it up properly and give a semi-bone to the fans. But now, since that’s a matter of getting the actors, the sets, and the costumes all again, that would prove difficult. We will have to work on OLTL: The Movie!
ROBERT:
We have Frank Valentini and Ron Carlivati over at General Hospital now, and so what are you going to do? It’s a sad thing. I never thought it would happen where we would not be on the air.
MICHAEL:
I will never forget the day you, Hillary B. Smith, and me taped that final video interview together at the last OLTL press junket back in November. I so recall the three of us looking at each other with such disbelief and sad faces, that we were actually taping a farewell interview together after decades in the genre!
ROBERT:
That was a strange day. It was sure not what I had in mind. I said, when I came back to the show after I was gone for a couple of years, “Either they will carry me out the door or throw me out the door, but I was going to stay.” Then the minute I got older, I could see retirement a couple years down the line. I will say the schedule was really tough towards the end. We were maybe doing three or four shows a day. It was harder and harder to remember all the lines.
MICHAEL:
On a happier note, I think you had a great year last year. In my mind, you had a lot of strong material to choose from. What did you end up submitting for the Emmys? I heard you changed it up from the pre-noms to the final round. Is that true?
ROBERT:
Courtesy/ABC
Yes. I changed it up. In the pre-nomination, I went with the barn showdown scene with Clint. Bo was going to shoot him and Asa’s hat was in it, and all of that. Then in the second go round, and for the final round of judging, it was about when we had to make a decision about Matthew, when he was pretty much soap opera brain dead. (Laughs) It was about whether we were going to pull the plug on him, because his heart was a match for Clint. Clint was going to die if he did not get a heart transplant. So I submitted a scene with Erika Slezak, where Bo says, “How do you give up on a child? But if something is not done, do I end up killing my brother by refusing to help him?” It was one of those back and forth moments, and Nora comes in at the end of it. I think the scenes start with Bo coming out of Matthew’s hospital room, and then he turns the corner and there is Viki. It was kind of cool, because way back in 1979 I came in the door and sat down in a chair and said, “I am in love with you, Viki!” You know my screen test for Bo was with Erika!
MICHAEL:
I know you can’t have a better scene partner than Erika Slezak!
ROBERT:
Oh, God! And when you watch the scenes, Erika really went to bat for me! She was good with everybody, but there was something a little different about it when you look at all the scenes from that day. There was a lot of material also with Eddie Alderson as Matthew that I considered was strong, too.
MICHAEL:
Why did you make the decision to switch reels?
ROBERT:
Courtesy/ABC
I did not think in a million years I would get nominated for anything, and with the show being gone. I just thought, “It’s over, and no one is going to give us a second thought from One Life.” So my favorite scene was with Erika. But then I found Leah Webber initially submitted the barn scene. She sent me stuff that I could watch via You Tube, and so I watched them at home. I have to say the barn scenes with Jerry verDorn (Clint) were fun!
MICHAEL:
I really wish the Daytime Emmys were judged and gave recognition for a body of work through the eligibility year, instead of just scenes from one episode. Then when comparing it against other actors, it can often times feel strange and then it makes the whole process more of a game, even though in the end, the Emmys are a game!
ROBERT:
The whole thing over the years, and how it evolved, became about campaigning with different shows. There was the issue of block voting, too. That happened on CBS with Guiding Light and As the World Turns. I don’t think we ever did that on One Life to Live. Jill Farren Phelps, when she came to our show as executive producer, she was like. “Well, I know how to do this. This is what we have to do to win.” I will tell you how you get nominated? You submit good work, and if they like it, you win. But I guess Jill’s approach was about how to get nominated. We never did that at One Life. If you had something to show that was good, and something you are proud of, we would go for it.
MICHAEL:
Now if I recall, the year you won your Daytime Emmy was the year the Emmys weren’t televised! Now I think there is something to this! (Laughs) They might not make it to television again this year!
Courtesy/ABC
ROBERT:
Yeah! And it’s so funny. Somebody told me, “I will be watching!” And I went, “Well, I don’t know what you’ll be watching.” (Laughs) And usually the next year after you win, you get to present the honor in the Lead Actress category. I was all excited because that year was Erika Slezak’s first Emmy nomination. And Paul Rauch, our then executive producer, had us on location the night of the Emmys! We were downtown in Greenwich Village and the character of Delilah was running away from some sailors who were chasing her. I was there for when I won my Emmy and it’s just that it wasn’t televised. I just remember, I thought it was cool being there and my first time being nominated, and I was just kicking back, because again, I had to work at the show late. I did eventually get to the Emmys, but missed the dinner part with my date, and a buddy of mine, who went with me. Paul was not a big fan of the Daytime Emmys. I will never forget the expression on Robin Strasser’s (Dorian, OLTL) face. She was presenting my category. All of a sudden her eyes widened, and she took a deep breath with a big smile and I thought, “Oh, you have got to be kidding me?” (Laughs)
MICHAEL:
What do you think of your competition in the Outstanding Lead Actor category?
ROBERT:
It’s a good group. It’s a veteran group with guys who have all been around for a long time. I have met John McCook (Eric, B&B) before, but briefly. The other three guys I have known forever. I met Maurice Benard (Sonny, GH) when he was on All My Children. Tony Geary (Luke, GH) and I go back a long time.
MICHAEL:
There was such disappointment that OLTL was not nominated for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series. This show can never catch a break, even after it’s canceled!
ROBERT:
I know there were some good shows in their submissions. Judging from our last fan club gathering, nobody could understand what happened and why we were canceled? You know traditionally, we were that middle child. The network was always worried about the lead-in and keeping it going. Then, you have the strong finish with GH. Everyone always talked about GH and AMC, and we were like, “Hello! Over here!”
Courtesy/ABC
MICHAEL:
In January, the final episode aired. There was no one more moving in the final episode than you. Those scenes between Bo and Matthew, when Matthew names his baby boy Drew after Bo’s late son, was so touching! But then, when Bo tells Nora he loves her, as he is about to walk out the front door, we all sobbed! Did you watch the finale?
ROBERT:
I did watch the day it aired. I had a lump in my throat, too. Eddie and I were talking before we did it, and even when the script came out. Eddie said, “I think we are going to have our moment. We are going to have a moment!” This is the last show and we were going to have our moment, and the same with Hillary. It did feel like our goodbyes were very real, and especially walking out and being able to turn around, and just when you think it’s over and then Bo to say, “I love you, Red,” and that’s it. The last words out of your mouth, and there was a lot of history there. It was nice way to end. We shot an alternate ending in case the show was going to the internet, and if I was not going to stay with the show.
MICHAEL:
Oh, my God! What was the alternate ending for Bo?
ROBERT:
I went out the door and a guy was there with a gloved hand and dressed in black. There is a hand over my face, and Bo is about to fight and then he realizes, “Oh, it’s you guys.” And then he gets taken away and out for some clandestine thing from the old days. It would have kept it going, but the way it worked out it just ended with a moment of Bo and Nora looking at each other with nothing planned. So much of what we did was like that. It just came right out of the moment, listening to each other, and trusting, and our timing. Hillary and I had that big ten-year gap. I forgot how easy it was to work with her and how well we worked together.
MICHAEL:
Courtesy/ABC
The final press junket also included a timeout when the cast gathered on the set to take the final cast photo of One Life to Live. And I know they put Asa’s hat in the shot as a special memory of Phil Carey (Asa). That must have been very emotional for you.
ROBERT:
Yes, they put Asa’s hat there, and it was so tough looking over at it during the photo shoot and remembering Phil Carey. There are so many things I remember. I have posters and memorabilia that I had framed. One day, Phil showed up with something and went, “Here Woodsy! You like this kind of shit.” I looked at it and it was the front page of the Banner and it said, “Asa Buchanan is dead.” I framed it and hung it on my wall, and right behind that the prop guys are saying, “Anybody seen that newspaper?” (Laughs) But Phil would walk off the set with things like that and have things framed! (Laughs) I said to somebody, “You know, we all have been lucky to have worked with a guy like that. “ He is the last of a breed.
MICHAEL:
If Frank Valentini would find a way to work Bo into GH, would you even be interested in going?
ROBERT:
Oh, I don’t know if they ever could. Michael Easton came up with an idea that if McBain ever got in a jam, he looks up and goes, “Thank God. Where you been?” And I turn around and fans see its Bo! Usually, it would be me in trouble, and John would come rescue me. Michael Easton said, “Is it something you would do?” And I said, “It sounds cool and if I was working with you, I would do it.” But that was just us talking. But honest to God, GH is GH. They have enough people from One Life on there now. It’s their show. It’s got to be tough when you have invested in the show, and you have been an actor who has been there years and years and years, and then you have all these new faces. You can understand them pondering, “Well, why don’t you think about us?”
MICHAEL:
So right now are you done with acting?
ROBERT:
At this particular point right now, I really don’t want to act. I like to watch people act and go see some plays and watch TV. I love Mad Men, Castle and Smash. Right now, I am happy with what I am doing. Loyita and I are not at each other’s throat, where I need to go find something to do. We are still a great team. I was on One Life to Live 30 years over a 32-year period. And I have had to memorize so many lines for so many years. I said to a friend, “I have probably said more during my time at One Life than a lot of big movie stars have had to memorize in their whole life!” It’s a lot of work and it’s so fast.
Courtesy/ABC
MICHAEL:
In closing, I have to say, I don’t think there will be a dry eye in the house if you were to pick up the Daytime Emmy in June for Lead Actor. You want to win, don’t you? It would be such a terrific cap on your daytime career!
ROBERT:
You know what? I would be grinning for the rest of my life if I was to win. I can’t say, who cares? There have been years in the past where I did not care if I was nominated because I have one already. And then I watch friends of mine like Tony Geary and Peter Bergman (Jack, Y&R) who are multiple winners, and especially Tony. And then I thought, “Maybe it would be good to have another one.” Tony must have them all over the place. (Laughs) I would be very happy and proud if I won. I would be so grateful. I had the good sense to come back to the show after I left, and made the choice I did to stay as long as they would keep me. One Life was very good to me, and it gave me one helluva life!
43
What a wonderful man he is. I miss him.
And now we have him back! I am so grateful to Mr. Kwatinetz!
Awesome interview Michael! I adore Bob Woods. I have to say that with all of these interviews, you can tell that the actors adore and trust you. It is easy for them to open up and share with the rest of us….and you always ask the questions that are on the fans’ minds. Thank you!!
I love you, Bob. I miss you so much. I wish you all the best. No matter what, you are and always be a winner in my heart.
Love Bob Wooods. Thanks for the interview.
Omg, what a SAD, SAD interview!!! I want Woodsy to win so much more now!!!!!! I miss OLTL so much!
I hope Robert wins. I loved the character of Bo, and how he interacted with all the other actors. Bo & John McBain, Bo & Nora, Bo & Viki, Bo & Matthew, Bo & Rex… he just seems to be the perfect guy to get paired up with in front of a camera. It was always such a joy to watch his scenes. Hopefully, his wonderful work will be recognized with an Emmy!
Omg I LOVE & MISS you Woodsy SO much & HBS. There’s a HUGE hole in my heart everyday since the shows been off. I still cannot FATHOM, how & WHY this show was canceled!!!! Some *%#%!+ obviously had it in for you guys as well as AMC & it’s disgraceful. No disrespect to GH, but oltl’s storylines were so much better & so real!!! The actors brought there all to the table everyday. Not seeing Victoria Lord on my screen anymore is a hard pill to swallow & even more heartbreaking our beloved Bo & Nora (red) Now all… Read more »
I knew something would have happened with Bo at the end, but honestly thought it would be a heart attack and he would die. But I’m glad that OLTL ended the way it did for Bo’s family. Bob Woods is a master at his craft, subtle yet powerful. His relationship with the cast, in particular Hillary Smith and Eddie Alderson, translated seemlessly on screen. You really felt they were a true family. I hope he wins that Emmy!
I miss Bo so much, I love Robert S. Woods SO MUCH.
God this interview made me cry!
Great interview. We all miss you Bo! We miss Llanview. We want you all back. I watched from day one and thought you all were 100% better that GH! I stopped watching them a long time ago but never missed a day of OLTL. Their transition to GH takes getting used to, but Ron and Frank have made the show so much better along with the OLTL actors!
Miss OLTL everyday. Another great interview.
what a sweet sad interview. I hope he gets his grinning ear to ear 2nd win… Tony needs to share! 😀 As much as it hurts us OLTL fans to have lost our show, characters and actors, I feel so bad for the cast and crew to have lost their family and friends having had worked daily with each other for decades on ‘our show’. ABC-duh has hurt so very many people with their crappy decisions. Bob and OLTL need this win, and hopefully Erika will win as well. Thank you Bob for 30 years of being in my family… Read more »
Well, MIchael. You did it! You now have topped yourself with this interview with my favorite soap actor af all time, Bob Woods. I have always felt he was effortless and as realistic as any actor could be, and so natural and believable. I would love to see him pop up on GH, and then they could get rid of of their overload of actors. He would be a real stable influence amidst all the craziness. I can only hope to see him acting again.Love this interview, and love Bob Woods.
i ahve always loves bob since he was on the waltons years ago,,,,,,,,,,i really miss seeing him on a daily basis……….♥
Ethel, The waltons? When? I don’t remember seeing him and I never missed a episode unless I forgot seeing him, I have watched one life to live since the day it started so many years ago. God am I getting old. I miss seeing him every day to and I hope he takes home the emmy.
he was a doctor & maryellen was a nurse at the same hospital – as a matter of fact they had a thing going but she married kurt…………..lol
Thank you, Robert Woods, “Woodsy” for all the years of Bo. Your acting was true to life. I miss the show more than I can say. Nothing can replace it. I don’t watch any daytime TV except for GH and sometimes Dr. Oz. But neither fills that spot in my life. I wish you all the happiness, good health, and luck in the world. Maybe sometime you can be lured out of retirement for a movie or guest shots on some great nighttime show. Castle??? (but not as a bad guy- never!)
Great interview! Thanks Michael and Woodsy! I hope Nathan gets the powers to be at Castle to get Robert for Castle’s father! That would be so great! If he could win the Emmy with Erika and then do Castle for a few episodes and get nominated for a Castle episode… would be even better!!! Enjoy your time off Robert!
I have loved Bob woods since I started watching oltl back in 97 and after 15 I love him even more . He’s such a class act I hope he takes home the Emmy it’s been my pleasure to watch him on my tv screen for all this time. I miss him,Hillary ,eddie and erika so much . Wish him all the best ill be rooting for him for sure.
What a wonderful interview Michael. Robert S. Woods is a class act and I pray he wins. this interview gave me goose bumps reading it and hearing his answers to your questions Very interesting questions. Michael, I also liked your Idea about rapping up One life to live now that the revolution has been properly canceled we need a good ending. I would rather have it back, Myself I can’t give up on my favorite soap there is always hope. When Robert said he still feels like he still has scrips to read I feel the same way when the… Read more »
Great interview Michael !!
Love Bob Woods and the character Bo – for years.
Really hope he gets that Emmy win.
Miss OLTL every day…still so sad. 🙁
Go, Bob Woods, Go–Yay! 😀
Thanks for the great interview. I really cannot believe that OLTL did not receive a nomination for best soap. As far as I am concerned, it deserves every emmy nomination. Miss OLTL so much. Love Bo thanks.
WOW, I didn’t think I could feel any sadder about losing OLTL but reading this wonderful article broke my heart-again. Brings it all back-all the great story we’ll never see & all the dear, dear cast members we love & miss so much. Bob had some great ideas on saving the shows. Too bad nobody cared enough to listen then we would not all be in this awful boat. Bob was a mainstay character of the show and I love him so much. I wish him every happiness & most of all I wish for him & Erika to please,… Read more »
I dont think we will ever not feel sad and get our hearts broken over and over again every time we hear about One life to live. The loss of that soap has sure hurt a lot of people.And to have lost it for that nauseating show the revolution that has been canceled makes me want to cry. I will never understand the logic of abc/disneys thinking in destroying their afternoon lineup of good programming for garbage talk and food waste of time programs that are just awful to watch.
On OLTL alway’s liked Bo & Nora..Liked when Bo & Nora danced together on OLTL………..And the burgers and fries they liked eating………………..I wish Robert Woods the best at the daytime emmy’s………………I would like to see him WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That was so sweet, They use to do it all the time dancing and eating my favorite kind of junk food, then they broke them up, I was so sad and it was such a long time before they finally got back together again, Some couples should just be left alone and they are that couple. Just because they get married doesn’t mean they cant be on a roller coaster of adventures in their lives and stay happy, which they were. How I miss One life to live, will my heart ever stop aching for my favorite soap and characters… Read more »
I miss OLTL a lot too…I miss landview , Landfair !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IAnd there aren’t to many shows that I feel this way…This soap definetly made an impression on me……Only one other show made me feel this wa and thet was Beauty and The Beast from 1987-1990……..I was heart-broken when the series was cancelled in 1990…………….At this time this was one of my favorites, including OLTL………………………………….I bought all 22 episodes of Beauty and The beast..Like watching them from time to time…I wish they would do the same for OLTL…It would be a lot of DVD’s to say the least………Yes I would… Read more »
I also loved beauty and the beast another show that was cancelled that should have gone on but linda hamilton left, that messed up everything, Ron perlman couldn’t get the ratings up being alone everyone liked it being the beauty and the beast together. Yes another wonderful, well written. descent show.
Unfortunately Linda Hamilton did want to leave my sister use to have a huge poster of Ron Perlman as the Beast and please don’t hit me but he was so sexy as The Beast!!!
Such a lovely interview! Thanks Michael, even though it made me cry. Robert Woods sounds like a great guy and he played the role of Bo so beautifully! Words cannot express how much I miss OLTL and AMC. Bo and Nora are my favorite soap couple of all time. My emotions are split between mourning for our soaps and extreme anger at ABC/D for their stupid and greedy decision to cancel them. I wish Bob Woods nothing but good things in his future life. Thanks for the years of entertainment!
My heart hopes Bob Woods wins because he really is a nice guy but sometimes I just think they check the box if they recognize the name and who does’t know Tony Geary but let’s share the wealth and give it to Woodsy.
This interview made me cry I so miss OLTL ands especially Robert Woods who was and always will be a class act! I am so glad the Revolution tanked if only to show ABC how wrong they were to cancel such an awesome, iconic ,irreplacable, heartfelt show.
Robert Woods has to win! He’s a great actor! I really miss OLTL! Nothing will ever take it’s place. All the actors seem to really miss it too. I never hear AMC actors talk the same way. A great interview! Thanks!
He is a class act!! I miss OLTL & Mr. Woods.
I love Bob Woods, as I think everyone from One Life to Live, Cast, Crew and Fans, do. This is a FAN-tastic interview you conducted with Bob/Bo, and as a big fan of his, I thank you so much – it is sooooo great!!! I would dearly love to see “Woodsy” take home the Emmy – it would in a way be an honor to all the cast and crew of OLTL – a final tribute to everyone associated with the Soap!!! Bring it Home – Bob/Bo!!!
They don’t make actors or men like Bob Woods anymnore. GOD BLESS HIM and his family.
GH would be lucky to have an actor like Bob Woods join the show. It is so sad we cannot have OLTL back,
GH needs to go too!!! So lame.
Please havea OLTL special to tie up all loose ends…love Bob Woods, favorite of all time. All the best to a great actor. Thanks for years of enjoymen!
LOVE Bob Woods and the entire cast of One Life. Unbelievable still that the show was Cancelled. The Powers-that-be Made A huge Mistake.
I met Robert Woods years ago at a make a wish dinner dance and he thought I was linda Ronstadt! I will always remember that and sometimes wonder if he does as well. I wish him all the happiness life can give! I wish I had a chance to talk to him more that night. It will always be a special night in my life to have met him and all the other stars there!
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Interviews
Y&R’s Mishael Morgan Talks Amanda’s Gut-Wrenching Scenes With Her Mother, Romance with Devon & Vice-President Kamala Harris’ Historic Moment
Since Mishael Morgan returned to The Young and the Restless as Hilary’s twin, Amanda Sinclair, it’s been a slow burn for the character. However, recent revelations of Amanda’s childhood past have exposed the emotional wounds and the inner fight of this legal eagle, who is now poised for a romance with her late sister’s husband, Devon Hamilton (Bryton James)!
And who better to take on the challenge of trying to make Amanda and Devon a couple to root for then the talented Morgan. In recent scenes, viewers watched as Amanda learned the harsh reality from her biological mother, Naya (Ptosha Storey), that she gave her and her sister up at birth and never really regretted it! Mishael played those scenes as you would expect for all they were worth and then some.
Michael Fairman TV chatted with the Trinidadian-Canadian Morgan, as the United States marked Martin Luther King Day on Monday – a holiday that holds a special place for her – and then the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as President and Vice-President of the United States on Wednesday and its historical significance.
While Mishael shares her thoughts on these moments of our time, we also do a deep-dive into how she created a second life in Genoa City and the challenges of playing a twin and making her unique and different, plus what fans should look forward to in the months ahead, which to us looks like it could be a love triangle between Elena (Brytni Sarpy), Devon, and Amanda. And, as the second anniversary of the death of Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters) is fast approaching, Morgan opens up about the impact her former co-star had on her daytime career. Here’s what Mishael had to say about it all below.
Photo: AP
Yesterday was such a historic day watching the swearing in ceremony of Kamala Harris, as Vice-President of the United States. She is the first woman, first Black woman, first Indian woman, so many firsts to hold this office. I just wanted to get your thoughts from watching it. What was it like for you?
MISHAEL: For me it was such a beautiful moment, and such a defining moment because now there is no person in America who can feel like they can’t do it all, that they can’t make it to the highest level of office, or at least one of the highest levels of office. I think that is going to transform this country and the world in many ways because the rest of the world really does pay attention to American politics, and to what goes on in America. I think it will really have a ripple effect throughout the entire world. For me, it was so exciting to see this moment actually come to fruition because I think that the impact is even greater than we all could imagine. You never know who you’re inspiring.
Photo: Hustory.com
It was really amazing, and this was also right after Martin Luther King Day and I know you produced your “I Have a Dream” Project. How was the holiday for you?
MISHAEL: It was funny because even though I did the MLK project, I didn’t really think that it was something I could really explain to my son. Then, yesterday my son really wanted to know: “What was Martin Luther King Day about? Why was it a holiday?” It was so interesting because I had to come up with a way to explain it to a five-year-old, and what I came up with was so basic but so true. I just said, “This was a day when Martin Luther King, a very famous man, who was famous because he stood up for everybody’s rights, and he marched to make sure that everybody can do the same things in this country as everyone else no matter how they look,” and that’s what he was. He wasn’t just a champion for just Black lives. I think he is a champion for equality, and he is a champion for making sure that we always remember to see each other the same.
Is that what inspired you originally to do your project?
MISHAEL: Yes. 100%. I remember being inspired by Martin Luther King as a child when I was learning about him for Black History Month and stuff like that, and then when all of the social unrest happened, I just remembered him again, and it was something that I wanted to explore. When I started reading about him again, I just became so inspired by him all over again that I wanted to do something, and that’s what really inspired me to do the “I Have a Dream” Project.
Photo: Getty
I just hope that we will make strides in our country in stomping out systemic racism – it’s such a deeply-entrenched issue in our society. A lot of people talk, but we need action to bring change to the system.
MISHAEL: That’s the thing, I think that this moment, you can’t stop – like the moment when Kamala Harris got sworn in as our Vice-President – you can’t stop the train now because strides will be made that the next generation will look at as normal, and of what it means to be a Black woman or a woman in this country is going to change forever. It’s the next generation that is really going to continue to move it forward. So, I think that at the end of the day. This will always be something that’s remembered.
Courtesy/CBS
Now on to Y&R, I wanted to tell you that these performances that you gave that recently aired were just great. I always love it when they give you the ball. How did you feel about the scenes and the storyline, where we learn the deep pain and hurt of Amanda’s childhood and the truth from her mother?
MISHAEL: I was so excited to play it because for me, I really love telling human stories. I love diving into that part of myself, and I really know that a huge part of why I am an actor is because I just have this outpouring level of empathy for every life that’s lived. When I talk to people, and they tell me their stories, I want to take it on because I want to show that beautiful side of humanity. So being given this story, I wanted to be very careful with it, because I knew that this is a reality for a lot of people. I also thought about the fact that twin stories have always been done before, paternity stories have been done before, but I have to make sure that it comes from a truly honest place inside of me and a truly empathetic place. I was excited to take on the challenge to be true to myself, and be true to my artist, and just find the beauty and the honesty in this real human story.
Courtesy/CBS
Ptosha Storey, who played your on-screen mother, Naya, was amazing in the scenes with you. What was it like working with her and the gravity of it, where this woman is basically unapologetic that she didn’t want her children and she gave them up, and she did not sugar-coat it.
MISHAEL: Ptosha was amazing. I loved working with her. We really got to kind of know each other a little bit. She has such an interesting story about coming to LA to pursue acting, taking a break from it, (and I don’t want to speak for her), but then really going full-throttle right now when Black, female characters are being played, and she’s getting an opportunity to get back out there and do what she loves to do. Just listening to her story was so inspiring to me. We had a true respect for each other when we got on the stage, and I think we made some art.
Photo: JPI
It was almost like watching a two-person play in those scenes. What did Amanda feel at this point? Was she hoping that her mother would say, “I loved you. I wanted you?” Was she hoping for a different outcome in her head?
MISHAEL: I think anybody who goes into a search for their parents is hoping for a positive outcome. I think for her, it was heartbreaking to hear that if Naya could go back and do it all over again, she would have made the same choices, and also knowing that those choices really impacted Amanda’s life in an incredible way. I don’t think that all of it has come out yet. I think a lot of the pain and hurt that she had to go through as a child, and the loneliness that she had to go through as a child, and hearing from a mother that she would put you back in that situation because it was more comfortable for her, and the level of selfishness is hard to take. Then there is the anger and everything that would come out of hearing that from your biological mother. It’s funny because the way that those scenes were scripted, there was no stage direction, which to me, I love, because a lot times it will say like, “in this moment she is going to get a little angry,” or, “in that moment she is going to be sad,” but for those scenes, for some reason (and they were really juicy scenes) they really didn’t give much direction. I appreciated that because then it really allowed me to really just make the scene what I thought it was and just really live in the moment. I know this was a roundabout way to answer the question, but yes, it was very heartbreaking because nobody expects that somebody would say that to them.
Photo: JPI
It was just so heartbreaking. I kept thinking, “Maybe she’ll…” but no, Naya just stood her ground on it even though Amanda grew up in a foster home. She wasn’t the “chosen” twin either!
MIHAEL: No, and she was never chosen, and I think that’s an interesting thing that you said because she was never chosen, and I then even to this day, as a grown woman, she still isn’t chosen, and that I think is heartbreaking. It’s an interesting thing because I do happen to have a bit of a personal experience with this. My father wasn’t in the foster system, but he was raised… kind of farmed out to two aunts as a young child and didn’t really get to have a relationship with his parents until he was older, and with his mother, until he was in his 20s. So, it was so fascinating watching my father. I just remember always looking up to him and thinking he was so strong, and so powerful, and never cared about what anybody thought, and because of his upbringing, it made him a very driven person, very much like Amanda, but there was a weird sense of wanting to be good enough when his father was around, or when people talked about his father. It was very fascinating for me to watch that. It was like I would see my father almost turn into a child again, just wanting that love. I think it’s because that is so organic to who we are as human beings that it just never goes away, that need to know that your parents love you, that there are two people in this world who no matter what will be there for you, and they will love you. That’s a hard reality to come to when you realize that’s not true. I think that’s something that’s really hard for the human spirit to let go of.
Photo: MMorganIG
Yes, and I think what you are saying is also true that you realize as an adult that we are so deeply affected by our childhood and how it plays into our choices, or how we perceive things that happen in our lives. So, when you think of that, and because you’re a mom, doesn’t it make you feel even more that you want to do right by your kids? That you don’t want to do anything to screw them up in their later years?
MISHAEL: Yes, it’s true. It does make you want to be the best person for them and the best example, especially the best example for love. You want them to feel accepted, and appreciated, and proud, and you want them to know that you’re proud of them. You want to do everything you can because you think of every single person you may have met who felt like their parents didn’t love them enough, and you want to do every single thing to make sure that your child doesn’t feel that way. I talked to one of my friends, and they’re like, “My parents never told me that they were proud of me,” and I’m like, “Alright! Well, Niam, I am so proud of you!” Every day, “I am proud of you! I am proud!” It’s like every day I better make sure to tell my kids that I am proud of them, and that I love them. I was talking to Bryton James about this because I had a disciplinary moment with my son, and you wonder if they are going to take it the way that you take it, but at the end of the day, that might get burned into his memory as “the worst thing that my mom ever did to me,” and meanwhile I thought it was a life lesson that I think he learned. You kind of have to get rid of that fear that you are going to screw them up because I think it doesn’t matter. You’re either going to love them too much, or you’re not going to love them enough, and you just have to do the best that you can, and you just hope that it’s good enough.
Photo:JPI
Now, you were brilliant as Hilary on Y&R and had this amazing story send-off, and then you came back to the show as Amanda, a new character. How has it been to try to define Amanda as her own character without the ‘Hilary-isms’, or does it not matter anymore? Do you feel you have made the distinction for yourself that they are two very different characters?
MISHAEL: I feel like now they just are different. It was active choices that I was making in the beginning, and it was important for me in the beginning. That’s why, for me, when I was bringing Amanda in, I was trying to stay very steady in my tone and how I spoke because Hilary was very, very up and down, and everything was all over the place. So, for me, that was my beginning moment, just really focusing on how Amanda spoke and how she conducted herself. I can’t change the way that I look, but I feel that the way that I speak and the way that I carry myself will naturally start to define the character. After a while, when that becomes more second nature, I feel like more of the character comes through … more of how she is and how she takes things in. That’s just sort of explaining a bit of my process. It’s just the weirdest situation that I never thought I would ever be in, but I definitely feel like a different character for sure! I do feel like I know who Amanda is now. In the beginning, when I read the script, all I heard was Hilary. I really had to think about how I was going to say things because I didn’t want it to sound like Hilary, and now when I read the script, I see Amanda. I don’t hear Hilary anymore. It’s become easier for me now to lean more into the role and get more comfortable with it.
Photo:JPI
Amanda had said to her mother that she was also robbed of her sister. How does that play into her whole psyche? She does know that Devon was deeply in love with her sister, and now she has feelings for him too. Did she want to meet her sister? Does she feel robbed of that?
MISHAEL: She feels very much robbed of that. For me, it was very important that the time when she discovered that Hilary was her sister and that Hilary was gone, that I’m playing that loss properly. It was important for me because if you couldn’t believe that Amanda’s heart is truly breaking for her sister, then you can’t believe anything else that’s coming afterwards. This is a really defining moment for me as an actor playing two characters on the show. It was really important, leaning into the fact that I had a twin, and I’ll have a connection to a person who doesn’t exist anymore, and really letting that break my heart, and break Amanda’s heart. Once the audience believes that, then they can really believe that Amanda is a different character. Then, our amazing fans will start to just buy into it, and they will figure it out, and they will work it out, and they will wrap their heads around it, but for me, it was that they had to believe that Amanda’s heart is truly broken for Hilary, otherwise we can’t hook them. Amanda and Hilary have to become two separate characters in people’s minds.
Right. So, after the confrontation with her mother, she runs to Devon, and she is torn up, and he consoles her. This week he asked her out on a date. She likes this guy, right?
MISHAEL: Yeah, I think she does! He’s the first person that she met when she came to town, and I think she’s always been impressed by how he treated her even when he hated her, and the more that she learned of him, the more she became impressed by who Devon was, and his patience with all of this. In seeing his vulnerability with Hilary, and everything that he went through, and then seeing his heart being broken because of Elena and Nate, I think all of it together is starting to give these two characters reasons to be okay with exploring something that may seem strange to other people, but you can’t control who you love sometimes.
Photo: JPI
Hilary and Devon were such a hugely popular couple. Do you feel pressure to hit lighting in a bottle, twice?
MISHAEL: It’s really hilarious because we’re the same people! Yeah, there is a little bit of pressure because you do wonder if you’re going to be able to create the same magic, especially because Bryton and I have known each other for so long, and we know each other so well now. Looking back at some of the Hilary and Devon scenes, there is something that is so interesting about it and fun about it because I think Bryton and I were just getting to know each other at the same time. So, wondering if we are going to be able to recreate that and just make it feel fun and fresh, I think is the worry or the challenge. I think we will figure it out. Bryton and I were talking, and the one thing that is missing, or the one thing that we have to get to in terms of the underbelly of Amanda and Devon’s attraction is that Amanda is more like Devon than Hilary ever was. It’s almost like Devon realizing that the whole journey with Hilary was meant to happen just so that he could meet Amanda.
Isn’t Amanda going to be kind of worried that he was so in love with Hilary and the way that she looked…
MISHAEL: Well, she doesn’t need to worry because Hilary is dead anyway. It’s not like she’s coming back! (Laughs)
Photo: JPI
Since the last time you played an on-screen relationship, Bryton is with Brytni Sarpy in real-life, and Brytni is on the show now, and there is all of that. What has that been like working with Brytni?
MISHAEL: Oh, I’m so Canadian! As soon as I got back to the show, I was like, “I’m so sorry,” and she was like, “Why are you sorry?” I said, “I just feel very sorry that I’m here. You guys have your real-life love thing going on, and your on-screen love… I feel weird. I’m happy to be back on the show, but I’m like breaking up the party!” She’s like, “No! It’s fun! It’s fine! Maybe we’ll be rivals!” I’m like, “Yeah, okay it’ll be fun!”
I can see a classic soap bitch-fight on the horizon on Y&R!
MISHAEL: Brytni has been awesome about it. That’s been great. We don’t know where it’s going to go, but it’s going to be fun. They’re also playing with Devon’s love for Elena still. They still have a pull. Devon is still looking at Elena. So, I think it’s going to be interesting either way.
Photo: JPI
We are going to have the fan wars again for the couples!
MISHAEL: That’s even more fun! I always said I’d rather people be fighting for me to be with this person and that person as opposed to just always with one person because then to me, I kind of wonder, “Is it just this one actor who makes me better?” I want to be an actor who makes everyone better! That I can work off of anybody and get that chemistry or that thing that audiences are looking for, that’s what I really challenge myself to do.
Photo: JPI
On February 3rd, it’ll be the second anniversary of Kristoff St. John’s death, which is hard to believe that it will have been 2 years already. I keep remembering when I first met you. Kristoff and you were on The Price is Right, but it was also a crossover for your characters, and you were the new girl on Y&R. Do you still feel his presence at Y&R?
MISHAEL: A few days ago, I had asked Bryton, who is s actually in Kristoff’s old dressing room, “Do you ever feel Kristoff in there? In your dressing room?” and he’s like, “No, not really. Definitely not in my dressing room, but on set sometimes.” Even though he’s not here, it’s like he’s still with us because you still see him in pictures and sometimes that happens while you are on set doing a scene. One time, I was on set doing a scene with Christel Khalil (Lily), and I saw a picture of Kristoff in the background, and it’s just kind of a reminder that I think he is always going to be here in terms of his impact on me and my time on the show. He means a lot to me because I think I am the artist I am largely because of his influence, and how he really took me under his wing and made me feel so comfortable. He was such a light, and he made acting so fun, but he always had your back as an acting partner and as friend, and I miss him a lot.
Me too. He was just a wonderful actor too, when you look back on some of the work.
MISHAEL: Oh my gosh, yes.
Photo:JPI
What does Amanda think of Naya’s other daughter, Imani (Leigh Ann Rose)?
MISHAEL: She’s just irritated by Imani because she basically got to live the life that Amanda should have had essentially. To watch her be up on her high horse to Amanda, it’s laughable because the amount of hoops and obstacles that Amanda has had to go through to get to where she is standing today, somebody like Imani is just a complete joke to her! In Amanda’s mind, she is who she is just because of the opportunities that she was given and because of the family that she was born into. It was complete luck, and it had nothing to do with hard work. In Amanda’s eyes, everything that she is and every ounce of who she is, is because of her determination, and the choices that she made, and the obstacles that she overcame. So, the way that Amanda looks at Imani is like she is just a person who she doesn’t even think could fathom how insignificant Amanda thinks that she is. There is a deep-rooted resentment for Imani because I just think that Amanda has been through so much.
Would you like to have more scenes between Amanda and Naya and Imani?
MISHAEL: Yes.I want more scenes with both of them! Both of them are so amazing. So, I’d love to work with both Imani/Leigh-Ann and Naya/Ptosha again.
Photo:JPI
What can you say to the fans to look forward to?
MISHAEL: I think I would say that Amanda coming to Genoa City was a really big surprise, and I think that those surprises will continue … ff we want to be as vague as possible! I think there are a lot of things to look forward to because this relationship with Devon is definitely going, and I think it will be interesting to watch how Bryton and I figure that out, which will be fun!
Photo: JPI
Big surprises? Hmm. Are you going to tell me that there are four of you? That Naya really gave birth to quadruplets … and you are about to take on two more roles?
MISHAEL: Well, you never know! That’s all I’ll say!
So, what did you think of Mishael’s recent performances where Amanda met her birth mother? Are you rooting for Amanda and Devon to wind up together, or Devon and Elena? What have you thought of Amanda Sinclair vs. Hilary Curtis Hamilton? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.
Days Of Our Lives
Watch the Replay: GH, DAYS, Y&R, B&B & OLTL Stars at Michael Fairman’s Virtual Birthday Party for SAG-AFTRA Foundation Covid-19 Relief Fund
Earlier this week on Monday night, several of the stars of General Hospital, Days of our Lives, The Young and the Restless, The Bold and the Beautiful, and One Life to Live, took part in a virtual livestream “party” for Michael Fairman’s 60th birthday.
The event was held virtually to help performers in need who have been deeply affected by the Covid-19 pandemic by letting viewers know where to make a donation to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Covid-19 Relief Fund.
Photo: ABC, NBC, CBS
Participating throughout the 90 minute livestream were: The Young and the Restless, Jason Thompson, Sharon Case, and Christian LeBlanc, General Hospital’s Maurice Benard, Laura Wright, Wes Ramsey, and Chloe Lanier, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Katherine Kelly Lang, Days of our Lives’ Rob Scott Wilson, Eric Martsolf, Galen Gering, Arianne Zucker, Shawn Christian, Santa Barbara favorite, A Martinez, One Life to Live’s Kristen Alderson and Eddie Alderson, and Studio City’s Sean Kanan.
You can catch the replay of the birthday benefit event below or on The Michael Fairman Channel on You Tube.
Throughout the evening, the actors shared stories of how they got their SAG card, played a game of Michael’s trivia, and revealed stories about themselves and other “party” guests in a wonderful display of community and camaraderie at all went down live!
Since March of 2o2o, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation has given out more than $6.2 million in emergency aid to over 6,500 SAG-AFTRA performers and their families facing hardship and uncertainty during this pandemic. Thousands of SAG-AFTRA artists have found themselves in dire need of assistance to help pay their rent, buy groceries, cover health care premiums and other bills. You can still make a donation of any dollar amount to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Covid-19 relief fund here. https://members.sagfoundation.org/donate
Now, check it out below, and let us know if you enjoyed the virtual birthday party livestream via the comment section.
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Days Of Our LivesJanuary 20, 2021Victoria Konefal Returns to Days of our Lives
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InterviewsJanuary 21, 2021Y&R’s Mishael Morgan Talks Amanda’s Gut-Wrenching Scenes With Her Mother, Romance with Devon & Vice-President Kamala Harris’ Historic Moment
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All My ChildrenJanuary 22, 2021Mark Consuelos on the All My Children Primetime Reboot: “I Know They’re Going to Bring Back Some Fan Favorites”
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General HospitalJanuary 23, 2021GH’s Lisa LoCicero Delivers The ‘Power Performance of the Week’
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General HospitalJanuary 22, 2021Lexi Ainsworth Teases Her Return to General Hospital
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General HospitalJanuary 18, 2021Denise Alexander Responds to Outpouring of Fan Support on Her Return to General Hospital
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General HospitalJanuary 25, 2021General Hospital to Incorporate In-Story ‘GMA3: What You Need to Know’ Jackie Templeton & Sasha Gilmore Interview