Photo Credit: Steven Bergman

If you are tuning in to One Life to Live these days (and if you are not, you should get with it and get on the bandwagon, folks)  you are witness to one incredible complex mystery filled with more twists and turns and ups and downs then even the fiercest of rollercoasters at your favorite amusement park. We can only be talking about the mystery of the “Two Todds!”

With the announcement that Daytime Emmy winner Roger Howarth would be returning to Llanview after more than eight years, that set the stage for OLTL’s Emmy winning head writer, Ron Carlivati, to develop and construct a riveting tale of what would happen if a man with the original Todd’s face (scar and all) returned to Llanview to reclaim his life, while another Todd, who as far we know, also believes he is Todd (and has had his face reconstructed to look like someone else!) and is running around town being the father and husband to his beloved family. Will the real Todd please stand up?

Now Carlivati and company have brought the story to an exciting boiler point on tomorrow’s episode of OLTL when all characters and roads lead to the “Vicker Man” premiere and thus the stage is set for an entrance by Roger’s Todd to the shock and awe of his family and enemies!  On-Air On-Soaps caught up with Ron Carlivati to take us through the confusing and yet exciting elements that make the “Tale of the Two Todds” must see daytime television and to give us his insight and a preview of what is to come!

We also get the head scribe’s thoughts on the heartbreaking news that OLTL was canceled by ABC and will be ending its network television run after 43 years, and then the surprising turn of events which now has One Life being given another life to live with its upcoming move to the web to continue the story. With so many obstacles, changes, and hurdles to deal with including the exit of one of the show’s most popular actors, Trevor St. John (Todd), Carlivati has had to be a quick change artist at times. But from our chat below, he informs us it’s all now on course, and he is excited for all of you to see how it all plays out!

MICHAEL:

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With the “Two Todds” story, was that difficult to plot out because you did not know if Roger or Trevor were coming or going?  Did it kind of morph and change?

RON:

I have got to admit it was tricky.  I gambled a little bit when we started laying some stuff in with Tomas and the CIA files, and this was before Roger has signed on.  I had a backup plan if there was no reveal of Roger, but it ended up working out beautifully with Roger agreeing to come back to One Life to Live. And, we were able to flip it in and we were then able to make it all sort of make sense.  That was really the beginning of the whole story, that is: which one of these guys is the real Todd Manning?  And, I had envisioned we would have two Todds on the canvas for a long time to come.

MICHAEL:

That is what I thought, too!  I know how you write, so I thought having two Todds on the show at the same time was the really cool thing of it.

RON:

Right, and you have this great story of which guy is Todd?  But, once that question is answered you could have both guys on the canvas and tons and tons of story that could be generated from that. Unfortunately, Trevor St. John decided not to stay.  So I had more of a timeline of how to play out the story and how to get the most out of how I could milk having both Todd’s, sort of speak, on the canvas, until one had to exit the canvas, meaning Trevor.  I really in some ways tried to go with it whole-hog and blow through the story and get everything out of having both guys on the canvas.

MICHAEL:

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Right, but if you had your druthers, you would have liked to have had it play out a lot longer having both Todd’s in Llanview.

RON:

Exactly, because you see how rich that story is and it is just starting a rivalry that could last for years to come.  Unfortunately, I did not have that luxury, but either way it generated tons and tons of story and the show is going to remain really exciting even with Trevor’s exit.

MICHAEL:

Did you want Roger Howarth to come back as soon as you knew As the World Turns was going off the air?

RON:

Yeah, that was such a terrible thing to lose that show, but then there was a little part of me that went, “Oh my gosh!  We could possibly have Roger Howarth back.”  And you see how long that actually took to happen.  But, it is something that I always really wanted because I had an idea of how there could be two Todd’s on the canvas.  It’s such a fun story to tell, and while far out in some ways, it really just affects a family and how it will tear them apart, and then ultimately bring them back together.  It has got that Sci-fi crazy aspect of: how can there be two guys with the same name, if not the same face.  It really comes down to the relationships and the emotions and what does it do to Tea, Blair, and Starr, and what does it do to Viki?

MICHAEL:

Was there ever a moment when you were with your writing team going, “What the hell are we going to do here?” (Laughs)

RON:

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I had an idea at the beginning, but when you get into the nitty gritty that is when you are like, “Ok, but how do we explain this?  And how does Walker Laurence fit into it?  And how does the fact that we have a DNA test fit into it?”  And you take all those pieces and you try to make a story that can make as much logical sense as humanly possible, given the situation.  I have got to say, it was a challenge and a lot of fun.  It was exciting as much for us as the audience, seeing Roger return, and the two guys coming face-to-face and now the anticipation of the rest of Todd Mannings family and loved ones, seeing Roger Howarth’s character.

MICHAEL:

And then …. You don’t know who to believe!

RON:

Exactly, you don’t know what Trevor’s Todd knows, and you are along for the ride. And with each little step it gets more exciting, in my humble opinion. (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

Many fans are upset that Trevor has left the show early before it concludes on network television.  As the head writer, how do you feel about Trevor St. John’s work as Todd?  I loved it.  Did you?

RON:

Oh absolutely!  And while Trevor has been a different Todd, he has been a fantastic Todd.  I was excited about having both guys on the canvas as viable characters regardless of what we would be calling them.  So yes, in no way was I chomping at the bit to get Roger back so that I could replace Trevor with him.  I always thought it could be great and we could have both guys.  And that was what was exciting for me, to be able to tell “The Battle of the Todds” story.

MICHAEL:

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With a nod to fans who love Trevor and those who love Roger, can we possibly hope no one will end up being a true bad guy as Todd?

RON:

Bottom line is: Todd Manning is sort of a bad guy.  So there is going to be that part of it no matter what.  I understand what you are asking.  Will everyone be happy?  I don’t know about that.  We can’t necessarily make everyone happy.  People feel strongly that they want one guy to be Todd and that one is an imposter.  I think as far as that goes, the way it is resolved should make a lot of people happy, and I know there are some things that will probably upset certain fan bases, but that is part of the storytelling.

MICHAEL:

On Friday’s air show, a lot happens at the “Vicker Man” Premiere!

RON:

Yes, the “Vicker Man” premiere is sort of the backdrop for everything.

MICHAEL:

A Ron Carlivati special… that is what I call it… (Laughs) where every story is interwoven and intertwined and then “bam!”  So, what we have here is, this should be the first time that the Manning family sees two Todds?

RON:

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Exactly!  And I always had that image and I did not know it would be at the “Vicker Man” premiere, but I always felt it should be one of those big soapy kind of events with everybody dressed up.  And, I imagined the heads turning in slow motion when Roger’s Todd walks in the door.  I wanted that big impact of when he walks into a crowded room and the shock on everyone’s face!

MICHAEL:

And there are always DNA tests on soaps.  And in particular, Ron, there are lots of bungled DNA tests on One Life to Live! What is up with that? (Laughs)

RON:

I know.  On our show our lab is very busy and should probably be shut down by the department of health! (Laughs)  So DNA will figure dramatically into the story.

MICHAEL:

OK now, “Hold the Diploma”, the porno movie starring Nate and Deena.  Did you come up with that hilarious title?  Clearly this figures in prominently to the “Vicker Man” premiere!

RON:

I will be honest.  It started off as the original movie that tied in with the Eddie Ford murder, that was actually called, “Hold the Sausage” and Standards and Practices would not allow the title of “Hold the Sausage” but for some reason they were OK with “Hold the Pepperoni”! (Laughs) I was not exactly sure why, other than it was more accessible? (Laughs) So then when we were moving forward into this other porno movie, we came up with a spin-off which came from one of my other writers that said, “We like the “Hold the…” idea, and because Nate was graduating from High School, one of the other writers came up with “Hold the Diploma”.

MICHAEL:

So “Hold the Diploma” somehow gets mixed up with “Vicker Man”?

RON:

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It is a publicity stunt on Rick’s part that sets this in motion.

MICHAEL:

Rick is thinking this will be great for himself to sabotage the “Vicker Man” premiere?

RON:

Rick thinks this will be great for himself and what better publicity than this big red carpet premiere and that his work that he is very proud of will be seen.  So he is handing out DVD’s at the movie premiere.  And so, when all of Llanview is gathered and David and Dorian introduce their new movie, and of course Nate and Dani and all of her family are sitting there, Nate’s work appears on the screen. (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

And there is big fallout from that!

RON:

There is big fallout from that, and what was fun about doing that premiere, you know, was that we had the big story that everyone was waiting for which is Roger Howarth’s Todd, to walk into this party, but yet at the same time, having some fun with some of these other stories along the way.  It is the “Hold the Diploma” group, and there is also a big reveal with Rama and Vimal and Vimal’s parents. They did not know that Rama and Vimal are split up and that Rama is not pregnant.  Rama shows up at the party with sort of a fake pregnancy to show proof for Vimal.  So it is kind of comedic, but it is also very sweet and romantic, with Rama trying to make it up to Vimal.

MICHAEL:

Is there hope for Rama and Vimal?

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RON:

Absolutely!  We took a little detour with Cristian, but I think for Rama her marriage to Vimal was an arranged marriage, and in some ways she thought she never got to experience life.  We also know she has got dreams of being rich and having everything.  She lost sight of what she really had.  Rama had stars in her eyes when she was with big hunky Cristian, and she kind of forgot what was important for her. We are now trying to get back to that here.  I actually didn’t know Vimal and Rama would take off the way it did.

MICHAEL:

It’s shocking, right? Who knew?

RON:

Some of that was written before we cast the people, and then we saw Vimal and Rama together. We had already shipped Vimal off to prison and we already started the Rama and Cristian thing and then realized Vimal and Rama were really popular.  So we started to veer the story of getting Vimal out of jail and getting them back together and trying to resolve the Cristian and Rama relationship. There is hope for Rama and Vimal, and there is a fun thing that happens at the premiere with the Patel’s.

MICHAEL:

There is this other matter at the “Vicker Man” premiere of Rex running around with a gun!  I have got to tell you how amazing John-Paul Lavoisier (Rex) has been. Everything you have given him surrounding Gigi’s death, he delivered!

RON:

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Yes. When we discussed the story with Gigi dying, and where it would take Rex which was to a pretty dark place, there was some concern expressed that what people love about Rex is his funny sense of humor, and his relationship with Bo, and all of that. And while I agree and I think all of that stuff is great, I felt he would be able to do this also.  I thought it would be great to explore another side of that character, and you know that other side of Rex is always going to be there and will eventually come back.  JP has really been amazing.  And, we have taken the character of Rex down this dark path where he has been fixated by revenge, and that is why he sells Gigi’s heart and he takes Clint’s money, because he thinks money and power are the way to get back at Todd and Jack.  And then, the night of the party he turns on the TV.  Rex is in a particularly down place over Gigi and he sees Todd and Jack yucking it up on the red carpet at the premiere, and it sets him off.  He is contemplating this gun and it sort of sets him off on why they get to walk around free.  And, why does Jack get to have a mother when Shane doesn’t have a mother?  Why does Todd have a wife when I don’t have a wife?  He heads to the party with a gun and we don’t know if he intends on using it on Jack, on Blair, on Tea, and so that is happening simultaneously with a lot of the fun stuff around that, and also with the fact that Roger’s Todd is headed to the party.

MICHAEL:

With two Todd’s being at the party and having to write Blair and Tea’s reactions, what were you thinking would be appropriate?  How do they play into this? Are they integral to figuring out who the real Todd is?

RON:

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It is a challenge, because on one hand you want to have a big group moment when Roger’s Todd walks in. But, at the same time you want everybody to have their own reaction.  For example, as you will see, we purposely did not bring Viki to the premiere because I did not want to water down everyone’s reaction, and I wanted to give Viki her own moment when she see’s Roger.  I think we made it more about the immediate Manning family, and I think I wanted to preserve how the Viki and Todd relationship is so special, that I wanted to give it its own moment.  And also, when you have hundreds of people running around in a big party scene like that, it does help limit how far you can go, to some extent.  I think Erika Slezak (Viki) was actually pleased to some extent that I did not make her stand around at the party scenes for four days on end!  We really centered those moments at the party on Blair’s reaction, Tea’s reaction, and Starr’s reaction and Jack’s reaction.  Everybody gets their shocked reaction, and it is not just somebody returning from the dead, because Todd Manning is already standing there with them.  So it is not, Oh thank God, “Todd Manning, you are alive,” and they throw their arms around him. They don’t know who this guy is!

MICHAEL:

Like…. could he be this man with a reconstructed face with a scar on it like Todd’s original face?

RON:

Exactly! You have both guys insisting they are Todd.

MICHAEL:

It’s hard when you think of Trevor’s Todd.  He has loved his kids no matter what he has done.  So for the viewers it has been, “What the hell is going on?  Does he really love Jack and Starr if he is a fake?”

RON:

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Yes and that was clearly real.  I think to say that he has been acting that does not make a lot of sense. So our story tries to take that into account.

MICHAEL:

And Sam is Trevor’s Todd kid, right?  Sam was conceived when Margaret Cochran raped Trevor’s Todd.  Now, I am getting confused! (Laughs)

RON:

Assuming everybody is who they say and who they look to be.  But Sam was conceived when Todd had Trevor’s face.  So if Roger is Todd, the other kids are his.

MICHAEL:

The character of Tomas is he really one of the keys to the mystery, or is he your red-herring in the story?  How did you construct him, because we are all thinking to ourselves, “What is his deal?”  We know he was, or is with the CIA.

RON:

That is a true thing, but there is a little more to it than just that.  He does know a crucial piece of the Todd puzzle and he reveals a little bit more to Blair on the night of the party deeper than, “I was just in the CIA.”  We learn a little more of what his mission was and what he has been hiding from all of them about these two Todds.  Obviously, it will have a big impact on his relationship with Blair and with Tea.  But everybody’s life is about to get a lot more complicated.

MICHAEL:

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John McBain is sleuthing around and putting together some pieces to the puzzle. And usually he is not a dummy, except for the fact he can’t figure out Liam is his kid. (Laughs)  So, will he be integral to figuring the “Two Todds” mystery?

RON:

Yes. Well, John’s mind is very analytical and he feels there is an answer to this.  John is removed from this emotionally, so he can step back and look at this and be like, “What could be the answer here?”  So he is going to be a big part of who turns out to be Todd but it won’t solely be him. Viki will have a big part in figuring out which guy is which. Viki does hold a key to the whole reveal, and Tomas as well. They will all help unravel this whole thing.

MICHAEL:

When you saw Roger Howarth back on-screen, did you think, “This is amazing!”  Or, that he picked up right where he left off in the role he originated?

RON:

I was thrilled!  And actually, so many years have gone by you forget how good he is in scenes where he is just talking to himself!  And the scenes with Sam we just had so much fun with, and just trying to come up with ways of having Roger’s Todd interact with everybody without yet revealing him to everyone in Llanview, like Sam’s birthday party and that type of stuff.

MICHAEL:

I loved the “Spidey” Man stuff!  So cute and funny!

RON:

Patrick Gibbons Jr., the little boy that plays Sam is adorable. He knows all his lines and he is so much fun.  I think it was just a great addition to the story because he is like the interesting one, because he does not share the same father necessarily as the other kids.

MICHAEL:

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When the cancellation was handed down by ABC of One Life to Live, how did it change how you were writing this “Tale of the Two Todds” as far as the timing of it?

RON:

I think it came on the heels of Roger Howarth signing on with us.  So it was like, “Yay” we can have Todd and tell this story, and even though I knew we had a limited time with Trevor St. John, I still felt that Roger would continue.  And then there was the… “Oh, but the show is ending.”  So of course, it takes the wind out of your sails a little bit.  It does make you consider the pace of the story, but of course now it has been all thrown up in the air again! (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

I wanted to address some things with you, which I call, “The elephant in the room.” I so wanted to reach out to you when the show got canceled, because I know how much you love One Life to Live.  I also know how much it meant to you personally to head write this show. The show has been unbelievable, and holding at number three in the ratings and pretty stellar for almost over a year now where all the stories have really come together.  I was wondering what went through your mind when you found out One Life was canceled, and all of a sudden there is this reprieve that the show will continue online.  Now, we don’t know all the particulars and many issues have not been worked out, but it is a positive thing that the series is moving online. What are your thoughts on this rollercoaster ride?

RON:

Of course, when we heard it was canceled it was devastating.  We had heard rumors.  So you try to prepare yourself, but I don’t think anything prepares you when you hear the words out loud.  So it was definitely a blow for everyone that works here, not just for me.  It was a grieving process for us all.  It was like a death.  I am sure other people have said this to you and it may seem like a cliché’, but it was really true that we went through all the stages of grief over losing the show.  And kind of like right when you are coming to terms with acceptance, and you are achieving that and going “OK, I am at peace with it. We are going out on top. We are going out with good ratings and a good solid show, and I know where everything’s going and I know how it’s going to end,” and then this happens and it changes everything.  Obviously, I am thrilled by the idea that the show can continue.  But it was a surprise and I have to adjust not only the way I am feeling and thinking, but how I am writing the show as well, because it is not the end.

MICHAEL:

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Right, because now you have to leave certain stories perhaps open-ended and cliff-hanged.

RON:

So it is a matter of trying to give it some fitting closure for having been on network television, while at the same time not ending the show because it’s going to continue.

MICHAEL:

Are you hopeful that this will be a great step for soap operas in going to the Internet?

RON:

The prospect of it is very exciting.  There are so many unknowns and I am not educated enough on it to speak about it.  It’s just information I don’t have.  But the idea of it continuing in some new form is very exciting and it does make you feel like, “Now I know what Irna Phillips felt like when her show was going from radio to television.”  And that seemed like, how can that happen?  And yet it did.  So that does give us hope that this new medium could be a great positive thing.  I am excited to see what happens.  I spoke with Agnes Nixon and it was very heartwarming!  I mean, she had to deal with finding out that the two shows she created were going to end.  And to put myself in her shoes…(a) how she must have felt that both shows were going to end and then (b) that they are not necessarily going to end.  I felt, I think happiest for her in a lot of ways.

MICHAEL:

Now was Agnes Nixon going to consult with you on the ending on One Life to Live as she has been with All My Children?

RON:

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You know, she has always been more intimately involved in All My Children, and has been for a really long time. Agnes has always been really wonderful and supportive of me.  I was sort of biding my time and letting her work with the writers on the ending of that show, but I did plan to consult with her on how I was going to wrap up One Life to Live.

MICHAEL:

Because it was her creation and you wanted to be respectful of her?

RON:

Of course, and I had to actually get to the point of writing the end of OLTL and it’s actually changing a little bit.  But she is someone that I am always in contact with, and again, has been so great to me.  I am excited for her with what is happening now with Prospect Park.

MICHAEL:

What would you say to fans of OLTL on why to tune into Friday’s pivotal episode, and even after that, with the “Two Todds” story?

RON:

It is like, you are peeling away the layers of the onion, and this beat is a major step in the story of everyone seeing Roger’s Todd.  But there is just something new every day.  There is everybody seeing him, and then when Viki sees him, and then the whole, “How can there be two Todds?”  It just continues to unfold and you don’t want to miss a day.  It’s a great story.

MICHAEL:

Were there any particular moments during the taping of the “Vicker Man” premiere, that when you saw your script played out during taping, you just had to pinch yourself because you really liked how the beats played out?

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RON:

As far as the premiere, there are a couple of outrageous moments that I did see on tape, but I have not seen the whole thing edited together.  But beside the shocking moment of Roger walking into the party, there are some other things in the Rama and Vimal story, and the “Hold the Diploma” story, that are really hilarious!

MICHAEL:

By the way, lest we forget, are David and Dorian swept under the carpet at their own premiere, Ron?

RON:

I would say, they are upstaged a little bit which is not a place that either one of them likes to be.  I will leave it at that. (Laughs)