Helen Wagner (Nancy):
It’s a culmination of a lovely, long time with great, dear friends. Fifty doesn’t matter to me; it’s a number. Everybody has had such a good time. As much as it’s changed, it’s still great fun.
Don Hastings (Bob):
It’s nice that the show has lasted this long and that people are still interested. Sometimes I give fans medical advice. I charge them right there, tell them to take their clothes off and examine them. I think some of the stuff that [late head writer] Douglas Marland gave us was great, like the Venice story. It was one of the few times doing a remote actually helped the show and did not get in the way. That was fun with Julianne Moore (ex-Frannie/Sabrina) and Kathy (Hays, Kim). Marland really loved the show and kept us all busy.
Colleen Zenk Pinter (Barbara):
The show is almost as old as I am! I don’t think there are words for it. No one here has experienced this before; how many things in this world last 50 years? Not governments. Think about how many different regimes have come and gone. We’re not dying on the vine. We are more vital than we’ve ever been, we have an extraordinary company all around — actors, crew, writers, directors, everybody. It’s an honor.
Benjamin Hendrickson (Hal):
I came on for one day and I’ve been here for 20 years! It’s amazing that the show has survived for 50 years. It’s had its stormy times and times when it faltered, but it got back up on its feet. It’s amazing that people have kept their commitment to the show and kept it running and have dedicated themselves to it. We have to work fast and get an hour of television in a day. It’s a great company, and we have a lot of fun.
Marie Masters (Susan):
I’m encouraged that we’ll probably see 60, 70 and 100 (years). It’s been 37 years for me. I have had the best, most fun things to do on this show. In the early days Kathy Hays (Kim) threw me in a shower because I was drunk. I remember getting caught recently in a towel by Chris Hughes. I was married to a serial murderer. What could be more fun than that? The most fun of all is the relationship with Emily, because it’s so idiosyncratic and something that has developed between me and Kelley (Hensley, Emily) over time. I love working with Kelley. I never get tired of it.
Martha Byrne (Lily):
I have a very strong value for the show and I recognize the importance of it, not just in the industry, but in a lot of people’s lives. It’s a multi-generational show. It’s so iconic, and I want it to be celebrated as such because these are the days when a show lasts for two episodes and it gets pulled, and we’re still going. We have our ups and down, but we have a very dedicated audience, and that’s the difference between a prime-time show and a daytime show. We already have our fans built in who are willing to go on journeys with us and trust us and feel a closeness to us.
Michael Park (Jack):
I’m reminded how humble I felt when I first came to AS THE WORLD TURNS. To see Don (Hastings, Bob), one of the great leading men of daytime, and Eileen Fulton (Lisa) and Liz (Hubbard, Lucinda) and of course Martha (Byrne, Lily) — these people are just in a different class than everyone else. It’s overwhelming. There have been so many great storylines. I loved the baby-switch storyline that we just had, and the Rose/spa storyline. The favorite storyline that always comes to mind is Jack being locked in Teague’s cabin and almost freezing to death.
Maura West (Carly):
I’m very proud and honored to be part of the show, whatever year it is. Meeting and falling in love with my husband (Scott DeFreitas, ex-Andy) was a highlight. That was probably why my destiny brought me here.
Scott Holmes (Tom):
I’ve been here since 1987. It’s been an amazing livelihood. My son was born while I was on this show and now he’s in college. I liked the AIDS storyline with Margo and Tom when Doug Marland was still alive. I thought it was terrific.
Ellen Dolan (Margo):
I’m so honored. The show and I are the same age! I turned 50 last October, and I think we both age pretty well. It’s really a trip. I’ve been part of the Procter & Gamble family for 26 years. I’ve seen so many of these people around my whole life. When I was a little kid, I watched the soaps with my mom. They are a part of the American home. It brings you to a certain comfort level. When you hear Eileen Fulton‘s (Lisa) voice across the room, it’s something that makes you stop and go, “Oh, that’s home.” It makes me cry.
Elizabeth Hubbard (Lucinda):
The show is older than I am (laughs). I remember the 40th, I think, when we were in the Rainbow Room and I was looking around at all of these people who worked on the show and put their hearts and their souls into it. If you look at it the other way, the show has supported all of these people and sent their kids to school, and everybody has something to eat. It’s a nice feeling, especially in the corporate culture of today. We should be very grateful there is a sense of family and a sense of belonging. I was excited about the cancer storyline, because it was something real and it seemed appropriate.
Kelley Menighan Hensley (Emily):
The fact that it’s been on for 50 years is one whole thing onto itself. The fact that I’ve been part of a show that’s been on for 50 years is a whole other, personal, thing for me. On top of that, this is where I met my husband (Jon Hensley, Holden) and had my family and began this second part of my life. It has many more special memories and moments for myself and for us, because this is the foundation we built our lives on. There’s no other place that I’ve heard of where you actually leave the studio on a regular basis telling the people that you work with that you love them and you are hugging them goodbye. I recognize that because I always talk to my friends and ask them what it’s like where they work — and it’s not like that!
Jon Hensley (Holden):
When I first came on the show and jumped out of that hayloft, working with Brian Bloom (ex-Dusty) and Martha (Byrne, Lily) in the beginning, it was one of those things where it just clicked. It was an interesting story, the chemistry was there, and that story is probably the reason why Martha and I are still here today. Of course, it came from Doug Marland. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been involved in many great stories and, in fact, the one I’m in right now is pretty terrific, too. I remember the first appearance I did in New Orleans. I had been on the show for a couple months, and there must have been 4,000-5,000 people at this mall appearance I did with Billy Shanks (ex-Casey Peretti). He had just started, too, and he was as amazed as I was at the response we got. People were going crazy.
Terri Colombino (Katie):
To be a part of something that has been around this long is pretty amazing. I do scenes with the woman who said the first words on the show [Helen Wagner, Nancy], who is still here. That is a big privilege. We come in to work and do our thing, but when you think about it, it’s amazing and I’m very proud.
Jennifer Ferrin (Jennifer):
What show do you know of that’s been around 50 years? In my years being here, it’s always cool to get letters and hear from people who have watched the show since they were young, and their mothers watched it and their grandmothers watched it. It’s been part of people’s lives for a while.
Tamara Tunie (Jessica):
It’s a momentous thing. Jessica has been around for almost 20 years now. My favorite time on the show was when Peter Parros (ex-Ben) and Napiera Danielle (ex-Bonnie) and Lamman Rucker (ex-Marshall) and Paul Taylor (ex-Isaac) were here and we had some great story happening. It felt to me like a nicely balanced cast, and I miss that.
Chris Goutman (executive producer):
Every day is an incredible opportunity to enter people’s lives, and this milestone of…50 years is pretty incredible. I like to think of 50 as the new 30; 50 is good, but I like to look forward. I like to think that every day we’re on the air is the first day. It’s a great milestone, but there are many more milestones to accomplish. I love the cast and I have a great time with them and I love the stories. This cast is a true ensemble, probably unlike any other show on daytime. We’re not really star-driven. It’s a family, especially way out here in Brooklyn, away from all the distractions. We just have a good time.
