Now that GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Lisa LoCicero been upped to contract status, expect to see a lot more of Olivia. Here, the actress gives us the skinny on her new TV son, her best P.C. girlfriend and her reaction to the newfound popularity of “JOlivia.”
Soap Opera Digest: So, we finally met Dante. Tell us about Dominic Zamprogna.
Lisa LoCicero: I honestly, thoroughly adore him and I totally enjoy working with him. We really lucked out.
Digest: That may have been one of the most eagerly anticipated castings in daytime.
LoCicero Right? I think it’s even a bonus that he’s not someone who soap fans are familiar with from some other canvas. He’s got a clean slate. He doesn’t come with any soap opera baggage on him. He’s got a real thick resumé, this one. He’s not new to the game of making it real on the screen. He knows his way around a scene.
Digest: Some fans are a little concerned about the real-life age difference between you two, which is less than 10 years.
LoCicero In real life, sure our ages are closer than you might expect for someone playing a mother and a son, and I admit I had to do a little mental gymnastics in the very beginning to relate to him as someone who was my baby and not someone I’m going to go to bed with like Brandon [Barash, Johnny] [laughs]. But I’m utilizing the fact that they’ve written that their relationship is not in the traditional mother and son sense, because she was so young when she had him. There are bursts of traditional mother and son, but they function as peers. He watched her grow up in a sense, just as she watched him grow up. She was this dumb kid raising a baby. She even says, “When I had you, I swore you were never going to suffer for having a mother that was so young and so stupid and didn’t know what she was doing, and I did a really good job. It was tough, but I raised you well and I’m proud of you.”
Digest: Any idea when Sonny will find out Dante is his son?
LoCicero I hope they play it out for as long as they possibly can.
Digest: Speaking of Sonny, it’s interesting that Olivia and Carly don’t have a lot of female friends but yet, they bonded.
LoCicero Yeah, “CarLivia [laughs].”
Digest: Why do you think that is?
LoCicero You mean besides their matching “I Survived Sonny Corinthos” T-shirts? They’re different in a lot of ways but in a lot of others, they’re very similar. They’re both straightforward. I guess it would be wrong to say neither one isn’t manipulative. They both lay their cards on the table. And in the beginning, Olivia was always comfortable deferring to Carly in many ways. She’s her employer for one thing, and Olivia has been more of a caretaker to Carly and has proven herself a good friend and confidante. I think Carly was hungry for that, too, and eager to have the opportunity to have that in her life. And now we’re seeing the tables turn a bit in that Olivia is the one who needs a shoulder and Carly is distinctly in a position to give her advice about stuff.
Digest: Speaking of which, the Olivia/Johnny pairing has become quite popular with fans. Were you surprised?
LoCicero I think everyone was surprised by the fan response. But I have such a wonderful time working with Brandon. He a consummate professional, always prepared, always brings it, and he’s just such a nice guy. He’s terrific.
Digest: But what about Olivia’s lingering feelings for Sonny?
LoCicero That’s why they call it a soap opera [laughs].
