In the 12/7 issue of Digest, we caught up with GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Denise Alexander (Lesley), who discussed her role on the comedy Web series PRETTY. Here’s more from this PC fave. 
Soap Opera Digest: Tell us about your character, Louise Fitzpatrick.
Leslie Alexander: She’s a former beauty queen from these pageants. I knew who this character was and every cell was itching to explore her.”
Digest: It had to have been a good omen that the pageant in PRETTY is called Miss Star Eyes, since that was also the name of Laura’s modeling title during the ’80s.
Alexander: Absolutely!
Digest: PRETTY is a little reminiscent of the soap spoof you did called SHAFT OF LOVE for Showtime back in 1983. Tell us about that.
Alexander: That was another fun thing. I was wanting to get on the other side of the camera. They wanted to do an all-star soap cast from different soaps, and they gave me a producer credit. I did the casting. I became a part of the team and they did listen to me, and it strengthened me. I was in it as an actor and I got to play the bad girl, which never happened [laughs], and Morgan Fairchild [ex-Sydney, LOVING, et al] played the good girl. It was a very loving satire. I had Kin [Shriner, ex-Scott, GH, et al] and Tony [Geary, Luke, GH] there, Susan Flannery [Stephanie, B&B], my old pal, and other people I admired and enjoyed. We did it as a theater piece with an audience and we went right straight through, just like a play. It was part of a series called SHOWTIME ON BROADWAY. I do think it was a little ahead of its time. It would fit in better now.
Digest: You must get a lot of fans who’d like to see more of Lesley on GH
Alexander: I do, and I always say this, and I hope Leslie [Charleson, Monica] does, too: The first time that GENERAL HOSPITAL ever went to No. 1 in our era, it was on the Lesley/Rick/Monica storyline. It wasn’t Luke and Laura. They went farther than anyone dreamed possible, of course, but that was a big triangle back then. I understand they’re focused on other things now, but it is a little odd to think there’s a member of that family in town and she’s not involved. Lesley raised Lulu. But, I’m getting the loveliest messages through PRETTY’s Web site. After not being a major part of that show in so many years, it’s so heartwarming to still hear from fans who loved that character.
Digest: How does it feel to add a Web series to your resum?
Alexander: I’m not a person who gets all this [technology]. I don’t Tweet. I don’t do Facebook. I use the Internet for business. I just read an article about people from soaps getting into and creating Internet soaps, but I can’t predict the future. I think it’s a brave new world and we do not know where the entertainment industry will go next.
To check out Alexander in action, go to www.prettytheseries.com.
