Spring is in the air and catfights, jealousy and nastiness abound. Oh, wait — it’s a soap, so that’s okay. We recently spoke to three ALL MY CHILDREN actresses about what the warmer weather might hold for their characters.
•Stephanie Gatschet (Madison)
Soap Opera Weekly: We’ve heard that Denise [Vasi, Randi] is dying to have fight scenes with you…
Stephanie Gatschet: So am I. We keep talking about it. We want a catfight. I don’t see why we can’t have one.
Weekly: The tension’s mounting between them now that Greenlee’s back in the picture, right?
Gatschet: Yes. There’s tension all around Fusion. We already don’t like each other. Now we’re pitted against each other in the work environment.
Weekly: Any idea where Madison is headed at Fusion?
Gatschet: So far, it seems like Madison has unexpectedly teamed up with Greenlee. But I think it’s also just Madison’s desire to please anybody. She’s in no way against Erica, but she has teamed up with Greenlee. I think she’s trying to play the middle of the road. She doesn’t hate anybody. She just wants to have a job. When I started the show, I had a gambling problem and a drinking problem, and I was evil. All of that just disappeared very quickly. It’s cool that this character has all this dimension, her abusive past and this and that. I felt somewhat like the problems just vanished, which isn’t very realistic. Let’s just say some things are going to…it’s going to be interesting.
•Julia Barr (Brooke)
Weekly: Why is Annie so threatened by Brooke?
Julia Barr: They are coming from two completely opposite sides of the spectrum in so many ways, particularly in their overviews of the world in general and their [feelings for] the Chandler family. My relationship with the Chandlers is very different than hers is. That sets her off.
Weekly: Has Brooke caught on that Annie believes she’s trying to steal Adam away from her?
Barr: No, Brooke just thinks Annie’s got some issues. Brooke [will] not going to let anybody talk to her in a certain way. [She] came back for the editor job at Tempo. That’s her main focus, and Brooke got tossed into a family drama that’s very serious and pulled everybody together. Annie sees how Brooke is immediately embraced by the family. That is very upsetting to her.
Weekly: There’s speculation that Brooke might end up with Adam, and that might be how David Canary is written off. Comments?
Barr: I can’t really say. They definitely are reconnecting in a way I don’t think they even anticipate. The last thing that Brooke wants to do is come between Adam and Annie. She does not want to wreck a marriage. That’s not on her agenda at all. There’s a lot of pull in many different ways as a result.
Weekly: So what are Brooke’s thoughts about Adam keeping house with Annie?
Barr: She didn’t know her that well when she [arrived]. Brooke knew a little bit about her — that she had been through a difficult time with the death of Stuart. I don’t think Brooke makes an assessment; Brooke’s not there about that. It becomes more like, “Well, what the…is going on?” Adam is a powerful guy. He is attracted to women. JR is a product of his infidelity to Brooke with another woman. So I know that’s in the mix.
•Chrishell Stause (Amanda)
Weekly: With the arrival of Greenlee, it’s like David has a new person to torment. How does Amanda feel about that?
Chrishell Stause: She goes through a phase where she tries to get Jake to just leave David alone: “He’s not bugging us. Let’s just cut him out of our lives.” He doesn’t want to let it go, because he’s friends with Greenlee. So he then gets Amanda to see, “You know what? This could have been you. Don’t let it happen to anyone else.” Then she comes around and wants to help Greenlee. They come up with a way to nail David.
Weekly: Amanda gets involved in the plotting, too?
Stause: She does. She tries to help as much as she can. She’s not happy that David has someone else to torment, but she is happy he’s out of [her and Jake’s] lives. She’s not happy that her husband can’t just drop it and enjoy it. But she finally realizes she has to support [Jake]. She’s not going to make it worse by pitting herself against him. So she joins forces [with him]…and we’ll see what happens.
Weekly: Is is weird for Amanda to have ended up at Fusion…with Erica, not Greenlee?
Stause: Originally, I think she would have chosen sides with Greenlee, because [they] used to work [together] at Fusion. And I know Greenlee has vented to Amanda before about Erica. However, Erica signed me on as the new face of Fusion for her campaign. Then, of course, Amanda’s loyalty has to go with [her] boss.
Weekly: Amanda’s become more savvy than she was. Was it tough playing some of the stuff you did, like when Amanda left the baby on the steps?
Stause: It was hard, but I don’t think Amanda has been playing with a full deck for a while. She has her moments where she can go head-to-head with Adam and con him out of millions. Yet she [also] has these moments where [she’s] like, “What are you thinking?” I take it as she’s young; she’ll make mistakes. Some have been stupider than others. She’s one of those characters that you can’t always trust to make the right decision. But she tries so hard to do the right thing.
