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Michael Park Knows Jack

1. Jack and Carly fall in love while trapped in Teague’s cabin. (1998)
“I had a feeling there was something special when they started writing those scenes for Jack and Carly. I was only on the show for a year, and they were trying to pair me with a bunch of different people. Johnny (Hensley, Holden) came out with the joke that Jack was going to be a gay character (laughs). Then Maura (West, Carly) showed up and things got a little clearer. What I liked was playing these storylines you would never play in real life. Hopefully, I’ll never be tied up in a freezing cabin in the dead on winter. Being tied up with Maura West — there’s nothing better! I think the bond between Jack and Carly went from oil and vinegar to a nice balsamic blend (laughs). This extreme situation brought them together.”


2. Jack and Carly break up. (2006)
“The current storyline is very different. Jack is just tired. He can’t do it anymore. It’s a culmination of many years. If you take a tally of how many times Carly has lied to Jack, how much can he take? Jack’s not without fault, either. This is finally saying, ‘I love you, but it’s hurting both of us. I can’t live like this for the rest of my life. You are always going to be scheming.’ I guess it’s his fault. I adore Maura so I know that I’m safe, which is why the scenes are so raw. I’m not going to go there with just anybody. I’ll only go there with somebody I can completely trust and love. We’ve been on the show together for eight years. It’s a great relationship. I’m fortunate I can call her a friend of mine.”


3. Julia terrorizes/rapes Jack (2001)
Annie Parisse (ex-Julia Lindsey) is a wonderful actress. We were blessed to have her on the show for the time that we had her. The whole Viagra thing — oh, my gosh! It was like the story in Deliverance. I remember a story how Ned Beatty and everyone were all laughing between [those rape] scenes, they were so horrifyingly real. I understand how you joke around. That’s how we played them. We were laughing hysterically about these scenes. Maybe we were just intimidated by the subject matter. They were touchy scenes, and we did them once and then we’d start laughing about how disturbing it was. Every time they push the envelope, it’s interesting for us to play. It may not be the best story for the audience, because they’re tapped into the history of the show, and I completely understand their viewpoint, but for us as actors, it’s fun to play different subject matter, no matter how outside the character it could be.”


4. Jack and Julia fall in love. (1998)
“Julia offered Jack safety, knowing that everything was going to be okay. Carly hated to play it safe and was always pushing the envelope. That is what’s exciting about her. With Julia you saw the possibility of an Emma character, the picture of when he moved to Oakdale and settling down with the Snyder clan and living there with a safe job and safe home. That is what Julia offered. She loved him no matter what.”


5. Jack loses his memory. (2004)
“I know this wasn’t the most popular storyline of all time, but, again, you can play stuff you wouldn’t normally play. It was a way to break Jack and Carly up again. Maura got to play some emotional stuff she wouldn’t normally get to play. I got to play off-the-wall stuff. Sarah Brown (ex-Julia Larrabee) was with us and she was a lot of fun to work with. It was a different energy; I enjoyed it. It was an excuse to get me behind a piano and sing. I loved the scene where Jack walks through the door for the first time and didn’t know who he was. I saw Johnny Hensley, and I don’t know what it was, but he looked at me and I just started bawling. It’s the first time I really teared up on set. I’ll never forget it, with everyone there trying to jog a memory. Very nicely written scenes.”

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