On November 11, GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Vanessa Marcil Giovinazzo (Brenda) tested out the ice at New York’s Wollman Rink in Central Park to promote Oral-B Glide dental floss and raise money for Operation Smile, an international charity that provides free surgeries to children with cleft lips, cleft palates and other facial deformities. Digest caught up with the actress in between laps around the rink. 
Soap Opera Digest: I hear this is your first time on the ice. Is that true?
Vanessa Marcil: It is true! Can you believe it? I snowboard, but I do not ice skate. It’s a little girly for me. I also race motorcycles! I grew up in the desert and we all rode dirtbikes, and then dirtbikes turned into streetbikes for everybody. And racing’s actually really safe because you’re completely geared up, but I’m excited to skate again because I refuse to be bad; my ego’s too big!
Digest: Why have you teamed up with Oral-B to promote Glide floss?
Marcil: We are pretty fanatical in my house about oral health. I’ve never had a cavity in my life! My mother’s a nutritionist, so we were brought up brushing and flossing. My son, Kassius, was brought up brushing and flossing, so my goal was for him to never have a cavity. If you make a vow to make your oral health and the oral health of everyone in your family important this year [at http://www.facebook.com/oralb], Oral-B will give a dollar to Operation Smile, which is such an incredible nonprofit organization.
Digest: It must have been very difficult getting an 8-year-old to floss every day!
Marcil: It was. Not to sound corny, but it really was incredibly difficult until he started using this because he didn’t like getting floss stuck in his teeth and I would have that problem as well. It’s like you get it in there and you can’t get it back out! So he’s now flossing with joy.
Digest: What does Kassius think about you going back to GH?
Marcil: He couldn’t be less interested [laughs]. He doesn’t watch it — we have a farm upstate and we don’t have any televisions — so he grew up not watching TV. We let him watch videos, like he has a little computer that he can watch a video on, but he doesn’t really even comprehend that [she and her husband, CSI: NY actor Carmine Giovinazzo] are on TV. He doesn’t want to go to set; he wants to play Pokemon!
Digest: Well, we are thrilled to have you return.
Marcil: Thanks! I’m so happy to be back. I’m loving it, getting to work Maurice Benard [Sonny], Steve Burton [Jason], Dominic [Zamprogna, Dante], Kimberly [McCullough, Robin], everyone. I love when I get to visit. It’s like I can’t believe I’m getting paid for it!
Digest: You are also involved with Sojourn Services for Battered Women and Their Children. Is there anything new to report on that front?
Marcil: Yes! We just designed a tank top that you can buy at GUESS.com or at the GUESS stores and all of the money goes to Sojourn, which is a domestic violence shelter that I’ve been working with. Just in time for the holidays!
