Soap Opera Digest: You're certainly working a lot lately. I keep seeing your name everywhere.
Christopher Cousins:< Yeah, I've been very fortunate. I've done a lot of guest spots this year. I was on THE O.C. and I just did a couple of episodes of JOAN OF ARCADIA.

Digest: JOAN is one of my favorite shows. Is it a fun place to work?
Cousins: It really is. They're a nice cast over there. And it's a great program, very well-written. There's a great spirit over there. They said they're going to do more with my character (attorney Tom Murphy), so let's hope. It depends on if the storyline fleshes out.

Digest: Did you know Joe Mantegna (Will) beforehand?
Cousins: No, other than being a great admirer of his work. But he's a very warm, personable guy, great to work with. Everyone there was fantastic.

Digest: Did you and Amber Tamblyn (Joan, JOAN; ex-Emily, GH) discuss soaps at all?
Cousins: Honestly, I didn't work much with her because all of my scenes were with Joe. Really, she was on a soap?

Digest: Yes, she played Emily on GH for several years. She was very young when she began on the show, but had a lot of storyline. Her character's mother died of cancer.
Cousins: No wonder she's so good now! She's an old pro. She's very good on the show. I didn't realize that she'd been in the business for such a long time, and had so much training. But, no, I didn't really get to work with her. If I do some more guest spots there, hopefully I will.

Digest: What was it like doing THE O.C. (where he appeared as Greg Fischer)?
Cousins: THE O.C. was supposed to be a recurring part, but I don't know what happened with it. The girl who played my daughter (Ashley Hartman, Holly) left the show. I don't know what's happening with that show. WEST WING is a possible recurring as well, as a congressman, but that's one of those things where once you're a person, you have to stay that person. They don't double cast. We'll see what happens there.

Digest: How was Wicker Park [where he played Daniel]?
Cousins: It was a blast, but it was cold. We filmed in Montreal in the winter, so it's more cold than Chicago. It was great. My character was on the edge of sanity and it was a lot of fun to do that.

Digest: Let's discuss soaps. On ONE LIFE, you got to play a lot of different "characters" when you were Cain the con artist.
Cousins: That was so much fun. They basically let me design the characters. They were very loose with scripts so they let me improvise with stuff and with the accents. For instance, the German film director would make faux pas in English, which were fun. That was the best part. Each character would run for a month or so, so it stayed fresh and exciting. Once I stopped doing the disguises, then it was Tina and Cain breaking up and getting back together again. I remember once we were coaching this couple on how to act like they were healed in a religious ceremony — they were fake evangelists. That was a funny scene. It's nice when they have humor. But Cain could be dark. He was an enigma to everyone.

Digest: Would you ever want to return to daytime?
Cousins: It's so much work. Right now, I have kind of an ideal lifestyle. I work now and then. A lot of my focus is on painting, which is my first love. I love acting, though. Being on a soap would be a lot of time. I'm home with my family; I work in my studio, which is in my house. It's pretty nice.

Digest: What kind of stuff do you paint?
Cousins: Abstract stuff. You can see it on my Web site (www.christophercousins.com). I'm in a gallery here, one in Florida, one in Cleveland. We're starting a group of artists here. Basically, it's a group exploring different issues in art. That's been an exciting part of my life.

Digest: Do you have any role models in art?
Cousins: I'd say the abstract expressionist painters from the '50s, like Jackson Pollock. That movement had a great influence on my art. I'm excited about that stuff. I'm blessed I'm able to spend a lot of time doing it.

Digest: And how is your family doing?
Cousins: Great. My daughter, Sequoia, is 11/2. She's a very easy baby. We're very lucky. I love being a dad. It's the best.

Digest: Does Sequoia have any performer in her?
Cousins: I don't know yet. She loves music. She's just very happy, always smiling and laughing. Hopefully, she'll be too confident to be an actor (laughs).

Digest: Who came up with her name?
Cousins: My wife, Lori, actually came up with it. We liked that it sounded Native American and kind of organic. Once she was born, she was Sequoia; I couldn't imagine her as anything else. It's a perfect name for her. It's very lyrical.

Digest: Do you have any other projects you're working on?
Cousins: Right now, I've been working for an art show that's going to be downtown (in L.A.) in January. Everything is listed on my Web site. With my acting, I'm waiting to hear about some projects. I don't want to say too much about them at this point.

Digest: Good luck with everything. Great speaking with you.
Cousins: Thanks. Take care.