Eric Sheffer Stevens: The Doctor is In
Soap Opera Weekly made an appointment to get to know AS THE WORLD TURNS’s Eric Sheffer Stevens, who plays Oakdale Memorial’s new hotshot doc, Reid.
Soap Opera Weekly: Are you surprised that Reid has taken off with people and made such an impression?
Eric Sheffer Stevens: Has he? [laughs] I’m not aware of a lot of response, but that there’s been any response has been interesting to me. It’s very enjoyable to play. I love the way they’re writing him, and so [hearing] that other people are enjoying it is great.
Weekly: Van Hansis [Luke] and I were talking about how the character’s not really a soap character. It’s like they dropped a prime-time show character into Oakdale.
Stevens: Yeah. That’s been enjoyable, because he feels like such an impostor. That’s always fun — to play somebody that’s different. One of the most boring things to do as an actor is to just play normal interactions with people. To have somebody who has a unique way of behaving is much more interesting.
Weekly: Most of your work prior to this has been theater, right? Are you a New York native?
Stevens: I’ve been here ever since school. I went to high school in Connecticut, so I was just an hour-and-a-half away. But I moved around a lot, so I’m not from [the area]. I’m from northern California. That’s where all my people still are. But, yeah, theater’s still what I mainly want to be involved in. That’s why I’m in New York. I think that’s what fulfills me the most, after doing tons of different stuff and moving to L.A., and trying to pursue that [path]…it’s not for me. So theater is something I’m always going to want to be involved in, and that’s mostly my background — especially classical theater and traveling all over.
Weekly: So soaps must be a real departure for you?
Stevens: Oh, my God, yeah, completely [laughs]. The last thing I did was The Coast of Utopia at Lincoln Center — that huge Tom Stoppard trilogy — and this really couldn’t be any more different from that experience. But it’s really fun. I think I was surprised! I was surprised by how much more difficult it is to do than I thought, and by how enjoyable it is. I didn’t think it wasn’t going to be enjoyable, but it’s fun! It’s fun to do, and it’s fun to do three different shows in a week. And I really love the people on the show. They’ve been really nice and they’re funny people, and it’s a great group to go to work with. They’re really generous, and so it’s been a very enjoyable time.
Weekly: One of my favorite relationships that Reid has is with Dr. Bob. What’s it like working with Don Hastings?
Stevens: I love it. I love having stuff with him, and Bob trying to mold Reid or have some sort of breakthrough with him. That’s been great. I love working with him. God, he’s a great guy. I love talking with him, and so it’s been really nice that they’ve written in some relationship between those two and are seeing where that goes.
Weekly: Definitely, because it started out so contentious. And I liked it, because Bob always got the best of Reid in those snarking matches.
Stevens: Oh, sure. He knew what he was doing. He always does kind of win, even though Reid is insufferable. Reid doesn’t win any of these exchanges. He’s just rude [laughs]. [With Bob], it’s because he’s wise and he knows a lot about people, and he doesn’t have to get the last word, and he still will have won that exchange.
Weekly: And now it’s more like a mentor and student, and it’s like he wants Reid to grow.
Stevens: It seems like something’s gotten into him where he wants to reform Reid or turn him into a whole person — and not only improve on the way Reid interacts with patients, but also [teach him] how to live a happier life and break down this shell that he has. Katie sort of wants to do that, too.
Weekly: I think it’s just everyone’s pet project!
Stevens: Yeah, exactly. But what I love is the Henry stuff, because I know Trent [Dawson] from before [coming on] the show. He and I did a show together in Baltimore about six years ago. And to antagonize him was just blissful. I loved that stuff [laughs]. I hope they keep having them go at each other. Trent is hilarious, and so it’s really fun to do that.
Weekly: Of course, lest we forget, Reid and Luke like to go at each other, too. What’s in store for the two of them?
Stevens: Oh, I won’t say anything about that [laughs]. You’ve got to see where it goes. I love that right now, there’s a lot of tension, and they could keep that going for a long time.
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