Hello, Barbara!
Soap Opera Digest: How are you?
Colleen Zenk Pinter (wryly): I’ve had so much down time at home….Zach Roerig (Casey; walking by): She’s staying beautiful!
Pinter: Yeah, right. I’m not here enough, so whenever I come back I look so much older to everyone because I’ve been gone so long [laughs].
Digest: I don’t know why they’re not using Barbara more, with Paul and his psychic visions and all of Will’s Adam troubles. But tell me about what you’ve been doing.
Pinter: I’ve got a lot of projects done at home, all kinds of stuff. I’ve taken up a new hobby: I’ve become the bird lady of Redding, CT. We’ve always had birds, but I started collecting finches and I’m just having so much fun with it I can’t stand it. Digest: Really! What does that involve? Do you have cages everywhere?
Pinter: Actually, I have two. One’s a large aviary cage and I’m starting to add new pairs. In fact, I’ve got two new pairs coming [soon]. And then I have a pair of canaries and we’re going to breed them in the spring … I’m really turning into this bird woman [chuckles]. And now that I have more time to myself, I have an opportunity to explore and read about them. 
Digest: Will you sell them?
Pinter: No, I know each of my kids wants a baby, so we’ll see what happens after the first clutch, as they’re called. That’s for all of those experienced birders out there.Digest: How’s Mark [Pinter, her husband; ex-Grant, ANOTHER WORLD et al]?
Pinter: He’s good! He’s working on his third script with his writing partner. They actually just finished their second script yesterday, so today they started on Project No. 3. He’s got so much interest in all of it. And we’re going off to do Follies this summer at The Little Theater in the Square in Sullivan, IL [www.thelittletheatre.org]. It’s their 50th anniversary and they’ve always been a star-circuit theater. At some point, anyone who was anyone worked there, so they’re gathering people who have performed there over the years. I did Playing Our Song there in 1983. Bill Hayes [Doug, DAYS OF OUR LIVES,et al] and Susan Seaforth Hayes [Susan, DAYS et al] are doing it, Ann B. Davis [Alice] from THE BRADY BUNCH … and then Mark Pinter [laughs], who is the only one who has not performed in that theater. I’m very excited about it. That’s the first weekend in June. Digest: How are the kids?
Pinter: Morgan is in Paris as we speak — tomorrow is his 17th birthday! Digest: I can’t believe he’s 17! Why is he in Paris?
Pinter: He’s over there with a number of French students from his high school. It’s pure immersion for 10 days. Georgia, who’s 13, is downstairs in my dressing room. It’s pretty exciting. They’re doing so well. We’ll do all of our college tours with Morgan this summer. And yesterday morning, I put Georgia on the train for the first time by herself, and Kelsey got her on the other end. She lives in the city now, my unemployed actor-daughter. She was actually here, working as an under-five in Al’s Diner last week.Digest: Really? Would you want her to do …
Pinter (shaking her head): Mmmm-mmm [laughs]. But the paycheck is nice! So, Georgia came in yesterday and had a day with her big sister. They went out with Spencer Grammer [ex-Lucy], who’s really good friends with Kelsey. Digest: I didn’t know.
Pinter: Yeah, Kelsey’s become friends with the crowd, the kids, here, which is really nice. Siri and Hannah are in L.A., working in production. Dylan’s a senior, opening at Romeo and Juliet at Catholic U. So come May, he’ll be another unemployed actor in the household! Digest: That’s great. Changing the subject, do you have any beauty tips?
Pinter: No, I’ve just put on so much weight, all the wrinkles are starting to stretch out again. Beauty tips? No, I’ve given up [laughs]. I have no secrets anymore. Digest: Come on!
Pinter: No, I eat well. I never deprive myself. So if I put on a few pounds like I have right now — I got on the scale this morning — I’m like, “Uh-oh! Time to get serious!” For me, dieting is really about cutting everything down. I have to start exercising and taking dance class, so I can get back in shape again before I go do Follies. But at this point, I had another birthday…. I see it happening on the face every day and it’s like, “Oh, God!” All I see are all the lines around my mouth and I’m not a smoker. I just see everything…. [sighs] Ay-yay-yay!Digest: Well, I’m looking at you with no makeup, close up, and I think you look fantastic.
Pinter: Thank you. I don’t, but thank you [laughs].
Conversation
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