Lauralee Bell Interview

When Lifetime kicks off the first installments of V.C. Andrews’s Landry family movie series, Lauralee Bell will be playing wicked stepmother Daphne Dumas. RUBY will air on March 20, followed by PEARL IN THE MIST on March 21. Here, Bell talks about her first time playing bad — really bad.

Soap Opera Digest: You’ve been involved in Lifetime movies before: NIGHTMARE TENANT, MISTRESS HUNTER and PAST SINS. How did these projects come about?

Lauralee Bell: Jason Wood, who has done the casting for a lot of Lifetime projects, had helped me out when I did our web series, FAMILY DINNER, years ago, and we’re always mulling in group chats, “What are we doing next?” He asked if I would be interested in doing this project because it’s not the lead, but a great character part. So, it was Jason Wood who called and asked, “Would you like to do this?”

Digest: Did you accept right away?

Bell: I said I was very interested and when I saw the script, there was a line that I kept rereading and going, “Is this right?” My character says, “If you don’t have anything bad to say, then don’t say anything at all.” I loved that! I feel Christine is uptight, but Daphne is very self-centered, so it’s such a different mindset for me because she couldn’t care less about anybody but herself. She’s so opposite of me. With my kids I’m, “Are you okay? What do you need?” and Daphne would be like, “If you get in my way, step aside.” When I saw what a crazy, evil stepmother she is, I said, “Yes!”

Digest: Where was it filmed?

Bell: In Vancouver. Actually in Victoria, which is on Vancouver Island. I was gone for a week. I have made lots of excuses over the years, because it’s always an adjustment for my family when I’m not around because I’m the one who plans on Sunday what we’re going to eat for that week, and I keep the refrigerator stocked in case friends come over. I didn’t like to leave my kids before, but now they’re 18 and 20, so I had no excuse. Then I said to [husband] Scott, “Maybe you can fly up there and meet me for a weekend.” My mother’s [Y&R/B&B’s late co-creator, Lee Phillip Bell] health was doing okay, and when I discussed it with her, she got so excited and said, “Go, go, go!” So, everything was in alignment and it felt right to do this.

Digest: So away you went.

Bell: First of all, I’m not a good flyer and I had to take a propeller plane from Seattle to Victoria and it was a very rainy and windy day. We landed, thank God, and I had two hours until the first table read and I hadn’t met anybody yet. Table reads are scary for me because this is the first time you’re meeting everyone, so the first line I say, I want them to know I’m Daphne.

Digest: Gil Bellows plays Daphne’s husband, Pierre. What was that like?

Bell: I was such an ALLY MCBEAL fan because Christine was at the height of her legal career at the time. When I found out that Gil Bellows would be playing my husband, I was so excited. The first time I met him was when I sat down 30 seconds before that first table read.

Digest: Did you play it pretty cool or did you go fangirl on him?

Bell: I didn’t even tell him I was an ALLY MCBEAL fan and I was too nervous anyway. A funny thing did happen: The movies take place in the South but I flew in not knowing if we would be using Southern accents. Gil had the line before me and he used a Southern accent. I, like, panicked inside because I had the very next line and I hadn’t practiced an accent. If I had known, I would’ve worked with a [dialect] coach, but before I could say anything, someone said, “We decided not to use the Southern accent.” Gil said, “Cool,” and immediately adjusted like the pro that he is. I was so relieved. After I read my first line, Gil said, “You’re gonna kick ass with this.”

Digest: What’s the premise of the movies?

Bell: The title character, Ruby, lives in the bayou and little does she know, she has a wealthy father and a twin sister she’s never met. It’s her journey of finding her family, and will they accept her or not? She has a whole life in the bayou but when she comes to meet her family, that’s when we come in.

Digest: And we take it Daphne isn’t very gracious?

Bell: For Daphne, one stepdaughter was more than enough in the house and now there are two. In Daphne’s mind, Ruby has no class and is therefore another inconvenience. You can tell Ruby is a strong girl because she’s constantly tested by people who should be close to her.

Digest: So, dear Daphne is over the top?

Bell: She’s so over the top. She wants bigger and better, and more diamonds. She’s like, “I’m coming through!” She has a very high standard of who is in her company. While shooting, it was nice to hear feedback like, “When you shook her hand, then wiped your hand off, that was so funny.” So I appreciated that they found humor in things like that.

Digest: What helped get you into character?

Bell: Oh, the clothes and the red lipstick! Daphne is a throwback to the ’80s with the bouffant hair, little eye makeup and very red lipstick. The costumes were incredible, which all helped transform me into her. This role is so opposite of anything I’ve done. Patti Denney [from Y&R’s makeup and hair department] tried for years to put red lipstick on me and I would say, “Absolutely not!” But for Daphne, red lipstick morphed me completely.

Digest: What surprised you about playing a character like Daphne?

Bell: It was going against everything that my brain was telling me to do. I went up to Gail [Harvey], the director, and said, “I’m overexaggerating, so if this comes off as not well, please tell me. I’m a person who loves notes, so I’m trusting you to let me know if there’s anything you don’t like or to tone down.” I was practically begging her. But once I got into it, I realized the way Daphne acts is natural for her.

Digest: Interestingly, instead of one actress playing both roles of Ruby and Giselle, real-life identical twin sisters were cast, right? Bell: Yes, Raechelle and Karina Banno are from Australia and they are amazing. They’re both crazy-talented. We got along great. Gil and I were fascinated because they’re so kind, caring, grateful and funny. And they’re knitters, while I like needlepoint. It’s so fun to get along really well, then play that you can’t stand each other. Michelle Stafford [Phyllis, Y&R] and I know that all too well.

Digest: Y&R is very popular in Canada. Did you run into fans?

Bell: Yes, there’s definitely a welcoming from Canadian fans that is just on a different level. They’re wonderful. There were even fans on the film crew. No one said anything right away, but after a couple of days, someone would come up to me between setups, “You know, I’ve been watching you for years.” It was so sweet. I know people think you don’t want to be bothered but it helped me immediately feel more at ease, especially looking and acting like Daphne! I’m glad they saw a kinder side of me. One of the drivers, John, is a huge Y&R fan and he would look at me every day in Daphne makeup and say, “I can’t believe it’s you.” I had to use this really heavy-duty makeup remover because the lipstick would almost stain my lips. I would get back late to my hotel and I’d pop in this little café, where I wondered, “They must think I’m some kind of freak,” because I had this massive hairdo and half-wiped red lipstick. Who knows what the word was on this woman walking in late for grab-and-go food.

Digest: And did your husband make it up there?

Bell: Scott joined me for three days, which turned out to be the best weekend. It was so good for us because we rarely take trips on our own, and we had so much fun, but it was really hard to say good-bye to him.

Digest: You filmed this around the time COVID-19 was becoming a big problem. Did that interfere with production?

Bell: I made it out just the day before everything closed. While we were filming, I was watching the crew and how they were listening to news on their earpieces. Shows had shut down in Vancouver, but we were on the island and we knew we were a little safer, so we went a little longer. I had wrapped and made it back to L.A. by a day. It was the first week of lockdown and I was so glad that I did this project. I’m such a workaholic and if I had not completed one thing last year, I would’ve been so upset with myself. I would’ve been sad to go through 2020 with only depressing things that happened, including my mother’s death, but now I can at least say there was a bright light for me last year.