Les Is More
Soap Opera Digest: Les is so creepy!
Michael Lowry: Yeah! I didn’t expect it to get that creepy. He didn’t really start out that way and then it kind of escalates. It just gets worse and worse. It’s been a lot of fun. You don’t often get to do that on a soap. Les is a real guy, kind of cowardly. He’s kind of got the O.J. Simpson complex. Considering that’s not the kind of person I played before, I’m a little mystified as to why I’m playing the part [laughs]. Digest: I think that’s why it’s so great, because it’s so unexpected.
Lowry: No kidding! And they’ve been great to just let me do whatever. A lot of the stuff is not really in the script, so I’ve been given a lot of room to kind of get even weirder. That’s been great. That’s what I really like about AS THE WORLD TURNS — they kind of just leave you to your own devices, which is nice as an actor, to not feel constrained in any way.Digest: You’ve had so much physical stuff to do, as well.
Lowry: That’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s so much more. I wounded myself at work. The last week I was there I cut my knee open. I probably should have gotten stitches. There’s a whole thing where my prison van explodes, and I diced myself jumping out of the van. There was blood everywhere. They put fake blood on my face and stuff, but then the makeup artist said, “Oh, you’ve got some on your knee there,” and I looked down and I was actually soaking through my prison jumpsuit. So, it got a little nutty, but it’s fun. You get to feel like an action star. I beat up everybody on the show. I think in one show, I beat up Maura [West, Carly], the kid [Dylan Denton, J.J.] and stabbed Kin Shriner [Keith]. Digest: Do you have much more time on ATWT?
Lowry: They’re so far ahead, so I think my days are numbered. But I should air until the end of July, probably. Digest: What was it like to be on recurring?
Lowry: It’s the best of both worlds. I’m able to go off and do other things. I’m not on-contract, though you want to honor when they call you up and say, “We need you for these dates.” But at the same time, I’ve been able to do other things. Sometimes on ALL MY CHILDREN, there were things I wanted to do and I just wasn’t able to get out and do them. Or they wouldn’t let you go even though they couldn’t say if they were going to use you or not.
Digest: Do you keep in touch with anyone from AMC?
Lowry: Cameron [Mathison, Ryan] is still there and I talk to him once in a while. And [Mark] Consuelos and [Kelly] Ripa [ex-Mateo and ex-Hayley] are good friends of mine and I hang out with them a lot. Vincent Irizarry [David] a little bit. But mainly, just Mark and Kelly. 
Digest: How is ATWT different from AMC?
Lowry: The workday’s a lot different. I’m not saying it’s inefficient at ALL MY CHILDREN, but it’s an even more efficient operation at AS THE WORLD TURNS. It’s a little more stressful, though, because they do it a lot quicker and there’s a little less rehearsal, or no rehearsal, actually. But they really put their trust in the actors to be ready to go. The day is split up a little bit differently and, of course, we get to go out to Brooklyn, so it’s a different commute. You’re kind of marooned out in Brooklyn. There’s nothing to do. It builds a little more camaraderie that way, but the amount of time you’re there is less. It’s certainly the least-close thing to Hollywood as you can get [laughs]. It’s not very glamorous — you get fresh coffee and that’s about it. But everybody there, or the people I work with at least, are really down-to-earth. They’re family people and everybody is on a level playing field. I’m pretty much a temporary guy, technically, and I feel like I’m part of the canvas. And that’s because everybody treats you that way. So, it’s been nice. I think the character is going to burn bright and burn out. He’s one of those guys. But that’s all right; it’s been a lot more than I ever anticipated and it kind of rejuiced me for daytime and given me a whole different attitude about it. In that way, for me it’s been great. I can’t say enough about it.Digest: Would you do another soap?
Lowry: Yeah. After the last one, I liked daytime, I just wanted to like my character and I was getting really bored with Jake. And to go into work and really enjoy the character makes all the difference. It sounds kind of silly, but — I’ve always said if I could go back and have a character I really liked playing — and it doesn’t necessarily have to be an alcoholic wife abuser — but some character that has something that I can really identify with and go with, I’d love to work in daytime. It’s a great job. Digest: Are you working on any other projects?
Lowry: There’s a Jenny McCarthy show called THE BAD GIRL’S GUIDE and it’s a mid-season show. I did the pilot and I kind of have a recurring role where I work at a bank next to where she works. We see each other in the elevator every day and we talk a little bit, but then she has these different fantasies about me during the show, so it’s kind of fun and wacky. I’ll probably have a few more shows depending on what’s going on. They’re a good group, too. I think it’s going to start airing in May and go through the summer.Digest: Are you based in New York?
Lowry: I’m pretty much in New York most of the time. Right now, I’m in L.A., but I like to be out in New York, especially in the summer just because it’s one of my favorite places. But I’m flexible. That’s the business!
Conversation
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