The Long Good-Bye
For their big “exit” interview, we met Jennifer Landon (Gwen) and Jesse Soffer (Will) at the studio, where Soffer quickly suggested that we move to his dressing room down the hall (across from Michael Park’s, Jack) for more privacy. Randomly joining us was Landon’s friend Jess, who sat quietly in the corner next to the publicist as ATWT’s wry, witty young couple (and Emmy darlings) candidly spoke about their experiences on the show and admitted that what comes next is still unclear. (And no, despite what Landon says in the following interview, they weren’t fired!) Check out the 4/8 issue of Digest for the full feature, but here’s a sampling of what to expect.
Soap Opera Digest: So, you’re leaving….
Jennifer Landon: Jesse and Jen are moving to the Siberian steppe after the show.
Jesse Soffer: Yeah. Except I’m going to live on one end of it and she’s going to live on the other, so we’re not even going to see each other.
Landon: Well, no …
Soffer: The Siberian steppe is pretty big.
Landon: I just plan on being blind to further that story, so I can’t see him.
Digest: So they definitely get the baby?
Soffer: They get Hallie. So happy.
Landon: Oh, favorite scene: The babies I work with all the time are like 7 pounds. Both are that little and one day both of them were sick.
Soffer (laughing): So, we got a 30-pound man-child.
Landon: This kid was like 18 pounds and Jesse pointed it out: “He doesn’t even cry like a little girl. He goes [deep grunts], “Uh-uh-uh.” He was huge. I think I called him “dude” in the scene.
Digest: Are you staying in New York?
Landon: Jesse’s going away.
Soffer: I’m going to France for a month the day after I’m done.
Digest: To work?
Soffer: No, just going.
Landon: He’s doing a production of Lucky Charms in Ireland.
Soffer: Yep. I’m playing a leprechaun.
Digest: Why France?
Soffer: They … I … I don’t know.
Landon: I’ll tell you why: Because French girls are, in general, more attractive than any other group of women. And very sexual. Easier.
Soffer: This is coming from Jen!
Landon: Trust me. Because I lived there when I was young.
Soffer (laughing): “When I was young!”
Digest: So, then you’ll come back to New York?
Soffer: I’ll come back to New York for a little while. I really don’t know what’s going to happen an hour from now. I can pretend to, but I don’t. I might go to L.A., I might stay here, it all depends on a number of things.
Landon: I have an apartment lease through the summer. I will go wherever the work is. I’m not prone to nostalgia. I was talking to Jesse about this: I don’t usually wish things were the way they were. When something is gone, I usually don’t reminisce on it and miss it a lot. It’s kind of there and then it’s gone and I kind of let it go. So I’m totally open to whatever comes. I used to be really attached to plans in my life and I’ve actually found that it’s usually the surprises in life are the best even if they don’t necessarily feel good at the time. Those tend to be the best even if they hurt like hell.
Soffer: True.
Digest: What do you think your last day will be like, since they’re not planning a party?
Landon: I don’t really believe in good-bye parties. I believe in welcome parties, but good-bye parties are kind of funny. I think they’ll leave our little AS THE WORLD TURNS Tiffany balls in the ashtray outside in the hallway.
Digest: You get an AS THE WORLD TURNS Tiffany ball?
Landon: Don’t they give you something hard that you can throw back at the person who fired you?
Soffer: “You’ll never work in this town again!” And by that, I mean Midwood.
Landon (mock weeping): My career is ruined! I’ll never work in Midwood again!
Soffer: Jess, do you have any input? Any words of wisdom?
Jess (embarrassed): Having only seen a couple of clips of the show on YouTube, I’m sorry. I think it’s pretty cool you all have your own rooms. [Everyone laughs.]
Digest: Will you still talk to the magazine after you’re gone?
Soffer: When I’m living in a hut in the Colorado mountains?
Digest: Or when you get your big pilot or movie or whatever. Assuming that your publicist lets you.
Soffer: Sure.
Landon: Of course!
Soffer: I’m not going to have a publicist.
Landon: You absolutely will have a PR company working for you.
Soffer: Really?
Landon: Absolutely.
Soffer: Okay.
Landon: At some point, you’ll have to have somebody who makes sure stuff doesn’t get out there: “Oh, no! That wasn’t him!”
Soffer: Thanks, Jen.
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