OLTL Fan Weekend Frenzy
I attended three ONE LIFE TO LIVE Fan Club events in one weekend. It was my first time attending any fan club event, and I had an amazing time.
On Friday night, I went to Girls Night Out, an annual event hosted by Melissa Archer (Natalie). This year, her guests were Kristen Alderson (Starr), Ilene Kristen (Roxy), Bree Williamson (Jessica/Tess), Renee Elise Goldsberry (Evangeline), Tika Sumpter (Layla) and Robin Strasser (Dorian).
Fans were allowed to ask the stars questions. The most creative question was this: If your character had to die, how would you like to see it to happen? Strasser quickly responded that she would like Dorian to be killed off in such a way that she could be brought back when the show’s regime changes.
Williamson was asked about baby Brennan’s nickname. She confessed that it gets very confusing when she’s asked how “Bree” is doing. She has to remember that they are talking about the baby, not her.
When the question of a Buchanan/McBain wedding came up, Archer said she wasn’t sure it would ever happen. Kristen talked about the scene in which she pulled off her fake hair, and how her fiancé thought no one knew that she wore fake hair. Goldsberry spoke about Evangeline’s budding relationship with Cristian and where Todd fits in. When asked about Vincent, Sumpter said she hopes their relationship will be explored more. The actresses also spoke about how close they all are and how they have such a wonderful “family” at work. It was very touching to see the connections between the seven of them.
After the questions, the women spent individual time with fans, taking pictures and signing autographs. Chatting with each actress was really wonderful. They all genuinely cared about what each and every fan had to say, and thanked us for showing our support. I could not believe that I was being thanked for coming when I felt like we should be thanking them.
The next morning, I attended the OLTL Fan Club Luncheon, as did a good portion of the cast. It was exciting to see them interacting and discussing their respective story lines.
Kassie DePaiva (Blair) and Dan Gauthier (Kevin) went into the audience to field questions. Several people had a few choice words about what was going between Blair, Todd and Spencer! Another fan said she wants to see Starr go off to boarding school. While she insisted that was meant as a compliment, Alderson was graceful about it. When asked about his future with Jessica, Kamar de los Reyes (Antonio) hinted there would be a wedding — but whether it will be Antonio or Nash getting hitched, he would not reveal. A young woman who flew in from Israel asked Hillary B. Smith about Nora’s future with Bo. Smith responded by pointing to Alexandra Neil (Paige) and saying, “Blondie over here stole him. Nora lies once and is kicked to the curb. [Paige] lies 500 times and kills a few people, and is golden. So I’ve got some more lying and killing to do.” John Paul Lavoisier (Rex) performed his John McBain impression, which was pretty accurate. The audience begged Gauthier to do his version, but he declined.
After the luncheon, I headed for Catherine Hickland’s (Lindsay) event. It took place in Hurley’s, a very intimate setting, with about 30 guests. Hillary Smith made a special guest appearance. The two joked about being soap actresses over 40, and although they toned it down a bit because there were a few men in the room, that did not stop the man next to me from becoming completely embarrassed and keeping his head in his hands for most of the time. Hickland and Smith answered questions written on index cards — questions we were too embarrassed to ask our best friends. They gave advice on everything from face-lifts to alcoholic beverages.
After Smith left, Michael E. Knight (Tad, ALL MY CHILDREN) showed up. Hickland’s former husband apologized multiple times for being late, but I didn’t care; I was just excited he was there. Hickland and Knight took pictures together and with fans. Before I left, Hickland thanked me for sharing the evening with her. She was such a wonderful hostess, and I could not believe that I was being thanked yet again for coming.
I left the city at the end of the weekend feeling like I had more insight into the soap and the actors who portray the characters I love. It made me feel like I had more of a connection to my show, and definitely made me a bigger ONE LIFE TO LIVE fan.
Stacy Meisel was an intern at Soap Opera Weekly this summer.
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Soap Opera Digest does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.