Parting Words
Last week marked the final taping day on the ATWT set. In the 7/6 issue of Digest, Colleen Zenk (Barbara) opens up about her 32-year run in Oakdale. Here’s a quickie Q&A with the actress, who shares a few parting words that didn’t make it into the pages of the magazine.
Soap Opera Digest: What will you miss most about playing Barbara?
Colleen Zenk: I’ll miss the people that Barbara has in her circle. I won’t get to go play every day with Trent Dawson [Henry] and Roger [Howarth, Paul] and Kelley [Menighan Hensley, Emily] and Kathy [Hays, Kim] and Don [Hastings, Bob] and Ewa [da Cruz, Vienna] who I got to enjoy for a short while … and to have Jesse Soffer [Will] and Jen Landon [Gwen] back at the end — oh, my God! My children! I just won’t get to be a part of Barbara’s world with the people that I love.
Digest: What about behind-the-scenes at ATWT?
Zenk: Well, there’s all the other parts of Barbara’s world: hair, makeup, wardrobe, directors, producers, sound, lighting, cameramen, editing … everybody! It’s the entire world! That’s what this sadness is. Facebook doesn’t cut it [laughs]!
Digest: Do you worry about staying in touch with your Oakdale family?
Zenk: I know that these people will be a part of my life forever and I know that so many of them I’m going to see forever and hopefully work with again. I can’t wait to do stage work with some of these wonderful people, including Trent! I’m trying to figure out a show for me and Trent. I just know that this is not the end and even for those who have said, ‘I’m hanging up my tap shoes,’ that’s okay because I know I’ll have them in my personal life. So many of these people are friends outside of the studio, so I don’t worry about that.
Digest: Anything special you’d like to say to the devoted ATWT fans who’ve watched you for the last three decades?
Zenk: Thank you for your outpouring of love and support, not only for all these many many years, but through all my passages I’ve been through these last few years. I’ve had an outpouring of love and support from people that is pretty overwhelming that has come to me from a variety of different sources. Just know that I’m still going to be out there, so if you see my name somewhere please come and say hi if you see me in the local market or gas station, say hi! Barbara will be a part of me forever and I’m just glad I was able to bring her to all of them for all these years.
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