This interview originally appeared in the April 25, 1995 issue of Soap Opera Digest.
In baseball, it’s three strikes and you’re out. Luckily, there’s no rule like that on soaps. Despite less-than-sensational stints on GENERAL HOSPITAL (Dawn), AS THE WORLD TURNS (Debbie) and the syndicated serial VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (Ann), Sharon Case never thought about calling it quits. Now her perseverance has paid off: She’s scoring with a meaty part as Sharon Collins on YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS. “I feel blessed,” says the actress, who points to her Y&R role as a perfect example of her good fortune. “Not only is it the No. 1 show, but they have given me the biggest storyline I have ever had before on any soap.”
Initially, Case did have her doubts — she’s the third actress to tackle the role. “Sure, I was nervous,” the actress admits when discussing her first weeks on the show. “I didn’t know if they were going to like my work, so I tried to get as much information as I could about what the producers wanted. I just did my best.”
Since assuming the role last September, Case’s personal best has turned Sharon into a popular teen heroine. “Between taking care of her mom and dealing with being raped, Sharon has had a lot on her plate, but I think she is handling it all really well,” offers Case. “Sharon will not let herself be a victim, and she can do anything she puts her mind to. I admire that.”
When it comes to putting her mind to something, Detroit native Case is no slouch, either. She spent eight childhood years focusing on ballet and jazz. While Case was still in elementary school, her close-knit family (Mom, Dad and an older sister) moved to Los Angeles. The budding ballerina tucked away her toe shoes after a local modeling event led to an offer to work in Japan. Bucking her parent’s advice, the 17-year-old headed to the Far East. “When I got off that plane, I knew for the first time in my life that I was going to have to take care of myself,” remembers Case. “It was very scary, but it also made me grow up really fast.”
When the five-month modeling stint was over, Case returned to L.A. and took acting lessons. She got her big break in 1990, when she landed the role of Dawn Winthrop, Monica’s long-lost daughter on GH. (Case was the second of four actresses to play the role.) “That show really helped me learn the ropes of the soap world,” Case admits.
When GH fired her after one year, Case was disappointed: “I called my mom and said, ‘Can you believe it? I’m fired!’ My mom was really good. She said, ‘Don’t take it personally. It means you are going to take a bigger step in a better direction.’ ”
Mother knew best. Before long, Case was headed to New York to portray off-balance Debbie Simon on ATWT. But one year into playing Debbie, the soap decided to scale down its large cast, so the actress was unemployed again.
Case returned to L.A., where she found a new job and a new man. The actress is reticent about discussing her romance, but will acknowledge that she’s in love and very happy. “Our relationship is pretty serious,” Case allows, adding that marriage is not on the horizon. “I would certainly love to have a family, but I don’t know when that will be in the cards.”
For now, Case is content to enjoy her newfound happiness at home and at work. “I think everything has really fallen together nicely for me,” she observes. “I’m getting everything I need out of this job, and I’ve learned not to take things so personally. If you are not right for one job, you find something else that you are right for — that’s all there is to it.”
JUST THE FACTS
Birthday: Feb. 9
On Her Leading Men: “Eddie Cibrian [Matt] and Joshua Morrow [Nicholas] are both really nice guys. They are truly friends to me.”
Life’s A Beach: “The beach is the one thing I missed when I was living in New York. So, my first summer back in L.A., I practically lived there.”
THE CASE OF THE REVOLVING SHARONS
The third time was definitely the charm for Y&R during its search for the perfect Sharon Collins. Before Sharon Case made her mark as the troubled teen, the show cast two other blonde bombshells in the span of four months. Monica Potter originated the role but was quickly replaced by the sexy Heidi Mark. Mark lasted through September, until soap vet Case moved into Genoa City.
