Welcome Back!
Soap Opera Digest: It’s great to have you back on soaps.
Lisa Lo Cicero: Thanks, it’s great to be back.Digest: I understand that you had been auditioning for a daytime role for a while.
Lo Cicero: That’s right. It seems like I had been doing so for months! I went in for the role of Kathryn on ONE LIFE [played by Kathy Tong], and auditioned with Michael Easton [John]. I guess they liked my test, but decided to make the role recurring. That wouldn’t have been worth moving to New York; it just wouldn’t have worked out well. But then the role of Lois on GENERAL HOSPITAL came up. GH shoots down the street from my house, so that would’ve been really convenient! So, I was waiting to see what was going on; that went on for over a month. But they got Lesli Kay [ex-Molly, AS THE WORLD TURNS] for that, which is great — what a dead ringer for Rena [Sofer, ex-Lois]. My manager [Michael Bruno] didn’t tell me that there was another offer on the table — I guess he didn’t want to aggravate me — but as soon as I walked out of GH, he said, “There’s another offer from ONE LIFE.” I guess they’d been writing it, but put it off to see what happened with GH.Digest: How wonderful that it worked out that way. Did you have any doubts about returning to New York after living in California for so long?
Lo Cicero: Yes, I had some doubts. Keeping two households is going to be a challenge. We just bought this beautiful house [in California] in the hills that we’ve been in the process of renovating and decorating. I’m not thrilled about leaving my house, but we’ll get a beautiful place in New York, too, so it’ll be fine. It’s gonna be hard on my husband [Michael Patrick Jann] because he’s a director [RENO 911]. He can work in New York and has an office there, but a lot of his work is out here, so he’s going to wind up doing a lot of traveling. He’s great. I’m really blessed. I have the best husband in the world. He said, “Whatever you want to do, let’s do it. We’ll just make it work.” I have one son, but he’s not in school yet, so it makes it easier. My mom is going to come out with me for the initial start-up. I don’t have a nanny yet, so she’s going to stay with us for a while and watch him while I’m working. Everyone’s getting together to make it work. But I love living in New York. My husband and I lived there for about 10 years and we have family upstate, so there are a lot of reasons why it’s going to be a lot of fun.
Digest: You’re lucky to have such a supportive family. What made you want to return to soaps?
Lo Cicero: It seemed like the time was right. I have a 2-and-1/2-year-old and I really enjoyed working on a soap. It is really nice always knowing your schedule. It works with me being a mom. Plus, I always liked working in the medium. It was sane in terms of the life it gives you around the work. Whether you’re doing an indie film or a nighttime drama, the schedule can be pretty hectic and unrelenting. The schedule for daytime can be hectic, too, especially if you’re front-burner, but at least you know what it is ahead of time and you can plan.Digest: At least you know people on the show, so you’re not the “new” kid.
Lo Cicero: Well, Cat Hickland [Lindsay; ex-Tess, LOVING/THE CITY] was my friend from LOVING. Back then, she came up and introduced herself and made friends, so it’s nice to be with her. I also once did a film with Tuc [Watkins, David], where we played soap opera people. We had to make out in this hospital thing for three hours. I met Michael [Easton] at the audition. I also know Tracy Melchior [Kristen, B&B; ex-Kelly]. I ran into her at an audition and we talked about commuting from L.A. to New York. We had a nice, long talk — she’s darling. She helped me make up my mind.Digest: Back up a minute — what’s this about you making out with Tuc for three hours?
Lo Cicero (laughs): I doubt he’ll even remember. But I remember that he’s funny! That’s one of the things I like about ONE LIFE — there seems to be a lot of humor. That’s why I wanted to play Lois.Digest: What else have you been doing?
Lo Cicero: I was almost finished getting my degree in spiritual psychology. That’s the one thing I regret — that I won’t get to finish that up. I did an indie film called Getting Lucky, where I play a bipolar woman who’s obsessed with suntanning. It’s a pretty strange film [laughs]. I’ve also done a lot of voice overs. I did them for a STAR TREK video game. I had a role on STAR TREK: VOYAGER, and I guess [the powers-that-be] liked my voice, so they asked me to do the game. They hired me to do one voice, and then they’d be like, “Could you do a Klingon?” By the end of the day, I did, like, six space voices. I was pregnant at the time, so it was great. I could come in and not have to worry about what I looked like.Digest: How did you know what the voices were supposed to sound like?
Lo Cicero: I’m not a big Trekkie, but I would take it from them about what they sound like. They’d be like, “A little more nasal, a little more guttural, a little more hissy … sneaky. A little more sinister.” It was fun.Digest: Your son will appreciate it when he’s older. How do you like being a mom?
Lo Cicero: I love it, but it’s hectic! For instance, I’ve been trying to keep up with ONE LIFE, but in the middle of the show I might have to stop and pretend I’m a robot for the little one. It’s great, though. I’m very happy.Digest: How does the rest of your family feel about you returning?
Lo Cicero: Oh, they’re excited. They love to see me on TV and take everything personally. I’m just anxious to see what the writers come up with. That’s the best part of being on a soap.
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