8 Soap Tidbits You’ll Love To Know

Thorsten Kaye Linsey Godfrey JPI

Which soap was home to a future Jedi? Which actress started out as a soap fan rooting for her show’s supercouple? Which fictional town has a real-life counterpart? Who were the first stars cast to play the heads of a major soap family? Check out fun facts about all the shows.

B&B was originally supposed to be set in Chicago, but since the soap is shot in L.A., it made more sense to stay close to home for the many location shoots like this one with Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) and Caroline (Linsey Godfrey).

Mark Hamill GETTY

In 1972, a teen named Kent Murray moved to Port Charles for a short time. Years before he would play Obi-Wan’s protege as Star Wars hero Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill’s Kent was getting advice from his Aunt Jessie (Emily McLaughlin) on GH.

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Alison Sweeney was a huge DAYS fan before she joined the show as Sami. She told Soap Opera Digest, “The audition scene was with Carrie (Christie Clark, l.) and Austin. At the time, I had such a huge crush on Patrick Muldoon [ex-Austin].” One of her favorite storylines was Jack and Jennifer’s romance.

Daniel Goddard Christel Khalil JPI

There is an actual Genoa City in Wisconsin. Unlike its cosmopolitan fictional counterpart on Y&R, the real Genoa City is a village with an estimated population of 3,059. It's safe to say that there aren't glamorous locales like the ones where Lily (Christel Khalil) and Daniel Goddard (Cane) spend time.

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Susan Flannery (Stephanie) and John McCook (Eric) were the first two actors hired on B&B. They were both veteran performers who had been performing on screen since the 1960s.

Nadia Comaneci Getty

The Y&R theme music was composed in 1971 and originally titled “Cotton’s Theme.” The soap started using the music in 1973, but the song became known as “Nadia’s Theme” in association with Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci. The music was part of a WIDE WORLD OF SPORTS montage, despite the fact that it had not been part of Comăneci’s routine. The tune generated so much interest that the name was changed to “Nadia’s Theme (The Young and The Restless)” and it was released as a single.

Laura Wright and Sarah Brown Steven Bergman

GH’s Laura Wright (Carly) was recommended for the role by former Carly, Sarah Joy Brown (r.). Wright told Digest, “Sarah Brown introduced me to [former Executive Producer] Wendy Riche when I was still on THE CITY [as Ally]. She said, ‘If I ever leave the show, this girl needs to play Carly.”

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Author Robert Ludlum influenced the depiction of John Black. Drake Hogestyn told Digest, “I walked in and [Casting Director] Doris Sabbagh started describing the character. I pulled The Bourne Identity out of my briefcase and said, ‘Doris, are you talking about Jason Bourne?’ And she said, ‘Yes, but we’re calling him John Black!’ ”

Alison Sweeney Christel Khalil Christie Clark Daniel Goddard Drake Hogestyn John McCook Laura Wright Linsey Godfrey Sarah Brown Susan Flannery Thorsten Kaye Bold and Beautiful Days of Our Lives General Hospital The Young and the Restless

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