Actor Roundup: Who Was Your First Friend In The Soap World?

“Kelly Ripa [ex-Hayley, ALL MY CHILDREN, whom she met while playing Ally on LOVING]!”

“Well, this is going to be one for the die-hard GENERAL HOSPITAL fans. GH trivia question: Do you remember a character named Connie Cooper? Amy Benedict played her. I became friends with Amy, after she did that role. When I was testing for [the role of Carly on] GH, she helped me work through my audition. So, we weren’t friends from the soap world, but she was my first friend who was in it.”

“[Casting director] Marnie Saitta. And I still absolutely adore her to this day.”

“Janice Lynde. She played Leslie Brooks at the time, and she was the only person I worked with for weeks! I still see her from time to time. We loved those years!”

“The first person [in the soap community outside of GH] who reached out to me and made me feel welcome was Jeanne Cooper [ex-Katherine, Y&R]. It was at an Emmy party that was being held at a hotel. She came up to me and said, ‘I would like to welcome you to the soap world. You’re going to do really well. You’re going to make a lot of friends and I know you’re really going to like it here.’ Isn’t that amazing? She didn’t know me, but she came over to me and was so lovely.”

“Josh Taylor [then-Chris; now Roman on DAYS, where Diamont played Carlo] and Peter Reckell [ex-Bo]. They were so great. We all played together on the DAYS OF OUR LIVES softball team.”

“Jon Lindstrom (Kevin, GH). We did a play together several years ago. I really came to respect and admire him, first of all, working with him. And then he told me that he was working on GH. Like a lot of actors, I was curious. I think I'd done one day on THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS at that point. I was curious to know about the process of working on a daily soap. He explained to me how arduous, difficult, and challenging it was. And just seeing his work in the play, I really went, ‘Oh. This guy really knows how to work.’ ”

 “My first friend in the soap world was Bryan Cranston when we were on LOVING [as Lorna and Doug] together.”

“Jeanne Cooper [ex-Katherine, Y&R]. She was welcoming and gracious. She taught me the ropes!”