ALL TOGETHER NOW
Beth Maitland (Traci, Y&R) is enjoying her detective novel storyline with Daniel Goddard (Cane). “Well, first of all, we’re all loving it, so much so that all the other actors are asking to be in these scenes,” the actress explains of the black-and-white, film noir-ish sequences. “Everybody wants to play along, which is awesome. When we rehearse the lines, we get to go overboard with ’40s phrases and imitations of our favorite movie stars. Daniel does a good Bogie and I do a breathy Judy Garland ‘Dear Mr. Gable’ [laughs].” Wearing period wardrobe, however, comes with pros and cons. “Often the clothes become a challenge because many of the actual vintage dresses have damage from years of use,” Maitland shares. “But all the departments have really thrown their shoulders into this and have done an amazing job. Hair, makeup, wardrobe are obvious ones but lighting, sets and props, and especially post-production, with the fabulous music and black-and-white conversions, have been epic!”
SLEEPING BEAUTY
GH’s Jordan is on the mend after a kidney transplant, signaling the end (for now) to portrayer Briana Nicole Henry’s days of bedridden work on the show. “Some of my co-stars were like, ‘God, I’m sure you can’t wait to get out of that bed!’ ” the actress chuckles. “But to be honest, it was kind of nice to get a break from blocking! Sometimes the blocking feels just as difficult as the memorizing of the lines. So I did enjoy that. Being in the coma was a little more challenging because I do like to talk. That’s who I am! So the coma was a little bit difficult for me. I think it was actually easier when, like, Donnell [Turner, Curtis] had speeches to give while I was in the coma, because then at least I was a little preoccupied listening to him and kind of cheering him on while he was doing that. I was all about the speeches in the hospital bed because other than that, it could get a little dull sometimes. But I’m definitely looking forward to not falling into so many comas in the future!”
THE DEPARTED
DAYS’s Chandler Massey (Will) says he had a great time working with former co-stars Greg Rikaart (ex-Leo; Kevin, Y&R) and Christopher Sean (ex-Paul). “Both of those guys were phenomenal and they played almost polar-opposite characters, which I think is amazing,” raves Massey. “Both extremely talented actors and great human beings. I loved the energy that Greg brought with Leo. It was so much fun to be in scenes with him and it was also really difficult to keep a straight face for a lot of the time. Christopher, I mean, I feel like I can go on and on. Pretty much every day on set I miss Christopher as Paul. He’s such a phenomenal actor, great set presence, very professional, very kind. He crafted a legitimate bond with both Sonny and Will. The dynamic between the three of them was powerful and interesting to watch, in my opinion.”
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Tony and Grammy-winner Billy Porter is riding high as fashionista Pray Tell on the sudsy nighttime drama POSE, which has already been picked up for a third season on FX. However, the performer’s first TV job was playing a singer named Billy Rush on ANOTHER WORLD in 1998. “I remember that it was really fast and that they were very nice to me,” Porter recalls. “That was really my first foray into film and TV, and it was such a great learning experience because it was so quick that you really had to be ready to bring it.” Porter still marvels at his success, smiling, “Being black and gay, it’s taken me a while to get here. I came to L.A. in January of 2000 and I left in September of 2002 and I vowed I would never come back until I had a job because it was not worth my time and energy. Now, I go from the airplane to the Fox lot [where POSE films] with a job! It has been a lovely journey but it has taken a lot of time and patience. I feel like ANOTHER WORLD was another world ago!”