WHERE DO THE CHILDREN GO?
“It’s always good to have Bryan [R. Dattilo, Lucas] back,” says Lauren Koslow (Kate, DAYS), who was happy to have her TV son return during Will’s recent brink-of-death storyline. “I miss having scenes together. It’s so funny because in the beginning, when I was first on the show, there was so much about Kate and her family. Everything had to do with her and her kids. For a while, it was like, ‘Can she have a life of her own?’ But now I miss the kids. They’re all gone from town. So it’s really great when they come back and you have them there. I think the audience loves that, too, because you have those family relations.” In the interim, Koslow’s gotten to exert that motherly vibe via her scenes with Camila Banus, as Kate plays mentor to troublemaker Gabi. “I love it,” notes Koslow. “A lot of it is kind of crazy and over the top, but I like to always go back to — that’s Eduardo’s daughter. So Kate definitely feels protective toward her. I think she does feel like a mentor, and she totally overlooks things Gabi does that she should not be happy about.” The two actresses have developed a nice rapport, too. “I love working with Camila,” shares Koslow. “She just attacks the material, and we have so much fun together. We definitely have developed a rhythm for our scenes. It’s a chemistry thing, too. It’s fun to jump in and get that energy going.”
GRATUITY INCLUDED
Oscar-nominated telenovela star Demián Bichir (Santiago, GRAND HOTEL) has found a happy home on television. “I’ve been lucky to participate in the past in a comedy series called WEEDS,” Bichir relays. “This is now my third time on American TV, and basically I respond to the same thing. I’m always looking for strong material, whether it is on TV, films or theater. That is what I found here. To me, this [show] is about the human experience and who’s in charge of it. And I love Eva [Longoria, executive producer; Beatriz et al]. I can’t say no. No one can say no to Eva! A great, powerful captain can lead a big ship into a happy port, and the beauty of that is they can gather the best artists in every position — not only in the fantastic cast we have, but in every department. So that, to me, is what I’m looking for, and I couldn’t be happier and luckier.”
Photo credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT
As much as Bryton James (Devon, Y&R) revels in the sibling bond that his character shares with adoptive sister Lily (Christel Khalil), the actor wishes that a deeper connection could have been explored. “When teenagers get adopted into families that have opposite sex teenagers, it’s human nature and very normal that they can be attracted to each other,” notes James. “I had a lot of conversations with Victoria Rowell [ex-Drucilla] at the time and she said it’s very, very common. I remember filming scenes where I was standing in front of the mirror in the Winters living room trying to convince myself to tell Lily that I love her but that turned out to be the only time that ever happened.” James was surprised when the storyline was suddenly dropped. “Those scenes never made it to air because the writers changed direction, which was too bad,” he explains. “Devon and Lily met each other when they were 16, 17, and there was an attraction. So whether or not Devon was adopted, it’s still normal. I thought it would’ve been a very interesting route to go. I think that Christel and I work really well together. It would’ve been fun, but I also really enjoy the kind of brother-and-sister relationship they share now and no matter what goes on between them, it will not be broken.”
BROTHERLY LOVE
Hudson West (Jake, GH) loves working with his on-screen brothers, William Lipton (Cameron) and Jason David (Aiden). “I love William,” West enthuses. “He’s just the best and he’s always in such a good mood on set and always so nice to me. I can really sense the older brother in him because he’s always trying to involve Jason and me and talking to us and stuff — and he always compliments my mom’s brownies that she cooks for everyone at GENERAL HOSPITAL. I really like Jason, too. He’s really fun and energetic and has such a cool personality. He and Scarlett [Fernandez, Charlotte] are always hanging out and talking; they really like each other. I can remember doing Christmas scenes with him when he was really young and now his character is really growing and it’s so fun to work with both of them.” Especially when the script calls for the boys to get a little rambunctious. “The writers know that kids can get a little wild,” West grins. “I’m not usually real rowdy or anything, so I kind of have to act when it comes to that, like when Becky [Herbst, Elizabeth] called out to me, like, ‘Are you going to get the paintings?’ and I swung over the couch and ran up the stairs. I loved doing that!”