ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING
Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie, DAYS) was impressed by hubby Bill Hayes’s (Doug) work when Julie was dying. “When he came in to see Julie and thought she was for sure dying, Bill really let everything go,” notes the actress. “I sort of watched him when I was strapped into the bed. I watched him across the stage sitting in a darkened set, thinking, thinking, thinking, and kind of crumbling physically, and coming in and just letting his torment at the thought of our separation, letting it go. And I’m supposed to be unconscious and I’m crying and trying to hold the tears in behind my eyes. Janet [Spellman-Drucker, producer] said afterward, ‘Bill, I think that’s the best work you’ve ever done.’ ” Doing those scenes took its toll, but that was fine with the actors. “It was hard on us,” reports Seaforth Hayes. “It rung us out emotionally. In the ’70s when we had a lot of storyline, we would come home from a long day and feel rung out and say, ‘Gosh, why I am so tired?’ ‘Oh, yeah. I got beaten up and raped today. Oh, yes. That must be it.’ And we’d come home with that same kind of exhaustion from these scenes, which is good. It means we’re really committed to the material. The secret of always doing it as well as you can is to believe in it.”
HALL MONITOR
On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, Mark Lawson’s (Dustin, GH) character, Brody, caused big trouble for Michael Easton’s (Finn, GH) alter ego, John, and his lady love, Natalie. Now the actors are castmates again, but their paths have yet to cross backstage. “I haven’t gotten to see Michael yet, but I’m looking forward to it,” Lawson reports. “In fact, in the hallway the other day, I had to fight the impulse to take a selfie in front of his dressing room door and send it to him!” He resisted, Lawson chuckles, “because I was like, ‘Don’t be a fanboy!’ I have no problem being a fanboy when I feel like, ‘Okay, the coast is clear, nobody’s looking and I can geek out on this person right now.’ But I’m still new there! I didn’t want, like, Laura Wright [Carly] to see me taking a picture in front of Michael’s door. Also, I didn’t want to be outside his door and the door opens and he’s in there like, ‘What are you doing?’ ” Lawson is confident that his eventual reunion with Easton will be worth the wait. “I had a lot of fun working with Michael. I always really admired his creative life. He’s a hell of an actor, but he’s also creative in all these other avenues, his writing and his directing. I’ve seen a couple of his short films. He’s a huge talent. I love hanging out with that guy! I hope I get to work with him.”
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
B&B marks the seventh daytime drama that Vincent Irizarry (Jordan) has appeared on, and while he’s enjoying his stint as Dr. Armstrong, he’ll always have a special place in his heart for his first sudser, GUIDING LIGHT. “Lujack [who he played from 1983-85] was, without question, foundational for the building of my career,” Irizarry reflects. “It was my first TV job ever. I had done six years of theater before that. It was only supposed to be three days of work, then there were three extra days, and then it turned into truly a career from that. Once they gave me a contract, the character took off and it was, to some degree, kind of a phenomenon. It just exploded. It was foundational for me to get all of the other jobs that I’ve gotten in daytime, and even many outside of daytime. I’m very grateful for that. That was a very special character. I’ve always loved this medium and the fact that I got to work with a lot of the same people, day in and day out, week in and week out, for years. When you’re on a soap, it really becomes a family.”
THE RACE IS ON
The movie Ford v Ferrari, which is centered around the renowned 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race and takes place in 1966, hits U.S. theaters on November 15. Y&R alum Sean Carrigan (ex-Stitch) has a significant role as Walt Hansgen. “He was a very serious competitor on a race track, and I was blown away and honored to play such an incredible man,” enthuses the actor. “I got to shoot scenes in a race car going over 100 miles an hour.” The action-packed film, which also stars Matt Damon, Christian Bale and Josh Lucas, already had a red carpet premiere in Toronto, Canada. “It was so much bigger than I expected,” Carrigan marvels. “Roy Thomson Hall seats about 2,500 people and it was packed! It was definitely the biggest premiere I’ve ever been a part of. And I’d like to thank all of the amazing Y&R fans that took the time to come out and support the premiere. It was unexpected and extremely appreciated. I really felt their love on the carpet. Y&R fans are absolutely the best.”
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