Scene And Heard

COMEDY DUO James Patrick Stuart (Valentin) is having a blast working on GH with his longtime pal Michael E. Knight (Martin). “We laugh more than two human beings ever should and we just love each other’s company,” he says. “We are going to be two old farts very soon, sitting on the porch playing checkers, but in the meantime, we’ve got a gig! It was a surprise to me [that we’d be working together]. The scene where we broke into Ava’s gallery together, somebody was in on the joke; somebody really appreciated what the two of us have because it was so silly. There was so much comedy in it, it was ridiculous. And like Finola [Hughes, Anna] taught me, ‘You’ve just got to break the glass.’ You just have to go full-tilt and don’t even question it and just commit. Michael was giggling because when he showed up and he was representing Franco, he was a much different character than this buffoon in Ava’s storeroom! I got to be the straight man to one of my favorite comedic actors and it made me really happy.”

TAKING A DIVE While working on a film in Australia, Katrina Bowden (Flo, B&B) crossed one item off of her bucket list. “I did jump out of an airplane,” she shares. “I’ve always wanted to do it, but I’ve been terrified of it. I really don’t like having this fear of heights so I’ve been trying to actively get over it. I do love adventure and I want to do more of these things that scare me so I’ve been actively trying to do that. One of our stunt guys on the movie is an avid skydiver and he and I were talking about it a lot and I was like, ‘Would you take me?’ I convinced one of the other actors in the movie to go with me and the three of us did it. It was really scary, but it was the most amazing experience I think I’ve ever had.” However, Bowden wasn’t the only one with a case of pre-jump jitters. “[Husband] Ben has actually done it before,” the actress shares. “He did it when he was, like, 18, so he was definitely afraid of me doing it, especially because I was halfway around the world and he wasn’t there. But even if he was there, there’d be nothing he could do if something went wrong [laughs]! But I survived, and it was the best thing ever.”

UPHILL BATTLE The idea of Kristen and Brady developing into a viable couple has been a tough sell to DAYS fans. “The reaction has been mixed,” concedes Eric Martsolf (Brady). Adds Stacy Haiduk (Kristen), “At first they were like, ‘No, no, no,’ but now they’re slowly starting to love these two characters together. I think some fans are happy, but I’m sure there’s a few that still don’t like it.” Martsolf totally gets it. “Stacy is an adorable human being, but her role as Kristen has its challenges,” he notes. “And she is a DiMera, who has done some outrageously harsh things to the people that Brady loves in his life. I mean, her history with John and Marlena is just horrific, so she has an uphill battle. But she’s no serial killer, and Ron Carlivati [head writer] is a fan of redemption.” As for Martsolf, he’d welcome the story turn. “I think we all are a fan of an underdog story and rooting for the little guy,” he offers, pointing out that he’s already played an unlikely pairing before. “That’s essentially what Brady and Theresa were. They met in rehab. They were both these broken people ... addicts who drink too much, swear too much, and don’t believe in romantic love. Yet, they ended up having a baby and having a pretty beautiful love story. So anything is possible. The question is whether Kristen will ever be fully redeemed. So it’s questionable.” Haiduk, however, remains optimistic. “Kristen truly loves Brady,” she says. “All of this journey that she’s taking will hopefully in the end give them a chance to be together and be real.”

SUPER SUPERNATURAL Chase Coleman (Tanner, Y&R) says that it was a kick playing Oliver the werewolf on THE ORIGINALS. “He started out as a villain type based on what he thought was justified for his clan,” the actor explains. “Without really spoiling it for anyone who would potentially want to watch it, he definitely makes a round trip to the different side of things. It was a great run.” Thanks to the international cult following for the show, Coleman still receives a lot of attention from the fans. “I’ve been doing appearances and conventions for the past maybe three-to-four years,” he shares. “I feel like I’ve become a staple of the Creation Entertainment conventions. They’ve basically been hiring me and Micah Parker [ex-Adrian, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES] to host the conventions for a few years now. And alongside that, my band has gotten to play concerts at these appearances. I’ve been all over the world. I’ve been to Brazil three times, Italy maybe five or six times, Germany about seven or eight times, and to the U.K. many, many times. It’s been a blast.”