Scene And Heard

GAL PALS As far as Joshua Morrow (Nick, Y&R) is concerned, all is right in his world now that Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) and Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea) are firmly entrenched in Genoa City again. "Missy has turned into one of my best friends in the world," the actor smiles. "She's just like my bro and we talk about everything. Obviously, when she left, I was so sad, but I knew kind of what was going on. I was praying that she would come back if it was the right time for her. I was constantly telling Griff [Co-Executive Producer/Head Writer Josh Griffith], 'Dude, you gotta bring her back and it's not even for me. I mean, don't think this is for selfish reasons. We just need her back. She provides a really cool element to the show that we don't have.' Everybody knew that. When it was happening I could not have been more excited." And then there's Stafford. "Michelle and I have been friends forever," he shares. "I mean, she and my wife are even friends. She's just a great lady and she kills me. I love listening to her stories about her kids. I was so excited for her when she was going through her own journey with starting her family. And then she left and it was just this kind of void. And then she came back and it's just been awesome. They're both great friends of mine and I love them to death. It was a win-win for me. Who doesn't want their homies to come back?"

ALL IN THE FAMILY Though they only worked together on B&B for less than a year back in 2013, Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) established a lasting bond with his TV adoptive brother, Texas Battle (ex-Marcus). “Every now and then I’ll get a call from him and we’ll catch up,” reports Saint-Victor. “With Texas, our relationship is like being in a frat, or being on a football team with someone. It’s like, time can pass but once that phone picks up and he’s on the other end, it’s like you’re right there. Whenever he calls, it’s like, ‘What’s up, bro?’ The brother dynamic is definitely still there, which I just love. It’s the same thing with some of the cast members from GUIDING LIGHT, like Yvonna [Kopacz Wright, ex- Mel, GL et al] is my sister. Kim Brockington [ex-Felicia, GL et al] is my mom. When I see her, I always say, ‘Hi, Mom!’ We really are family, and it’s the same thing with Texas — and then if we bump into each other and we get to hang out for a little bit, it’s just really cool.”

SCREEN GEM James Patrick Stuart (Valentin, GH) has been awestruck by the maturing talent of his on-screen daughter, Scarlett Fernandez (Charlotte), since she joined the show in 2016. “Working in soaps, you find a lot that the scenes that you least think you’re able to do end up being the most satisfying,” he says. “I had a day like that when Valentin decided that he had to give up fighting for custody of Charlotte for her own good. I could never do that; my kids would be doomed [laughs]! But my goodness, Scarlett was so good in those scenes. She loves acting and she makes choices quickly, but she’s also flexible, she listens — I mean, that moment where she put her hand on my cheek when Valentin was being arrested, that was her choice, and it just wrecked me. It was just such a cool, grown-up choice that she made. She’s becoming a little lady, with more mature choices, not just the obvious, ‘I’m a cute kid’ choice. You know how every time there’s a kid in a scene and they need to get rid of them, they say, ‘Why don’t you go get an ice cream?’ I’m waiting for the day when she says, ‘I don’t want an ice cream!’ and decides to stay in the scene!”

FILM MAGIC More Beautiful for Having Been Broken, an indie film from Writer/ Director Nicole Conn and featuring daytime vet Wally Kurth (Justin, DAYS; Ned, GH), is now available on VOD platforms and on DVD. “I saw the movie and it’s terrific,” raves Kurth, who portrays Buck, a bartender who works at the bar in town. “The cinematography is beautiful, the writing is lovely, and the performances are great. I’m one of the locals and a singer in the band there. I have a very small part, but my music — Kurth & Taylor’s music is in there.” The movie centers around a troubled woman (Zoe Ventoura) suspended by the FBI who retreats to a small town and develops a growing bond with a special-needs boy. Also starring in the production is Harley Jane Kozak (ex-Mary, SANTA BARBARA; ex-Annabelle, GL).