Scene And Heard
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There were very big shoes to fill when Terry Lester vacated the role of Jack in 1989, but Beth Maitland (Traci, Y&R) raves that Peter Bergman has been a more-than-worthy successor. “I have so much admiration for how Peter faced taking over the character,” she begins. “Bravely and with honor to the past, he made Jack his very own without compromising any of his foibles or faults. It takes more than talent to win over the fans and he did it without a misstep. He’s the Jack that Traci wanted her brother to be and we are so fortunate he found us.” Maitland is also grateful for the relationship she has forged with her co-star. “Peter is the brother I never had,” she notes. “I love working with this man, and I think he brings out the maternal beauty of our Traci like no other character. She knows him and loves him in spite of himself. Personally, Peter has championed me through the very worst tragedy of my life, and I will never be able to express my deep appreciation for his friendship. On the set, he knows the names and concerns of everyone around him. He’s invested in our company and its human force with his whole heart.”
Photo credit: JPI
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When GH’s Trina went off on her mother after discovering that she had concealed the possibility that Curtis, not Taggert, was her biological father, Tabyana Ali struggled to channel her character’s rage toward Brook Kerr’s Portia. “It was actually quite a bit challenging,” Ali shares. “I kept saying to Brook, ‘Sorry!’ I was like, ‘I really don’t mean to be mean to you! And I don’t want you to be mad at me!’ It was actually kind of interesting because I was like, ‘I genuinely feel so disrespectful to you right now, but I have to be!’ It was really deep. It kind of cut hard, where I was in a split between Taby and Trina because I had to be upset, viscerally upset with the situation, but then I would snap out of it and be like, ‘I don’t want to yell at anybody!’ Hypothetically, if this situation happened to me and my mom, I don’t think I could come at her like that.” Ali was proud of the final results. “For me, it was the first time that I got to play Trina as so upset and so mad that she was unpredictable, almost.”
Photo credit: ABC
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Aketra Sevillian (Talia) discovered a familiar face behind the scenes, when she started on DAYS: Steve Burton (Harris). The actress had seen his work on GH, where he played Jason. “My grandmother [Madeline] watches the show,” explains Sevillian. “I just watched it with her a few days ago.” So imagine Sevillian’s surprise when she reported for work at DAYS and discovered Burton among the mix of actors. “We have to be in separate hair and makeup [sections], because of Covid [restrictions],” says Sevillian. “Every time Steve would come in, of course, I was talking to him. I thought, ‘He looks so familiar.’ When he left, I asked Nicole, who does my hair, ‘Where do I know him from?’ She told me, ‘He was on GENERAL HOSPITAL.’ So I looked him up [online].” The next time Sevillian found herself beside Burton in hair and makeup, she opened up about her GH fandom. “I told Steve, ‘You won’t believe it, but I grew up watching you on GENERAL HOSPITAL. And my grandmother is obsessed with you,’ ” recounts Sevillian with a laugh. “He lit up. He was so humble. He turned a little red but was very grateful. Then he was like, ‘Well, dang. I guess I’m kind of old, huh?’ ” Sevillian promptly told her grandmother about the encounter. “I told her, ‘Grandma, you won’t believe who I met,’ ” she relays. “She was like. ‘No way.’ She asked if I met Sonny [Maurice Benard], too. I said, ‘No grandma. Just Steve for now.’ ”
Photo credit: JPI
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B&B’s John McCook (Eric) appeared on numerous game shows through the years, like HOLLYWOOD SQUARES and TATTLETALES, and he does admit to having a favorite. “You know what? I loved it but it was very intimidating to me,” he teases of his best game show performance. “It was the $25,000 PYRAMID. I loved watching that show, I loved doing that show, but I was always worried that I wasn’t going to be very good. It’s a little nerve-racking because there is no script [laughs]. But, I faced my fears and I did it and I was okay. I was pretty good, I think. I also did FAMILY FEUD [with his B&B castmates], which was just silly but we had a lot of fun. Game shows have always been great entertainment and I loved getting to do that. That said, if I had to pick a favorite, I think the PYRAMID was a really good game.”
Photo credit: JPI
There were very big shoes to fill when Terry Lester vacated the role of Jack in 1989, but Beth Maitland (Traci, Y&R) raves that Peter Bergman has been a more-than-worthy successor. “I have so much admiration for how Peter faced taking over the character,” she begins. “Bravely and with honor to the past, he made Jack his very own without compromising any of his foibles or faults. It takes more than talent to win over the fans and he did it without a misstep. He’s the Jack that Traci wanted her brother to be and we are so fortunate he found us.” Maitland is also grateful for the relationship she has forged with her co-star. “Peter is the brother I never had,” she notes. “I love working with this man, and I think he brings out the maternal beauty of our Traci like no other character. She knows him and loves him in spite of himself. Personally, Peter has championed me through the very worst tragedy of my life, and I will never be able to express my deep appreciation for his friendship. On the set, he knows the names and concerns of everyone around him. He’s invested in our company and its human force with his whole heart.”
Photo credit: JPI
When GH’s Trina went off on her mother after discovering that she had concealed the possibility that Curtis, not Taggert, was her biological father, Tabyana Ali struggled to channel her character’s rage toward Brook Kerr’s Portia. “It was actually quite a bit challenging,” Ali shares. “I kept saying to Brook, ‘Sorry!’ I was like, ‘I really don’t mean to be mean to you! And I don’t want you to be mad at me!’ It was actually kind of interesting because I was like, ‘I genuinely feel so disrespectful to you right now, but I have to be!’ It was really deep. It kind of cut hard, where I was in a split between Taby and Trina because I had to be upset, viscerally upset with the situation, but then I would snap out of it and be like, ‘I don’t want to yell at anybody!’ Hypothetically, if this situation happened to me and my mom, I don’t think I could come at her like that.” Ali was proud of the final results. “For me, it was the first time that I got to play Trina as so upset and so mad that she was unpredictable, almost.”
Photo credit: ABC
Aketra Sevillian (Talia) discovered a familiar face behind the scenes, when she started on DAYS: Steve Burton (Harris). The actress had seen his work on GH, where he played Jason. “My grandmother [Madeline] watches the show,” explains Sevillian. “I just watched it with her a few days ago.” So imagine Sevillian’s surprise when she reported for work at DAYS and discovered Burton among the mix of actors. “We have to be in separate hair and makeup [sections], because of Covid [restrictions],” says Sevillian. “Every time Steve would come in, of course, I was talking to him. I thought, ‘He looks so familiar.’ When he left, I asked Nicole, who does my hair, ‘Where do I know him from?’ She told me, ‘He was on GENERAL HOSPITAL.’ So I looked him up [online].” The next time Sevillian found herself beside Burton in hair and makeup, she opened up about her GH fandom. “I told Steve, ‘You won’t believe it, but I grew up watching you on GENERAL HOSPITAL. And my grandmother is obsessed with you,’ ” recounts Sevillian with a laugh. “He lit up. He was so humble. He turned a little red but was very grateful. Then he was like, ‘Well, dang. I guess I’m kind of old, huh?’ ” Sevillian promptly told her grandmother about the encounter. “I told her, ‘Grandma, you won’t believe who I met,’ ” she relays. “She was like. ‘No way.’ She asked if I met Sonny [Maurice Benard], too. I said, ‘No grandma. Just Steve for now.’ ”
Photo credit: JPI
B&B’s John McCook (Eric) appeared on numerous game shows through the years, like HOLLYWOOD SQUARES and TATTLETALES, and he does admit to having a favorite. “You know what? I loved it but it was very intimidating to me,” he teases of his best game show performance. “It was the $25,000 PYRAMID. I loved watching that show, I loved doing that show, but I was always worried that I wasn’t going to be very good. It’s a little nerve-racking because there is no script [laughs]. But, I faced my fears and I did it and I was okay. I was pretty good, I think. I also did FAMILY FEUD [with his B&B castmates], which was just silly but we had a lot of fun. Game shows have always been great entertainment and I loved getting to do that. That said, if I had to pick a favorite, I think the PYRAMID was a really good game.”
Photo credit: JPI
