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Photo credit: JPI
PULL THE STRINGS
Joshua Morrow (Nick, Y&R) would love to get serious about the guitar. “I’ve always wanted to play the guitar well enough to be in a blues band, but I just lack the patience to learn how to actually play,” the actor admits. “My wife even bought me a beautiful guitar, and I was really determined to learn how to play it, but man, it was hard. I’m not proud to say that it made me run off into a corner. I wasn’t progressing and it drove me crazy. I would kill if I could grab a guitar right now and sing songs to my little baby girl. It’s not like I don’t have the time. Good grief, I sit in a dressing room, but it’s just about the willpower of getting through the difficulty of learning how to play.” Even an offer from a famous friend couldn’t help. “Scott Reeves [ex-Steve, GH et al] told me, ‘I will teach you how to play and we’ll do it together,’ ” Morrow shares. “I love that dude like he was my brother, but I never took him up on it. I’m not one to shy away from learning something, but I was just very frustrated by the process and it wasn’t taking to me. Something wasn’t transmitting from my brain to my fingers, so I couldn’t get the dexterity down. It’s so frustrating!”
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Photo credit: JPI
INJURY REPORT
Don Diamont (Bill) has juggled a hectic schedule while he’s appearing on both B&B and Italy’s version of DANCING WITH THE STARS. “We’re shooting so much material when I’m home that it gets pretty crazy, and the jet lag will sometimes catch up with me,” he shares. “It may be 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I’ll be like, ‘Whoa, I’ve got to sleep for two hours right now.’ Then, I’ll wake up and study my lines — but don’t feel sorry for me! It’s been a great experience. Everybody in Rome has been wonderful. My partner [Hanna Karttunen] is not just a legend in the ballroom, but what a wonderful person she is. I’m very fortunate.” Annika Noelle (Hope), who grew up dancing, has given some tips to Diamont. “I was watching some of the DANCING WITH THE STARS ITALIA clips and I was like, ‘Don! Take care of those hips and knees, buddy!’ ” she shares. “I’ve been there; I used to dance for 20 years, so I know what it’s like to recover. But, he’s done a fantastic job. I’m so happy for him.”
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Photo credit: ABC
MAYBE I’M AMAZED
Wes Ramsey (Peter, GH) is delighted that his character kept Jason alive so that he could share the stage with his portrayer, Steve Burton. “Steve is incredible, he really is. He truly is the highest caliber as a man, as a husband, as a father and as an actor. I feel really lucky and I feel inspired being around him. He’s a hell of a guy. We talk about nutrition, we talk about our workouts, we talk about being healthy. For him to return after five years, it’s so good for the show, but he’s let us know that it has also been really good for him and that’s awesome to see. What’s interesting is that I remember hearing from Laura [Wright, Carly, his girlfriend] before I was cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL, I guess last summer, about how excited she was for his return, not knowing that my character would end up being a pivotal part of it! But I think Steve is just amazing and the character of Jason Morgan is amazing.”
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Photo credit: JPI
GETTING SOCIAL
When he’s not performing on set, chances are you’ll find Galen Gering (Rafe) in DAYS’s hair and makeup department. “I’m pretty social, so I’ll usually hang out in there,” he says. “It’s obviously where all the actors go through and to a certain degree, congregate. Hopefully, it’s a Friday and Nicky Schillace, Lauren Koslow’s [Kate] husband, who is the head of hair and makeup, has ordered pizza because he does pizza Fridays. That’s a really good place to hang out. We laugh and we’ll watch the show and talk about a million different things. Nicky’s always got movies or good TV shows playing in the background.” He will also swing by the prop department. “You can mess with the prop department and ask them why they don’t have better guns or newer phones,” he laughs. Overall, however, there’s less time to visit with the crew, Gering notes. “The awesome thing about how we work now is that, ‘I’m done! I already did a full show and it’s 11 o’clock.’ It’s crazy. I had a day a week or two ago and I was there until almost 6 o’clock and I was like, ‘Oh, my God. What are we doing?’ It was amazing, but to get out at 6 o’clock 10 years ago was early.”
PULL THE STRINGS
Joshua Morrow (Nick, Y&R) would love to get serious about the guitar. “I’ve always wanted to play the guitar well enough to be in a blues band, but I just lack the patience to learn how to actually play,” the actor admits. “My wife even bought me a beautiful guitar, and I was really determined to learn how to play it, but man, it was hard. I’m not proud to say that it made me run off into a corner. I wasn’t progressing and it drove me crazy. I would kill if I could grab a guitar right now and sing songs to my little baby girl. It’s not like I don’t have the time. Good grief, I sit in a dressing room, but it’s just about the willpower of getting through the difficulty of learning how to play.” Even an offer from a famous friend couldn’t help. “Scott Reeves [ex-Steve, GH et al] told me, ‘I will teach you how to play and we’ll do it together,’ ” Morrow shares. “I love that dude like he was my brother, but I never took him up on it. I’m not one to shy away from learning something, but I was just very frustrated by the process and it wasn’t taking to me. Something wasn’t transmitting from my brain to my fingers, so I couldn’t get the dexterity down. It’s so frustrating!”
INJURY REPORT
Don Diamont (Bill) has juggled a hectic schedule while he’s appearing on both B&B and Italy’s version of DANCING WITH THE STARS. “We’re shooting so much material when I’m home that it gets pretty crazy, and the jet lag will sometimes catch up with me,” he shares. “It may be 5 o’clock in the afternoon and I’ll be like, ‘Whoa, I’ve got to sleep for two hours right now.’ Then, I’ll wake up and study my lines — but don’t feel sorry for me! It’s been a great experience. Everybody in Rome has been wonderful. My partner [Hanna Karttunen] is not just a legend in the ballroom, but what a wonderful person she is. I’m very fortunate.” Annika Noelle (Hope), who grew up dancing, has given some tips to Diamont. “I was watching some of the DANCING WITH THE STARS ITALIA clips and I was like, ‘Don! Take care of those hips and knees, buddy!’ ” she shares. “I’ve been there; I used to dance for 20 years, so I know what it’s like to recover. But, he’s done a fantastic job. I’m so happy for him.”
MAYBE I’M AMAZED
Wes Ramsey (Peter, GH) is delighted that his character kept Jason alive so that he could share the stage with his portrayer, Steve Burton. “Steve is incredible, he really is. He truly is the highest caliber as a man, as a husband, as a father and as an actor. I feel really lucky and I feel inspired being around him. He’s a hell of a guy. We talk about nutrition, we talk about our workouts, we talk about being healthy. For him to return after five years, it’s so good for the show, but he’s let us know that it has also been really good for him and that’s awesome to see. What’s interesting is that I remember hearing from Laura [Wright, Carly, his girlfriend] before I was cast on GENERAL HOSPITAL, I guess last summer, about how excited she was for his return, not knowing that my character would end up being a pivotal part of it! But I think Steve is just amazing and the character of Jason Morgan is amazing.”
GETTING SOCIAL
When he’s not performing on set, chances are you’ll find Galen Gering (Rafe) in DAYS’s hair and makeup department. “I’m pretty social, so I’ll usually hang out in there,” he says. “It’s obviously where all the actors go through and to a certain degree, congregate. Hopefully, it’s a Friday and Nicky Schillace, Lauren Koslow’s [Kate] husband, who is the head of hair and makeup, has ordered pizza because he does pizza Fridays. That’s a really good place to hang out. We laugh and we’ll watch the show and talk about a million different things. Nicky’s always got movies or good TV shows playing in the background.” He will also swing by the prop department. “You can mess with the prop department and ask them why they don’t have better guns or newer phones,” he laughs. Overall, however, there’s less time to visit with the crew, Gering notes. “The awesome thing about how we work now is that, ‘I’m done! I already did a full show and it’s 11 o’clock.’ It’s crazy. I had a day a week or two ago and I was there until almost 6 o’clock and I was like, ‘Oh, my God. What are we doing?’ It was amazing, but to get out at 6 o’clock 10 years ago was early.”