Scene And Heard

DEAR ABBY Billy Flynn (Chad, DAYS) admits it wasn’t easy to say good-bye to co-star Marci Miller (Abigail). “She and I worked very similarly,” he says. “She was always there, she was always prepared, she was always ready and she kept me in line 99 percent of the time. I also was going through a really hard time during that period; luckily, I’ve kind of gotten it all together now, but she was really helpful in the process of being understanding. Chad was kind of working out his demons as I was working out mine. I love Marci as a person and as an actress. I miss her a lot. At the same time, Kate [Mansi, Abigail] and I had a lot of great chemistry. She stepped in to take over that again. It’s nice to have a familiar face and somebody that I have a shorthand with, as well. Kate was there when I came in and sort of was developing as an actor. When Marci came in, I was sort of rooted already, so it allowed me to really connect with her in a different way than I was able to connect with Kate. It was a different relationship. I really miss her.” The actor appreciates how much the fans love “Chabby” no matter who is playing Abby. “It’s amazing!” he enthuses. “It’s a testament to the work that they do. Kate and I started to become this supercouple in the making and I thought it was really special. When Marci stepped in, I think the relationship had a different maturity and took it to a whole other level. I think both of the actors are incredibly talented and it’s just a testament to what they do to be able to make them both loved so much. I’ve been really lucky.”

OUT OF BREATH Parry Shen (Brad, GH) was tasked with perhaps the most intense scenes of his Port Charles career when Brad discovered that newborn Wiley wasn’t breathing. “That emotion was easy to channel, just because when you have a baby, you’re always checking to make sure they’re still breathing,” he explains. “What was rough, which I knew would be, was the switch-off, when Brad is driving Wiley to G.H. before he meets Nelle on the road and they switch the babies, only because it was not our normal set, it was set in a car on an outdoor set, and there were different logistics. If you’re doing an emotional scene and you’re just in a regular room in a set that’s been established on the show, it’s easier because you have time to say, ‘I need a moment,’ or whatever, but everyone [in this scenario] was like, ‘Is the lighting right?’ ‘Is it too dark?’ ‘Do we have the car running?’ ‘Is the interior light in the car blinking the right way?’ There was so much to take into consideration and then they go, ‘Go!’ So, I had a little secret to help me [summon the necessary emotion]. My dad passed away last year. We weren’t very close, but he had a ring that he always wore, and when I saw it, I kind of broke down; that’s when it hit me. I kept that ring in my pocket during those scenes so that I would have something tangible to kind of lock on to immediately when they said, ‘Action!’ I knew I might need a little help.”

“THE GREATEST” TRIBUTE B&B’s Don Diamont (Bill) enjoys throwing in an ad-lib whenever the situation warrants, and recently, the actor went off the cuff and paid tribute to his late pal, Muhammad Ali. “Bill was saying to Justin that he predicted everything that happened, that Liam and Hope belonged together,” relays Diamont. “And then I added [imitating Ali], ‘I saw it clear as day. I said it over and over again. I’m a big-picture man. I’m the greatest of all time! You know how great I am, and yet you doubted me. Shame on you!’ That was my tribute to him.” The actor’s friendship with the boxing legend lasted for decades. “We became friends back in 1990 and he was just awe-inspiring. I still think of him often, so that was my little way of letting Lonnie, his widow, know how beloved he is. I hope she liked it!”

ON YOUR TOES Michael Mealor (Kyle, Y&R) was over the moon about the chance to work with Jess Walton (Jill). “I met Jess briefly before, right when I started on the show with the Walnut Grove Centennial and I just fell in love with her,” the actor recalls. “I didn’t get the chance to really talk to her, so I was really looking forward to her coming back and she was so sweet. Jess is such a big part of the show’s history and she wanted to get to know me. She and I sat down for a half of an hour and talked just to get to know each other. How cool is that? She’s awesome!” There was another side of his co-star that Mealor became quite acquainted with, as well. “When we learned Jess was coming back, Peter [Bergman, Jack] warned me, ‘Hey, just a heads-up. During rehearsal, Jess will probably go to 50 percent and you’ll ask yourself if that’s all she’s going to give, but when they call action, she’ll blow you away,’ ” he says. “I didn’t think much about that but, sure enough, we were in rehearsal and I thought, ‘That was just okay. Whatever.’ Then they called action and she played that anger at Kyle so convincingly that I was truly scared! She put the fear of God in me!”