X FACTOR
Since Jason Thompson (Billy, Y&R) memorably played GH’s Patrick for 10 years, it’s no surprise that the actor gets recognized in public for both roles. However, Thompson recalls when he was misidentified as someone else altogether. “One time I was out surfing and this dude was like, “Yo, you’re that guy, right?’ ” he shares. “Of course, I thought that maybe he knew me from soaps, but still I was like, ‘Well, it depends.’ He then said, “You’re that Cyclops guy.’ At first, I had no idea what or who he was talking about and then I figured out that he thought that I was James Marsden from the X-Men movies. I told him, ‘Nah, man, that’s not me,’ and he was like, ‘Yeah it is,’ ” Thompson chuckles. “He was very insistent and he was actually getting pissed at me that I was trying to pretend that I wasn’t this actor. But I appreciated the mistake. James Marsden’s a good-looking dude!”
PRATT FALLS
B&B’s Scott Clifton (Liam) was thrilled to work with returning guest stars Jim O’Heir and Monica Horan (Matt and Kieran). “It was so fun!” Clifton beams. “When I saw them on set, I gave them a hug and said to Jim, ‘I don’t know if you remember me, but we won an Emmy together [in 2017 when Clifton took home the prize for Outstanding Lead Actor and O’Heir won for Outstanding Guest Performer].’ We were actually standing together and my wife, Nikki, was like, ‘Hey, let me take a photo of you two,’ so I have this photo of Jim and I holding our Emmys. I said that to him and [fellow nominee] Monica goes, ‘Yeah, about that: It’s rigged!’ She was hilarious. The funniest thing was the whole time we worked together, Jim kept comparing me to Chris Pratt, which I get all the time: ‘Oh, you look like the guy from Guardians of the Galaxy or Jurassic World.’ There have been a few times where people did not believe that I was not him. Considering Jim worked with Chris for years on PARKS AND RECREATION — and apparently they still keep in touch — it was quite the compliment. He kept saying, ‘You need to play Chris’s younger brother!’ And I was like, ‘All right. Sure [laughs].’ ”
TEACHER’S SET
Katelyn MacMullen (Willow) considers herself lucky to have worked with daytime vets Rebecca Herbst (Elizabeth) and Roger Howarth (Franco) on her first day at GH. “Becky is so awesome,” she declares. “It has been so great to work with people that have been doing this for a while and are so good at it because it has helped me, for sure. We get along really well and I think we kind of understand one another. And Roger is really cool. He’s a nut, which is awesome. I think it goes with his character! He’s very individual in his work and as a person. He’s so good with the kids on set. He improvises a lot in rehearsal and my thought bubble is always like, ‘Oh, I wish I could be as improvisational and confident!’ It’s been a privilege to work with them both.”
FATHER OF THE GROOM
Though DAYS’s Justin was far from thrilled to witness the marriage of Sonny and Leo, his portrayer, Wally Kurth, had a hard time maintaining his character’s frown, thanks to the comedic performance of Greg Rikaart (Leo). “Honestly I just couldn’t even look at Greg,” he chuckles. “Even when he just walked out with that outfit, I started laughing. I could barely keep it in. And the hair, and just his energy — I mean, it was awesome. I loved it. It was so funny.” Kurth has enjoyed getting to know his new on-screen son-in-law. “I really didn’t know him before he came to DAYS. I mean, I saw his Emmy reel from a couple of years ago on Y&R [where he played Kevin], and that was the first time I had ever seen him and I thought he was terrific. When he came on our show, I was very complimentary to him and like, ‘Hey, it’s great to have you here.’ I think he really enjoys playing Leo, as you can tell. When I watched the wedding on TV, I felt that from him, which is fun as a viewer. Obviously, it was a different color on a soap opera, but I love that; I love when Ron [Carlivati, head writer] gets into farce every once in a while.”