Scene And Heard

DRAMA QUEEN When Tamar Braxton (Chef Chambre, B&B) won the second installment of CELEBRITY BIG BROTHER, she had no idea that dealing with all the drama she faced as a houseguest would come in handy when making her soap opera debut. “Absolutely!” Braxton declares. “Can you imagine the drama that’s in that house? I was ducking and diving it all or having to face it all, and that definitely helped me. And vice versa. Watching the soaps all these years helped me in the house because each and every room was a different scene [laughs]. Being on BIG BROTHER is one of my career highlights because I am a longtime BIG BROTHER watcher, and just to be in that house and experience everything I’ve watched over the years was a dream come true. So now, doing that and BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL right after that, I’m feeling super-and-doubly blessed.” There was one thing Braxton didn’t expect during her BB experience, however: technology withdrawal. “The first couple of days, I struggled.com,” she chuckles. “It was hard but then you turn the corner and it got really nice not to have to answer your phone. It got really nice just to focus on a conversation or a person or something else other than your phone. Since then, my relationship with my phone is definitely not the same. It’s more of a distraction to me now.”

HOLDING COURT Jordi Vilasuso (Rey, Y&R) didn’t mind being a part of the recent courtroom scenes when Nikki, Victoria and Sharon were on trial for J.T.’s murder. “I got to do a lot of sitting and I do like sitting,” smiles the actor. “It’s very helpful because you’re comfortable and you literally don’t have to remember what your next move is going to be. It was a nice break and that courtroom set is beautiful. They always do such a good job with production on this show.” Vilasuso gives kudos to Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki), Amelia Heinle (Victoria) and Sharon Case (Sharon) for their performances. “It has been a lot for these ladies and they’ve done such a great job,” he lauds. “Lauralee [Bell, Christine] has done an awesome job, as well, with all the dialogue she’s had to learn. They’ve been carrying these scenes and it’s been so impressive. And it’s been amazing getting to know them. I really adore them. I love running lines with them, and they’ve all been open to me when I ask for that. Melody has such a great sense of humor and the others are just very cool. I feel tremendously lucky.”

WE ARE FAMILY Briana Nicole Henry (Jordan) considers herself lucky to be in the same GH family as Vernee Watson (Stella). “Vernee is truly amazing,” she beams. “At first, I was so nervous to work with her just because I had grown up seeing Vernee’s work as an actress and knew that she has this long, incredible career. I mean, I think she told me she has been acting for 52 years, which is just serious goals as an actor! And she’s intimidating as Stella. I mean, when Vernee gives you those eyes, she is an intimidating powerhouse of a human!” It didn’t take long for Henry to feel at ease around her, though. “She has a beautiful, calm presence and a serenity to her when she acts and when you’re acting across from her,” Henry notes. “And she has definitely upped my craft because every time I have a scene with her, I know she’s going to bring it, and you have to bring it just as hard or else you’re not going to match up.” She welcomes the thaw in their characters’ relationship, even though they had fun with the Stella/Jordan rivalry. “Vernee and I kind of developed this relationship on set, even when we were just kind of walking around the halls, where I was like, ‘I’m gonna make you fall in love with me!’ ” Henry chuckles. “So, it’s a win for Briana and Jordan.”

ZIPPING RIGHT ALONG Josh Taylor (Roman, DAYS) will never forget his days as Jack McKay on BEVERLY HILLS, 90210 and working with the cast. “It was fun to be a part of that. It was a good group,” he says. “I remember going to Australia about that time and I was in hog heaven ’cause DAYS was No. 1 over there and 90210 was huge over there. I was able to go through Australia in very good shape. But it was huge. I remember Jason Priestley [ex-Brandon] and I did the Indianapolis 500 parade together. And Luke [Perry, ex-Dylan], my God, he just exploded. [Wife] Lisa had a friend that she played tennis with and the woman said, ‘My husband and my son are bonding over watching reruns of 90210. Could Josh send them a picture?’ And so even having a recurring part — of course, it helped being Dylan McKay’s dad — but Jack McKay was a fun character, too, because he was kind of a mysterious character. I’ve always been very proud. That was fun. As you can tell, I have extraordinarily fond feelings for Luke and extraordinary memories. It was an incredibly special time. That show was huge and iconic.”