JillHanson

Every now and then I met the writers. When I was first on the show it was mostly a husband and wife team with a few others in the mix. The details are fading with age! MOst of the actors just move on to the next project or leave the industry. Some kept going and others did not. Some by choice and others because work dried up. I did meet the producers early on when they kept me there after my audition. Actors tend to see directors, other actors, make up, hair, shooting crew and production office staff the most. I sent the link for the forum to a few other cast members. One is having the same 'challenge' question issue I had! Funny how we actors take things literal! The question really should read "Name your favorite Soap Opera" instead of just 'Soap'. I admit it...I kept trying Dial, Ivory, etc etc. Yes, I know some logic would dictate they meant soap opera considering the content of this forum and site but for us older folks, we know Soap companies used to sponsors most Soap Operas and my mind went there! lol

Christopher is a producer now? Very cool. I know Matt Williams has done some huge projects since. I just found out there is a Facebook page for the show and I never knew! I guess the link is within guidelines... http://www.facebook.com/groups/46017930860/ If not and admin delete it...I will understand.

I heard rumor of the spin off myself but not from a source on the inside so I don't know if that was true. The Cummings family stayed a bit longer than me but I think my character was mentioned long after I left the show. I remember seeing one episode where Peter said I just dropped him off and that was 2-3 months after I left the show. Russ, by the way...was Susan's husband in real life at that time! The scene with Peter had more meaning for me because my real Dad had only died a year and a half before I got the part. The SAT seen...I was really bluffing my way through it so it came off like I meant to bluff! ha! I was having problems with the lines that day but it worked out! And agreed...Jill did add something. I really did think she brought shades of gray to things. Most topics and characters on the show were good or evil and I often felt in between!

The audition process was kind of funny to me at the time but in hindsight I get it! I went in to read for a 30 year old and they said I was too young. 6 months later they had me read for a 25 year old and still, too young. Then 6 months later the character of Jill was added and I had hope. I went to read with them at the studio and when I was done they asked me to stick around. I was not sure why but I watched one actress after another go in and out and leave. When they were done they took me to the main offices and introduced me around then took me to set. On set I saw Tom (who played my guardian and I shot my first commercial with) and Sue/Becky (who I had done a stage show with). They greeted me with open arms and I felt a lot more at peace once I saw them. Until that moment I felt like an outsider looking in. I left with hope but not expectations. Then one day about a week later my agent called the movie theatre I worked at. Normally our boss would not let us take calls so I was surprised when he came to the counter and told me to take a call. When my agent told me....I jumped all over the place. My boss was very happy for me. In hindsight it dawned on me they wanted to hire me from the moment I auditioned but needed to see everyone just in case. But they picked me!!! Still tickles me to no end. Tom, I think was a much stronger actor than they gave him credit or lines for. Carolyn who played his wife, she and I often got frustrated because our characters had the same arguments so often we would get lines mixed up from previous scenes. But when you are on a soap...the writers stick to a 'bible' and don't make changes quickly. So, you take the lines they give you and try your best. Amy who played their daughter was so much fun to work with. We got along considering the age difference and she was such a sweet kid. On Tom...while we were on the show a short film he was in won the Oscar. He had chops, but seldom got to show them. When I left the show I did see changes and some were good and others seemed bad. But it was industry wide and not something that Another Life was the only one doing. There became a trend of hiring models to play the roles instead of actors. Sure, one or two could act but plenty could not. It was all about the looks and not the ability to act and it was happening on tv shows and in feature films all over the country at that time. It died down for years...then started again. So..those changes were not something I would have blamed on the shows makers, but on the industry as a whole at the time. It was very hard to be an actor who started doing stage young and focused only on being an actor to lose parts to people who looked good but never took an acting class and could have cared less about working on their craft. But again...that was NOT the show...that was industry standard at the time. If it means anything, I wished they had kept me around too. I was one of the only 'gray' characters on the show. Most were painted black and white, good or evil...my character was probably one of the more human characters in that she was a bad kid because of a hard life who started to turn things around slowly like most people do. Sure, now and then a person will find their way and do a complete 180 but most people change a lot slower. I really felt like Jill was very human...

Hey everyone... Thought I would introduce myself. As the user name suggests, I did work on the show. A nice guy named Carl told me about this forum and it has been fun to read. For those who do watch these old shows...I do want to let you know it was my first big job on camera and yes, even I watch and cringe now and then. I had so much to learn and my stage habits just looked 'huge' to camera. But...I learned so much and the people I worked with there were some of the nicest folks you ever want to work with. It made showing up at the crack of dawn a good thing! I don't know much about the show after I left but I was there for a while and might be able to answer one or two questions. Jill