OLTL: Kristen Alderson interview

From: http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/200...6/ent/ent2.html

'One Life to Live'

published: Saturday | June 16, 2007

Kristen Alderson

Q. When you first found out that 'One Life to Live' was going to be filming musical episodes- 'Prom Night: The Musical' - what was your reaction? Since you come from a musical theatre background, it must have been exciting for you.

A. "I was extremely excited, but I was curious as to how they were going to do it. I didn't know whether it would be the actual play that the students were rehearsing for, or whether it would be a fantasylike scenario. Either way, I couldn't wait to hear the music and to get started. Especially since it would be something completely different than usual. I thought it was an amazing idea."

How was it to film the episodes? You all must have had a lot of fun.

"It was incredible, and it took a lot of time. We had a blast, especially since all of us teens are so close in real life. We worked every day with long hours, but because it was so much fun, it went by very quickly. The rehearsals and the recordings were really cool because we never really work outside of the studio, and this was a breath of fresh air and a great experience."

What can you tell me about Starr's journey throughout the course of the four-episode story arc, without giving too much away, of course?

"Well, there are definitely extreme amounts of drama and problems. No one goes to prom with who they really want to, except for Britney. Starr and Cole of course want to be together, but things aren't as easy as that, and viewers will have to tune in to see if Starr and Cole are really meant to be."

Who was the biggest ham while shooting the musical?

"Haha! Well, I wouldn't say that anyone is really the ham of the musical, but Brandon Buddy (Cole) is certainly the goof. He says that he can't sing or dance, so he kept us pretty entertained by making fun of himself."

Q. Was Starr slated to be a part of the school hostage-crisis storyline that ended up being cancelled because of the Virginia Tech tragedy?

"Yes, I was in all of those scenes and had scenes after that where I would talk about the hostage crisis. I think 20 episodes were affected by that scene change, and Starr was in a lot of them, so everyone, including me, had to work overtime to change the 20 episodes."

Q. What was the feeling and mood on the set when all that happened, and you realised what you guys were currently filming?

"Well, we had taped the hostage scenes three weeks before VT happened. So when we heard about what had happened, of course we felt awful, just like everyone did. But we were in the dark as far as if they were going to air the scenes or not. They chose not to, which was a smart decision it's disappointing that the scenes weren't edited, so we'll never be able to see them. Those scenes that we taped were amazing and everyone worked super hard, so it was a little sad that none of the fans would be able to see it. At the same time, it would've been inappropriate."

Q. How has Starr grown and evolved since you started playing her way back in 1998?

"When I first came on the show, she was very innocent; she later became a devilish brat. Anyone who would get in the way of her mother and father being together, she'd do anything to make sure that they wouldn't. She'd shred clothes, steal credit cards, put piranhas in the person's bathtub. Then, she began talking to a boy named Travis online, and she ran away with him. Later on, she got kidnapped because of this, and when she returned home she was like a brand-new girl. Still, Starr has the ability to bring out her old ways, but she has most definitely matured since then."

Q. Happy sweet 16 (May 29)! Did you have any time to celebrate?

"I did! My mom actually got a little sick of celebrating it. (Laughs) I had a big sweet 16 party in the city with all my friends, some of my cousins and some people from OLTL. It was amazing and fun. Everyone who went had a blast. Then I had a party on the Spirit of Philadelphia with some family members. It was very nice. Then the next day, we had a barbecue at my house in Pennsylvania."

Q. Do you have future plans for your singing? Would you like to appear on Broadway again?

"I would love to come out with a CD and be on Broadway, but right now isn't the time. I wish it were, but I'm so busy with school and the show right now that one more thing to do would kill me. Ha! I love being busy - busy is great, but right now I want to concentrate on OLTL and passing high school. But going back to Broadway is a huge dream of mine. I want to be Belle (Beauty and the Beast) in the WORST way!"

- Cindy Elavsky