When Reel Life Meets Real Life

[Quent]

The arrest of Nathanial Marston got me thinking about other times the private lives of soap stars has intruded into the shows. For me, the classic case would be when Michael Nader was fired from AMC for his drug arrest. What other examples do you remember of a soap stars outside life affecting the show?

[stenbeck212]

I think Joseph Breen's HIV status was a factor in his departure from ATWT. It was the early 90s, and even today you won't really find an actor open about that diagnosis doing love scenes. I remember reading that it was hard on Ellen Dolan at the time, because she was playing Margo's exposure to HIV after the rape.

[Shawn]

Melissa Reeves' alleged affair with Jason Brooks that led her to abruptly quit Days during her extremely popular first tenure.

[Soapsuds]

I wonder how Joseph Breen is doing now? I loved him as Scott Eldridge!

[Quent]

Y&R has had its share of off-screen action. Supposedly, Eric Braeden and Peter Bergman got into an actual fistfight some years back.

[Graciecat]

Robert Kelker-Kelly seemed to leave scandal in his wake. He started dating an 18 year old on DOOL when he was in his mid-forties, which led to Ali Sweeney's mom insisting that he never work with her. Crystal Chappel threatened a sexual harrassment suit against him. Kristian Alfonso, Lisa Rinna, Genie Francis, and Jensen Buchanan all didn't want to work with him, which was a factor in many of his exits from shows, and made romances difficult. And apparantly, he threw a chair at Sandra Reinhardt.

[Cheap21]

RKK is only 43 right now. He was in his late 20s when he started Days

[Graciecat]

Oh my gosh- you're right. I read that on another site. Sorry, I should have checked the fatcs. Okay, according to wikipedia:

So when they started dating, she was 16 and he was 31.

[Khan]

He threw a chair at Sandra Reinhardt!? Wow. What a prince, lol.

IIRC, Brenda Benet (ex-Lee Dumonde, DAYS) committed suicide in the wake of her son's untimely death, in the early '80's. Because she was in the middle of a big story w/ Renee and Stefano, however, then-HW Margaret DePriest had to do a major rewrite. In the revised story, Lee suddenly exited Salem, leaving behind a letter confessing that Stefano was Renee's biological father.

Also, Patsy Pease (Kimberly, DAYS), a real-life incest survivor, had to exit suddenly because the Kimberly/Lacey/et al. multiple-personality storyline Sheri Anderson had penned for her was hitting too close to home.

[stenbeck212]

Very David O. Russell/Lily Tomlin.

Let's not forget how GL unceremoniously dumped Michael Zaslow when he got sick, and recast Roger, only for OLTL to hire him and work his illness into their show.

[Cheap21]

no, theres a 13 year age difference. She was 18 when they started to date

[applcin]

-Dack Rambo having to leave his role as Grant on AW because of AIDS. Ditto Dennis Parker (Derek Mallory) on EON.

-Phil Carey's Asa on OLTL hospitalized offscreen while PC underwent cancer treatment.

-Andrea Evans having to leave OLTL because of a stalker.

-Not sure of these (perhaps someone can confirm) but weren't the rumors that Fiona Hutchison was fired from GL because of her outspoken support of Michael Zaslow and Paul Michael-Valley fired from AW because of his objections to the firing of his then-girlfriend, Christine Tucci?

-Larkin Malloy temporarily off EON because he was in a serious car accident. Ditto Clint Ritchie off OLTL when he had a tractor accident on his farm. Larkin was replaced but with Clint, I think that's when they pumped up the Viki/Sloan thing because Clint wasn't there.

-Her name escapes me right now but the deaf actress who played Abby on GL and the whole cochlear implant storyline.

-Tony Geary's lengthy vacations.

-Maurice Benard and Sonny Corinthos being manic-depressive.

-Didn't Finola Hughes exit her original run on GH prematurely (and get replaced by that Days actress for a short while) because of some conflict with the brass?

-The original Frank Ryan, Michael Hawkins, apparently getting fired from RH because he drank and couldn't remember his lines.

-Roscoe Born abruptly abandoning his Jim Thomasen role on AMC.

[Faulkner]

Frank Beaty's mental meltdown while playing Brent Lawrence/Marion Crane on GL

Beverlee McKinsey sensationally leaving GL because of an out in her contract

The behind-the-scenes tension between Susan Lucci and Sarah Michelle Gellar on AMC

The behind-the-scenes tension between Hunter Tylo and Kimberlin Brown on B&B

Eva LaRue and John Callahan's crumbling marriage reflected onscreen on AMC

[Paul Raven]

How about Christina Crawford being suddenly hospitalized and her mother Joan taking over her role on Secret Storm in the late 60's.

Backstage drama at Another World that saw George Reinholt and Jacquie Courtney fired and moving to OLTL.

Jeanne Cooper's and Linda Dano's facelifts being written into the show.

[Greg's GL]

WOW. I had never heard this one before!

Good one. Just coming on here to mention this....

And during Jordan Clarke's first run as Billy on GL, he was arrested for DUI in Florida. I think he was off the show shortly after that.