Actors Who've Spoken Out

[R Sinclair]

Sheesh! Who brought up Zimmer?

[brimike]

With all the thesis-es done on daytime by so many graduate students, I'd love to see one on the actor-loyalty generated by soap operas. I mean, really - there's isn't any other genre where actors are A) Almost obligated to be kept employed if they're initial years prove to be well-liked, and B ) Generate fan bases or anti-fan bases that will either fight tooth and nail to say they're always right, or fight equally as strong to prove they're evil. Actors, by trade, are nomads. Yet this is the only genre in acting where they're not only revered for their tenure, but they're celebrated in levels far surpassing most other peers in their profession. It's really a fascinating side effect of taking a soap job.

Sorry to get off-topic... all this Zimmer back-and-forth got me pondering. :-)

[EricMontreal22]

Not quite the same thing but you do see among cult sci fi and fantasy shows a similar worshipping of various actors--and fans who will watch whatever crap sci fi/fantasy show they go to next. But of course it's never as long term

[rhinohide]

You ARE kidding right?

I won't say who but somebody said this:

and THAT is what promoted much of the discussion about Zimmer.

[rhinohide]

I would like to see a thesis by an MBA candidate analyzing this phenomenon and comparing and contrasting it to brand loyalty. I did my graduate thesis on the impact of a direct sales force on brand loyalty, and I could literally kick myself for not glombing on to this topic instead. Research would have been so much more fun. It's fascinating to me that soap characters organically evoke this strong loyalty. Advertisers devote a tremendous portion of their resources to garner exactly this kind of emotional response in their consumers, while the soap executives squander it as if it has no value at all.

I think Frito-Lay would be impressed if we all had avatars featuring our favorite chips.

Can you imagine board wars about which is better? Coke or Pepsi?

[marceline]

TAB. That's right people. TAB.

[rhinohide]

I should have known.

[Cyberologist]

Well its a fine line for me

as a viewer, not too interested in backstage drama

w/actors, but some viewers are....I'm more about the drama re the writing process

so the storytelling is more up my alley - writers who speak out but I guess

anyone who works in this industry

could have trouble finding a job if they spoke out....

If I were an actor w/my personality

if a fellow actor spit on me or any of that type behavior

and I had an opportunity/a platform to get

it out here, I would. If I worked on a show for 20 yrs and

they refused my submission of an emmy tape and/or over someone else.

I would mention it. If a fellow actor whom I respect

made a negative public statement re: my mental capacity

I would use media as a retort.. Anything I felt regarding my craft that

is important to me...like using my stories but not hiring me

simply for the reason "it hasn't been done before"

I'd have issues and I'd speak out if I could afford to.

Yes I would take that opportunity and I'd also write a book.

As "Ellen Holly" (OLTL) who was outspoken about her experiences

in daytime.

I'm still trying to figure why my fav" Julia Barr " was let go so

I'm not sure if she is vocal (spoke out) but I read rumors

after her 30 at (AMC) she just disappeared after "supposedly" having

some issue(s).

Where's Det. Cruz?

[Paul Raven]

Mary Stuart interview in SOD,Nov 81

In current scripts,Jo has become a bitter woman. She fought with her partner Stu,because he hired Stephanie Wyatt(Jo's nemesis for many years)son to work at their inn. Jo has become a jealous woman as well,which Mary feels is "totally unlike her".The actress edits her lines when she feels they aren't true to Jo's personality.

"I think the writers are gypping the audience.They think the viewers won't notice and that's ridiculous"

While Mary disapproves of this kind of change,she'd appreciate her character becoming"less square".

She found Jo's refusal to accompany her husband Martin on a trip to Florida,"silly".It's not too wise to make Jo a stick-in-the-mud just so she and Martin can fight.This isn't fair to Jo's friends - I mean her fan's who've been very supportive of me."

Mary cares a great deal about Jo's future.She feels the character can contribute so much more to"SFT".

"I'd like to get her involved in politics.she ran for city councilwoman,won and nothing was ever done with it.If they want a problem with Martin,let it be her career.Let Jo be too busy to go places with her husband,which is true of a lot of women."

Speaking candidly,Mary confessed,"The way they've used my character for the last four years has hurt my feelings terribly.I'm grateful to the audience for being so loyal."

The actress remarked that when the writers are thoughtful,sensitive people,she's usually happy with her lines.These writers approach her to ask how she feels about the stories.

In general,Mary feels the people involved with SFT work well together.

"we only get into trouble when any one person tries to get too powerful",she said.

"In the beginning,we were a family operation,and it would be great to get back to that".

[Paul Raven]

From SOD Feb 87.

Michael Storm,who's played Larry on OLTL for 18 years,got so bummed out by his lack of story (and never having the ear of execs)that he took his peeve to the press - in fact a very blatant, no-bones-about-it SOD article.

"I had tried everything to get my view listened to at ABC",recalls Storm. "I was at my wit's end and decided to go through the press,never realizing the disaster that would befall me ".

As it happened,shortly after the actor gave the interview,his story started sizzling again, and stayed that way until the article hit the newsstands.That's when producer Paul Rauch,who'd read it and was plenty steamed,called Storm on the carpet.

Says Michael,"I thought the matter got resolved during that one little encounter. He told me that he understood that the things i said were said at a time whenI was down and frustrated. but since the day the SOD article came out, I have not really been working on the show.Now, whether or not that's co-incidental, and I hope to God it is, I don't know. There could be another reason that I've been back-burnered. I don't know. I'm just giving the chronological facts as they occurred. if given the chance to speak out again,I most certainly wouldn't."

[EricMontreal22]

Poor Michael Storm--he's always begging to be back on the show... Was he briefly on when Malone returned again? I'd lvoe them to bring on his son and him and build up that family--for what was once such an important character, and an actor who stillw ants to work, he really should be Llanview's version of Dr Joe Martin now...

"I'm still trying to figure why my fav" Julia Barr " was let go so

I'm not sure if she is vocal (spoke out) but I read rumors

after her 30 at (AMC) she just disappeared after "supposedly" having

some issue(s)."

Did she actually make it to her 30? For some reason I thought she was dropped before. All I knwo si they offered her recurring, she said no--it wasn't worth it for her to stay in that capacity and so she was dropped without a word. Truly it's prob the thing that's upset me most at AMC in the past 15 years (and that includes a lot) if there was SOME way to get her to return I'd be THRILLED.

[Jess]

ABCD has piled em lately.

Dan G. got stuck on the back burner and canned

On AMC, Cady McClain spoke out and look what happened

I think part of the reason that Trevor St. John has been written for so poorly is because he was outspoken for a bit

Forbes March spoke out

Prior to that it was Michael Storm

On GH, Jeannie Francis stands out

ES escaping trouble was not the result of her selectiveness in when to speak out; she did not get in trouble because she is ES.

I think RS did get in trouble for speaking out recently.

Also CBS is pretty rank about it

Kim Zimmer: like her or don't like her, it really doesn't matter. She should complain about Guilding Light. The show is a stinker. She did get stomped on for comments

Martha Byrne is a good example on ATWT.

I kind of lean toward ABC being the biggest offender. Michael Easton may have been saying be wise or he may have been saying people at ABC are afraid to talk.

[EricMontreal22]

I suppose although lately it looks like P&G soaps are where the trouble is.

I don't think Trevor SJ's speaking out had much to do with anything, personally--you may think the writing for his character's crap, he might, but he's been front burner with TONS of daily material for a LONG time now--I don't think Ron Carlivati is writing the material thinking "he said he didn't liek my writing? Well let's hear him try to deliver THIS!"

[All My Shadows]

The funniest speaking out against a cast member that I've heard is that supposedly several actresses on "Dark Shadows" threatened to gain massive amounts of weight from cookies if the writers had planned to pair them with any of Roger Davis's characters. That dude is just plain creepy, even now.

[Vee]

The DS actresses could not stand Roger Davis. I'm not sure they can today. He creeps out female fans.

I was there when Kathryn Leigh Scott (Maggie Evans) read from her diaries from the filming of the first DS film. Something along the lines of "Dan [Curtis] says he plans to pair me with Roger on the show. Why am I being punished?" Davis was in the room when she read these passages almost thirty years later; she was very apologetic. (KLS was not actually paired with Davis, who left the show around that time.)