AMC: Liza

[JackPeyton]

Luner Landing on All My Children

by Michael Logan April 06, 2009 10:54 AM EST

Hide your husbands! Lock up your sons! Former Melrose Place and Savannah siren Jamie Luner hits All My Children April 17 as the new Liza Colby. “She’s coming to Pine Valley with a big bang – literally — a great surprise entrance that’s unexpected and pretty delicious,” says exec producer Julie Hanan Carruthers. Previously played by the great Marcy Walker, who is now a children’s ministry director at a North Carolina church, Liza was always one of daytime’s best baddies and has wedded or bedded most of the top men in town – Adam, Tad, Jake, Ryan. That has Luner salivating.

“I love things sexy – I certainly see myself that way – and I love playing women who are out to get what they want at any cost,” says the actress. Last seen in 2005, Liza has since become an attorney and returns to town intent on destroying her ex-hubby Adam in court. “She’s still a battered soul and she still has her wicked ways, only now Liza has the power of the law behind her.” Luner says. “It’s a juicy set-up.”

Luner was brought to AMC by the soap’s head writer Chuck Pratt, who wrote and produced several seasons of Melrose. “Back then, Jamie’s nickname on the set was ‘Turbo’ because she’s such a ball of energy and you can throw anything at her,” says Pratt. “I warned her that joining AMC would be daunting and crazy. What with 30 actors and all the behind-the-scenes stuff, it’s like high school. But they’re the ones who have to watch out. Jamie’s not an ass kisser. She’s very straightforward. She’s going to shake up the cast in a very good way.”

Carruthers is well aware that legions of Marcy Walker loyalists don’t like this news one bit. “I understand how they’re feeling because I’m one of Marcy’s fans, too,” Carruthers says. “But the truth is she’s not acting anymore and we need to move on. If we take Liza forward in a way that’s honest and dynamic, the audience will be accepting of Jamie.”

Luner has chosen not to look at Walker’s performance. “I’m going to make the role fully my own,” she says. “Julie and Chuck hired me for who I am, not to emulate anyone else. I will make them proud.” Is she nervous? You betcha. “But being scared is healthy,” Luner observes. ”Fear is a really wonderful thing for the soul. It’s a rush. It makes me feel alive!”

Pratt says he’s not going to commit to any romantic entanglements right away but he does want to see how Luner sparks with Thorsten Kaye. Says the scribe: “His character Zach is at a desperate, dark place in his life when Liza returns — he’s at the lowest point he’s ever been — so that could be a very exciting match for the audience,” Pratt says. “But we’ll play it by ear. We’re going to put Jamie with a lot of guys and see what kind of hell she can raise. After all, that’s what she does best.”

[JackPeyton]

uh-oh.

jamies is playing a recast...

and they might pair her with zach?

[Cat]

Is that a picture taken from the AMC set? Because Luner looks absolutely gorgeous!

Nothing like Liza, of course -- more like Annie Douglas on Sunset Beach. But still. Gorgeous!

Pity Pratt couldn't entice Marcy Walker out of acting retirement. He wrote exciting stuff for her when she played Eden on Santa Barbara. Eden was fiesty under his watch, too.

LOL. Bring on the fiery HATE.

And I say this as somebody who once loved Zendall.

[bellcurve]

She sounds kind of full of herself. But I am not surprised.

At least she looks sexy and slutty in that photo, as we all suspected. It's just too bad Frons wouldn't let her play Skye!

Oh God! For reelz?!

[JackPeyton]

i am 99.9 % sure

[brimike]

Is anybody REALLY surprised about LiZach?

Really?

[Ms. Chandler Quartermaine]

OMG...She looks hott...from recent photos posted in the other thread I was skeptical, but girl looks really good now.

ETA: JackPeyton I LOVE your avatar...I am so effing tired of Maxie & Spinell and her repeating the whole same "I need Spinelli, cause im soo damn co-dependant and if I lose him I will become a slut" mantra.

[JackPeyton]

Not at all.

Im just scared for her. lol.

[LoyaltoAMC]

I've tried to give this woman the benefit of the doubt on most occasions, but more and more she seems to talk out of her ass. She makes it sound like they would've had Marcy back in a heartbeat if she were still available. That's not the case. The truth is that she (and Frons) severely backburnered and watered down Liza and barely used Marcy at all, to the point where she was either fired or left of her own volition. That was never really clear. For Carruthers to imply that she's a huge Marcy fan seems a bit hypocritical. OK...breathe!

[Cat]

When he gave her the flower on the beach... I was drawn in by her windswept locks and his flattering haircut. I thought they would make a lovely-looking couple! Then it was 24/7 and I got a headache.

Like you, I enjoyed Zeese, though. LOL.

[bellcurve]

She and Frons didn't do that! That's just the audience rewriting what was there.

After Pratt and Tamara Braun pretty much mucked up my Zeese hopes, I'm not holding out any hope for LiZach. And what if LiZach is just as boring as Zendall? Oy vey!

That reminds me, Cat. I need to change my avatar!

[Cat]

Wasn't Carruthers on SB when she was known as "Julie Hanan"?

I think they looked at Marcy and thought "Aging, born-again Christian." Not that she looks bad -- not at all! -- but she's not a traditional botoxed-Barbie actress.

They wanted a vixen -- any vixen. Luner can do vixen, perfectly.

[Cat]

LOL, to be fait to Tamara, she was just trying to rescue her whole reason for joining AMC in the first place -- which was to portray a normal lesbian relationship. I admire that she stuck to her guns -- even though she and TK had chemistry.

[CSF]

I'll definitely tune in to check out Luner in the role. She totally has the hot vixen look going on for her in that pic. If that is how the role is going to be portrayed, I think she will be just fine.

[Angela]

Word, I don't believe that for a second.

I love that Pratt is taking shots at the cast, not the characters (since he is the characters) but the cast. I don't but I find it interesting. He obviously doesn't like casts that have problems with things he throws out.