OLTL — BethAnn Bonner should have been a recast Natalie

[IcyOne]

Talia was possibly one of thee most boring characters OLTL ever created, but Beth Ann Bonner is a great actress, who was just hindered by a useless role. I think she would have made a MUCH better Natalie than Melissa Archer does. I mean, yes, Natalie (despite who plays her) is still going to be hindered by awful character direction, idiotic actions, and destruction of established history...but I could see her giving the role better nuances to make it a bit more tolerable, despite it all. I could see BAB better interacting with ES and JvD. Hell, as much as I opposed John/Natalie, I may have been willing to give them a chance with her in the role. A shame.

[Cheap21]

Melissa Archer is perfectly fine as Natalie. I like Beth Ann but I dont think it would have been a good idea to fire MA for her

[You're Soaking in it]

Hmm... It's kind of an out-of-left-field idea there. I liked BethAnn Bonner well enough. I actually thought she really LOOKED like Carlo Hesser's daughter. But I don't think she would have worked as a Natalie recast.

Connie Fletcher (ex-Erin Lavery, AMC) was initially a Natalie recast front-runner back when Melissa Archer and TPTB were in a contract snit. (Remember when Natalie was kidnapped and kept off-screen for several weeks?) Of course, they eventually came to terms and Fletcher quickly landed on AMC.

[Marc]

IMO Natalie stinks, period. MA's amaturish acting makes it worse, but I don't think on paper Natalie is that much better. BAB wouldn't have been able to save the role. The Natalie role was just a mistake from day 1. She clutters up and convolutes the Lord/Buchanan family dynamic, and just doesn't fit in. Plus they don't know which direction to take with her. One minute she's a conniving street rogue, the next she's a wounded woman-child with abandonment issues, then she's a cartoonish herione. I wouldn't wish Natalie on any good actress. BAB has too much of a alpha-female aura. I think she'd get lost in the muck of Natalie and would probably wind up going on autopilot.

[You're Soaking in it]

Well I'm a big'ol "Team Jessica" player - so I won't disupte you too much there.

But the truth? I'd kind of miss Natalie if she were altogether gone because she gives Jessica someone to rival. I get excited whenever poor Natalie starts to feel like people prefer Jessica over her. Kind of the same way I felt about Jan Brady's feelings toward Marcia...

[Darn]

Hmmm...no.

[You're Soaking in it]

Yikes.

I just noticed in the thread title that the OP misspelled BAB's name as Beth Ann BONER!

UPDATE: Ahh, they edited it!

[Doyen]

Bonner is too good of an actress to play a buffoon like Natalie.

I think Talia would have been fine if they

a ) Hadn't made her a cop.

Cop characters (especially female cops) on soaps are so dry and rigid.

b ) Hadn't stuck her with Antonio.

They stopped caring about Antonio 3 years ago. A new role like Talia paired with him was bound to be sabatoge for her.

c ) Hadn't made her Carlo Hesser's daughter.

His only making cameo appearances every few years made her being his daughter rather pointless.

d ) Hadn't made her core scene partners Fish, Sarah, Antonio, Cristian and Layla.

When everyone you hang out with are day players/backburner characters who do a whole bunch of nothin', how long is gonna be before you're sucked into that trap too?

Talia should have come on as a business woman, or maybe an assistant to Viki or Todd at one of the newspapers, or a dubious intern at Llanview Hospital. I'm almost tempted say she should have played Gigi, but her having to play the love interest of ambigously gay Rex probably would have been a disaster.

So I don't know.

[Khan]

Opal (AMC): "Don't look now, but somebody's Freudian slip is showing."

[Eric200]

How about no. MA rules.

[You're Soaking in it]

Khan, was this line said again recently and I missed it??

Or are you and I remembering the same scene from like FIFTEEN years ago? Because I have never forgotten that line since.

[Khan]

It's the latter.

To me, that's right up there w/ Erica's line to Adam - "You made your bed, now writhe in it." - as one of the classic AMC retorts. (God, how I miss those days.)

[rhinohide]

Uh! No. Melissa Archer owns the role of Natalie and has a very strong fan base that supports her. Recasting her would have sent those fans away at a time when the show can't really afford to offend more viewers.

[jinx_avery]

The Talia character would have worked had the network the gumption to stick with the original concept of a female Middle Eastern cop with 9/11 ties as counterpoint to Tate and the OPP. Instead they dithered and dithered, finally throwing in a few lines about her fiance who died in the attacks and promptly backburnering her as Antonio's consolation prize for losing Jessica. A waste all around, mostly because ABC chickened out.

[Daphne]

Oh my. I always thought CF was rather dull on AMC. Can't see her playing feisty Natalie. At least TPTB intended to keep her a redhead

I don't have anything against BAB, but I can't see her play Natalie. MA is perfectly fine in the role.