Interview with Allyson Rice-Taylor

[FrenchFan]

CZ: You are best known for your role as Connor Walsh on "As The World Turns" from 1990 to 1997. What can you say about this role?

ART: That's a pretty broad question, Cedric ! I liked the role because she was a strong female character -- smart, good in business, caring, with a sense of humor. It was wonderful to be able to play this role for 7 years. I feel very fortunate about that.

CZ: Is there any other character you would have liked to play?

ART: None that I can think of specifically, though every time I got to do scenes in the Snyder kitchen, I wished I could be a member of the Snyder family! Those were always great fun to be in, and the actors who played Snyder family members were fun to work with.

CZ: You had wonderful co-stars during your run. Who did you most enjoy share scenes with?

ART: Greg Watkins (Evan) and Tom Wiggin (Kirk) because we laughed so much. I shared a similar sense of humor with both of them.

CZ: Your character was recast unsuccessefully in 1997. Do you know why such a decision has been made?

ART: It was a shock to me at the time. It came completely out of the blue. Our executive producer had been fired and it was a new executive producer and Proctor and Gamble people that had come in. The only thing I can think of is that they gave the part to an actress who had been on a soap that competed with ours in the same time slot, so in their attempt to boost ratings they were hoping she'd pull some of the viewers away from the other show so that they'd watch As the World Turns. But that's just a guess. I don't really know what their thinking was. No one ever gave me a straight answer about it. They told me on a Friday night after we finished that the new actress would be starting on Monday morning, and that was it.

CZ: You must know that "Guiding Light" has just been cancelled. Do you still watch some soaps? Can you imagine a future for daytime soaps?

ART: No, I didn't know it had been cancelled. I've been out of that world for a long time now, so I haven't really kept up with soap news.

CZ: What are you projects? Would you like to return in a soap someday?

ART: I don't foresee being on a soap again. I left acting not too long after ATWT. Maybe a year later. You can check out me websites to see the things I've been doing since then:

www.TheTotalHuman.com (retreats and workshops)

www.WomensColoringBooks.com (all my original artwork and writing)

www.Handmade-Healing-Jewelry.com (Spiritual Bling®)

Thanks to all the fans over in Europe who watched the show when I was on! Many blessings to you all!

[MarkH]

Thanks for doing that. I wasn't even aware you were pursuing this interview. I hope some of the other producers/writers you're contacting also respond.

[Soapsuds]

It's sad that she is no longer on a soap. She was treated so badly by Felicia M. Beher. It would be great to see her as Connor once again.

She was one of my favorites characters/actors at the time she was on. She and Hubbard were gold in scenes together. I still remember being shocked at her firing.

[FrenchFan]

I love doing this, Richard Backus is answering my questions and I can tell you it will be very very interesting about Lemay, Marland, etc.

[Soapsuds]

Thanks for the Allyson Rice Taylor interview. I didn't even know you were going to interview her. But you asked the questions I was curious to know. When will you have the Richard Backus interview up??

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Good interview, FrenchFan. I've always liked Taylor, she had such a human quality about her that made her acting and the character of Connor very relatable.

[FrenchFan]

I don't know exactly, he sent me some answers day after day so I'm waiting a little. When I have everything I want I'll post. I don't give you a date because sometimes people tell me they're going to answer soon and I'm still waiting. They are very busy so we all have to wait but I'm still trying to interview lots of people.

[DRW50]

Allison Rice-Taylor's firing was probably when I lost most of my hope for ATWT; ever since then I've been very cynical about any positive change in the show. After the disastrous Valente/Black & Stern, I truly did believe the new producers would turn the show around. Then, almost immediately, they fired Taylor, one of the most realistic, intelligent actresses on the show, just to give one of their friends a job. They all but said as much in the press. They didn't care about the character, as they just rewrote everything about Connor to suit Susan Batten.

Then Allyson was cast in the primetime version of Timecop and was fired and abruptly recast...and I think her marriage broke up.

No wonder she left acting.

Connor was such a complex, strong woman, she probably would have been ruined even if Allyson had stayed, but I still miss her, and her relationships with Kirk (remember him?), Lucinda, Evan, Edwina, Lily, Damien.

[Soapsuds]

Oh ok..thanks. I'll be looking out for the interview.

I shudder to think what Passanante and Goutman would do to her. Evan Jr. was made a killer......UGH!!

[DRW50]

I forgot about poor Evan Jr.

I used to love when Connor would stand up to Lily, she never put up with any of her crap. Back then Lily got on my last nerve, Connor was the anti-Lily for me.

[Soapsuds]

And Lily was a favorite of mine too. But Connor was still able to come out on top. Her character was love to me.

[Quent]

I'm wondering if the Connor recast was the worst recast in ATWT history. There were a few others I can remember ( Glynnis O'Connor as Margo, that horrible Paul Ryan in the mid-90s comes to mind), but I think canning ART for Susan Batten was the worst.

[Soapsuds]

Glyniss was just as awful. I actually liked John Howard as Paul. I can't stand present recast Todd...I mean Paul. But Susan Batten was the worst. It didn't take long for fans to complain. I was happy they fired Batten but should have brought back Taylor in the role.

[DRW50]

In terms of long-term damage to ATWT, I think the recasts of Dusty and the last Paul have been the worst, and Hunt Block as Craig. What made me the Connor recast worse for me on a personal level was because they were so flippant about firing AR-T, bringing in one of their friends, and totally rewriting the character. That was the first time, and far from the last, I sensed a level of contempt from MADD and FMB towards ATWT fans. Goutman, Sheffer, Passante, they all showed a great deal of contempt as well, but I still think the way they handled this recast was egregious. This happened only a few months before the Michael Zaslow fiasco at GL...this was only a few years after I started following behind the scenes moments, the soap press, and I was horrified as to who was running the shows I loved.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

MADD was one of the most inept and stupidest execs to ever exist. Fitts wasn't much better, but the PGP soaps really lost it after Ed Trach retired. That man knew how to keep the integrity of his shows in tact, and none of the PGP soaps have been the same since he left.