OLTL: Gina Tognoni not joining the show

[David_Vickers]

I really like that idea. I was really wanting her back as Kelly on ONE LIFE, and I'm not giving up hope yet. Things could still work out later. But Gina as Greenlee would be awesome IMHO. I doubt that Rebecca Budig will ever come back to AMC anyhow.

[Ann_SS]

GT should forget the soaps for awhile and try prime time.

[jams1234]

Let us stop all this silly talk of GT being Greenlee. RB IS GREENLEE!! That lesson has already been learned. Anyways......TPTB just stated they would NOT recast the role again.

[MTSRocks]

^^^Who's the handsome man in your avatar?

[cara mia]

GT may as well give herself six months-one year to try films & prime-time. If no one bites, she could always try the soaps again. It's not like she won't still be hot and talented.

[You're Soaking in it]

I like Budig well enough, so I don't want you to mistake me for a hater... and I didn't warm up to Sabine Singh's Greenlee all that much (I just felt like there was something "off" about her). But I don't think it's silly to suggest Tognoni as a Greenlee recast. Rather, it's silly to think that Greenlee was not a recast-able role. Just because one relative newbie wasn't a universal hit, doesn't mean someone else couldn't pull it off.

By the way, when did TPTB proclaim they would never again recast Greenlee? Saying "the character is being written out and there are are no plans to recast" isn't the same thing as "Budig is irreplaceable and we would never attempt it again." ... I think the AMC canvas is okay without her, but it would be kind of interesting to see her come back mega-pissed at Kendall for jumping on Ryan's not-a-thread-of-hair-to-be-found torso before Greenlee's river-soaked wedding dress had a chance to dry out.

True. Though a year from now, she may have less soaps to choose from.

[cara mia]

In some ways Greenlee is "non-recastable" because she's not quite a legacy/core character. If TPTB rebuilt Jackson's family (brought back Reggie & Lily) and gave them a story, then yes, it would be worth it to bring Greenlee back, maybe even with GT. It's just that right now Greenlee would just be Ryan's squeeze/Annie's target and that's frankly a waste of RB's or GT's talents. I would rather see GT as Skye or Hayley -- though either character means she can't be paired with JR or Scott, which kinda sucks. But if GT were a Chandler, she would be in a much better position for AMC to really use her talents and tell all kinds of stories. KR & MC aren't coming back, so why not GT as a newly widowed Hayley? She could play rival/sibling to JR and Colby, daughter to Adam, cousin/friend to Amanda & Scott, and would be a potential spoiler for Zendall, the A-team, etc. Bring back JB as Jonathan and you can even go with a Ryan/Hayley/Jon triangle that would surely be hot stuff.

[DRW50]

I think Greenlee is an unpalatable character, no matter who plays her. Every time they try to make her into a big heroine, which is all they ever see her as, the show suffers. They also continually chain her to men she has no chemistry with.

I'd love to see Gina on Y&R but not until they learn how to write for female characters. I don't believe Victoria would suddenly become a strong character just because AH leaves the role. There are too many women on the show now who are played by great actresses and who have become dishrags.

[cara mia]

Carl, that's true. MS is a powerhouse and Phyllis has been quite gutted.

[You're Soaking in it]

So really, it's not that Greenlee isn't "recastable," it's just that she's not "cast-worthy." - in other words, not all that worthy of being on the canvas at all.

When Tognoni first appeared on OLTL as Kelly, my first thought was the similiar vibe to Kelly Ripa's Hayley, when she first appeared on AMC. I agree with you wholeheartedly: Tognoni would be an excellent choice for a newly single / widowed Hayley. The question there would be, would TPTB let someone succeed Ripa's previous role? Personally, I don't see why not... If Jamie Luner can be Liza after Marcy Walker is gone for a few years (which I actually think is turning out alright... I like watching her), certainly someone else can play Hayley after Ripa's been gone for nearly twice as long....

I don't want to build up a family for Ryan Lavery, not even by one person. But even apart from that, the Jonathan role was just crapped on all over the place. You couldn't have asked for a better destruction of character... (oh wait, I forgot about what McTavish did to Tad... never mind).

However, I do think Branson would be a very good choice for OLTL's Joey. He's a bit younger than the quintissential Joey, Nathan Fillion - but he could play a little older than himself, and pull it off - and Branson has a similar vibe to Fillion... And frankly, OLTL doesn't need more females as much as it would males - it's already female heavy... Joey would be a nice return. They could always write out a happy ending for Jared & Natalie to make room for him (sorry and no offense to their fans, I just think they've sort of run their course).

Gee... what were we supposed to be talking about again?

[SFK]

I love Gina, but boy would that be tough. AMC would want Kelly back for any big anniversary or event they could possibly get her for, so I think they'll always keep that door open. I don't think Kelly will ever come back for anything long term, but G-d forbid even the possibility of firing a talent like GT, that would NOT go over well.

Wasn't there some blind item a while back about a former star who vetoed the recasting of his/her role? Not that it was Kelly, and not that anyone should have that kind of power, but with Kelly down the block on Live! where AMC actors often appear, I think out of respect (fear? ) they wouldn't recast Haley, and of course not without running it by Kelly first (kind of like what they did with Clint Ritchie/JVD). Can you imagine the new Hayley appearing on Live!, Kelly passing on the torch? Interesting.

But enough with recasts, why not make families bigger by bringing in hitherto unseen/unmentioned characters... give Gina a dynamic, fresh new character. She can handle it, she doesn't need "familiarity" to sell her in a role. You can't say this about every actor off of a recently cancelled soap, but Gina deserves the best and whoever is lucky enough to get her should pull out all the stops to write to the best of her abilities.

[cara mia]

I guess Gina could play anything she wanted. She certainly has the chops. Though Ron Carlavati is a much better writer than Pratt so she should reconsider OLTL. Too bad OLTL is short on cash. Wouldn't it be a dream to have GT as Kelly, Jeff Branson as Joey, and Daniel Cosgrove as Kevin?

[jams1234]

Sorry no offense meant but I find it silly. I've always felt that Greenlee can ONLY belong to RB and I'll always feel that way. The current head writer feels the same way as he >JUST< said it in a recent ABC SID interview.

That is the stunning Spanish Bull fighter/Armani model Cayetano Ordonez. BTW He also has a delicious brother, also a matador Francisco, they are the grandsons of the famous Spanish Matador Antonio Ordonez. They are HUGE stars in Spain.

[bellcurve]

Who cares about Greenlee these days? The only thing she was ever good for was being a slut and terrorizing Bianca, Laura, Gillian, and anyone else who dare to stand in her way.

[jams1234]

??? We're talking about Greenlee not Kendall "slut" surely does NOT apply. As for terrorizing people....YES it was fabulous & I miss it dearly!