This oversells just how progressive GL was compared to earlier years (GL women didn't just sit around wringing their hands in the Agnes Nixon or even the Irna days, and JFP's era had tons of women-as-victims). Still, other than that talk, I was happy to get to see the interviews. I'd never seen them before.

Thanks for posting these interviews!! Very cool.

I liked Toby Poser too. I think fans would have been OK with her (as many likely weren't even watching when Cullen was on the show) if the show had tried. Rauch toned her down, but never gave her anything to do.

Mitch, did you get to see those Alex/Mindy hospital room clips I put up higher on the page?

No... but I remember them from their first air!

Yea, Poser would have been good given something to do and toned down a bit. They needed a back story explanation, as underneath all the bravado she was still that vunerable woman ( I would say plain and boring) that Cullen played. Kind of like Lucinda was a creating of Mary Alice Waters, THIS Amanda was how she could deal with the world and her family. She played wistful very well..and could sling a one liner...(would have loved to see her with Bev.) Alan: "Amanda, Josh just tried to kill me!" Amanda, checking for dust on the table, "Who hasnt???"

It's too bad another soap didn't snap up Toby Poser and give her a meaty role. Is she still acting?

According to IMDB, Toby does voiceovers and the sporadic acting job. She also owns an indie film company that she runs with her husband and kids:

http://www.wonderwheelproductions.com/

I always felt the show did a big diservice and confusion to the character by making her Alan's sister instead of his daughter.

That's good to hear. It sounds that she is happy and healthy. Thanks for posting the link to their site.

20+ years later and Melina's barely aged!!

Neither has Rick Hearst.

I know - must have been something in the water before they moved to Peapack!!!!

Who was Irizarry balling that he was in every promo, etc. Did JFP have the hots for him (I had forgotten his speech impediment which use to drive me crazy..or maybe its an accent.)

Speaking of JFP...I never saw her "in person," and at first I did indeed think it was Brent/Marion so that rumor that they modled "her," after JFP has to be true.

The Country Club set looks so small there and it looked huge on the show. Funny that MG was talking about sets..she didn't see Peapack coming..(though really, all you need is a living room, kitchen, offfice, place to eat and bedrooms to tell a good story on a soap.)

VI did work with JFP on SB before he returned to GL as Nick and she took over as EP...so who knows? But it wouldn't surprise me.

So interesting to hear that Michael Zaslow never faced any backlash for his Roger Thorpe character in public. I compare that with Eileen Fulton who played bad girl Lisa Miller (I think she was Hughes at that time) and described being decked by a fan of the show. I don't think that Lisa was ever as bad as Roger Thorpe who seemed like he was a nasty piece of work, yet the reactions the actors got from fans say so much.

Honestly, I'm thinking there had to be a double standard there.

Edited October 31, 201411 yr by DramatistDreamer

Well, Beverlee McKinsey was quoted in the AW 35th Anniversary Book as saying that she never, ever got any fan backlash from playing Iris. She said that the fans would say things to her along the lines of, "well, if I was rich like Iris, I would probably do some of those things too". Ms. McKinsey did go on to say that she got awful, awful letters when she played Alexandra Spaulding at the height of that character's villainy. So, there's one example of a female playing the villainess and not getting any pushback.