Is Crystal Chappell trying too hard to play up to the lesbian audience?

[cubfnatic]

I think Crystal is giving a lot of fans what they wanted for a very long time and did not get on Guiding Light. I commend Crystal for being tolerant and understanding of people who come from all walks of life. Fans around the world were touched by the Otalia storyline because they did not have anyone on television who represented them.

I thought it was awesome of her to take those letters and take into consideration the feelings of thousands of women who felt as though they were not represented and make a show for them. She is doing this for the fans who want to see it. What is wrong with that? What is wrong with giving something to a lesbian audience? If this show was not about lesbians would you even be asking a question like that? If it was about heterosexual couples would you be asking is Crystal Chappell trying too hard to play up to the heterosexual audience? Just wondering.

[Cheap21]

whats wrong with her current Carly?

[quartermainefan]

I never watched her on DOOL in the 90s, but to me she is very low key and trying to be realistic in a sea of actors who are Over The Top and unrealistic and still great. I was watching an interview on youtube with Bette Davis where she commented that she was not completely sold on the idea of realism for the sake of it, and she felt it was her job to be something more than what you could see in everyday life. You have John Aniston and Louise Sorel doing great work and trying to entertain us with their unrealistic characters and along comes Carly behaving like your next door neighbor. Lauren Koslow makes sure you get your money's worth with every hammy soap stare close up when she looks into the camera and you see her wheels spinning. Chappell is positively dead eyed by comparison and that's because in real life you don't stare like a ham and raise an eyebrow. Maybe CC fans can enlighten me, is she playing her DOOL role the same way she played her GL and Venice role?

[NorrthCafe]

That's disappointing. I love being shocked when actors are so different from their characters. When I heard Megan Mullally in an interview for the first time, I never fell over. I didn't expect her to be Karen, I just didn't know ow 'not Karen' she was, LOL! Too bad about JL.

[AlteredStates]

Of course not, for the simple reason that they're completely different characters. Olivia was a bitchy, snarky, passionate, tormented bad girl who was ultimately redeemed. I'm still not sure who the hell Carly is because she's so inconsistently written (which appears to be a trademark of DOOL writers), but at the moment she's being presented as an introverted, teary-eyed damsel in distress who allows judgmental Salemites to use her as a verbal punching bag. I miss the assertive and vastly better-written Olivia and I sometimes wish that CC would invest Carly with her qualities, but I would respect her less as an actress if she did that because Carly is not Olivia (unfortunately). Whatever role she plays, CC is not the kind of actress who resorts to scenery chewing and lazy, actorly mannerisms.

[JackPeyton]

Not at all.

She found a group of people who really embrace her and love her for what she has done with GL and now Venice. She embraced them back.

As for the kiss pic, so she was out with friends, prob tipsy, and kissed Nadia? I fail to see the big deal or how this is her trying to hard to please the lesbian fans.

[quartermainefan]

her own boyfriend found it hot apparently, and she probably did it for her sake. He said on the same twitter account that she likes him to be an exhibitionist so he strips sometimes when he comes home, for her sake. They seem to be really into each other, so more power to both of them for making it work for each other.

[Vee]

Yeah, Crystal's slumming. She's a straight woman into the obsessive attention from the dyke fanbase and feeds off it while putting out a deeply inferior product and drinking herself into a stupor. She employs syncophants who appear to be slightly in love with her. Same old story you can find in a college dorm with str8 guys or girls, only they aren't supposed to be producing television.

[baller]

interesting the one supporter in the thread also works for CC.

I'm not one to try to figure out why she is so interested in pandering, I just found the way she went about it, as a gay woman, insulting. First acting like no one ever has played a lesbian character, then treating Venice like it's the first web series ever. What I find worse is how so willing she is to make a dime off of the fans, such as picking items that she knows will excite a group to hawk. But some have bought into it, kool aid, line and sinker, so she must be doing something right.

Whatever she did on GL, it's not translating or working for me on DAYS. Carly is one of the down points to the whole show right now.

[Vee]

She's middle-aged and stuck on soaps, surrounded by a horde of at least marginally younger adoring lesbians who give her ample attention.

And yes, I find it insulting as well, but I'm just a bitchy queen. In soaps she can get away with this [!@#$%^&*], because really, traditional daytime media barely exists and does what it's told, and much of the online media is in her pocket and needs access.

[quartermainefan]

This is a crazy topic. I can't even tell if some of these posts here are serious.

[JackPeyton]

I dont see how she acted like nobody ever played a gay character before. She has mentioend shows like the l word and whatnot, but there really was never anything like Olivia before, not on american daytime tv. She seemed surprised at how it caught on and the reaction and support it got, but i never really seen her come off as if she was the first. i also dont see how she treats venice like its the first web series ever either when she has mentioned other web series before. I also find it amusing how you assume you know about her person finances and how much she does or doesnt make off venice. Do you have any figures here or are you jsut blindly assuming things?

I also, no surprise here, disagree about days. Carly may not the highlight for me, but i do enjoy her and CC. Its provided a nice balance to the baby storyline thats dominated and after years of bo on the backburner it has been nice to see him used and away from hopeless.

Me too. I find most if it insulting.

[Juliajms]

I really don't see why what she's doing is wrong either. She's embracing part of her fanbase and giving them what they want. Isn't that what people in show business are supposed to do? I'm sure she does make money from it, but that's why it's called show business. CC has never claimed to be running a charity.

As to the quality of her web series, I can't comment since I haven't seen it, but just like most of these endeavors it will sink or swim depending on how many people it appeals to, I see no reason why she shouldn't give it a shot and see if there is an audience looking for what she's offering.

[Sindacco]

They're acting the same way 13 year old girls do.

[DaytimeFan]

That is 100% how I feel about Crystal Chappell on DAYS. Her acting is so flat, so lifeless, so dead, so Botoxed to hell. Everyone else goes for it, even when it is a little unreal.

I am tempted to watch her work on GL to see what all the fuss is about, I am very underwhelmed by her this time around.