Mattson To Play Della As Rotten, But Funny by Connie Passalacqaa
Most actors fear typecasting, but not Robbin Mattson, who joins the cast of โRyanโs Hopeโ as Delia Coleridge on May 23. For four years Miss Mattson played Heather Webber on โ General Hospital,โ a villainess so vile and wretched she would give Alexis Colby of โDynastyโ a good name. As D elia (who has been played by two other actresses since โRHโ premiered in 1975), Miss Mattson again gets to be mean and rotยญten โ but with a twist
โ I donโt want to be Heather,โ the actress says. โI want to eliminate her bitchiยญness. What I want to bring out is Deliaโs humor.โ Since the previous two actresses to play the role interpreted the often hapless Delia as dizzy, Miss Mattson has a good base to build on. โIโd like to take a class in comedy,โ says Miss Mattson whose acting experience includes dramatic appearancยญes on such night-time shows as โ Fantasy Island โ and โCharlieโs Angels,โ in addition to several TV movies.
When Miss Mattson left โGHโ several months ago she said that she would like to go back to other forms of enterยญtainment. So why did she decide to return to the dayยญtime world so soon? โI loved the character of Delia. If the character is interesting and I can contribute something to it as an artist I donโt care what realm itโs in,โ she says. Another reason for Miss Mattson to relocate from Caliยญfornia to New York, where โRHโ is taped, is because of the showโs new head writer, Pat Falken Smith. โPat was the head writer of โGeneral Hospitalโ the first two years I was on and she provided me with wonderful material,โ Miss Mattson says. She adds that it was Miss Smith who recommended her to โRHโ producer Joe Hardy for the role.
New York residency will not be new for Miss Mattson, who lived here when she played Hope Bauer on โGuidยญ ing Lightโ several years ago. โIโm really excited to be working here again. Iโd love to do theater, which is not too easy to do while youโre on a California soap.โ But she sighs, โI left my heart in Los Angeles.โ Her boyfriend of the last 10 months, a televiยญsion art director was unable to relocate because of his career commitments
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Paul Raven ·
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