ATWT: Marie Masters interview

[dragonflies]

http://soapoperadigest.com/features/as-the-world-turns/interviews/quickie_with_marie_masters/

I never knew this:

Digest: Are there any fun little factoids about Susan you are aware of that longtime viewers might not know?

Masters: You know, at one point, Anthony [Herrera, ex-James] played Susan's boyfriend? Anthony had a job for a year as Susan's boyfriend and then they hired him a few years later as this whole other character. He didn't start as James. Crazy, huh?

[All My Shadows]

Love her so much. She's always come across in interviews as sort of a "forever young" type who never allows herself to grow old, which is great. Love the thought of her and the two 'Leens "just hanging."

[juniorz1]

OMG, I can't WAIT to read this! I FLOVE Marie Masters & Susan- she's my fave!

[DRW50]

It's interesting to hear her talk about how much more soaps can tell now -- I often feel like it's the opposite, so it's nice to know someone with more experience disagrees.

I love that she says she will miss her alter ego the most, because that character has an entire life and history of her own. That really must be tough for actors to leave behind.

Marie is such an underrated actress. There was no character like Susan on most of the soaps. She helped make ATWT feel different and special. I wish the show had done more with her.

[saynotoursoap]

Oh dear Lord, Carl. I love your insight; you are too right. Marie IS one of the most underrated actresses on daytime soaps. Two actresses deserve Emmy awards. The first is the delightful Maureen Garrett from GL (those who only saw her in the mid 2000's with that horrific Sebastian storyline should look on Youtube for her earlier work).

The second is the phenomenal Marie Masters. I wish you younger fans, especially those open to the earlier days of soaps, could see Marie's performances from the 70's. Her portrayal of a destructive alcoholic who caused so much pain (particularly to herself) was among the most compelling drama I ever viewed on the serials, and I have been watching nearly 50 years.

One episode in particular stands out to me. Susan had effectively wrecked Dan Stewart's life by 1972. In the spring of 1973, he was so despondent over the death of his wife Liz, he took an overdose of Seconal, but was saved by David. Dan knew the only way out of his misery was to get as far away from Oakdale (and Susan) as he could possibly get. You see, Susan had suddenly married Dr. Bruce Baxter and just as quickly had the union annulled due to his frigidity. Susan decided to make another play for the bereft Dan using their daughter Emily. Susan went to Dan's house to beg for another chance. When she arrived, the house was deserted and sheets covered all the furniture. Dan had taken Emily and Betsy and flown to Liz Talbot's family in England. Susan walked through the empty house calling for Dan and Emily, but the rooms were quiet as a tomb. Susan stopped and looked around in confusion. She said softly, sadly... regrettably, "But who told them I was coming?" The camera pulled back to show her a lone figure surrounded by emptiness as Charlie Paul's organ played a soft dirge.

It was f'ing brilliant and summed up Susan's character with just a few sparse words of dialogue..."who told them I was coming?" They just do not make them like this any more, and I shall continue to miss terribly these characters I knew and loved.

[DRW50]

Thanks for describing that scene. I can picture it easily. I wish that stuff was available. I just love Susan, especially when the show wrote for her beyond just being an interfering or worried mother. Susan was so complex. I imagine that her first run was her most complex but with Marland too there were so many layers, especially around the time she was with John, then Bob. And I loved her relationship with Melanie Smith's Emily. They were never truly mother and daughter so sometimes they would laugh and joke like girlfriends (like with Meg and Josh having an affair) yet other times there would be such tension and such fury.

There was also that sense of loneliness in Susan, which Marie played for many years, even when the show didn't.

[All My Shadows]

Man, sayno, that sounds incredible. If I had to pick a favorite character based simply on what I've read, it'd have to be Susan. No contest. The whole mess with Dan, Susan, Kim, Paul, Liz, etc...that's the ATWT that I want and need to see the most out of the whole 54 years.

[Sylph]

+1.

[Paul Raven]

I have read that when Irna Phillips returned to the show in 72,she was not pleased about the Dan/Liz/Paul/Susan story and killed off Paul and Liz and wrote off Dan and anulled Susan's marriage to Bruce.

Was Susan also written off at this time? I wish I could remember the interview I read about this.It seems a few months later,either Irna or the new writers wanted Dan (and Susan?) back and John Colenback refused so Dan was recast with John Reilly.

According to the WLS Don Hastings interview,Irna's return quickly brought the ratings up,but obviously things didn't pan out as she was fired.

Maybe Sayno... ir others might have more info on that time period of the show.

[DRW50]

I think Schmering's book said she was written out by Irna after being paired off with impotent Bruce Baxter (?). I guess she would have returned when Irna left?

[juniorz1]

That Susan storyline in the 70s sounds like soap heaven. I adore Masters & would kill to see her sink her teeth into something as meaty as that today.