Y&R: Actress OUT

[psychofan]

I feel like I've done a lot of defending of Y&R lately, but this is one thing that has me PISSED. I absolutely LOVE Maura. I loved her as Carly on ATWT and I disagree that she was miscast. I thought she was great at the role, but the writing for Diane was so inconsistent. She never had a clear place or direction from the beginning (until now). This is just uncalled for and outrageous. I only hope that I can see Maura on my screen again someday in SOME capacity. She truly is one of daytime's best.

[juniorz1]

Ya, Alex Donnelly returning is the only possible good that could come of this. And you KNOW that's not what's gonna happen.

But if Y&R kills off Diane Jenkins, one of my ALL-TIME favorite characters, then they have.....................I'd say gone too far, but that happened years ago.

This show just becomes a bigger and bigger mess. I have officially lost all hope that it will ever recover, and that pains me deeply. Y&R was once in a class all its own, like a fine wine.

Now, it's been turned into a box of Franzia White Zinfandel.

[Cheap21]

I liked Susan Walters

[juniorz1]

Susan was ok, but only because she tried to emulate Alex. She was fine, but no way could she pull off scenes like this one. At least, not with the same ferocity that Donnelly did.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmi8kZNTRtU&feature=related

[Cat]

Same. I disagree that she was miscast. Her scenes with Ashley, Nikki, Abby ("Abby. Always a DELIGHT"), Michael proved that.

[dm.]

The only thing decent that could happen to this show is cancellation. It's pure misery.

[JimTolkien]

Nick backburned, oh really?!!! Yeah, not happening ...in fact, brace yourself for a lot more Nick!! As for that love interest, he got that covered too!!

I know it's hard to fathom but Maura just didn't click as they thought she would. This is Y&R, not ATWT. She was supposed to play Diane Jenkins (someone who should have been a lot older) not Carly Tenney. The chemistry & buzz that they expected her to bring DID NOT HAPPEN!! I love Maura but she was terribly miscast in a role where longtime viewers of Y&R knew better about the character. And they couldn't get it to click. I expected her to have much more chemistry, the kind of chemistry that would take the show by storm and I think the show expected that to happen right away and it DID NOT HAPPEN.

And lastly, the fact that she wasn't working was one of the reasons why they wanted a star that was even bigger than her. Cue Genie Francis. I hope for Genie's sake that the network and Sony get the ROI on that investment because they let go of an amazing actress to get her.

[juniorz1]

I COMPLETELY disagree with that post and frankly all the posts stating that she was miscast. She could have made an excellent Diane Jenkins had they actually written her as Diane Jenkins. Even so, not ONCE did I see Carly Tenney on my screen, even with all the mistakes in the writing. Maura didn't even come close to playing her that way. Her first week on the show was amazing- they wrote Diane as Diane and Maura played it beautifully. Since then, it all went to sh!t.

I also disagree that she didn't have chemistry with the actors- the problem wasn't that she didn't have chemistry with them, rather, that they kept putting her in scenes and stories with people that she didn't have chemistry with. Honestly, I think she did have some chemistry with Josh Morrow, but they never should have been paired romantically. Given their characters' history, it was doomed to fail, at least the way it was written. They should have been friends, as they were, and Y&R could have capitalized on the sexual tension between the characters, but not go there. At least, not right away.

Same thing goes for Victor- no, she didn't have chemistry with 70-year old Victor, at least not in the sexual or romantic sense. But Diane & Victor never did. They NEVER should have put her in a position that she had to kiss Victor's ass (she didn't.....in the first week)- that made no sense and the Diane of old NEVER would have kissed butt to get ahead in business. She would have instead relied on her smarts, skills, and talents as a businesswoman.

She had AMAZING chemistry as an adversary for Nikki, Ashley, and even Phyllis. Her rivalry with Nikki was rarely explored, even in her marriage to Victor. My GOD, that should have been her whole purpose for marrying Victor- and the one ingredient that may have made that storyline work. She also had great chemistry with Tucker, which would have put her at odds with Ashley. In fact, the main reason I was excited about her sleeping with Tucker was because it seemed like that would put her in a triangle with he & Ashley, pitting the long-time rivals against each other. That's EXACTLY what they should have done. She also had a nice rapport with Michael, something that the Dianes of old also had. She also had chemistry with Peter Bergman- sure, maybe not in the sexual sense, but frankly, even tramps like Skye and Sharon couldn't generate any heat with him. And finally, she had a lovely relationship with Garrett Ryan's Kyle and I truly believed she was a fabulous mother to him.

Her entire stint was filled with missed opportunities and possibilities that Y&R failed to capitalize on. She NEVER should have been brought back as broke and desperate for work. She should have worked for Tucker and struck up a sexy affair. She should have helped him steal Beauty of Nature from Victor & Victoria, another character she had a deep rivalry with that the show didn't even explore this go-round. Did she even share scenes with Heinle? Hell, she could have been paired with Billy to reignite her feud with Victoria.

There were so many ways they could have gone with her and so much they could have done with her, instead of making her a common whore. It was ludicrous and insulted the viewer's intelligence. Diane was always one of the most complex, interesting, and layered characters on the show. Maura was more than capable of playing that, but the writing failed her. Frankly, it should come as no surprise, since these writers have no idea how to do layers- just look at Katherine, Jill, Ashley, Phyllis, Victor, Michael, Sharon, and (to an extent) Nina. All characters that used to be complex, dynamic, interesting characters that are now written as completely one note. Maura never even had a chance and it's a shame. Under a Kay Alden or hell, even Jack Smith, this casting coup could have been dynamite. Instead, it all fell flat and I'm sorry, but the blame for that lies entirely in the hands of the writers, not Ms. West. I watched her turn sh!t writing into gold on ATWT for YEARS, but she was given a character that she could make things work with under any circumstances. She was never given that chance on Y&R. Period.

[DeeeDee]

AMEN.

[Cat]

PREACH it. 100% my feelings entirely.

[Juliajms]

I completely agree with that.

[DaytimeFan]

Alex Donnelly owns this role, any recast is doomed.

[P.J.]

Obviously done before she knew she was out. I think they were there last week. This makes me want to cry---Maura's fired days later.

http://communities.canada.com/globaltv/ ... -back.aspx

The Newman Loving Vixen is Back

The Daytime community was devastated when As the World Turns came to an end last year, fearing their favourites would never be seen on-screen again. But following the cancellation, Daytime’s sweetheart, Maura West returned to the soap world. After landing the recast role of Diane Jenkins on The Young and the Restless, Maura is free to scheme and conquer on a new canvas. Her brilliant acting and untouchable feistiness fit the character perfectly.

Diane’s return to Genoa City has fans weary of the seductress and anxious to see what she’s up to this time around. A romp with Nicholas Newman and marriage to “the mustache,” Victor Newman, signals she’s up to her old tricks. While the mystery is still out on the schemer’s motives for her return, the fans and Maura eagerly anticipate the reveal. The Soap Bubble chatted with Maura about her move to the west coast, Diane’s “love” for Victor Newman and the importance of friendship in the soap world.

How did this position with The Young and the Restless come about?

Well let’s see…we wrapped up As the World Turns in June and we found out in the beginning of December that it was being cancelled. There were all of these months where people were deciding what they were going to do and if they were going to move to California or stay in New York. My husband and I decided at that point that we were going to move. We were planning to sell our house in Connecticut, pack up everything, move out to California and see what it was like out here. Neither of us had spent much time auditioning out in Cali. I spent most of my entire career and adult life on As the World Turns, so I was excited to see what else I could tackle besides that. As the months wore on, our house was on the market and we had made up our minds to move. By this time, I was getting some interesting comments from people about The Young and the Restless. I got texts from friends in the business saying “so you’re going over to Y&R? Great move!” I’m not quite sure why that happened. It wasn’t true at that time, but then I thought “why not?” I thought that might be the perfect fit, since I was going to California anyways. I’m a loyal person and CBS had been very loyal to me over the years. I felt like, why not? I spoke to my agent and she actually contacted them to see if there was interest in me. They didn’t come hunting me down, I know that.

Were you excited about the move to the west coast? And has your family enjoyed living out there so far?

It’s a very different place from what we’re used to and especially from what my kids are used to. It is certainly sunny. There are some nice flowers. [Laughs]. It’s just quite different. Frankly, we’re still really adjusting to it. We were very happy in the town that we were living in, in Connecticut. There just wasn’t enough work in New York City to sustain the lifestyle that we had going on. We are still little by little getting used to it and liking it more and more everyday. We are a very tight-knit family; so as long as we’re together, we really are ok. I know this sounds hokey, but it’s very true. We’re all good. We have our chins up and our feet in front of the other and it’s a sunny day today, so we just keep on keeping on.

Was it difficult for you to say goodbye to your role as Carly Tenney on As the World Turns and take on a recast Diane Jenkins?

I think I had a lot of time to wind Carly down and say goodbye to her. I think a couple of things about that. I think, saying goodbye to Carly was very different than saying goodbye to As the World Turns. For me as an actress it was kind of a mixed blessing. It was really time for me, because I had been playing that character for so long and the story became this circle over and over again. The same things kept happening. This can happen though. It’s not the writer’s fault, it’s no one’s fault. When you play the same character for so long that’s what is going to happen. I was starting to feel in the last four years or so that it was time for me to find another character to play. So for me, I was ready. I definitely was not ready for the entire show to go away though. That was more heartbreaking than I had ever anticipated. As far as Diane, it has been interesting for me to play a part that was already in existence. This has been a whole other group of challenges. I’m still working on it and trying to get to know this character. I don’t know her very well. I could’ve done my scenes as Carly Tenney in my sleep. I knew her so well, but I know this will also happen with Diane in time. It takes a while for me to get to know people, even fictitious people. I’m trying to really get into this skin and figure out what her motivations are and how she feels about the world and the people around her. It’s a work in progress.

Do you share any personality traits with Diane?

I would say that I am in some ways very driven; however, not as much as Diane is of course [laughs].

How familiar were you with the storylines at Y&R and your fellow cast-mates?

Pretty familiar! Just from being on CBS, I was most familiar with the actors and soaps from CBS. Certainly over the years from being nominated with Michelle (Stafford) and Jeanne (Cooper), I certainly knew their work. It’s hard not to know their work. It’s hard to be in Daytime television and not know their work. I knew them from events over the years, so we were already friendly when I showed up at the studio.

Did anyone specific take you under their wing and show you around the set when you first started on the show?

I was really treated very well by everybody; particularly Michelle (Stafford), Peter (Bergman), and Christian LeBlanc. They all really went out of their way to be thoughtful, kind and understanding of a woman who just moved across the country. This is a whole new world and a whole new life. They were all very conscious of that. It was very much appreciated. It was definitely hard to walk into a place where everyone already knows each other and the cast is so established. To come into their house was a little bit nerve racking and they certainly made me feel welcome.

Were you at all intimidated to be working with soap icons like Peter Bergman, Melody Thomas Scott and Eric Braeden?

I’m not a person who’s easily intimidated. I was certainly very respectful of those around me and very aware of their popularity. People like Mel (Thomas Scott) and Eric (Braeden), had a very positive impact on the whole genre. That fact is not lost on me and I have great respect for them and their history. I’m well aware of all of that and certainly carried that to the set with me.

Diane had instant chemistry with Nick Newman when you took over the role, did you have any idea you would be paired with Joshua Morrow?

No, not at all! I’m kind of an executive producer and writer’s dream, because I don’t ever ask [laughs]. I never ask about story and I never tell story. I never go knocking on doors with my personal suggestions, which I know they hate in general. I guess I assumed I would’ve been working more with Peter (plays Jack Abbott) and Michelle (plays Phyllis Newman) based on the history of the character. That hasn’t happened so far, but I’m sure it will.

What do you think Diane finds so appealing about Nicholas Newman? She can’t seem to sever ties.

I think she said it recently in a scene that I really liked with Christian Leblanc, when Diane and Michael were talking. She said that she could be herself with Nick. She didn’t have to pretend with anything and could be herself and relax. That is very important information for her to reveal. It seems she’s really not herself with anyone else. To be silly, relax and be accepted as herself without all of the posturing is very nice for her. I think she was very surprised by it. I think she’s surprised when someone actually cares for her. Who wouldn’t fall for that?

How would you describe Diane’s feelings for Victor? Do you personally think the feelings are genuine?

You know what; I haven’t had a script that really details any of this. I can only surmise and only add my actor choices that I make when I’m at home and trying to justify some of this. I think it’s a real mishmash of things. I think it’s this guy who has dumped her before, and if she gets a second chance, she’s going to take it. She still feels shame about being dumped and pain over it. To have a chance to rectify this situation is very essential to a woman like this to retain her pride. Secondly, certainly she’s in it for the money. No doubt about it, she’s in it for the money. Does she love him? I think that she did before. She also had a very nice conversation with Victor recently about who could resist loving him? She’s very drawn to that kind of powerful man. Love though? I don’t think so. Not now. Maybe when they did the last go round, but not after her heart got crushed. Love is a big thing for her. I’m not sure she’s even capable of loving anyone.

Who do you think would be a great match for Diane as a close girlfriend on the show?

Oh girlfriends are so important aren’t they?

They are and it’s very rare on soaps.

Oh I know. I know they are and isn’t it terrible? Especially since, it’s such a good way for a character like Diane to reveal things about herself. She’s never going to wear her heart on her sleeve or be an open book, so to have somebody that can be an ear is very valuable. I can see it being almost anyone right now. Even having more of a maternal figure like Kay (Katherine Chancellor, played by Jeanne Cooper) or even Jill (Abbot, played by Jess Walton) would be so great. I think it would be very interesting for Diane to have a relationship like that. Kay’s been there and done all of that, so she can almost take her under her wing a little bit. Yeah, I really like that idea [laughs].

Who would you like to have more screen time with?

Oh wow, there are so many awesome actors on the show. To have scenes with any of them is just so great. I really love when I have scenes with Christian LeBlanc. I think the scenes between Michael and Diane are written so nicely. In some ways they are written so honestly. That friendship existed long before I played this character and I think it’s very valuable. Certainly Michelle and Peter as well! I really look forward to that. I have yet to do a real scene with Jeanne Cooper, which I would really love to do. I have always loved my scenes with Mel (Thomas Scott, plays Nikki Newman) as well. She’s such a great scene partner and I would love some more of that nastiness [laughs].

What would you like to see happen next for Diane?

I would like some of her real self to be revealed. She’s been very careful, very tentative and very deliberate with what she has been doing. She’s said over and over again, she doesn’t like to be out of control. She always needs to be in control of everything and I’d like to see her lose that control. I’d love to see where she goes when the s*** hits the fan. That’s where the fun is going to happen.

[Soapsuds]

I prefer Susan Walters over Donnelly. I really didnt get to see much of Maura in the role. I just cant stomach watching Y&R anymore.

[shadow]

I could be wrong but I seem to remember when news broke of MW coming to Y&R as Diane, many thought it was def a miscast and it was right from the start imo.