Members juniorz1 Posted June 19, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Na, it's called truth, and I was older than 2 at the time she played Ashley so I was able to judge good acting. Ms. Epperson was a FINE actress and had excellent chemistry with all the Abbotts- Jerry Douglass, Peter Bergman, Veronica Redd-Forest, and Beth Maitland. But she was especially good with Jess Walton and Eric Braeden- her Ashley brought out a softer side of Victor, even moreso than Davidson did. And she brought out the bitch in Heather Tom's Victoria, who did everything but poison her own breakfast to break up Victor & Ashley. But best of all, she was RED HOT with Don Diamont. It sucks that TPTB never saw this and didn't pair Brad with Ashley (officially) again until Epperson was long gone. They had this amazing sexual tension that you just can't fake on daytime. I miss her in the role to this day and as I said, would take her back in a nanosecond. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeeeDee Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Epperson is a solid actress who can play a dependable (if cliche) heroine. However she lacked the energy, angles & chemistry with The Abbotts Eileen brings to Ashley. Unfortunately none of that matters since Y&R doesn't care about either actress or Ashley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr. Vixen Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 I wasn't 2 either, but i don't know if that's what you're saying or not LOL. Epperson was a good actress. She was, like DeeeDee said, a solid recast. I wasn't watching full time then, but from what I've seen, she was a good actress. I'm not saying she wasn't good as Ashley, but Eileen Davidson IS Ashley Abbott! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Brenda was also the first Ashley I ever saw. I have a lot of fond memories of her - both in her warmth and her easy chemistry with men like Brad and Victor, and in her low-key professionalism. I note this precisely because of the lack of warmth Ashley has had since then - I was always startled at how cold Ashley became under Shari and remained when Eileen returned. This was a big part of demolishing the Abbott family - I stopped believing most of these people actually cared about each other. While I can see that Eileen is the most identifiable in the role and I've enjoyed some of her work, especially since her return in 2008, most of the time I remember actually liking the character was with Brenda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Absolutely. I know many like Epperson because of her warmth and beauty... and I like that, too. She's just very LIKEABLE. But Eileen is more interesting and multi-layered. However... the scene where Epperson freaks out and bludgeons her down pillow with a paring knife, and then Jill has to come into her room and wrestle it away from her was GOLD, and she played it well. Damn, I wish that was on youtube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cheap21 Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Epperson looks so much like Davidson in this clip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members P.J. Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Ugh...no...bad acid flashback of Brad "rapping" and begging for Ash's attention. She wasn't Austin Peck bad....but then again, few are. Epperson was that freaky-lookalike pale imitation that fools you for a nanosecond. Sort of like Mandy Bruno vs. Aubrey Dollar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JaneAusten Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 I loved Epperson in the role. She actually made me like Ashley. She had a certain warmth about her that ED just doesn't exude. Nothing wrong with ED and maybe its because I always preferred ED as Kristin. And Epperson just seemed to have an ease about her I just liked in the role. I actually liked her Ashley and Victor. But then I don't have a problem with recasts at all unless the character is truly iconic like Erica Kane or Luke Spencer, And saying that I didn't mind Maura in the role of Diane. Every actor puts their own stamp on a role. I don't see issues with that. But it never seemed to me that Maura really felt comfortable on the show. I am not talking about Diane I am talking about the actress and there isn't anything I can specifically point to as an example. She just seems to always be on the periphery of the other actors. Maybe because she was new, maybe backstage at Y&R is so challenging I don't know. But she's actually one of my favorite actresses and I am sure she will land something better. Y&R is pretty much a cesspool and to her credit I think she did what she could with some of the worst writing possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members alphanguy74 Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 I thank GOD I didn't watch that day or I would have run screaming into the woods. This is a perfect example of Bill Bell stepping in a really BIG pile of doo-doo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DRW50 Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 So did I. I think Victor is probably most tolerable with that type of actress (Signy Coleman was similar in some ways - more quiet and a more low-key vibe). They tried that again with Sabrina but it was so terribly written that the actress didn't have a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeeeDee Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 That's how she got the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeeeDee Posted June 19, 2011 Members Share Posted June 19, 2011 Raya also didn't have the presence the character needed. She & Victor were supposed to be some epic love story but she looked & acted like an awkward grad school student which made Braeden look ever more lecherous than he already did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cyberologist Posted June 20, 2011 Members Share Posted June 20, 2011 I totally agree she's doing fine like this I enjoyed her scenes with Jack; I like seeing Genie with a little edge IA with her assessment of her character Laura she was never allowed to step outside the lines she was placed in...I'm not over the moon with the writing but its good seeing Genie in daytime again. After what they did to Maura I wasn't expecting much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soapfan770 Posted June 20, 2011 Members Share Posted June 20, 2011 For the record, Brenda Epperson was the first Ashley I saw and the first soap star I met in person, she was grand marshal of a parade I went to in DC in 1992. I really need to find that picture I have of her! I liked Raya Meddine but the Sabrina story was baaaad in spite of the potential to be so much more. Flash to today's episode; Chloe trying to absolve herself of responsibility? Hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members juniorz1 Posted June 20, 2011 Author Members Share Posted June 20, 2011 I agree that she lacked the angles, though I have to wonder if that had more to do with the writing and directing of BE's Ashley than Epperson herself. But I felt she had plenty of energy, save maybe for the Blade storyline but I don't think any of the Ashleys could have made that one work. Michael Tylo was a clunker on Y&R. I totally agree with this- she did exude a certain warmth that none of the other Ashleys did/do. It's not something you can learn in acting school- you either have it or you don't. And Epperson had it in spades. So much so that I've often wondered over the years if she could have replaced Marcy Walker on Santa Barbara. She had the necessary qualities I think to play Eden and I honestly think she's the one actress I could have accepted as a recast Eden. I even told her as much on her facebook page a while back and she understood what a HUGE compliment that was in the first place, let alone coming from me. Though I'm glad things worked out the way they did in a way, I also wonder if we wouldn't have been better off in 1991 had Brenda taken over as Kelly on SB and Eileen returned to Y&R. At the very least, she would have been FAR better as Kelly than ED was. I have a feeling she'd have had the kind of chemistry with A Martinez that was necessary to play the Cruz/Kelly "love" story. I sort of agree with you that Eileen's Ashley is more multi-layered, though again, I have to wonder if that's just the way that BE's Ashley was written. Given, they were clearly writing to her strengths, but they still never wrote Ashley as cold or truly bitchy under BE so I'm not sure if she was ever given a chance to play Ashley that way. Can you give me some more details about Epperson's Ashley bludgeoning the down pillow with the paring knife? I'm curious about this, as I'm pretty sure I wasn't watching Y&R then. Did it have to do with Ashley in the sanitarium? I think I've read that Epperson played the last bit of that story out. She's actually a far prettier version of Davidson IMO. I love the little dimples she has under her eyes when she smiles. While Davidson's looks have improved with age (she was hideous from the 80s to mid 90s IMO), she's never been nearly as radiant and simply gorgeous as Brenda. Aww, tell me more about this encounter- was she as genuine and warm as she comes off onscreen? Talking to her online on facebook, she seems like she would be. She's always so friendly and personable with me as we've exchanged many private messages, wall posts, and picture comments on there. I'm curious to know what she was like in person. BESIDES, talking about Brenda is FAR more interesting than talking about the dreck that MAB & Co are currently trying to pass off as Y&R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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