Overhyped Daytime Soap Actors and Actresses

[JaneAusten]

Is she overhyped though? I don't know outside of Flannery anyone on B&B getting any recognition for acting.

[quartermainefan]

Andrea Evans is a goddess. I can find no fault with her at all. With her I always go back to paraphrasing Norma Desmond: It's the soaps that got small. She takes what should be the shallowest caricature on the show and yet you feel for her and root for her (at least I do). She was a huge part of why OLTL was so enjoyable in the 80s. Also, I don't think anyone can point to a single scene where she was ever not able to hold her own with Slezak or Strasser. Talent is not the whole story, you also need the it factor and Andrea Evans has more of it than almost everyone else in soaps.

I would say Slezak does not have the it factor but just go back to the next to last episode of OLTL where Viki is giving the speech about soaps, and she has the audience in the palm her hand in a way not too many could. Someone mentioned Susan Lucci and here again all the talent in the world does not matter if you have no charisma and no presence. Lucci has more than anyone else and that's why she reigned as long as she did. Also, she could deliver zingers better than anyone.

[Max]

Even in terms of star power, Lucci is tremendously overrated. That's because she was on AMC and the show still garnered such awful ratings at the end. If she was such a big draw, that would have never happened.

I totally agree with this. The fact that the dreadful Hartley (and her despicable character) hogged so much screen time on Trashions was one of the big reasons that show was so horrendous.

[y&r_fan]

Heather Tom.

[Skin]

I'd agree with her being overrated. She's seen to be the Kate Winslet of daytime. But I don't see it. I've never been impressed with her work as Kelly on OLTL nor with her work as Victoria from what I have seen from clips.

[YRBB]

That is... just... too painful for me to even try to respond to. lol

[ellabelle]

You seem to be implying that it's Susan's fault that AMC ended.

AMC suffered from terrible writing for years leading up to AMC's cancellation announcement, and frankly Susan was incredibly underused during that time. Erica spent most of her time worrying about Kendall's various ailments and losses or injuries to Kendall's kids or stuck off somewhere away from the rest of the cast (in jail, on a mountain, being kidnapped). Susan was not used in any decent way on that show in its final years.

[JaneAusten]

I love you Max your a very insightful poster but I don't know how anyone can say Susan is overhyped.I think Susan has worked for every ounce of recognition she's gotten and when soaps die , the name Susan Lucci will be remembered as a pop culture icon not Kim ZImmer or Erika Slezak or the others. I don't think any soap actor has worked as hard at managing their image and basically making their name a brand like Lucci did. I don't think anyone out there has ever considered her a great actress but everyone knows she's the face of daytime. If anything her profile the last 10 years was greatly reduced as it related to AMC.and name me any soap star today that's a big draw to their show.Alison Sweeney likely has the biggest profile outside of soaps today and I haven't seen Days benefitting from her star power. It doesn't lesson her accomplishments either.

[Chris B]

Why isn't this entire thread devoted to that overrated and overhyped Michael Muhney?

[JaneAusten]

Do actors who primarily hype themselves count?

[SweetPea36]

I can't put Susan Lucci in the same category as Laura Wright and Michelle Stafford, both of whom I consider to be relentlessly overhyped.

Tony Geary's acting has always been overhyped, as is his character's popularity. If the new regime at GH is counting on him to lead the pack, they're in more trouble than they know.

GH's leading actor Emmy winners always seem to make speeches saying they owe it all to Maurice Benard. Must be politics at work.

Maurice Benard and Steve Burton have both been mumbling messes for years. Burton looks like he's had a lobotomy most of the time.

[frequentsoapfan]

LOL Really the only one hyping Michael Muhney is Michael Muhney!

[Y&RWorldTurner]

One of the biggest ones is Kassie DePaiva, who I constantly see praised as some great acting powerhouse here and on other message boards.

I've hated her in every role I've seen her in (Chelsea and Blair). She's a brutally cold and one-note actress that uses the same yelling and cry technique over and over again.

I've always zoned out whenever I see her onscreen. And her, Kristen Alderson, and Roger Howarth together? Beyond unwatchable.

[AMCHistory]

Deidre Hall - Woman can not act her way out of a plastic bag... at least not anymore. She is not even good at "soap acting" anymore. A good "soap-actor" has to overact, but believe that they are being believable. Whenever Deidre tries to emote, you can see in her eyes a feeling of, "What the F*** am I doing back here?" This is not a recent development. Since like 1999/2000 Hall has been coasting.

[y&r_fan]

Oh no, I didn't mean she was overrated - just that she's another B&B actress other than Flannery who gets a lot of hype. Personally I don't think she's overrated at all, although I prefer her Katie to her Victoria.