All Soaps: Great Actors who justified Horrible Roles or Bad Writing

[Skin]

I thought it would be cool to talk about truly amazing actors that had to play dish rag characters and made them work, despite completely wretched writing/characterization. As well as to also talk about actors who you think truly made a storyline shine even though the basic premise of it on paper was completely unjustifiable or an utter trainwreck. Who are some actors in daytime that you think really persevered through their stories and gave amazing performances despite being given absolutely nothing (or little) to work with.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Good topic. But, I cannot think of anyone yet.

Ooooh. I just thought of Trent Dawson as Henry Coleman. He was barely given anything to do except poison Molly's sandwich and then he became a pretty popular character over on ATWT.

[DRW50]

Kassie de Paiva, for about...um...15 years.

The divine Randall Edwards.

Anna Stuart!

I think that was about charisma, not acting. He struggles with acting.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Yeah. But, Howarth was playing a truly despicable character. Yet, people loved him anyways.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Cyhtnia Watros at GL, especially after they made Annie into a psycho in order to make Reva look sympathetic.

Despite dodgy writing, it was easier to sympathize with Annie over Reva, simply due to Watros.

[VirginiaHamilton]

Roger Howarth as the one and only Todd Manning. He was cast to play one of the most loathsome characters in daytime history, yet it was his ability to add layers to Todd that ultimately won me over. It is a true testament to his talent that I am able to wax poetic about my love for Todd Manning with a straight face.

[dragonflies]

yep and if he were as bad as some like to say, Todd wouldn't have become an iconic character. charm alone doesn't make a character last

[BingCherry]

Susan Haskell's last months at OLTL when Marty went cuckoo for John McBain. It was such an awful story that completely destroyed the character forever, but Haskell sold it completely.

[DRW50]

Charm and a writer who loves you help a lot. But hey, he's still here after twenty years, so good for him.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

Also. IMO. As far as a Howarth type role goes.

My favorite soap star ever. Michael E. Knight's character Tad Martin. Was written terribly when he took over in 1982. He was nothing but a sex obsessed douchebag. Tad was set to be killed off in 6 months. Yet, fan response was so positive that he stayed on for another 20 odd years until AMC was cancelled.

[VirginiaHamilton]

The fact that Frodd was unable to capture that same glory as Todd is a testament to this.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

How could I forget one of my favourite EastEnders characters/actresses ever? Chrissie Watts, played by the divine and underrated Tracy-Ann Oberman!

For the relatively short time she was on, she made what could have been a one-note villainous character amazingly sympathetic, funny, and human.

[Ryan Chamberlain]

So true. I have grown to love Howarth in the role. Even though I am also a fan of TSJ.

[DRW50]

I would also have to throw out Nancy Addison. For all the talk of feminism and breaking ground, Jill Coleridge was, essentially, a snobbish homewrecker, living her life for the woodenest prick in Riverside. That I often pitied Jill and wanted her to find happiness, even in stories like "Jill decides it's fine to cheat because she falls in love with a dying folk singer", is a testament to the purity and clarity and incisiveness of Nancy as an actress.

[Darn]

What show is this?