Erika Slezak interview: One Life to Live

[EnglishTea]

Age and location have a lot more to do with her booking parts than talent.

Without producers having an open mind, i.e. Dick Wolf, who are willing to give more opportunities to actors who worked (or working) on soaps, it is a tough road in an already cut-throat business.

I don't fault Erika for it, but because she worked for decades on her show, and made more than a comfortable living doing so, she didn't really branch outside the daytime bubble, so it is going to be hard for her to burst that same bubble that she has performed in for most of her acting career.

[RavenWhitney]

i wish they had asked her about her involvement in choosing online OLTL headwriter Susan Horgan since they are besties. I've wondered if Erika regretted helping Susan get the job since she was not qualified for the job and then left after a few weeks.

[Vee]

She was very qualified. She had other priorities. And no, Erika didn't get her the job.

[John]

TY Vee. PP hired Susie becaise of her history with OLTL

Writing (1988-94) and EP (1994-96). Susie left because she wanted her life backand she was the one who hired Jessica Klein and JK took her place as Co-HW. SBH & JK worked together at ATWT

[RavenWhitney]

I'm not buying that Horgan had other priorities. She did not have a great long track record as a headwriter. She had a weird one year stint on ATWT and was replaced by Marland who tried to have her as a breakdown writer and that didn't work out. She worked as a breakdown writer at OLTL for a few years then had a lackluster stint as EP for two years. She hadn't worked on a soap in years and years when PP hired her. I know that she and Racina had teamed up and tried to get hired as a HW team at YR and OLTL/ABC. The PP job was going to be part time at best. Yes, I understand Horgan's husband has some illnesses, but I think she wasn't qualified to lead the online show. She may have hired Klein to be on the original team which doesn't mean anything. PP also fired Racina and replaced him with Marin Gazzaniga.

[Vee]

Thanks for the two cents.

[John]

Yes her husband was sick and she wanted to spend time with him. Oh what a horrible women for doing that and giving up her job. Her life was more important. Good for her.

She has been writing soaps since the 70s first GL then ATWT and she was on the writing team before 1984-85. That was when she was HW. marland asked to stay and help with his transition which she did. It was alwaus a temp gig.

She then wrote breakdown and dialogue for OLTL from 1988-94. Thats not easy work then as EP from 1994-96 she oversaw Viki's DID, Blair & Todd take one thats not a lucklaster run. Her time as EP was such a smooth transition from Gottlieb I hardly noticed. It just seemingly moved.

[Mathewson]

I miss seeing Erika Slezak on daytime!! She's a classy lady. I like that she said Prospect Park not only owed her money but owed money to a lot of other places, like ABC. It's obscene that she's putting so much work into auditioning and getting work and getting nothing out of it. She's far too talented an actress not to be working even if she doesn't need the money. But I'd never ever want her under RC's poison pen ever again. Ron's GH ruins everyone, not that 70% of the cast wasn't ruined to begin with.

[soapsnstuds]

True. And even though Young and the Restless never seemed to use Dina to full effect, I can't even think of anybody outside of Marla Adams in that role.

She was so good at being grey ... at times I hated her, at times I felt sorry for her, there were points when I wished the whole Abbott family would reunite and fully forgive her and then there were times I didn't even want Dina around the Abbott "kids."

As great as Erika Slezak is, I don't know if she could do all that with Dina.

[Dana]

According to the interview, Erika has stuck to New York for her auditions. That might be a big part of the problem. She might have better luck in L.A., though she would likely struggle there as well due to age and lack of work outside one soap.

[SFK]

I'm sure her people still submit her for projects on the left coast, they can always put her on tape if they get a bite. Unfortunately, primetime guest star roles that used to go to wonderful character actors and lesser known theatre and soap actors, so often go to "names" these days. Roles of a certain caliber in her age range that she's perfectly capable of playing will most likely go to film actresses "slumming it" on television, or to the Holland Taylors/Susan Sullivans/Judith Lights. I see no reason why she won't land on one of the L&O series sooner or later a la Victoria Wyndham. I would love to see her pop up on a cable series like The Leftovers, even a fun character role on something like Devious Maids.

[John]

I am hoping that she can pop up on Castle