Which actors have shamed their time on soaps?

[Soapsuds]

Which actors have ignored that they ever appeared on a soap or given it credited for the careers? I think there might have been a topic of this before but not sure.  I bring this up because Meg Ryan and George Eads were both on Live with Kelly today and Meg didn't mention her time on ATWT and instead her big break was said to be When Harry Met Sally. George Eads mentioned his big break was a soap. I hadn't even realized he had been on one even though it was primetime. He thanked Aaron Spelling for his big break.

[JONNYSBRO]

I have noticed that Kelly Ripa kind of turnd her nose up about soaps. When the Strahan drama happened SOD wanted comment from her and Ripa agents said she doesnt do soap mags anymore.

[Paul Raven]

George Eads was on the WB soap Savannah.

[Paul Raven]

George Eads was on the WB soap Savannah.

John Cypher,whilst appearing on Hill St Blues,which at the time was the 'it' show in terms of critical acclaim,said that there was more quality in one HSB script than his entire time on ATWT where he played Alex Keith.

 

[NothinButAttitude]

I just know Meg Ryan being a real twat about her soap past. 

 

 

[DaytimeFan]

George Eads has class. Most actors who got a break from Aaron Spelling were eternally grateful. 

 

Meg Ryan's a has been. 

[DramatistDreamer]

Meg Ryan recently did an interview, with Jane Pauley (I think) on CBS Sunday Morning and there was a brief mention of ATWT as well as a couple of short clips but I think it was more of an acknowledgement by CBS, given the high ratings of Steve and Betsy's wedding. Ryan also talked about getting started with commercials as a way to pay for university where she majored in journalism, which she honestly talked more about, I think slightly even more than her movies.

I got the sense that she'd rather be behind the camera these days.

To be frank, I think, sadly, many of the actors took their cues from network executives and even some of the production companies (I'm looking at you, P&G) who didn't really value the daytime drama genre on an artistic level.

[cassadine1991]

Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei came from P&G and spoke fondly of being on ATWT, more so from Julianne

[OldGHFan]

Demi Moore doesn't mention her time on GH.

[edgeofnik]

Julianne Moore went so far to book a couple of episodes on ATWT after the cancellation was announced. She always has said that ATWT provided her with her big break and was grateful. Meg Ryan has always overestimated her 'talent' and, frankly, I loathed her on ATWT because she wasn't that good. 

[Gray Bunny]

I don't think a well-known actor's soap past needs to be brought up with every interview. I saw the Meg Ryan interview and it made sense to mention that her "big break" was the iconic When Harry Met Sally. After all, Meg ain't doing much these days, so might as well hype up what put her on the map. 

 

I don't know about soap press & Kelly Ripa, but she'll still talk about her soap past. She had on Michael Weatherly a couple months ago and they had a long conversation about their origins when he was on LOVING and she was on AMC. 

[soapfan770]

Brian Bloom has trashed his time on ATWT. Susan Ward hated doing Sunset Beach apperantly. 

 

 

[Paul Raven]

Melissa George threw a hissy fit on Aussie TV when she appeared to promote her latest US TV series(can't recall what it was) and clips of her time on Home and Away were shown and she was asked all about that. She said it was along time ago and didn't like having to always talk about that when she came back to Australia.

She was painted as a princess, but later said in the preparation for the interview there was no mention that her soap days would be brought up.

So I think she had a point.

Even actors who didn't do soaps are sometimes asked about stuff they've done in the past. I recall George Clooney being asked about Facts of Life and other primetime stuff he did before E/R.

 

[KMan101]

This

 

Meg Ryan's been a nobody for at least a decade now ...

[~bl~]

If it is an interview where they prep the person and then go in another direction I can understand why they would not react well. Some actors hate seeing themselves act, and showing them some random scene from many years earlier may just set them off. 

 

For me it depends on how the person speaks about soaps. If a person was on a show during a "bad period", and later becomes famous or the character didn't work or their costar was a jerk to them I can understand it. They probably aren't going to explain why.

 

I recall Michelle Forbes who was on GL as Sonni/Solita making some not all that positive comments about her time. While her performance was good, the story was a mess and made little sense due to the writers strike. I saw that as an extenuating factor which would cloud her opinion. John deLancie (Eugene on Days) also has made not as positive comments, but eventually explained how they only used him as comic relief and that he appreciated those viewers who enjoyed his work, but what he was given. 

 

The thing that bothers me the most though is when actors who are famous make patronizing  comments about the actors who spent years in the genre. Yes there are some poor long term performers, but if no one can act on a particular show you were on what sort of training would you be getting. So just the term training ground bothers me without explaining why. If someone uses that term and says it is due to how soaps is how they learned how to memorize a lot of material quickly or since they were trained in theater learned how to do camera work I'd understand as even people who were on soaps for years have admitted that one.

 

I like when actors speak about the positives and the negatives without being mean about it, like when Parker Posey was asked on NPR's Fresh Air about ATWT. (Have no idea if the audio is posted somewhere in the long ATWT thread as it was in 2006.)