ALL: Popular Actors playing Unpopular Characters

[dragonflies]

Oh I agree about Beth Ehler's and how she acted about JR Martinez was damn despicable too

[Contessa Donatella]

Well, to me, the person with the problem in that situation at AMC, wasn't Beth Ehlers, no, it was Chuck Pratt. He had promised a pairing of Beth & Ricky Paull Goldin, which he proceeded to renege on, so Beth had a legitimate beef. Martinez just was unfortunately caught in the middle.

[Cheap21]

Kim Zimmer as Echo on OLTL

Linda Dano as Rae Cummings on ABCD

[dragonflies]

Bull crap, she's a grown ass woman, there was no need for her to say the [!@#$%^&*] she said about him 

[John]

Yeah what BE said about JR was horrible and she made it seem she was a master thespian. Her Harley wasnt all that. 

I liked Sam better with Larry Lau in the role. The Rappaport/Davidsons were just over exposed that was my issue. 

[carolineg]

Even if Beth Ehlers had a legitimate beef with Pratt, what did JR have to do with it?  IIRC, that pairing was actually pretty well received at the time.  BE effectively ruined her chance on AMC and her career with her mean girl antics and delusions of grandeur. 

I know most everyone on this board loves Sarah Joy Brown, but she's struggled to find a popular role post-Carly.  I think she's talented and a lot of it was down to writing, but it's a bit shocking she's had no luck finding a solid long term role post GH (round 1).  

[I Am A Swede]

Stretching the "unpopular" a bit, how about Heather Tom as Katie Logan?  

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[Contessa Donatella]

What I refer to as Shapiro's Folly!

[Maxim]

If it's unpopular as in hated/disliked/infamous/attracting toxicity then... the Queen of this topic should be Katherine Kelly Lang - she is loved by many as an actress, and her character has been the show's number 1 love-to-hate person for generations of fans.  I remember back in the early 2000s when I was just a kid and the internet was just warming up to what it is today... there were still many people calling her names and wishing the character death or things like that. I remember there was this forum that was entirely focused on hating Brooke. That must have been at least 15-20 years ago. And this toxicity/hate didn't change... at least till 2012-2013... After that she's been quite a safe character - boring one. The past decade Brooke has been defanged and de-clawed to a state of being a prop to Ridge and Hope. And nothing more. So the hate has gone down for sure. But boy oh boy... in her active "slut from the valley" era... I remember the grandmas in front of our house when the episodes of her sleeping with Deacon were airing in my country... I think it was 2006. All of them were so disgusted, so repelled. They hated her guts. 

And a testament to this is the current situation in youtube. The entire Bold channel is being dominated in the comments section by a Brooke-lynch hate mob. The period they decided to start posting the episodes in 1080 HD was controversial - Brooke seducing Thorne away from Macy in 1999... and then Brooke continued with trying to seduce Ridge AND Deacon to top that off. So the hate has been once again - unbelievable. There are even people who write disgusting things about her appearance, face, hair... and etc. 

So yes, the queen of being a wonderful actress playing a hated character is Brooke. Of course she also has the Pro-Brooke fans... but nobody else has gotten more dragged (from Bold) on the boards and the internet. 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

Hard agree. Also co-sign. My dream is someone casting Sarah with  Tamara Braun as sisters, both powerful. 

You have me at a distinct disadvantage. Obviously Beth said something that I have NO Clue what the hell it was. I only knew about the egregious things that Pratt said and did. So here I am, looking stupid.

[Khan]

I think this has been discussed before elsewhere on SON, but didn't Beth Ehlers leave AMC without even a proper exit?  Like, her character just stopped appearing with any explanation, even though she was in a relationship with (I think) Tad?

I don't know how popular Cady McClain is with the general soap audience, but I do believe her run as Y&R's Kelly - the only time thus far that she's been allowed to portray a psycho - was a rare flop in an otherwise stellar career.  Then again, I don't think Kelly was a popular character even when Cynthia Watros still was in the role; and between that and GH's Nina, I think CW's name definitely belongs in this discussion, lol.

[Liberty City]

I feel like she's had two chances but both were uprooted for different reasons, and it's sad because of how amazing of an actor she is.

I don't think the audience cared about Kelly until she was in the beginning of being paired with Jack, and that all ended when Gina Tognoni became Phyllis, and they made Kelly absolutely psychotic. But "Villy" fans hated her.

[kalbir]

Kelly was a thankless role that was a waste of Cynthia Watros talent. I think she would have worked better as a Patty recast.

[Taoboi]

I mean didn't she vanish in the middle of that dance marathon and never came back?

 

Oooo I could have seen that. 

 

 

[Vee]

IIRC, girl vanished in the bathroom mid-dance contest.

Cady was embarrassing in what became a very cartoonish role as Kelly Andrews(?) on Y&R. To this day I am not sure who exactly killed her off. I liked Cynthia Watros in the role - she was visceral and raw in her grief over her child - but I don't think the character had a purpose other than to be Billy's other woman.

Watros has done valiant work in poor roles, including the mess that was Nina Reeves on GH long before she got there. I would earmark her for a short-term role on OLTL were it to still exist (which I originally thought up for the late Anne Heche), but we don't live in that world.

Edited January 4 by Vee