| 11/17/97 - Kim Zimmer and Laura Wright Soap City Chat |
| milwaukee2: Kim, there have been so many articles written on your dissatisfaction with the direction the character of Reva was going. Do you feel that issue is finally straightened out, or do you still hope for something else to further challenge the character? Kim: I'm always looking for a challenge for myself as an actress --- not so much for the character. I started in daytime television because it was a day-to-day challenge. The character had to grow and mature, but it's the challenge as an actress that I'm looking for. milwaukee2: Laura, what was it like coming into this very established show and taking on such a central character? Laura: Really tiring...It was wonderful, definitely very difficult. I wasn't used to a hour-long show. But it's been a great challenge, and a great experience. milwaukee2: Kim, was it hard to tape the episode of H.B.'s funeral? It seems like you, Rebecca Hollen and Robert Newman were genuinely overcome during those scenes. Kim: We were. We had to wait so long as a cast to deal with his passing. It was really kind of a closure for us. We had personally acknowledged his passing but not as characters. He was a big part of who our characters were and we were truly overcome. milwaukee2: Kim and Laura, there have been so many regimes at GL --- do you feel what Paul Rauch has done has turned GL around or do you feel it was better previously? Kim: I would have to say that I'm still battling the writing thing. It's getting better and better as our new writers are getting to know our characters history. It's easy for writers to come onto a show and deal with and create new characters. Paul, on the other hand, has been a savior to our show. I don't know if this show would still be on the air if Paul hadn't joined us. We're almost reaching our one-year anniversary of his return, so look for our ratings to soar after the first year. milwaukee2: Laura, do you like your new leading man, Frank Grillo? Laura: Actually, yeah! I do...I'm having a great time working with both Frank and Wendy. I've been lucky in the leading men department...We have a great time together! milwaukee2: Laura, your love story with Casey and when Casey died, was one of the most brilliant pieces of acting I've ever seen. You were both so wonderful together...What's he doing now and do you feel that was your best moment on "Loving"? Laura: I do miss the cast of "Loving" --- "The City" was taped where we saw each other every day, but I do miss the "Loving" cast. milwaukee2: Kim, I watched you all the way back to "The Doctors" when you played Nola, and then I remember you as Echo Disavoy on "One Life to Live"...Were those learning experiences, because I once heard you say on some award show that you had great teachers like Erika Slezak? Kim: I had a life full of learning experiences working on "The Doctors" with actors like Jada Rowland, David O'Brien, Jim Pritchett. Then the best teacher in the world with Erika Slezak...As well as Elizabeth Hubbard, who taught me how to remain active in big crowd scenes. When I asked Elizabeth her technique, she said "Darling, I just try to think of who just passed gas!" That kind of thing is invaluable. I miss Larry Stewart from the show, who's since passed on. He was fun and knew what was involved on a daily basis. milwaukee2: Kim, I loved you and A. Martinez together on "Santa Barbara," did you like the character of Jodie and working opposite A.? Kim: I loved working with A. A. and I spent about five weeks on the show trapped in a warehouse together. And it was five of the most wonderful weeks of my career. We didn't have to worry about make-up or hair --- wore the same clothes everyday. We had one-on-one scenes where we talked about life and it was truly one of the most sensitive times in acting on daytime. A. taught me too, he was a master of doing nothing. By that I mean he didn't overplay and he knew the nuances involved. Although, I think you can learn things from bad actors too! I try to look at this job as a sponge and try to observe and soak up from whomever I'm working with. Of course, we don't have any bad actors on our show! milwaukee2: Laura, were you nervous your first day on "GL" and in your first scenes with Kim? Laura: My first day I was really nervous because I had to take my clothes off...My first scene with Kim was not too bad, but my first one-on-one, I was a little nervous...My audition scene, I was a nervous wreck, but Kim was a big help! She made me feel fine, and she knows that I worry about things too much. Kim: Laura holds her own. I have no problem working with Laura, she's a pro and knows what she wants to get done in a scene. We both have very strong objectives in what we want to accomplish in a scene. milwaukee2: Laura, are Cassie and Reva going to become loving sisters? Laura: I would assume so, I can't say...from my end, she should be kissing the ground Reva walks on...I don't think there's anything that can pull these two away from each other! Kim: I would have to agree. And I'm so glad they didn't have us go the obvious route and have us hate each other before we knew we were sisters. At some point, Cassie might have to say to Reva "butt out" because Reva's being so motherly right now. milwaukee2: Kim, were you unhappy with the way you were reintroduced in the Amish country storyline? It seemed like an odd choice... Kim: I wasn't unhappy at all (laughs). It wasn't so much as I was unhappy as it was a limiting choice. It happened just when I wasn't sure I was going to stay on the show for a long period of time. So the writers were struggling with that. Also, the story lasted about six months so it didn't move along as much as it should have. Of course, the best thing to come out of the story is Amy Ecklund who we hope will go nominated for an award. milwaukee2: Kim, you've won the Emmy three times, are you going to submit yourself this year? Kim: I'm a little torn on that. I think I have the material, but it would be different material than from the other leading actresses. The stuff I would have to submit would be on a more simple, honest level. I think the other actresses have more of the Emmy-award type material. Like Cynthia Watros from our show is a good candidate. I would like to stand back and maybe let Cynthia take it --- not that she couldn't win it only because I step back. I mean look at Jess Walton from last year --- hers was a quieter type of performance. I have another two weeks to decide whether I will be submitting myself. milwaukee2: There have been rumors that you and Cynthia Watros --- who plays Annie --- don't get along, or there was some jealousy thing going down...Is there any truth to that rumor? Kim: There is no truth to that at all! I will honestly say that I am jealous of her because she's an incredible actress with the most perfect body in the world. And she's had the most wonderful material to perform this year. But we're buds and I knew her before she was on "Guiding Light." If people want to believe that we don't get along, then let them believe it. milwaukee2: Kim and Laura, do you watch any other soaps, if so which ones? And what actors on the shows do you feel do exceptional work? Kim: When I'm home or just sitting around, which is rare, I watch "Another World" because I think that show has a really strong cast of characters, like ours. I think Mark Pinter is a wonderful actor. Jensen Buchanan is great. I like to flip around as much as possible so I can vote honestly on actors on other shows at Emmy time. It's hard to name all of them. Laura: I agree with Kim --- I'm a big Jensen Buchanan fan, as well as Lisa Peluso. I watch Kelly Ripa on "All My Children." A lot of times, when you have time, I like sitting down and watching the actors and actresses on our show. I watch Wendy. I sometimes tune into "Days" to see if there's one more character Eileen Davidson is playing! Kim: I would hate to think it takes someone playing four characters to win an Emmy these days though! milwaukee2: Kim, of all the storylines Reva has ever had, is there one that was hard for you to play, and why? Kim: I've talked before in interviews about the Reva suicide attempt. That was really hard for me to believe as the character of Reva that she would do that. But that was the only time I got to work with Jay Hammer as Fletcher Reade. I got some great mail from people who were touched by the storyline. Things like "you saved me from the edge"..."because you talked yourself out of it, it's helped me"...It's because that story was part of the Emmy reel one year that I won. And I had fought against the story tooth and nail. It was very challenging as an actress because I didn't believe it...Oh, and the Amish story too. milwaukee2: Kim and Laura, you are both nominated for a Soap Opera Digest award --- what do you think your chances are of winning? And, is winning important or just the nomination as some people say? Kim: I think the nomination is really a compliment because it comes from the editors and writers of Soap Opera Digest magazine. But winning is always important. I'm up against Eileen Davidson and Vanessa Marcil. Actually, I don't care if I win or lose --- it's about flying out to California in the middle of February. Laura: And there are five of us going, which should be a blast! I was excited to be nominated...I was just in shock from being on a show that was more popular. When I was on the other shows, every person who watched the show could have voted and we still wouldn't have placed! I'm excited...I'm up against two men, and this is fun. Kim: I want to just add too, Soap Opera Digest magazine has been very, very good to our show in the last year. They've championed us in the last year and we're thrilled by the attention they've show our show. milwaukee2: Kim, did you have any input into the casting of Laura as your sister? Kim: We clicked immediately and I think they would have been fools to cast anyone else. I think they pretty much knew whether they wanted it or not that Laura was going to play the role. Before she was cast, we actually had a sound guy who came up to me who said he knew an actress --- Laura --- who would be perfect for my sister. I knew Laura from before and realized he was right. When we tested together, it was perfect. Laura: And after we tested, it was like, this couldn't be better. milwaukee2: Kim and Laura, do you ever get sick of playing a long-term character? Laura: I sure got sick of playing Ally --- I was sad to see the end of something that was six years of my life, but I was happy for the change...It was the time for me to go. Kim: When I left "Guiding Light" in 1990. I had been playing the character consistently for six years and I was burned out. I had three children I wanted to spend time with and couldn't do it. When you work on a soap doing 40-50 pages of dialogue a day, it's hard. The fans get upset, but for health reasons, we have to take a mental break. Sort of let the computer chips get cleaned out so you can stuff in more material. Laura: Especially an hour show...I got tired on a half-hour show! It's a lot of work... Kim: You're experiencing it now, Laura, and what you have to look forward to is learning another 30-40 pages of dialogue when you go home at night. Laura: It's tough. sarennifer: Kim, I love your work and always have. How do you get up everyday and do what you do? I just saw the scene when you found out that Cassie was your sister. How do you do it? You are great. Kim: Well, you know what gets me up in the morning are scenes like that. It's knowing that the challenge of the day is one that's going to be worth it. It's tough leaving the house before my kids get up...giving them kisses while they sleep soundly...but it's the potential for doing really good work during the day. Laura has to get up at 4:15am to get there. So, it's the challenge of the material and the love of the craft. milwaukee2: Kim, you cry so easily in your scenes, how do you do that? Kim: Pull my nose hairs! Kidding...just kidding. I think what happens is that naturally --- if you're any kind of an actor --- you believe what the character is going through. Laura: You totally believe what your character is going through...People ask me that all the time! mamaigo: Laura and Kim, you two have such a feeling between you. What, if anything, do you do to make it that way? Kim: We're playing characters. Now...Laura and I can't stand each other...I'm kidding! That's a "laugh out loud" again. Our characters our blood related and we can't help but feel that. Reva has sympathy for her sister because she hasn't had the opportunities that she has. Laura: I think it is a definite sister thing...Kim and I, we put our hearts into it...sometimes there are things that you don't want to do, but we still care about the work and give it our all. The result is what you're watching on TV! Kim: When it's said and done, it's our mugs that are on screen. If you're not committed, it's going to show. Laura: They're not going to go "that director doesn't know what he's doing because the actors stink." It reflects on us. milwaukee2: Laura, I loved "The City," why didn't it work? Laura: I personally don't think it worked because, technically it was a great show, and the sets were great, great costumes, working outside, but ABC didn't keep it on the air long enough. The audience couldn't connect with the new characters, and the history wasn't there. The few people from the old show weren't even doing things related to it in the new show...The last four months of "The City" were the best, but right when it started to get good, it was yanked. sarennifer: Kim and Laura, how much fun do you have working with Robert Newman? He is such a cutie. Kim: It's been tough for Robert lately because he hasn't had a whole lot to do. So Laura and I have had to deal with a lot of whining and moaning lately. We've discovered we were sisters and he's passed out on the bed! But he's hopeful he'll get some stuff to do soon. Laura: He's fun...I have a good time working with him, but he's having a hard time...it's so much "Cassie and Reva" that there's nothing for him to do except say, "Yeah, Reva!" Kim: For him to say "Wow, Reva, cool"...he's just supporting our characters now. We all hope that's something that's remedied soon and the writers start exploring that a little more. mamaigo: You two made today's show the best I have seen in quite some time...I just wanted to thank you for all that you both do to make GL the best! Laura: That's so wonderful! Kim: Oh, we love you! See, it's people like you that make us get out of bed at 5:00am and come to work everyday! woozi: Do you have any interest in getting involved in feature films or TV movies? Laura: That would be nice! TV movie-of-the-weeks would be cool, but it's hard to audition...with our schedules, it's hard, let alone to ask for time off... Kim: Yeah, it's tough. Like Laura said. Just to even think about getting the time off. It's hard for feature filmmakers to even consider us because we're on soaps. We're working 315 days of the week...so it's hard to negotiate the time off. POLINA29: Are Cassie and Reva gonna gang up on Annie now? Kim: Yes. How could we not? Laura: We're gonna kick her butt! She deserves everything we can give her. Kim: But she's pretty tough. So, I don't know what's in store for future story, but I would think we'd have to gang up on her. Laura: After we have some more sister time... svevo: Will Cassie and Hart be getting together before Christmas? Laura: I wouldn't count on it...You know how things have to be drawn out on daytime! shan: What's it like to be a soap star...do people make a fuss over you? Kim: I've been doing it for so long, when people see me it's like their mother. They can turn on the TV set and see me and really think they know me. I haven't had any horror stories when I've been on the street. People are really respectful. Laura: I've never had any bad experiences...It's a totally different group of people, fans...so it's more than it was before, but everyone is so nice...It's normal! People talk to you like you know them. Kim: It is because of the people who watch these shows --- because no one in their right mind would do this because it's tough...I have a great respect for people who watch our show. "Guiding Light" has been around for 60 years so they've had a lot to absorb. I hope we can stick around for another 60 years. I thank each and every one of the fans for their interest and loyalty. And for talking to us today! Laura: Well, I just wanted to say that I've only been on since July, and I'm amazed how the fans have taken to me...that doesn't always happen for new characters, so I'm overwhelmed over how wonderful things have been! |