Nancy Lee Grahn, one of the most
popular players in all of soapdom, won a
1989 supporting actress Emmy as Julia
Wainwright on Santa Barbara. These
days, she's juggling two gigs -- by day,
she's hotshot lawyer Alexis Davis on
General Hospital; by night, she's the
emotionally unstable Denise Fielding on
Melrose Place.
So is it true General Hospital has
finally offered you a contract?
Yes, we've been trying to work it out for
a month now.
So, like, what's the holdup?
These things take a long time. Plus, I've
been distracted, what with Melrose, and
I also have a bit of a love life now -- no,
don't put that in.... Oh, never mind, I
don't care. And I've been going out of
town a lot. And there's a lot going on
with GH, too, what with the launching of
Port Charles. Contracts are a process.
They always are.
How can the writers be planning
something for you if they don't know
for certain that they have you?
Because we all know we're going to
work this out, that's why. If I have
anything to do with this -- and I do -- we
will work this out.
So does this mean they do have
major plans for you?
I'm assuming so.
You mean, you haven't asked?
No, I haven't. So far, faith has worked
very well for me. I just believe that
everything is going to be good. Things
have always worked that way.
Don't you think it's kind of weird that
the public knows all about your
noncontract situation? It's been
written up in all the magazines. The
fans are clamoring for you to get one
-- in fact, they're writing to [executive
producer] Wendy Riche demanding
it. I constantly get asked about it
online. This stuff never used to see
print in the old days.
I find it so completely, totally odd. I feel
two ways about it: On one hand, I feel
that my privacy is being a little violated,
but on the other hand I think, "Isn't it
great to have all these agents out there?"
And, quite frankly, they were more
useful than my real agent.
Do you think all this interest and
concern had an influence on Wendy
finally offering you one?
I believe that Wendy's objective is to
please the fans. I truly believe that. But I
also believe Wendy doesn't do
something unless Wendy really wants to
do it. So, yes and no.
So now that you've shot all eight of
your Melrose episodes, sum up the
experience.
Well, I finally got the knack of working
in film on the very last day I shot.
But you've done tons of guest shots!
But you have to do them with
consistency or you don't ever get
comfortable. It's like that on a daytime
soap, too: It took me six months to get
comfortable on Santa Barbara -- and
daytime is so much easier because it's in
a controlled environment. Filmed shows
like Melrose are totally different. You're
trying to get into an emotional place, and
they have to cut because there was a
plane, they cut again because there's a
helicopter, they cut again because a car
drove by, we cut again because the
camera missed the shot. It's all so
technical.
And you get such little screen time in
return for all that. I mean, you've had
like 2.5 scenes an episode! You
actors have it so much better on
daytime.
All along I've said that! Nobody's part
on Melrose is that big. Doug Savant has
very little to do and he's a regular, you
know? It's a very big ensemble.
Then why an eight-week run? Why
not condense your scenes into a
shorter, punchier story arc like they
do on N.Y.P.D. Blue? Or will the
answer to that be obvious as the
episodes play out?
Yes, that will make sense. It all turns into
a court battle. But I thought there would
be more. It was a big deal to get the part.
They saw a lot of people.
Like who?
When I walked in for my audition I saw
Elle MacPherson. I don't know who
else.
Do you know for a fact that you
won't be back next season?
No, I don't know that. I was contracted
for eight shows, which will take me
through the season finale -- but they
didn't kill me off. As Aaron Spelling has
said, "If you haven't blown up on one of
my shows, there's a chance you can
come back." I think he said that in
People.
"Blown up"? How do you know that
he wasn't referring to weight? You
know, like the Hunter Tylo situation?
Very funny. All I know is that Denise
leaves town. She doesn't die.
Actresses seem to like themselves
better on film. Do you find it more
flattering than video?
No.
I'm not surprised you think that. You
look incredible on GH. Everybody
does. To digress, I can't believe GH
did not get an Emmy nomination for
lighting.
Neither can I. They have the best lighting
I've ever seen on a soap.
So what's with the That Girl flip they
gave you on Melrose?
Oh, you just sort of let them do what
they're gonna do.
Even when they want to make you
look like Marlo Thomas?
I thought I looked more like Florence
Henderson. But same era. By the last
episode, I finally said, "Look, just blow
it straight, will you?" And they did. I
know what looks good on me, but I
need to be more assertive.
Doesn't that often get mistaken for
bitchiness?
Yes, it does, but I don't really care -- it's
my head up there on TV. The hairstylists
on Melrose are really good, actually. I
just don't know what that flippy s--- was.
In film, especially when you're on
location, there's usually so much going
on, you have no idea what you look like.
On video, there's always a monitor
nearby. I can see what's going on.
As many years as I've known you, I
never remember to ask you this
question: Did you secretly resent
having to share your Emmy with
Debbi Morgan? It was the only
acting tie in Daytime Emmy history.
Not at all. She's fantastic. It was a very
competitive year -- Jane Elliot, Arlene
Sorkin, Robin Mattson, me and Debbi.
By the way, why did you put yourself
in the supporting category? You
were not a supporting actress on SB.
Did Marcy make you do it?
Why are Jackie Zeman and Vanessa
Marcil in supporting this year? Because
Genie Francis is the star of GH. On
Santa Barbara, my feeling was that if
my picture gets taken off the wall in
order to put up a picture of Marcy
[Walker] and A [Martinez] -- which is
exactly what happened -- then they were
the leads.
Now this interview is gettin' good!
And I say what I say with great love for
them. Lane and I were Beatrice and
Benedict -- supporting characters!
Those are always the most interesting
parts anyway, even if they don't put our
pictures on the wall.
Speaking of Lane, it's no secret you
two had your tiffs -- yet the
on-camera chemistry was beyond
compare. Talk to me about this. How
can actors take backstage hell and
turn it into onscreen heaven?
That didn't have a lot to do with Lane
and me. Mason and Julia were so well
developed and defined -- which had to
do with everybody's contributions -- that
the characters just functioned on their
own. Lane and I knew how to act, so
our differences didn't matter. The last
eight months of Lane's run, he and I
were not speaking. We would literally
not speak to each other until we were on
the set and they'd yell,
"Five-four-three-two-one!" When he
acted like a pissy little s--- (and you can
write that because he did and [laughing]
he'd probably say the same thing about
me), I would use it because Mason, at
times, was also a pissy little s---. You
just find a way to use these things to
your advantage.
And Lane was doing the same?
Absolutely.
OK, let's get to GH. Lots of flirty
stuff happening with you and Wally
Kurth -- is it safe to say they're going
to put Alexis and Ned together?
I don't know. I also have pages and
pages coming up with Tony Geary.
When Patrick Mulcahey and Michelle
Val Jean write those scenes they're just
so much fun.
Well, they're not gonna get into a
romance with you and Tony. He's on
the record as saying Luke can flirt,
but he'll never have a romance with
another woman. Even if they write it,
he won't play it.
That's OK, too. Unconsummated sexual
energy can be very interesting. There's
so much more to play than romance
when you have those negative and
positive ions flinging back and forth.
The thing I like about Luke and Alexis is
that they are enemies, there's conflict
already set up, they hate each other!
That is always the best way to start a
relationship. There is no drama without
conflict.
What about Wally?
I love Wally. I think he's adorable.
But is he staying?
I don't know that he even knows.
It's so easy to bitch and moan about
the writing on GH lately, but I do feel
sorry for anybody writing under
circumstances where they don't
know if they've got a star or not. So
many actors on GH have kept things
hanging. How the hell do you write
for two different eventualities?
You just write it. Besides, Wally's
contract isn't up until August. There's
time to do something.
Plus, they could always recast.
Oh, I don't know... people love Wally.
Yeah, but he was himself a recast.
Soaps can't keep crumbling under
the weight of actor departures.
Sometimes you have to keep the
character going no matter what.
Besides, if Ned goes, who else could
they put you with romantically?
That's the problem. I don't know.
How about the young ones -- A.J. or
Jason? Or their daddy, Alan?
Hmmm....
Does it interest or concern you that
you're going to be given a teenage
daughter on the show?
Yeah, it concerns me, quite frankly!
[Laughing.] How can I possibly have a
teenage daughter when I'm so young?
No, really, I don't want to turn into a TV
mom. I think being a mom in real life is
great; being one on TV is problematic. I
want to stay sassy and interesting.
You've always appealed to a smart
brand of soap fan, people who are
desperate to see intelligent women on
daytime. Why do you connect so
strongly with the audience on this
level?
They respond to me because I respond
to that same kind of woman myself.
When we watch TV, we want to see a
representation of what we are, what we
want to be. We want intelligent,
successful, classy role models. When
considering playing a character, I ask
myself this question: If I had a daughter,
would I want her to watch this
character? Would she look at her and
say, "She's cool"? And, most
importantly, would she want to grow up
and be like her? There are a lot of
intelligent people watching daytime
drama. The people that make the soaps
talk down to the audience so much, they
act as if they're just a bunch of yokels
who have no life. Not only does it insult
the people watching, it insults me
because I used to be a big soap viewer.
It insults my mother who still watches
them. We are bright women. There are a
lot of us out there who want someone
onscreen they can relate to.
Well, answer this: Why do we see so
few examples of this kind of strong,
smart woman on daytime, when the
shows are run by women? There's a
female president heading the daytime
divisions at all three networks. The
network programmers are virtually
all women, as are at least half the
executive producers and many of the
head writers.
Well, aren't there a few bright women
characters? You see so much more than
I do.
Well, yeah, but there are so many
more who are victims and doormats.
So many are women whose entire
identity is wrapped up in the man
they are obsessed with. Sure, there
are exceptions: There's you, there's
Hillary Smith as Nora -- the list is
really pretty short. Just try finding
one on Days of Our Lives or a Bill
Bell show. That's why people
respond to you the way they do --
because the kind of person you play
is so damn rare.
Can I tell you something, though? That's
a personal choice that the actor makes. I
could easily be playing Alexis like a
lackey, because that's sort of the way
she was initially written. I could easily be
letting Stefan lead her around by her
nose. I have no interest in playing a
woman without a backbone. I get bored.
The audience gets bored. It serves no
purpose.
And the point would be?
Um... if there was a point....
And the point would be?
I don't know. I can't offhand think of
one. Maybe if the point was that there is
no point to being a useless bimbo. Or
that there are repercussions to being a
useless bimbo.
Would you play one if the paycheck
was phenomenal?
No, even that would bug me. I don't
want to play a part without consequence.
Humor is also really important to me and
you don't get to have any of that if
you're not playing a smart role. I like
language! I like to use big words that roll
trippingly off the tongue! These dialogue
writers on GH are bright people. And
they prefer, I think, to write for someone
who speaks more like they do. Maybe
sometimes it doesn't seem this way, but
there are still a lot of us working in
daytime who resist stupidity with every
fiber of our bodies.
Taken from TV Guide Online