From October 18, 00
NBC-PassionsLive: Welcome, Robin!
Robin Strasser: Hello, everybody! I'm really thrilled to have this opportunity to chat with you. I'm still computer illiterate, so doing something like this is as close to being a citizen in the new millennium as I get, computer-wise. I have a few people I want to say hi to--a special hello to the folks that used to call my hotline. I've reinstated it, and there's a new telephone number, 212-414-5300. Hi hotliners and all the people who have written to me since I left "One Life to Live" in February. And of course, all you "Passions" fans who maybe don't have a clue who I am, and are just being cordial and giving me a chance to work my way into your affections now that I'm visiting Harmony.
AbErCrOmBiE gUy: Mrs. Strasser, what types of drama will the character 'Hecuba' bring to the set of "Passions?"
Robin Strasser: Trouble, trouble, and that's double trouble and triple trouble! Hecuba has referred to almost all the characters on the show, and not in pleasant terms, so there doesn't seem to be anybody she likes or is fond of. In fact, she seems to have a real issue with a number of Harmony's finest citizens, but that's the stuff of drama!
CrANe LF: Would you like to change anything about your character?
Robin Strasser: Not at all. First of all, she is very pleasantly unfolding to me. I agreed to come on the show to keep the witch metaphor and I only had 'skeletal' information. I knew she was a 300-year-old witch and that she was going to make a lot of trouble in Harmony, and that was very enticing to me. Ever since I was old enough to put on little plays with my friends or my dolls and my puppets, I've tended to get the wicked witch parts, the wicked stepmother parts, or the troll under the bridge. It's typecasting that I don't really mind at all.
gaia: How do you prepare yourself for your roles? What kind of preparation and research is involved?
Robin Strasser: Well for this, I looked at a lot of art history books, and I wanted to see representations of witches and evil spirits so that I could get a feeling for the body language. I spent a lot of time prior to the first air show in collaboration with the wardrobe, hair, and makeup departments working on a look for the character. For those who are theater history buffs, one of the greatest actors of all time, Laurence Olivier used to say that he didn't know how to play the character until he did the makeup. And if you look at photographs of Lord Olivier, he was always messing with his nose. He liked that nose putty! He went to town on that! I think the fans that know me from other things will be nicely entertained, surprised, and amused. I fervently hope so, because we've all had a lot of fun collaborating on creating this character. One thing I would like to add is that Juliet Mills, being the resident witch of Harmony, has always been a favorite of mine. While our characters were supposed to be confrontational and adversarial, I wanted to come on and complement the wonderful energy and qualities that Juliet has brought to the role of Tabitha.
beffie: What do you see yourself doing 10 years from now?
Robin Strasser: Thanks, beffie! I like that question! You know, I was a little burned out by the experience of leaving "One Life to Live." It was emotionally really exhausting, and I thought, "Well, maybe I just need some time off." Now mind you, there was this word, the 'R' word, which was 'retired', coming up every now and then, or someone would say it to me on the street, and I told them, "NO! I'm not retired!" But I quickly found out that even slowing down the pace is not necessarily who I am. So 10 years down the line, I'm going to take out a crystal ball for a moment and make an educated guess that if, God willing, my health is good, that the appetite that I have for being a performer, and the deep appreciation I have for that incredible positive energy that the audiences gives you will still be strong. I mean, now, I'm looking at a 34-year career. I figure when you get old enough, you start to lie up. You might say when you reach 80, "I'm 92. I'm celebrating my 70th year in show business!" You want to go for the gold ribbon veteran award. I love what I do, and I see myself continuing to do it until, hopefully, the day I die. Now, may I add that as the mother of two grown sons, that if there would happen to be some grandchildren in the picture 10 years from now, I would say, "I love working, but I have the grandkids this weekend." There would be nothing wrong with that. I would like to be surrounded by good friends, and that's about all you can ask. Good health, work you love, and grandchildren. Ok! Great question!
stone cold fox2: I've seen your past appearances on sitcoms and know you would like to star on one. What are your current favorites? I think you would be fabulous on "Will and Grace."
Robin Strasser: Let me clarify. Yes, my dream job is to be on a sitcom. That is on my wish list. It's on my prayer list. I joked with my agent recently. We were saying goodbye and he said, "If there's anything I can do, let me know," and I said, "sitcom." I don't need to star in one. I think that all the best sitcoms are shows with casts of four to eight regulars, so I would be perfectly happy to be the 4th, 5th or 6th person on the "The Geena Davis Show, or "Bette," or another existing show. "Passions" is on a great lot. "Will and Grace" is shot here. "Two Guys and a Girl" is shot here. Of course, I should add for those who like nostalgia that Nathan Fillion, who played Joey on “One Life to Live” sent me a lovely bouquet of flowers, and the card said, "Welcome to the Radford Lot. Love, Nathan." And then, like 20 minutes later after getting the flowers, he showed up and I was all over him! People say to name your favorite storylines from "One Life to Live," and all right, "Joey and Dorian fall in love!" "That '70s Show" is here. "3rd Rock from the Sun" is here! There's a whole career development program that is available to me, because it's all so good. May I give advice at this point to aspiring actors to watch the good ones at work? If you can get tickets, go to the shows. If you want sitcoms, they're very close to theater the way they're done, so get tickets to the sitcoms that you admire. It's a hotbed of really good shows here, and I'm going to sit in on tapings when I'm available. You learn a lot that way. When I was living in LA for the first time seven years ago, I did four episodes of "Coach." I did a "Murphy Brown" that they replay all the time where I played the Russian counterpart, Vladia. It was a huge, wonderful part. I did "Dear John." I did a number of sitcoms, and they remain amongst my favorite work, 'cause you rehearse for four days! Four days rehearsing a half hour show. Then, on the 5th day, you tape in front of a live audience.
landings2: Robin, I am really glad that you are back on Daytime. Who does the character of Hecuba remind you of?
Robin Strasser: Jack Nicholson in drag!
anonio: What runs through your mind when flipping through channels and you see yourself on television?
Robin Strasser: Residuals! :)
Timmys Protector: Josh is so articulate, but so small. Is it difficult to do scenes with him?
Robin Strasser: It's a joy! He is wonderful!
Princess Audrey: Robin, if you could be any character on "Passions," who would it be, and why?
Robin Strasser: Besides Hecuba? Hmmmmmmmm. I'm perfectly happy with the character I'm playing. I love the character I'm playing.
bettie: What kind of costumes will you be wearing as Hecuba?
Robin Strasser: Thank you for asking! They are going to be very theatrical and be very authentically vintage costumes. The first one you're going to see, I love so much that I wanted to wear it out on the weekend.
Mrs Travis Schultz: How long will you be playing the part of Hecuba?
Robin Strasser: The Publicity Department has described it as an 'indefinite' term. It's open-ended.
sand: What is a typical day like for you? What does it consist of?
Robin Strasser: Well, sand, I'm not sure if you mean a personal day or a professional day, so I'll start with the professional. Here at "Passions," it has all the excitement of running a marathon, which is to say that once you enter the studio, you're in the race, and you keep going until you get to the finish line, but you are always busy. There is no waiting around here, which is really fun, because I never get tired while the race is on. I do get tired waiting around for hours and hours and hours. I think it was Spencer Tracy, the great movie actor, who said, "The acting we would do for free. It's the waiting around they have to pay you for." So that's what is very exciting. It takes a bit of time to get into the Hecuba look, and people will be able to check that out starting soon. On days off, I tend to get up at around 7:15. I take my dog, Scooter, for a walk. I come back, and I have a piece of toast. Then, I go to a yoga class most days, or I take about an hour and a half hike, so it's yoga or a morning hike. After that, I get to work on trying to clear my desk, which is a daunting task. I've also, lately, been involved in theater, what might be called off-Broadway if we were in NY. I did a show called, "Hate Mail," and I belong to the Echo Theater Company here in LA. I'm either doing or participating in readings on Mondays there. I was invited to attend the actor's studio playwright and director's unit, and that's on Wednesdays, so there might be work for that. I'm still at work developing these videos that I did on midlife women's health called, "Menopause SOS." Another nice thing since moving to California is that I'm living 15 minutes away from my mother, for the first time in probably 25 years. She's in her 70s and can run circles around me, energy wise. She's fabulous, and I consider it a real blessing to be able to take our relationship to a deeper level. People who've always been close to their mothers might not get what I'm getting at, but for some of us, it's been a little bit more work to feel close to mom. We're having a ball. To be completely truthful, a friend asked what about those 'issues'. I said, "What issues? We go to the movies. We shop and laugh a lot, so it's great." It's a real gift to be so close to her now.
blue bunny28: Which do you prefer, theater or television?
Robin Strasser: I love them both! I would really appreciate having the opportunity to be able to have diverse work situations. In London, this is normal for British actors. There's one town you can live in if you're an actor, and it's London. You can do movies, TV, theater, and that is why I think there are so many superb English actors. Here because of New York and California, the nature of our business is much more spread out, and actors have to specialize or be held in one place. Just like if you're trying to get into shape physically, it's good to diversify and vary your workout. It's also good for actors to work out their instruments--do a little theater, a little TV, a little movies, and get on your knees and thank the good Lord. It's an extraordinary vision I'm having right now, and you would be lucky indeed if you could do all those things.
doo: Do you and the other "Passions" stars hang out together outside of work? If so, what do you guys do when you go out?
Robin Strasser: I'm too new to the cast, and I have a long commute home, so I haven't gone out with anybody since joining the show three weeks ago. It seems like a lovely group, and as soon as I'm more settled, I would love to invite them up to my house, and I would respond affirmatively to any invitations. It's a happy set on a day-to-day basis. People are laughing and chatting and eating lunch at the commissary together. It's a very, very happy situation here. People really seem to be enjoying themselves, and working hard at the same time.
paoshan: When you dabble in such a caricature (witch), day after day, do you think it will rub off in an unflattering manner, meaning other peoples’ input/feelings, say, on the street? And are you worried about this?
Robin Strasser: No. At this point, she's a very theatricalized witch, and a little bit scary and goofy at the same time. I don't see anybody taking it real seriously, not in a dark way.
CrANe LF: Since you are a role model for a lot of people, who is your role model?
Robin Strasser: Thank you for that. I certainly hope I deserve to be called a role model, and I promise to get to work right away on my faults! Among my peers, I would say Susan Sarandon. I admire people with tenacity and integrity. I guess what's on my mind right now is that the news has been filled with the disturbing reports of, yet again, the inability to bring about peace. So when I think about role models, I think about Nelson Mandela or any person who tried to build a bridge when there was a chasm that needed to be spanned, and that would apply to anyone. My role models are people who work and play well with others and who go towards solutions.
bettie: How is "Passions" different from "One Life to Live?"
Robin Strasser: Personally, the two characters...I've joked that I've gone from being a bitch to a witch, but they don't look alike, and it's a departure. Also, if it doesn't seem like a superficial answer, the difference between "Passions" is with its beautiful, physical geography. Southern CA has a lot of space. There's room for everybody, and not just the actors having very attractive dressing room situations, but the office and production staff, designers, and everybody. The prop room is unbelievable. In NY, space is such a premium. Everybody is jammed into the tiniest space, and that induces stress, having people not have enough room, and working without light or air. Also, I think that there is a lot to be said about a show that is new and fresh and that is the brainchild of a head writer like James E. Reilly. I did a diva seminar at the Museum of Television in New York, and it was Kim Zimmer, Victoria Wyndham, and myself, about 4 years ago. We were discussing the so-called "Breakdown of Daytime." I felt then, and I feel it even more strongly, that if there is a breakdown, it’s because the power has been taken away from the writer. The play is the thing. That's Shakespeare, and it's just a truth. If you don't let the core creative vision come from the writing, then you are blocking the birth of anything that would be unique, creative, and compelling to your audience. I say that not just because I'm on a head writer driven show. Even if I weren't on it, that's how I feel. You've got to take the control and vision and put it back where it belongs, and that's with the writing. Let the committee that is about running the business of show and running a network have the areas they cover and contribute. But if you start disrespecting the voice and the vision of the writer, you are in big trouble!
landings2: Do you like being referred to as a diva?
Robin Strasser: Oh, I think if we go to the dictionary, we'd find that diva has an equally positive meaning, and that, of course, it also has been used to describe negative behaviors. But I believe one of the first definitions in Webster's is, "a first lady, the prima donna," which means first lady. Of course, also, when you say “prima donna” it could be negative or positive. A good diva is a role model. A good diva, like any valuable member of a team, knows how to take the ball and make a touchdown, but if it's time to pass or throw the ball, the diva knows how to play a team game. That's the best sports metaphor I've ever given! How about that Subway World Series! That's the first thing I heard that made me miss New York. I'm not a big baseball fan, but I feel sentimental about that. Go Mets and Yankees!
Barb1983: Do you answer your own fan mail?
Robin Strasser: At the moment, I am really far behind on my fan mail, because YES I answer it myself. I have been renovating a house and living in the mess of it for seven months. I've only now just gotten my head out of the plaster and sawdust. So I apologize to anybody to whom I owe a response, because I do try to do that. One of the reasons my son, Nicholas, suggested my having a hotline (he jokingly called it a hotline, but it stuck) was that it was a way to respond to fan mail even if I hadn't had the chance to answer letters. With this valuable time you're giving me, let me comment that anybody writing to me here at "Passions," if you will send a stamped, self-addressed envelope, you'll get an answer so fast. Send an appropriate sized envelope. If you want an 8 x 10 photo, send that size envelope. I have 5x7 cards that I had during my stay on "One Life to Live." I still have a lot left. Anyone who wants one, send a 5x7 envelope. Please send your letters to Robin Strasser c/o Passions, 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, California 91604.
alex: If you could meet anyone past or present, who would you meet, and what would you say to him or her?
Robin Strasser: Wow! A lot of historical and biblical characters came to mind, but, then, as I scrolled past those choices, the one that I would speak from my heart to and would most want to meet is my father. I did not ever know my father, and I would have given anything (he's deceased) to have the opportunity, even if not to have a relationship, but to meet him just once. So I guess that would be my choice. I know that would be, because family is everything, whether it's your family of origin or your family of choice. The love we have for each other pretty much is what carries us through life and makes it worth living.
NBC-PassionsLive: Well, I see our time is about up! Do you have any parting words you'd like to leave us with today?
Robin Strasser: I just want to thank everybody who joined us for this chat this evening, and thank you to all the fans of daytime that watch whatever their favorite show is and support whomever their favorite actors are. Your passion for daytime is what has kept daytime on the air, and your loyalty is the lifeblood of this industry. I know I speak for a great many people involved in this area of the entertainment business in acknowledging how grateful we are to the public for their support and their high standards!