She'll Take Romance
By Kim Turrisi
When ANOTHER WORLD learned that Anne Heche would not be renewing her contract, the search began for a replacement to play the dual roles of the Hudson twins, Vicky and Marley. Many heavy hitters tested, including Ellen Wheeler, who created the roles, but it was Jensen Buchanan who ultimately won.Assuming an established part is decidedly more complicated than creating one, as Buchanan did in her previous daytime stint as ONE LIFE TO LIVE's beloved heroine, Sarah Gordon Buchanan. Yet it was a challenge Buchanan embraced. In addition to the normal headaches and adjustments that go with filling someone else's shoes, especially when that someone played two separate characters, Buchanan faced, psychologically, a bigger obstacle: the two previous actresses (Heche and Wheeler) both won daytime Emmys for their performances. "I can't even think about the Emmy thing," says Buchanan. "I've got so many other things to worry about." She laughs, and continues more seriously, "They're both great actresses - there's no doubt about it - and I applaud their talents. The show has been very supportive of me, and Michael (Laibson, AW's exec. producer) has encouraged me to make the roles my own, as they did with Anne when she took over for Ellen. That has made an incredible difference." So far Buchanan has found both Marley and Vicky engaging and enchanting characters to play. "I spend a lot of time working on my scripts and on trying to perfect both of these roles," she says earnestly. "I love them. They're both so distinctive and well written, they deserve my undivided attention and they're getting it." Her scenes as Vicky with Paul Michael Valley (Ryan) have sizzled with chemistry, and those as Marley with Russell Todd (Jamie) have been touching and believable. Then there's the passion elicted whenever she and Tom Eplin (Jake) share a scene. Since OLTL and AW are shown at the same time in New York, Buchanan's Bay City background was limited. So she has relied on an extensive AW history the show provided that has kept her engrossed trying to figure out just where she into the complex maze of characters. "There are so many people whom I have relationships with, especially playing two people, that I really count on the other actors for help, and they've been great," she says. "They pull me aside and say 'I thought you might like to know this is what we've gone through together,' and it really helps a lot." Walking onto a new set as a virtual unknown after being a top dog on another show had the usually outgoing Buchanan a bit unnerved. She credits all of her leading men with helping make the critical transition a comfortable one. "These guys (Todd, Valley, and Eplin) are amazing; they went out of their way to welcome me and help in every way they could. I figure in the last three years, I've had four great leading men (OLTL's Robert Woods, Sarah's widower, Bo, is the fourth), so I think I'm pretty lucky," she says with a grin. A consideration for anyone assuming another actor's role is the fear of negative fan response. Buchanan is no exception. "Amazingly enough, my OLTL fans have been hugely supportive. That's been the biggest shock to me. I didn't realize they'd take a peek (at AW) in quite the numbers that they have. As for the AW viewers, the ones I've heard from have been encouraging," she says. This is perhaps partly because of a selfless gesture by Heche, who sent a letter to all of her fans asking them to give Buchanan a chance and telling them the show was excited about landing someone of her caliber. A shocked but grateful Buchanan says, "That was such a classy thing to do. It was above and beyond, to say the least. I owe her a big thank you." And the actress earned the respect of her colleagues on AW as well. "In six months, the fans will say 'Anne who?'" Eplin says of Buchanan's work. "That is not said to discredit Annie, she was terrific, but so is Jensen. It'll just take one of those paramount scenes for Jensen to totally sway the fans, but it will happen." It's natural for fans to resist change, but it's only fair to give a replacement actor ample opportunity to strut his stuff. As much as die-hard Wheeler fans tried, they couldn't turn their backs on what Heche brought to the roles. And no one can deny that the gifted Buchanan will flesh out still other layers of the twins. So far Buchanan has shown a sexier approach without losing the core of either character. Adjusting to the dual roles has been all-consuming, but Buchanan depends on the wardrobe, makeup, and hair departments to transform her into the appropriate twin of the moment. "I've noticed on the days I play Marley, I tend to dress softer, and with Vicky it's tights and a black jacket, so I guess there's some psychology there," Buchanan notes. What happens when she plays both on the same day? "Schizophrenia!" In between the daytime gigs, Buchanan headed for the bright lights of Hollywood for the pilot season. "I stayed with some friends in California and had what others called a fairly successful first pilot season," she says. "I tested for two great projects that I ultimately didn't get. To me, after working nonstop for three years, combined with being away from Gray (O'Brien, her fiance), it was a really difficult time." However, all was not lost, since she had some startling relelations about herself. "First, never say never; and second, I'm a better worker than non-worker. I wasn't able to relax in the non-working mentality at all," she explains. When she joined the cast of Bay City's diverse citizenry, Buchanan walked into a perfect example of art imitating life. Her alter-ego, Marley, is planning a December wedding, as is Buchanan, a fact she finds quite entertaining. "It's amusing now, but I'll probably find it pretty horrifying then. Taping weddings means long hours. I'll be exhausted by the time my own wedding rolls around. I'll learn something from Marley," she comments. Choosing between two of your favorite people is tough, but when pressed to say which twin she prefers, the actress concedes, "At this point, I feel without a doubt my choice would be Vicky because she can be as outrageous as she wants and still be vulnerable. She's an extraordinary character to play." There's one point, however, on which there's no equivocation or confusion for Buchanan: a commuter marriage is out of the question. Buchanan's fiance left his job at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange so that he could be with her in New York. Though she guards her private life, she makes no bones about saying that if Gray couldn't have left his job, she wouldn't have accepted the role on AW. "We've had a role reversal," she says. "Gray handles all the household matters. He's an incredible cook and you know what? He does it better than I do!"