// OLTL Resources Interview With Melissa //
Melissa Archer's slightly late for her Digest interview at Josephina's on Manhattan's Upper West Side, but when she gets caught behind a slow walker on her way to the table, she doesn't shove her way forward. Despite what many fans think, Archer is nothing like the character she plays on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, the terminally-insecure, often-nasty Natalie, who came to town in July and dropped a bomb: She, not Jessica, was Viki's biological daughter. And, shockingly enough, she was right.

Unfortunately, all of that bad behavior has made her the newest love-to-hate character amongst fans ... and not all of them include the "love" part. "A couple of people who think it's real say, 'I hope Seth leaves you and goes to Jessica and you're all alone and how can you be so mean to her?' Gee, thanks." But Archer's taking it in stride. "It's pretty hysterical." And she's enjoying herself so far: "I'm loving it. It's awesome."

Co-star and on-screen "mom," Erika Slezak (Viki) has proven to be a wonderful mentor, too. "She really knows her stuff." Though early on, Archer admits, her scenes made her feel a little uncomfortable: "There were some scenes where I was so bratty! At the end I wanted to go apologize to everybody."

Soaps, says the actress, who grew up in Texas but has had a yen for the stage and California (New York being merely a stop off) for years, are a logical training ground for where she really wants to be - in the movies. "I've always felt pulled towards soaps," she explains. "It's like going to acting class and getting paid for it."

And in that long-ahead future, where she gets to act with her choice of co-stars, who would she choose? Naturally, Archer goes right for the best: "Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro." Sounds about right to us.