“Showing the world you’re having fun is what makes you stand
out.” (Soap Opera Update, November,
2000)
“I never considered myself that big of a loss when I left. And then suddenly I got more publicity after
I was gone than when I was on the show.
It’s really surprising.” (Soaps
In Depth, October 13, 1998, referring to playing Maria Santos Grey on All My
Children)
“Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-Kendall) is like my little sister,”
says LaRue Callahan. She calls John
G.P., short for Grandpa. He hates
it.” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th,
1998, speaking of Sarah Michelle Gellar, her best friend)
“It’s funny, because without AMC, never in a trillion years
would have had the opportunities that I’ve had. It was just an amazing experience. Yet, I feel really like before I have kids and settle down into
one spot or another, I just really want to play some other stuff.” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998, speaking
of All My Children)
“I loved AMC, and I loved the people there and the family there,
and I miss them desperately. But I
really feel like I owe it to myself to go out and do some other stuff. And even though the sitcom was missing the
part, it was something that I needed to do.
I just needed to get away from all of the crying and all the time on the
soap. On one hand, AMC was great
because they wrote really well for me.
But on the other hand, it was emotionally exhausting.” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998)
“I know it doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, they’re like,
‘Why doesn’t she just go back to where she was doing well.’ But, whether it makes sense to other people
or not, it makes sense to me, and it
makes sense to John. I really need to
just take two years and do other stuff.”
(Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998)
“We see Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos all the time!” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998,
speaking of best friend, Kelly Ripa, whose son Michael is Eva’s godson.)
“AMC has been so good to me.
If I was going to do another soap, I’m going to go back to the place
that I really love.” (Soaps In Depth,
October 13th, 1998, talking about
other soap job offers)
“Triangles are the best!
When John and I were working with Julia Barr, that was just the most
fun.” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th,
1998)
“I really learned a lot about what’s important. I have an amazing marriage, and I never had
that kind of relationship in my life before.
Nothing else in the world means as much to me as that. Anything
that would jeopardize that is not important.”
(Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998)
“I started to find, toward the end, that I was getting
emotionally tired from the storyline, and we were working so much that I didn’t
have any life. I just worked and went
home, worked and went home. And I felt myself
starting to get lazy. I needed to
infuse my life with some different characters and different situations. And the situations would have been good and
bad-bad because it’s just been so frustrating and anxiety-producing, but good
because I’ve learned a lot from that.
It certainly makes you appreciate what you had, not that I didn’t
appreciate it while I had it, because I did.”
(Soaps In Depth, October 13th, 1998)
“Leaving AMC was one of the hardest things that I ever did. You can ask John. I cried for months before I left AMC. It was so heartbreaking to me to leave there because I really,
really loved it. But, I knew for
myself, I needed to jumpstart myself creatively again, which is why I never ruled out going back. So it’s not really a matter of hitting it
big, or thinking that I might do features.
It’s just a matter of myself as an actress and feeding that part of
me.” (Soaps In Depth, October 13th,
1998)
“John and I sort of had this plan that we wanted to start having
kids in about two years. So we thought
that this would be the perfect time for me to go because if we had kids, there
would be no way I would be able to do this cross-country trek. It would be way too crazy for us.” (Soaps In Depth, October 21st, 1997)
“It’s really tough for us because we’re so used to spending all
of our time together. We worked
together, we had all of our scenes together, and we lived together.” (Soaps In Depth, October 21st, 1997)
“He wasn’t ready to leave.
And it seemed smarter that he should stay. That sort of freed me up to be able to wander for a couple of
years with one of having a base.”
(Soaps In Depth, October 21st, 1997, speaking of John leaving All My Children)
“Every leading lady in Hollywood should be worried. Eva will be a major film star because she
will achieve anything she wants.”
(Soaps In Depth, October 21st, 1997, says best friend, Kelly Ripa)
“I wanted to display these things because they’re all so
beautiful. (Gifts Eva received for her
daughter at the baby shower) The
antique silver frame holding a photo of Kaya in her bath towel is a gift from
Sarah Michelle Gellar. Susan Lucci gave
Kaya the silver engraved baby cup and the Steiff teddy bear holding it.” (Eva LaRue in 2002, First For Women
Magazine)
“Kelly Ripa threw me a baby shower at the Russian Tea Room and I
thought that was her present to me, but at Christmastime, she sent me this
bassinet filled with bathing suits, sundresses, and sweater sets,” Eva
says. “It’s covered in ruffled layers
of fabric to back the armoire doors.”
(Eva LaRue in 2002, First For Woman Magazine)
“When it became frighteningly real was when they found had found
an anthrax scare at AMC. I was getting
ready to visit the set that day, to say hi to everybody. But John called to say, ‘Don’t come. They found powder in the bathroom.’ (This was later learned to be a false
alarm) “But you can’t live your life in
fear. If you do, they win. So we decided to look forward to the ‘life’
of it all, instead of the death and despair.”
(Eva discussing having a 911 baby, Soaps in Depth, January 2002)
“Kelly (Ripa) has had two C-sections now. She said she’s ‘used to them’ and thinks
they’re ‘great’. Kelly thinks they’re
great because you get drugs and all that. I think for the first child, you want to try to do it
yourself. But Kelly said by the second
one, you’re like, ‘Ah, bring on the drugs!’”
(Eva LaRue, Soaps in Depth, January 2002)
“John and I took a hypnotherapy class. We watched a program about it on The Learning Channel, and these
women who had done hypnotherapy were in the worst throes of labor, but
they were laying there calm and quiet, like they were in a trance. I thought ‘Hey, anything to make the pain
tolerable would be great.’” (Eva
LaRue, Soaps in Depth, January 2002)
“She threw my shower in New York City, at the Russian Tea Room,
for 40 women! She went above and beyond
to call of friendship with this thing.
I was like, ‘Holy smokes!’ Susan
(Lucci) drove down almost two hours, from Foxwoods (Casino, in Connecticut),
where she was opening for Regis Philbin.
That was really great of her.
Poor Kelly worked on this thing for a month, but was sick as a dog that
weekend. Luckily, I had my camcorder
with me!” (Eva discusses her baby
shower, other guests were Julia Barr and Sarah Gellar, Soaps in Depth, January
2002)
“I didn’t not want to have a baby. I knew I wanted to eventually have one, but
I didn’t know when would be the right time.
I guess there really is no perfect time to have one, so I was trying to
mentally prepare myself for it. Now
that I have her, I can’t believe I didn’t have her sooner.” (Eva LaRue discusses daughter, Soap Opera
Digest, May 2002)
“I really thought I was going to be having a boy because
everybody said ‘If you have a girl, you’re going to be really sick. If you have a girl, you’re going to carry it
a certain way.’ And I didn’t carry in a
certain way. I carried like a boy. I was leaning a tiny bit toward girl and
John was leaning a tiny bit toward a boy.
But I was all ready for it if I had a boy because everybody kept telling
me I was going to have a boy. (Eva
LaRue discusses the sex of her baby, Soap Opera Digest, May 2002)
(Unlike Maria, LaRue had an easy delivery) “I actually had a good time. We were laughing—well, I had some incredible drugs. They gave me an epidural the moment I walked in the door. From that point on, John was videotaping and we were laughing. I made him tape from the side. I was like ‘I don’t want pictures of a big…hoohaw! I want other people to be able to watch this without going, ‘Oh my God.’” (Eva LaRue discussing delivery, Soap Opera Digest, May 2002)
“If I hadn’t been there and pushed her out myself, I would
really have serious questions about her being mine. There are times I look at her and think, ‘You don’t look like
mine, but I love you to pieces, and I’ll take care of you forever.’ I love her more than anything in the world
and would do anything to protect her.’”
(Eva LaRue, Soap Opera Digest, May 2002)
“When I left the show, I was really tired. It’s a catch-22, because as an actor, you
want the big, fabulous, emotional storyline.
But then when you get it, you’re exhausted because three days a week,
you have to come in and cry. (Recalls
Maria’s life) I couldn’t have a baby…I
slept with my brother in law, then didn’t know whose child I was carrying, I
had the baby, then saw it get stolen.
My God! I was emotionally burnt
out by the time I left. I needed a
break.” (Eva LaRue, Soaps in Depth, May
2002)
“You know, we all go into the business thinking, ‘I’ll be it! I’ll be Julia Roberts! But there is only one Julia
Roberts. So you try, but you don’t get
where you want to get.” (Eva LaRue,
Soaps in Depth, May 2002)
“It is amazing to be so madly in love with somebody that you
totally don’t know, starting the second they come out. It’s the only relationship in your life that
you do backwards; instead of liking somebody then falling in love with them,
you love this person intensely from the moment you see them. Her personality shoes up in little bits
every day. You’re like ‘Oh, I like that
about you! That is gong to be neat
about you!” (Eva LaRue about Kaya,
Soaps in Depth, May 2002)
“It has definitely brought John and I closer. Not only does he adore her, but we call her
‘John Jr.’ because if you break down her little features, they look like mine,
but when you look at her whole face, it’s all John.” (Eva LaRue about John and Kaya, Soaps in Depth, May 2002)
“Sarah is still a huge fan of the show. She never misses an episode. And she is always brainstorming
storylines. So she said, ‘What if
someone found Maria and Pygmalioned her? What if you were now married and had kids with somebody who
reprogrammed you to be the person he wanted you to be?’ ‘That’s fabulous! It’d be fun if I was completely different from the Maria
everybody knows.’” (Eva and best friend
Sarah Michelle Gellar think of Maria storylines, Soaps in Depth, May 2002)
Eva
LaRue Callahan’s TV Guide Online Interview, 2002
Maria, All My Children
Eva LaRue Callahan is back on All My Children in her signature role
of Maria Santos-Grey, but take note: Maria has changed. Gone is the
devoted doctor whose love for Edmund Grey could never be rocked. In
her place is a woman who can't recall her past, struggling to piece
together a life she can't remember as the free spirit she's
inevitably become.
The
transformation of character is a nice compliment to Callahan's real life
changes. She and husband John Callahan, AMC's Edmund,
welcomed their first child, Kaya McKenna, into the world in December.
Callahan has also forged ahead into the song writing business,
working with a good friend to pen a theme song for Maria and Edmund.
But one thing hasn't changed, her loyalty and respect for work done
on AMC. TV Guide Online caught up with the very busy actress to talk
about her return, her music and the joys of motherhood. — Delaina
Dixon
Why was the timing never right to return to AMC before now?
Storyline-wise,
I was thinking maybe Edmund would hook up with
another female character, and I could come back and ruin their
marriage. (Chuckles) I was doing other things; I was recurring on
Third Watch and Soul Food, I was spending time with my family in
California, and I was having a good time. But when I learned I was
pregnant, I felt I needed to be home. There was always a chance I
could land a job in Los Angeles, and then I would have to be bi-
coastal.
Is that what made you come back?
I
was missing the show, and the storyline was getting good between
Brooke and Edmund, so I thought it would be the perfect time to
return.
I'm sure you were courted by other soaps during your hiatus. Was
there ever a thought of returning to any show other than AMC?
I
had always said if I go back, it would be to AMC. They had been so
good to me; they had let me do two movies of the week while I was
there. My husband is there. And I love the character Maria.
There were no other temptations?
Actually,
I was offered the role of Rosanna on As the World Turns.
Cady McClain, who played Dixie on AMC, is now playing that character.
It happened a month before I called AMC to tell them I was interested
in coming back. ATWT's executive producer, Chris Goutman, who had
been a director on AMC, called and offered me the job. He
said, "Don't worry, we'll make it a recurring role so you can do
other projects." Every actor wants to hear that. But I couldn't do
that to AMC. If they had found me on the street, I think they would
have buried a stake in my heart.
That would have been very interesting casting.
It
is interesting how people get cast. When I first auditioned for
AMC, Daisy Fuentes was up for the role. I had auditioned for the
parts of Gloria, Lauren and Kendall, and I didn't get them. AMC
said, "We tested you in all these roles, and we'd think you'd be
perfect for Maria, would you like the job?" And that's how that
happened. Who knows? Would John have ended up married to Daisy
Fuentes? I think it was meant to be.
How has AMC changed since you left five years ago?
The
faces of the cast have definitely changed. Teresa Blake (ex-
Gloria), Sydney Penny (ex-Julia) and Sarah Michelle Gellar (ex-
Kendall), all these people I started with are gone. We were like a
big frat house starting out on the soaps. Finola Hughes (Anna) is the
new fun person, and Kelly Ripa (Hayley) is still there. I'm getting
to know people all over, and I'm making new friends. I was nervous
coming back, but everyone was so welcoming.
Are you back in the same dressing room?
I'm
back in the one Sarah Michelle Gellar and I shared. It's my
little baby shrine and husband shrine. I have this picture of Kaya
and I in there. She's near my face, and we're looking off to the
side. It was taken during a photo shoot. I asked the photographer if
he could do a couple of shots at the end of the roll, and Kaya just
jumped into the picture with me. We were looking at someone on the
side who was trying to make her laugh and smile. It's very candid and
really captures the moment.
Now that you're back, how are you making the new Maria different from the
Maria we knew before the plane crash?
The one thing that has changed is that she is free to be capricious.
Maria was very grounded and responsible and loyal. She would never do
anything out of context. Now that she's been stripped of all her
responsibilities, she can be who she wants to be day to day. She can
make some funky choices, which she's already started to do.
Such as?
I
end up in a compromising position with someone. When I did it, I
thought, "That's not Maria." Then I thought, "Yes, that's not
Maria.
It's a product of who she is now."
Was it surprising to learn that David was behind Maria's extended
disappearance from Pine Valley?
When
I first read the script where I called David, I was shocked. I
had no idea I knew David — or vice versa. Vincent Irizarry [who plays
David] left me a message to call him so we could figure out how we
knew each other. That rarely happens to us in daytime. You see a
storyline coming a zillion miles away. This was really fun for both
of us, not knowing our connection, and the plot twist of my cell
phone ending up Anna's hands.
You came back just as Brooke and Edmund were getting married. Did you call
Julia Barr, who plays Brooke, to apologize for busting in on her
marriage?
Julia
knows that if anyone on a soap gets happily married, they've
got no story. There's nothing better than a little controversy.
With Maria no longer thinking she's Maria, is it possible that she
could find a new love?
Possibly...
The fans are so happy with the possibility that Edmund
and Maria could be getting back together. But there's a real strong
Edmund/Brooke fan base, too. I'm sure they're saying, "Maria, go find
someone else!"
Would you like to see more Santoses return to Pine Valley?
Yes. I know there's one sister [Anita] that pops up as a recast from
time to time. I saw Sydney Penny at Sarah Michelle Gellar's
engagement party a few months ago. She's from California, like me,
and she's been doing a cable show that shoots in Paris and Montreal.
Now she's back home with her family, and she's really not interested
in living on the East Coast again. She wouldn't mind doing daytime
again, but I don't think we'll see her on AMC.
You recently wrote a theme song for Maria and Edmund.
During the
Emmys, John and I had talked about how the soaps don't use
a lot of real music. I thought that it would be great if Maria and
Edmund had their own theme song. John said, "What type of theme song
would that be: 'I don't know who I am?'" (Chuckles) I suggested that
we should try to write one. We tossed the idea around, and I got the
nerve to call a really dear friend of mine, Clay Ostwald, who's part
of Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine.
It was a collaboration?
At
first, I wondered if calling Clay and asking to write song
together was the equivalent of him calling me and asking for a job at
AMC. I didn't want to put our friendship on the line. John
said, "Tell him what you just told me." I called him, and he said it
was a fabulous idea. I wrote down Maria and Edmund's whole storyline
and he came up with a really beautiful song.
What's it called?
"Love
Me Once Again." There was an episode of Oprah that got more
mail than any other show, and it was about women who had lost their
identity within a marriage. They were so busy being a wife and a mom,
they had no idea who they were anymore. A friend of mine went through
that; she woke up and didn't know who she was anymore. She and her
husband had changed so much for the relationship, they had to fight
to remember why they originally fell in love. That's what the song is
about.
What do you do in your own marriage to keep it on track?
When John
and I notice that we are getting too serious and we're not
laughing enough, we realize that we have to get away from the stuff
that can weigh you down at the house. We take a weekend away to get
back to just us, to laugh together.
Your baby Kaya McKenna is 9 months old. What has been the most
unexpected and joyous part of motherhood?
There's
nothing in the world like hearing her giggle, no sound like
it. When she laughs, it makes me want to cry joyous tears because
it's the most magical sound I've ever heard. She's so funny and her
little personality is coming out. You can see she's the product of
two actors.
Do you bring Kaya to the set?
I
try to bring her on days that I don't have a heavy storyline,
because it's hard to be torn between being a mommy and concentrating
on lines. They are both full-time jobs. There's a funny thing that
happens when you become a mom. Being pregnant and giving birth makes
you forget things. Memorization for me now is so hard, but maybe my
brain has just atrophied.
Do you and Kelly Ripa exchange baby tips?
She
keeps telling me about when [her son] Michael did this and when
[her daughter] Lola did that, so I'm gauging my own on hers. Michael
was so brilliant as a baby, he started saying words at four months.
He's really an intelligent child.
Does John get up in the middle of the night to help with the baby?
He's very
good in the morning; he's always gotten up earlier than me.
So he gets up, changes her, feeds her and gives her a morning bottle.
The two of them read The New York Times together until I get up.
Do you think you and John will expand your family?
Eventually. I'm
going to definitely wait until Kaya goes to preschool
so I can have some alone time with the next one. Right now, if
someone else's child is sitting in my lap, Kaya will climb over his
or her face to get to me. She's protective. The next one is going to
have some big sister to contend with.
(End
of Article)
When
It Aired: August 11, 1997
What Happened: To write off an exiting Eva La Rue (Maria), AMC
staged an elaborate plane crash that left Maria trapped under a twist
of metal - and perilously close to the edge of a cliff, over which
she would soon plunge to her presumed death. When Maria stirred, she
begged Brooke (Julia Barr) to whisk her infant daughter, Maddie, away
to safety.
What Made It Memorable: Two great actresses and a dynamic, tear-
jerking premise: Maria bravely saying a final goodbye to her beloved
baby girl.
Eva La Rue Recalls: "The set was amazing; they used half of the
studio floor for the plane wreckage and the cliff it was supposed to
go off of. But, oh, my God, was that scene hard to do. The whole
thing was ridiculously emotional for me because I was so torn about
leaving; I didn't know if I would be coming back, and John [Callahan,
Edmund, her husband] was still there…..
Because of my own emotions, every moment of that scene was especially
heart breaking. Plus, I think whenever there's a baby involved, it
brings out an emotion that you don't have when you're working with
adults. Your heart suddenly jumps completely into the scene. Even
when they show it in a flashback, it immediately transports me back
to what I was feeling in the moment. I can usually only watch a few
seconds."
What You Didn't See On Screen: "When it came time for the explosion
that sent the plane over the cliff, they told me, `We're going to
give you a cue to react to the explosion behind your head,' La Rue
laughs. "I said, `Uh, is there gonna be an explosion behind my head?'
They said, `Don't worry, its gonna be really small.' But through the
little plane window behind me, I saw all the pyrotechnic guys setting
it up. I started to get a little panicky, but I told myself, `stay
calm, they just said its no big deal.' So, it was `5, 4, 3, 2.….' and
then WHOOOOSH! This HUGE explosion. I swear it singed my eyelashes.
There was no need for them to cue me; I was like `I’m Michael Jackson
back here! My hair is burning off!'"
(End
of Article)
Maria
and Edmund's surprise wedding sparks a search for the perfect
dress…
ALL MY CHILDREN's Edmund and Maria had one last obstacle to conquer
before remarrying: finding the perfect dress for their impromptu
nuptials, airing June 16.
"We didn't want it to look too much like a traditional
wedding dress," explains AMC costume designer Richard Schurkamp, who went
in search of something "more spur-of-the-moment." We tried on
some traditional wedding dresses, which just didn't seem right," echoes
Eva La Rue (Maria).
"She tried on a Donna Karan dress, which was not white, but
what a pretty style," continues Schurkamp. "The minute she put
that on - even though it was the wrong color - we both knew instantly that was
it. Its ties and wraps around any number of ways, depending on how you
want to wear it; she pulled the halter off her shoulders and it looked really
pretty."
"Its very Greek Goddessish," marvels La Rue.
"It was this funky beige color, so Richard took it and had it remade in
white, and it worked brilliantly."
The finishing touch? "She was wearing beautiful gold
sandals by Ralph Lauren," adds Schurkamp.
The
ensemble garnered a thumbs-up from La Rue's co-star (and real life hubby) John
Callahan (Edmund). "I don't know who the designer was, I just know
that that person deserves a raise," he laughs. "She looked
absolutely stunning. I didn't have to act much."
This spontaneous ceremony contrast with Edmund and Maria's
previous marriage, which Schurkamp also had a hand in. "The first
time, we were going for the full-on storybook wedding," he recalls.
"There were bridesmaids and guests, and it was shot on location."
Women everywhere can duplicate Maria's latest look - just not in
white. "Its in stores right now," Schurkamp reports.
"Any department store that carries a good selection of Donna Karan or the
Donna Karan stores themselves - im sure most of them will have it."
La Rue's enthusiasm for the dress is unbounded. "I
just love the dress," she sequels. "Love, love, love it."
(End
of Article)
Back to Eva Quotes
"I'd
be Carly from GH. Carly is really feisty and ballsy, and yet she's got
this vulnerable side. This has everything to do with the actress who
plays her…I steal from Tamara Braun often. I watch her scenes, which are
so nicely done, and say, `I must make a note to myself to apply this to my
performances.'" (Soaps in Depth, June, 2003)
Eva
La Rue and John Callahan are getting pretty good at walking down
the aisle. Aside from being married in real life, this is their
characters' third wedding.
"I remember both," La Rue recalls of her fictional nuptials.
"For the vow-renewal, Maria wore a beautiful pearlescent, baby greenish
dress. It was an evening gown. When they got married the first
time, Richard Schurkamp (AMC's costume designer) made this strapless gown and a
beautiful winter coat, because they got married in the winter, in the snow, on
Long Island. We got married on the show before we got married in real
life, so it was a nice dress rehearsal. We ended up getting married about
a year later."
For the real ceremony, La Rue and Callahan opted for warmer
climes. "We got married in Hawaii on the island of Lanai and brought
20 of our closest friends and family. That was amazing," beams La
Rue. "We got married on this tiny little island that was surrounded
by water. It was gorgeous - not to be believed and totally
magical." (Soap Opera Weekly,
June, 2003)