SOD Interview
This week, Eve learns that she is being sent back to Port Charles -- yeehah! But wait. Before breaking out the bubbly and toasting to a reunited Kevin and Eve, let’s think about what’s transpired in her absence: Kevin has been drawing ever closer to old flame Lucy while tentatively forging a relationship with daughter Livvie. Then there’s the fact that good ‘ol Dr. Collins has been haunted by memories of the past (namely, an evil twin named Ryan) and seems close to a complete emotional meltdown. What’s more, he's been believing all along that Eve is dead! Will his grief send Kevin over the edge -- and into Lucy’s arms? And when Kevin is reunited with Eve, will questions of what happened between her and hunky hostage Ian get in the way of what should be a blissful reunion? Digest Online was just as curious as you are, so Jon Lindstrom (Kevin) filled us in on his alter ego’s troubled state, hopes for the future and PC’s exciting new storytelling format!
“Rather than heading off on some mystery to find out what happened -- which [the writers] could have done -- Kevin is just trying to get through the emotions that are wrecking his life right now." That’s an understatement. Last week “Doc” had an emotional breakdown on an elevator, and he seems unwilling to let anyone provide comfort in the aftermath of his wife’s “death.” But Lindstrom notes that there is at least one person in Port Charles who has been surprisingly helpful -- and until very recently, no one could have predicted that their relationship would get so warm and fuzzy so fast. “I don’t think [Kevin] expects Livvie to be a comfort, but in general, she is just that. He’s learning from moment to moment how to really be a father, and it’s a lot of touch and go for him. Really, he’s a lot more worried about the impact that he has on the people that are close to him than about how they can help him.”
In other words, Kevin has erected what seems to be an impregnable barrier between himself and anyone who wants to come to his “rescue” -- Lucy included. “She’s really been a great friend, but you’re going to find that Kevin doesn’t want to move any further with anyone. I’d like to see [Kevin and Lucy] recognize what they mean to each other,” Lindstrom adds, “but he’s afraid she would just get hurt [if they got more involved].
Which raises another question. This week Victor urges Kevin to reconcile with Lucy, and the couple finds themselves in a “tempting” situation. When asked if fireworks will ensue when Eve returns and romantic entanglements are brought to light -- and when told that many fans are less than thrilled about the potential breakup of the Collins marriage -- Lindstrom expertly spins the question. “I don’t think you can have good drama without complications,” he teases, “and the more we have to play across from each other, the better -- for us, and especially [for] the viewers. If people really want to see any couple in a happy, content situation, [this potential conflict] just gives them more to be ‘angst-y’ over -- and that just means people get sucked in and you’re doing good drama.” As for Kevin’s suspicions regarding what went on in Harris’s hideaway, Lindstrom says that Dr. Collins “will try to push aside his suspicions in favor of doing what’s right, which is getting rid of his own guilt over the situation.” This week it’s all about the fireworks, so look for old flames to spend more “quality” time together, and for burgeoning relationships to come to a crossroads.
INDUSTRY BUZZ: BEHIND THE SCREEN
As of December 1, viewers stopped watching “good old” Port Charles -- and started tuning into what is being hailed as an exciting, novel approach to daytime drama storytelling. Instead of slow builds and stories that play out over years, PC now features 12-week story arcs; each one is titled as a “book” with a new “chapter” set to debut each month. The first installment is appropriately titled Fate. The chapter which will air through the end of the month and focuses on the loves and lives of Kevin, Lucy, Eve, Ian, Livvie, Jack, Alison, Jamal, Joe and Gabriela is named Desire.
The new approach, which provides viewers with can’t-miss-a-minute action on a daily basis -- “every day a cliffhanger,” boast the innovative ads currently airing on ABC -- is the brainchild of executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers and new head writers Barbara Esensten and James Harmon Brown (previously of GL). Considering that Lindstrom is a GH and PC “veteran,” Digest Online was eager to get his take on the transition.
Digest Online: Daytime is always in transition, and PC has certainly been through it’s share of changes since its debut. Is it jarring to have new writers again?
Lindstrom: No, because so many people that were here before have stayed on, so it's made it a lot easier for the [new] writers, and these writers have really gone out of their way to understand the history. That's one way we were able to blend Ryan into the whole history, into the mix with Grace and everything. It hasn't felt jarring at all; in fact, it's felt really seamless and natural. Certainly things have picked up, which I'm glad about. Say you have a situation where somebody might get arrested for something: you usually spend three weeks talking about how awful it would be if that person got arrested. Just arrest him! Just get on with it! I think it's a much better storytelling format.
Digest Online: How has it been for you personally to revisit Kevin’s tortured past?
Lindstrom: It's been very gratifying for me to draw from that well of history, and I think for viewers -- especially new viewers -- who needed to know that history. I think they did a great job at putting that all together and condensing an encylopedia into an abridged edition, you know? [Laughs] I've had a great time playing it, because beneath all of it it was really just what Kevin was going through, and the Ryan stuff was really more of a sidebar. What was most gratifying to me is that I didn't have to dilute it with too many thoughts of Ryan. The bottom line is that Victor and [the other people in Kevin’s life] are trying to make him see the good things that he’s done and what he’s offered the people around him, but he doesn’t really want to hear that right now.
Digest Online: Do you think it will be difficult for viewers to get used to the new, quicker pace?
Lindstrom:Personally, I don't. I think the whole medium of television is in a state of flux right now, given that viewers have changed and their habits have changed. Television has to change with them. And if anything, I think we're just offering viewers something that's really more conducive to their viewing time and their viewing availability. When someone doesn't have to invest an entire year in a given storyline -- they only have to invest 12 weeks --I think it works out a lot better for them.
Digest Online: What I’ve noticed is a new commitment to advertising the show: commercials, print ads... And now fans can see video excerpts of the show the night before it airs [by logging on to www.abc.go.com]. Are you excited about the promotion for the show?
Lindstrom: Definitely. My father was in advertising for 30 years, and one thing I learned from him is you don't have anything to sell unless you let people know it's there! Those are basic rules that will always apply: you've got to let people know where you are and when you are and what you're about in order to get people to tune in. I think with the new advertising campaign comes a much higher awareness of what we're doing and what we're attempting to do; it gives people a much clearer idea of what they're tuning into, so they have some basis to draw upon before they even turn on the TV. I think that helps a lot.
Digest Online: Do you attribute the low ratings to poor marketing in the past?
Lindstrom: I think it really has more to do with the changing face of television and affiliates who probably got beat up pretty bad for 13 years, between Loving and The City, and were reluctant to put us on. We know that [with] all the marketing research, all the questions asked, all the VCRs whirring out there in America, that if we were on in basically the same time slot across the country -- meaning anywhere in the country you could turn us on and we'd be right up against All My Children or separated only by local news, as we are in L.A. -- our ratings would go up, and we'd probably jump up over three or four shows immediately. I mean, we know that! But it's a hard sell to try to convince the affiliates to play ball with that. I think as [our numbers] start to track up, they'll be convinced that maybe it's better to have new product in that time slot rather than Andy Griffith reruns.
Digest Online: Now that the book/chapter format is in place, not everyone will be featured in certain story arcs. Is there concern amongst the cast about being backburnered for long stretches?
Lindstrom: Well, having been backburnered several times in my life, I suppose there are always people who would take it personally. It's not personal. I'm fortunate enough to be front-burner leading up to it and front-burner throughout the first story. I don't know where that will leave me after February sweeps, but any actor in this business has to know that if you're only working three, four times a month, that's the best unemployment check you're ever gonna get! [Laughs] Go do some episodics -- do a play! Make use of the opportunity instead of sitting around complaining about it.
Digest Online: In general, what’s been the cast’s reaction to the new approach?
Lindstrom: So far, so good. I think we've all been used to a certain kind of storytelling; if you've done this for any length of time or done other shows, they're all basically told at about the same pace. So yeah, we've got to put on our track shoes and lace them up a little tighter in order to keep up ourselves [Laughs]. As a result, we end up shooting a lot of things out of order. It just compounds your workload that much more, but I think overall, everybody is really all for it. And we also know that there's going to be an awful lot of people in the industry watching this to see how it pans out, so it just spurs us to work that much harder and make it that much better.
Back To Articles Home