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(Continued)
Much harder for the audience to buy was the faking of Laura's death.
GF: [Deep sigh] Puhleeze.
But you still made it work with your performance, even though the idea totally sucked.
TG: We were both miserable through that.
GF: You asked me when was our worst time on the show? Well, that was one. All of a sudden I had absolutely no idea who Laura was. It was very frustrating for me. I get very depressed when I'm in a situation like that because I love her so much. When I'm standing there saying things I can't connect with in my gut -- when I don't get it -- I have a very hard time. What's worse, the major part of that story was left off-camera. You couldn't even say, "Now wait a minute, Laura wouldn't do this, Laura wouldn't say this," because so much of what was wrong wasn't actually seen. We had no idea what the writer had us doing.
TG: Right.
GF: And they didn't come and tell me or explain to me that that was going to be the story.
TG: And then if you had a complaint or a question about the script, there'd be a new answer every day.
But you made it play. Crappy plot twists like that could and would have defeated most other actors.
GF: It's our job to make it the best we can possibly make it -- sometimes kicking and screaming, but we'll do it. I don't think Laura would have ever agreed to fake her death, nor would Luke. I attempted to save it with ad-libs like, "I tried to stop it but it was too late." You try to fill in things to make it make internal sense to you and then continue on with what's written. But that was very annoying.
TG: I just had to work with the idea that Luke felt completely trapped and did not have a good idea -- he had to go with this really bad plan. 'Cause no way would he have done it otherwise. There were so many other things he might have done in that situation before [laughs wearily] faking her death.
GF: And for what? I was dead for, like, two weeks.
TG: By the time we realized what the story really was about, there was so much already shot that you couldn't complain.
GF: That's exactly it.
TG: [Eyes narrowing] They were so wise about that. They didn't tell us anything until it was done. So then all you can do is go, "OK, I'm in the middle of a really bad plan here -- I'm just going to push ahead." But we do go crazy.
GF: Yeah, we do. We get really upset because we have certain standards that we want to uphold.
TG: It's very hard to stand in your own shadow.
GF: It is. Protecting the integrity of our characters is a constant battle for us, a daily battle. Sometimes people think we're difficult because of that, but we're only difficult because we want to live up to the high standards we've set. [Laughs.] I actually like it when Tony gets out of line. [They both laugh.] His bad behavior is very entertaining. He can go to horrid places I can't.
TG: We are the protectors of a franchise; that's the way I feel about it. The Spencer franchise. I'm always looking to how we stay relevant and how we keep these characters from being destroyed by bad writing or bad choices.
GF: Don't you think that we are the bastard children of show business? We on soap operas are so made fun of that if we don't fight for our integrity, nobody else will. Twenty years without a nomination? It's up to me to keep myself motivated, it's up to me to maintain my integrity -- never mind if nobody else is noticing what I'm doing.
TG: Exactly.
GF: It's up to me! On one of the soaps I've worked on, an actor raised an issue over a glaring character error -- something that was completely out of character -- and I heard a director say, "Don't worry, she's ironing." Meaning that the viewer wasn't paying that close attention. And that is an attitude that makes me grow fangs. I can't and won't go there as an actor, as an artist. I didn't become an actor to adopt that attitude. If you have that attitude, go home -- just go home! Because every day should be our absolute best -- we owe the audience that, we owe ourselves that.
Yet we see so many actors phoning it in after a time. With you two, the layers of character just keep getting peeled and peeled. Genie, you are emotionally bottomless -- just when we think you've gotten as deep and raw as it's possible to get, you take us someplace else. You, Tony, have always been a very free actor but you're now operating effortlessly on some almost supernatural level of creative freedom. We rarely see this kind of thrilling evolution, and we love knowing that you'll keep taking us to places we didn't know existed -- provided Miss Francis returns.
GF: I will return. I just don't know when.
I'm holding you to that. I've got it on tape! So why is this so rare? What -- individually and collectively -- is your secret here?
GF: I think the kind of people you're talking about -- the ones who sort of hit a plateau -- are stars. I consider myself a real blue-collar actor. There's no big fuss over soap-opera people. We're really pretty much snickered at. We're like the country-music stars. It's true. We're snickered at! You have to truly love what you do and be totally self-motivated. I do this for me -- and for the woman who comes up on the street and hugs me and cries and says, "You know, I'll never forget that moment when Laura put the star on the Christmas tree. I can't even put it into words!" I do it for those reasons. It's a personal love -- because that they can never take away from me.
TG: I concur. I love my character no matter what turns the plot takes. This character has taken a great deal of my life and he has given a great deal to my life. There's a lot of blood on floors because of Luke Spencer. And I'm not a star, either. [Laughs.] I may have some star power -- "ferocious star power" you said in TV Guide, which I really liked -- but I'm a journeyman actor who never expected all this. I've approached this part the same way I would any other. I'd be just as much a pain in the ass in a play or a movie. And that's because I'm doing this to express the stuff that doesn't get expressed in life. That's why I'm here.
And now you both have these roles and this show in a different perspective. You're not going to leave to seek big-screen or prime-time success, you're not seeing this as a springboard to something else. You're free of all that now.
TG: Exactly. I'm not here trying to get a job. This is my job. This is what I do and, sure, if a great play or movie came along, great. But I'm not waiting for it. I don't expect it. I don't interview for jobs, I don't audition for them. I have my job, and it's a good one. With all its heartaches and annoyances, this is still a great situation. I value it and hope it lasts.
GF: Part of the beauty of having been through that "looking for a prime-time series" ride is that I'm now in a much more real place in my life. I want to be good at what I do and challenged, and I want to continue to evolve -- and as long as I can do those things in daytime, I'll be here. I don't think I'm going to be a movie star anymore. I don't care if I am or not. I just want to continue to see what I'm made of. To see how good I can be.
Well, thanks, guys. You've been very generous with your time.
GF: Oh, could I say one more thing?
Shoot.
GF: There is something else at work here that is beyond me -- and that is Laura. She has a life of her own. There is a magic in her. The muse is in her. And I'm lucky to have her in my life.