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ABCStar: Hi everyone. This is ABCTim. Genie is running just a few minutes late but will be with us momentarily.
OnlineHost: Welcome! This afternoon we're talking with Genie Francis, who plays Laura Spencer on GH. As portrayed by Genie, Laura has become one of the most beloved characters in daytime television. This year, Genie was voted Outstanding Lead Actress at the Soap Opera Awards and also received her first Emmy nomination. Welcome Genie!
ABCStar: This is ABCTim and I'll be typing for Genie who is on the phone from Los Angeles. From now on, all the words will be hers. We'll take the first question in just a moment.
Question: You are such an amazing actress - I don't think I've ever seen a better "crier" before. Is it hard for you to cry on cue? (it doesn't look like it!) -jenny
ABCStar: No. It's not hard for me. Not at all.
Question: I have watched you as Laura in every single episode you have been in and you continue to move me and light up my screen. I was wondering what you see Laura doing in the future and also how do you feel about the actors and the cast you work with on GH?
ABCStar: I'm lucky to be surrounded by the strong and professional cast that I am. They are all dear friends.
ABCStar: I can't answer about Laura's future right now because I'm too wrapped up in what Laura is doing now. She wants to be a mother to Nikolas, Lucky,and LuLu. It's a very compelling moment for Laura right now. There is so much more with this story that i can't look beyond it.
Question: As much as I have always loved GH, do you ever regret being so completely associated with Laura, instead of any of your other work?
ABCStar: It's a blessing and a curse. I love to act. I would like to continue to evolve as an actress. Sometimes, I think that being so associated with Laura does prevent that for me, being able to be seen in other parts.
Question: Do you miss the wild and wonderful adventures that Luke and Laura used to go on, compared to how mundane their lives have become? ABCStar: I miss the humor. The fun that the characters used to have. I don't think it has to remain that way. It's just that the writers haven't focused on that aspect of Luke & Laura.
Question: Will you be at emmys?
ABCStar: I hope to God I will be. My due date is June 6. My doctor said I will probably have the baby between May 28 and June 2. If I'm physically able to make the trip. I will be there!
Question: Did you meet Jonathan on North and South? I loved that mini-series.
ABCStar: We met on Bare Essence. I was about 19. We didn't date or have anything to do with each other. He always made fun of my hair. When I did North and South, I was 22. At that point, we became smitten.
Question: When you are off the set do you get bored or do you have fun with other actresses/actors?
ABCStar: When I'm not at work, I'm with my child. When I'm not doing Laura, I'm doing mommy.
Question: Genie I hope you win the Emmy I think you are an outstanding actress and this recognition is long over due..What do you think your chances are?.... Good Luck... Sandra
ABCStar: Thank you.
Question: Do you enjoy the current Cassadine storyline on GH or are you ready for other storylines again?
ABCStar: I like the Cassadine story. There is a lot left there to glean from the situation.
Question: Is there a chance that you would ever reprise your role as Ceara on All My Children? I remember she died on Loving but soap characters don't stay dead.
ABCStar: I loved working on AMC and I would happily return to appear on that show to play any character.
Question: What is going to happen with Laura/Nikolas?
ABCStar: The honest truth is that I don't know yet.
Question: I was wondering if Genie was a Star Trek fan before Jonathan took the role of Riker on Star Trek The Next Generation.
ABCStar: Yes. I was practically raised on that show. My father watched it and I watched it as a kid.
Question: Do you have any names planned for your 2nd child?
ABCStar: We might go with Elizabeth.
Question: The characters of Laura & Monica used to be so close. Do you miss working with Leslie Charleson and wish that you, Denise and Leslie had more scenes together ..
ABCStar: I always love working with the old pros. All the people i worked with when I started as a teenager. I'll always be 14 to them.
Question: I would like to know if Ms Francis will be doing any acting with her husband in the near future???
ABCStar: I'm sure that we will. We don'y have anything planned at the moment. We did an episode of Lois and Clark together and we felt like we were more on vacation than actually working
Question: Do you like Tony Geary's new haircut?
ABCStar: I love his new haircut. He looks great with it shorter.
Question: Will Luke and Laura cross over to GH2 occassionally?
ABCStar: There are no plans for Luke & Laura to crossover at the moment.
Question: Are you excited about your chances of winning an Emmy?
ABCStar: I am thrilled to be nominated. That is something i never thought would happen to me.
Question: As a mother, how did you feel about Luke's treatment of Nikolas, and the way that Laura went along with it all?
ABCStar: I felt that Luke was too hard on Laura and on Nikolas.
Question: Do you and Anthony Geary get along off set very well?
ABCStar: Yes, we are very close friends.
Question: Did you ever think the L&L wedding would become the most watched wedding ever?
ABCStar: Absolutely not. I had no idea that it would follow me for the next 20 years.
Question: Would you like to see Nikolas and Laura have a closer relationship?
ABCStar: Of course.
Question: Are you planning on doing any TV movies in the future? I think you are wonderful in them.
ABCStar: I hope to do something different sometime but I have no plans right now.
Question: I have to ask this, at the soap opera awards, were you a little nervous,it looked like you were?
ABCStar: I was more than a little nervous. I was shaking in my boots. I have such a fear of speaking in front of people. I was so glad to be nominated but wondered what I would do if I won.
Question: Are you happy you've been reunited with your mother on the show?
ABCStar: Very happy. That was one of the things I asked them to do.
ABCStar: The core of Laura was her yearning to belong to a family. That's what I built the character on. I am very happy to see Laura with Lesley again.
Question: Dear Ms. Francis, I have been watching GH since 1980 and would like to know if in all your years have the writters ever asked your input on any of the story lines?
ABCStar: Yes. Only recently with this past return, not when I was a kid. They consult with me now. I think it's great because essentially, Laura is new to them but she's not new to me.
Question: Genie, Congrats. on your Emmy nomination! I really admire you a lot. Did you ever get the flowers I sent you when you were on Rosie? and will you be able to attend the Emmy's??
ABCStar: Yes, thank you.
Question: Hi Genie, I have been watching GH for 25 yrs and you have always been my favorite character, my question is, Do you know what sex your baby is and have you decided on the name.
ABCStar: It's a little girl and I think we will go with Elizabeth.
Question: Has having children made you want to slow down as an actress?
ABCStar: Having childen has slowed me down in everything! Until I saw my son's face, I thought acting was the most beautiful thing in the world. I was always be an actress but now i want to focus on my children. There will be a time when they don't need me as much and then, I will focus back on myself.
Question: Is it easier or more difficult having an actor as a husband?
ABCStar: I don't know anything else. Even my father was an actor. To me, this is just normal.
Question: Did you enjoy your time on AMC as Ceara?
ABCStar: Very much. I loved that show.
Question: What were your first thoughts when you were informed that your character was going to be involved in a storyline where you had "abandoned" a child 16 years ago to the Cassadines
ABCStar: That storyline was my idea. We had never fully explored or expalined where Laura was for those years. I thought that it would be wonderful for a character to have this kind of secret. This makes her very human for me. I wanted her to be human, not a role model. That fact that she was hiding this secret accomplished that.
ABCStar: We have time for one more question.....
Question: I saw you in a movie with Marcy Walker. Are there any differeces between acting in a movie and in a soap.
ABCStar: Acting in a movie is a lot more tedious. I'm used to daytime where we do a lot of material quickly. In one take. It is a very slow pace in film. I get a little bored with it.
ABCStar: Let's take another question since we started a little late...
Question: What is your favorite kind of music and food?
ABCStar: Motown and Italian.
Question: Mrs. Francis, Congrats on winning best actress and being nominated again, along with the other nominees for GH. I have watched GH for 3 yrs running. I love the bone marrow story line and loved how you,Luke and Lucky loved her, tell us how hard that was?
ABCStar: It was hard for me as a mother, having a child that same age. I basically held back playing any reality of the situation until we taped it and then I tried to drop it as quickly as possible afterward. It was painful material.
ABCStar: This is ABCTim again. Genie wants to thank all of you for joining her today. She had a great time and promised to come back again.
ABCStar: Thanks for joining us!