SOD: So, this is a first. A Father's Day interview with a deceased dad and his two living kids.
Stuart Damon (laughing): I'm just happy to be here, no matter what dimension I'm in.
SOD: How did you all react when the news surfaced of Alan's impending death?
Steve Burton: I love Stuart. He means a lot to me. I was shocked. There's not many times I'm shocked when somebody's let go because a lot of times you can see it coming or you hear rumblings. Here, I was shocked.
Natalia Livingston: We all were in shock. And I was so happy to hear that Stuie was coming back as a ghost. I couldn't have been happier.
Damon: It was a hell of a shock, but maybe it turned out for the best. I've got a whole new life now. I feel like I have such freedom playing this character now, and I have such fun. It's like having a brand new life on GH after 30 years. I don't know how long they're going to use me, but people love the character. He is valuable.
SOD: It must have been difficult to tape the scenes of Alan's death.
Damon: They were killers.
Livingston: It was tough, very challenging. But because I'm very close with my own father, it was easy to imagine what it would be like if my father was in trouble like that. I thought the scenes turned out really well.
Damon: I think that was wonderfully written. The level of emotion between Natalia and me during those scenes was gut wrenching. With Steve, I had to put myself in a different place because I had to lie still and it had to appear like I wasn't breathing. I had to disappear within myself, so I literally couldn't hear the things he was saying. Because Steve is such a sensitive human being, it would have been impossible for me to listen to that kind of dialogue without me being affected. I really had to have myself in a different place in order to get through that.
Burton: If it was a regular scene (in which Alan was still alive) he and I would have been bawling like two ladies at a movie. I'm glad Stuart was sleeping during those. (laughs)
SOD: Alan's already haunting Tracy. Would you like to see him appear to his kids, as well?
Livingston: I'd love for her to have some scenes with her father. Emily's always having a crisis so they would be some wonderful scenes. Especially with Steve's character. If he were to appear to Jason and help him somehow, it would be a great opportunity.
Damon: Believe me, that scenario is not far from my mind. The very fact that he died before Jason had a chance to say good-bye. Where you could go is just fantastic. I have no control over that whatsoever, but I think it would be fabulous if they expanded the character of Alan the ghost beyond Tracy.
Burton: I wish there was more resolution for our characters, but I don't know if I'd want him to haunt Jason. But he can haunt Edward all he wants. (laughs)
SOD: Stuart, are there times you feel like a real dad to Steve and Natalia?
Damon: To tell you the truth and this is not just because we're having an interview, I really do feel very much that I am their surrogate father. I feel an extraordinary closeness to the both of them. Whenever I have had to play a scene with either one of them, the relationship is so instinctively strong, it's like real life happening. There's no stretching to be done because there's so much caring between the three of us. You don't have to look for motivation. It's just there. I just love the two of them and I think you could always see that in the scenes.
Livingston: Right off the bat, Stuart just came up to me and gave me a big hug and said, "We're so happy you're here. Welcome." That made the transition so much easier. Emily came back older, more mature, so it was a new chapter for the character. I love all those Quartermaine scenes. I just don't like when I have to come in and yell at everybody because I'm not really the best at that. Get Tracy for that.
Burton: I loved coming on the show because it really felt like a family with Stuart, Leslie, Wally and Gerald Hopkins (ex-AJ). We worked together all the time, so it really was like a family. Stuart's son and I became friends, so he really was my dad on the set. It's a lot for someone to step up for you and believe in you.
Damon: I always told them, "Don't worry if you fluff a line, you've got the job. No one is going to fire you. Just have fun and do your job."
Livingston: Steve's right about the family aspect. He's always giving me a hard time about something, but I give it right back to him. That's what I've learned - you have to give it right back.
SOD: Considering that family dynamic, how would you describe the Quartermaines to someone who's never met them?
Livingston: Rambunctious, maybe? Quirky at times. Lots of love. Passionate.
Burton: The Addams family with money. That's pretty close now that there's a ghost involved.
Damon: This is probably the most dysfunctional family that one would ever come to meet who are constantly at each other's throats, but God help anybody who tries to invade the circle. They would turn on them like a pack of wolves.
SOD: Considering that bond and that closeness, Stuart, do the kids know about "Oopsy Daisy?"
Damon: You want details?
Livingston: I don't think I want to know.
Burton: I never heard of this and it's better that I don't. Don't go there. Don't even do it.
Damon: I think Monica does a somersault and lands on top of Alan. That's my best made-up answer to that. But it's a backward flip.
Burton: You had to go there. I knew you were going there. Aw, geez.
SOD: Regardless of what dimension he's in, what would be a good Father's Day for Alan this year?
Livingston: He could probably use a vacation.
Burton: I think what would have made his day was Jason calling to meet him and ask for his advice. All he wanted was to be a father and Jason didn't get that until he had his own son. Parents just want to be parents and guide their children the best they know how.
Damon: From them? All they would have to do is tell me that they love me.
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