AW's Mitch Longley Searches for Fulfillment Through Helping Others

From Soap Opera Weekly, Vol. 3, Issue 30, July 28, 1992
Author: Gretchen Keene
Photos: Robert Fisher

If any one word can be used to describe Another World's Mitch Longley (Byron) it's "positive" -- positively striking, positively talented and positively positive. The role of Byron (Longley's first real acting job) is decidedly a rarity in daytime -- a full-fledged character who, like his real-life counterpart, is a paraplegic.

So far, Longley approves of the way the writers have handled Byron. "The people on the show have had a very sincere interest in doing the right thing as far as portraying disabilities in an honest, realistic way," Longley says. "We wanted to focus on the mainstream aspects of the character -- the everyday stuff. Byron Pierce is a lawyer! Byron Pierce has long hair! Byron Pierce is cocky! Byron Pierce is in a wheelchair! It's just one of those things that gets thrown into the description of him, just like the description of any character. I feel good that they're approached it that way."

Working on AW has proved to be a great experience for Longley. "All I can tell you is that when I came to the show there was this incredibly welcoming atmosphere," he says. "Everybody is really having a great time together, and it's been so much fun." With all the fun comes a certain amount of unavoidable fame -- something Longley is handling well. "With everything positive, there are negative aspects as well," he concedes. "I mean, I've had an unlisted phone number for six years now, but my brother was listed under M. Longley so he started getting these phone calls from fans at all hours of the night. So now he's got an unlisted number. But basically the calls have been from people with disabilities, or someone who wants to reach out and share. There are aspects of your life that change when you become public property."

The fact that Longley's in a wheelchair is the last thing you think about when in his presence. His charm, wit and upbeat attitude have always been part of him, and the car accident he suffered at the age of 17 did little to change that. Bitterness has never been in Longley's repertoire.

"When I first started to regain consciousness after the accident, I was crying to my mom, asking her 'What's going to happen to me?', and I had an out-of-body experience. I looked down at myself on the bed where I was feeling sorry for myself, and that just wasn't my style -- ever!" he says. "I just played the cards that were dealt to me and decided then and there I was going to get better. From that moment on I had a positive attitude -- and I started getting better."

It becomes clear when talking to the actor that his family -- his parents and brother -- has always played an important role in his life. "We've always had a very strong love for each other," he relates, "but at times it was difficult to show it. I think a lot of American families have the same problem: They don't know how to communicate. I believe it's a result of so many changes from generation to generation. Our culture is growing so quickly that we can't keep up with ourselves. So I think my family had the same problems other families had, but there was always an underlying love, a love that my accident [brought out]. There are no other three people I'd rather walk down the street with."

Longley strives for a relatively calm existence shared with family and friends. That is why he has, until recently, stayed steadfastly out of the spotlight. "After I first came on the show, I didn't feel it was appropriate to do an interview based on three days of employment. For me to try to capitalize on my car accident wasn't something that interested me," says the actor. "I appreciated the interest in me, but the fact is that it's taken so long for disabled people to be recognized. I almost feel like everyone has to play catch-up to the disabled community because we're past all that. We want to be incorporated into everyone's lives as equals."

Longley elaborates on his reasons for not wanting to become a media darling. "A big desire for me is not to have my life changed anymore than it has to be. That's why I live in Connecticut, where I've lived since I was 5. I love my friends. I don't really want to play the fame game. I mean, it can be fun and it can be a powerful thing -- a way of getting messages out to people when you're in the public eye and you have good things to share. That's what I want to do when I give interviews."

To that end, Longley enthusiastically describes the other love of his life besides acting -- a non-profit organization he founded called SOWOHO (a derivative of the Native American phrase "spirit of the wounded horse") that helps underprivileged disabled people throughout the world. "the goal is to help them in all areas of life," explains Longley, "from simply trying to create opportunity in their lives and helping them find employment, to talking to people in the government and at locally run agencies to increase acceptability [of disabled people]. On a personal level, I'd like to help create some kind of counseling service to bring together family members and the disabled individual to support one another. The notion of a support system is so important. Basically, the bottom line is to try to improve the quality of life for these people in a variety of ways. I feel that I've been so lucky to be left with so much, and I want to take that life experience and share it."

This dedication to helping others will take Longley away from AW, at least for a while. In September the actor plans to take a leave of absence from the show to travel throughout the United States and Mexico, promoting his cause and raising much-needed funds for SOWOHO. "I talked to the producers about it," he says, "and they want to continue my work through the summer. I don't know exactly what's going to happen with my character -- my friends in Connecticut think someone's going to push me off a cliff," he quips.

Happily, Longley does not rule out the idea of returning to the soap sometime in '93. "It's a definite possibility -- especially given the amount of fun I've had working there," he says. "I'd really like to see something happen between Marley (Jensen Buchanan) and Byron. Not necessarily a relationship, but I'd like to show the audience some of the issues involved when someone finds themselves attracted to somebody with a disability, wondering if it's different -- the natural insecurities somebody might have upon finding themselves interested in someone who is physically different from anything they've experienced -- and to ultimately discover that there isn't anything different. That would be nice."

Whatever happens with Byron, Longley is now ready to leave the security of AW and his Connecticut home to strike out on his own, building SOWOHO and visiting universities to speak about disability, something he's been doing for years. It's a move many would call risky, but Longley is unfazed by those reactions.

"I'm not motivated by money at all," he explains. "I like being broke because it ensures that my decisions never stray from my heart, you know?" And what if nothing works out as he plans? "In five or 10 years, if no one will give me any money for SOWOHO, if I can never get work as an actor after Another World, and no one wants anything to do with me, and I can't lecture at universities, I guess I'll just get a job. I'll answer phones; I'll do something. And I'll be happy -- I'll be about as happy as anyone could be."