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angeltc: Of all the leading men who was your Favorite and which one do you miss now, and Who would you like to see come back of them?
Jackie Zeman: Laughs... Normally my favorite leading man is the one I'm working with currently... of course, I don't have one right now! I've been so fortunate to have the best... both on personal and professional levels, and I would be delighted to have any one of them come back! I keep in touch with Rick Springfield, who lives here in Malibu... we co-hosted an event for Cystic Fibrosis. We had a 20th Anniversary party, and David Groh and Rick both came! ...Kin Shriner also came... we go back 20 years as buds on the show! Sam Behrens (who's married to Shari Belafonte) is also a good friend... they live close to us here in Malibu! Glenn is often mistaken for Sam...
milwaukee2: What do you consider your finest work on GH?
JZ: Tough question... Some of the most challenging materials I've ever been given was the BJ storyline (the emotional commitment takes you into terrifying territory)... the Carly/Bobbie storyline is interesting, because of my relationship with my real daughters (pre-teens both!). Not to say my life mirrors the one on GH, but there are similarities to my real life.
kisla: Jackie, I wanted to ask you, will Bobbie ever forgive Carly for her deception?
JZ: If you had asked me that question before I became a real mom, I would have said no, but now that I'm a real-life mom, I look at the situation, and I say, of course there's a future, because that's life! The interesting thing for the audience will be how we get to that point...
laura_d: What kind of relationship do you and Sarah Brown have off camera?
JZ: I'm so pleased to work with her, that it's spilled over into an admiration from me for her. She's honest, straight forward, she always knows the scenes, and gives the best performance... that's the best compliment you can give to an actress, because she doesn't come off as a young woman, she is a mature adult. She really is fabulous in this part.
milwaukee2: When Bob Guza first created the Bobbie/Carly storyline, did you ever think it would be the enormous story it turned out to be, and that it would touch so many characters?
JZ: I had no idea... I'm a huge Bob Guza fan, and he's so good at taking a reality-based storyline and making it very real on a soap opera... He makes me feel that it all meshes together, and balances the reality with the craziness that is so much a part of GH.
breanna01: What do you think of the baby Michael?
JZ: They are twins, you know! They are beautiful. We started with these two, who were preemies, a few days before the holidays. I feel like I've bonded with them. I shouldn't speak for Steve Burton, but I think he feels the same way; I love playing a grandmother, even though I didn't think it would be happening so soon! This has been a few years in the making, and I'm grateful that the writers did this in a way that Carly has a whole life of her own, and her own history. It has a lot more meaning this way! I can't go anywhere in public without someone asking me "when is Carly going to tell you?!" We're in the midst of ratings sweeps right now, so the timing on this revelation is great!
ghguide: We all know that the one constant in Bobbie's life was the trust she and Luke had. Now that Luke has broken that trust, what are the chances of them mending fences in the near future?
JZ: I believe that those fences will get mended, but the breakdown and betrayal that Bobbie is feeling right now has put her in a crossroads, an identity crisis, where she's realizing that you can only depend on yourself, and you have to take responsibility for all the good and bad in your life... and that pointing a finger is not the way to go. There's an upcoming confrontation between Bobbie and Luke that's such an identity crisis for her to realize. The audience will like this, and it was so well written. In my relationship with Luke, he's always been the "big brother", and now there's a role reversal with the Carly/Bobbie thing where Bobbie is now the older personality!
ilovecassadines: Jackie, I was at Super Soap Weekend '97, and I loved seeing you there! Did you have as much fun as I did?
JZ: That was a fun weekend, wasn't it?! What a great opportunity - I hope I'm invited back again next year!
sdfdesign: When you're on the set are there any times when you can't stop laughing ?
JZ: Occasionally, but not often, because we 80-90 pages of dialogue a day, which is a lot of ground to cover; no time to fool around! Brad Maule is so humorless, serious on the show, but he's the most underrated actor - in real life, he's a funny guy! They should see in between takes...
ilovecassadines: What's your favorite thing you've done for a Nurse's Ball?
JZ: The dance that Luke and Bobbie did - last year, the disco dance to Donna Summer's "Last Dance"! We had so much fun! The flashbacks, the rehearsals; we were a couple of kids thrown back into our youth! Maybe we'll get to do a 30's or 50's thing next time... Tony has a dance background, and he's such a good dancer!
a-lynn: Do you see a big rivalry in store, between Monica and Bobbie?
JZ: Possibly, because where that grandchild is concerned, everyone'll want that piece! It'll be interesting to see who gets his allegiance once he grows up. I don't think the Quartermaines are good at sharing, so there will be a bit of push-pull there... I'm sure Bob Guza (headwriter) has some things up his sleeve... I asked him how far ahead he was in writing, but he's not telling!
laura_d: Jackie, what is your favorite memory working on General Hospital?
JZ: One: Emotionally memorable scenes have been with my family on the show, because they're the ones I'm most bonded to in real life - Lucas, BJ (Brighton Hereford)... Brighton was BJ from 6 months old, she was the first child with pictures on my refrigerator ... I still have it!
lynne8: Jackie, the clothes on GH are fabulous. Who are the designers and do you have a hand in choosing the wardrobe for Bobbie?
JZ: Well, Bob Miller and Steve Howard are the designers team. Most of the things you see (esp. couture) are designed by them. They have Emmys for their design. I do have a little say in the look, more than the actual clothes... I pick things from magazines, and they'll buy things from design warehouses (esp. from NY). I hope they found me a gown for the Soap Opera Digest Awards... :) He has such great taste.
semiangel: Do you have a dance background too?
JZ: Yes, I was a professional dancer, and started when I was 5 in New Jersey. I took Ballet, Tap, Jazz, etc. and now my own daughters are doing dance - I'm so proud of them! Dance background teaches you discipline, focus, and that if you pay your dues, and get good, it'll pay off. You become a much more hard-working person... that's what it gave me.
robinke: Will Tony and Bobbie ever get back together. I know I am not in the majority, but I liked them together, and would like to see them back together.
JZ: Perhaps... I think there's so much water under the bridge that to do that now would be untrue to life. She's really over Tony right now, she needs to heal from Luke's betrayal, the dysfunctional relationship with Cassadine. She needs to find herself, heal herself, and the next relationship should be a healthy one with a terrific guy... don't know who that'll be... Spiritually women want to see Bobbie finally get with the right guy...
shandrika: Who would you like to see Bobbie paired up with romantically?
JZ: It may be someone on the show, but no one yet that I've got my sights on... It's always best if you develop from the stories/characters already there, but the Bobbie/Tony thing won't happen. I hope it'll be someone new... Wendy Riche will find someone fabulous!
teacuprose: Was General Hospital your first television roll?
JZ: No... my longest though, 21 years! My first job on TV was a commercial for Jergen's soap - selling soap in a bathtub in a bank vault for 30 sec.! My next was on "Edge of Night" with Dixie Carter and Tony Craig... My first contract role was on "One Life to Live", with Jameson Parker - 22 or 23 years ago, for 2 years. Then GH came along, and that was great, because I didn't audition or screen-test, and they offered the Bobbie role to me. It was such a boost to my confidence and self-esteem that I JUMPED at it! and 21 years later...
ghdiehard: Jackie, Happy 20th Anniversary, how much longer do you plan to stick around GH? I hope a long time! :)
JZ: Thank you very much! I do plan to stick around at least for the next few years, and I love my work, my job and my TV extended family... this was my dream to do work like this. The audience is so supportive, and the writers have come up with great material for me to do (esp. when I've been there so long).
laura_d: Do you or your family watch General Hospital when it is on TV ? (especially your daughters, since you said they were teens or pre-teens!!)
JZ: Not everyday, but occasionally. Lacey was 3 when we were in the bathroom one day, and she looked at me and said "You're Bobbie! You were crying, and Grammie said you were pretending." Both the girls are familiar with the set, and when they're out of school, they're there. They know everyone by the children of the other actors! My kids are on the Christmas episodes every year...
ilovecassadines: What's the most tear-jerking scene you've ever done?
JZ: Probably when BJ died... people tell me about their reactions from people who experienced it in real life.
laura_d: What is your relationship with Tony Geary like off camera? Do you get along well?
JZ: Always! And he's so cool, and he's great with kids (esp. for a single guy). He loves musicals, and my girls like to see videos with him. He's so generous and thoughtful, and I've transferred his being my TV big brother to being a part of my real family.
cuzz: Have you or would you ever want to direct an episode?
JZ: Well, I don't think so... never had the desire to direct, but producing is interesting to me... The acting is easy for me, so I enjoy it because it doesn't feel like work anymore. Producing would bring along new territory, and that would be interesting to try in the future, but not right now... I'm comfortable right now.
chefsherry: Will Bobbie help Carly through the death of her mother Virginia?
JZ: I don't think so... Carly lied about the situation with her, pretending that Virginia was dead, even her own name (Caroline)... Bobbie is so angry and turned off to her that she can't get passed that right now, and it'll take time to lose the resentment towards her. That's sad, but the reality of the moment...
semiangel: Are you glad that the secret is finally out?
JZ: Yes! I've been wanting these scenes for so long, and I was curious as to how they were going to structure this, and when I got the script, I was in heaven!
tvkelly: Hi... do you know anything about the GH primetime special?
JZ: Yes! Mostly because we're shooting a hunk of it tomorrow... It's a history of GH from the WHOLE 35 years it's been on, all the characters, all the hairstyles :), and Kin Shriner and I are doing the 70's - 80's section of the program. I think it's on April 2nd (?) at 10pm on ABC - It'll be a very good show... especially for anyone who has a history with the show!
alexaj: What is Stephen Nichols like to work with? Will Stefan and Bobbie ever get back together?
JZ: Well Stephen is very professional, prepared actor. I didn't watch him when he was Patch on "Days", and I'm told they're very different, but he is absolutely wonderful here. I feel the relationship between Bobbie and him had potential for a real spark, but the overzealousness to get to the Stefan-Katherine thing left the Bobbie-Stefan thing kinda hanging... part of that was just bad timing: Bob Guza had left, and we had different writers, and now Bob's back, but in the meantime, the storylines were written. Personally I'm a little sad, and would've loved to see it bloom.
computerbabe: Ms Zeman, I apologize for joining the chat late. I just wanted to let you know how much I have enjoyed your portrayal of Bobbie....from the time you first joined the show. Do you find it difficult to balance your work and your family life? You seem to manage it all so well!
JZ: What a lovely thing to say! Thanks for the compliment! Some days I do it well, and other days it's not so easy... My kids are already thinking about what they want to do with their lives and how to go about getting there. There are days when, like all working mothers, I get pangs of guilt, but I think our family has found a happy medium. My daughter Cassidy (in 2nd grade) gets paid $2 a script to read lines with me at night!!!
loyallady: If you could make up your storyline for the next 6 months, what would it be?
JZ: OOOOHhhh... Probably pretty close to where it is right now... I'd like to see her meet somebody, and someone get interested in her, and she not be so anxious to jump right in. I want the audience to see that just because you're over 40 doesn't mean you have to be single. I want to see what happens with Carly, and how we get through that... and what goes on with Lucas, because he's not in the storyline enough. Soaps do have a tendency (and GH like all the others) to give the romance over to the younger characters, and I believe that when you hit 40, you get married, you wear negligée's and get sexy in bed, and we should be able to see that!
ghguide: Do you ever visit General Hospital Web sites?
JZ: I don't have a computer at GH, and at home, my husband and kids are always on it... I have to get on it more!
computerbabe: Ms Zeman, you are obviously aware of the legions of fans you have on the internet. Do you ever read any of the newsgroups to see what we are saying about GH?
JZ: Once, someone sent me a transcript, but I can only see them now if someone prints them for me! I find it fascinating because this is all so new, but now I'm beginning to realize that you have to be hip to this!
aamsta66: Were you happy with the show today?
JZ: I haven't seen that show, but earlier I was at Planet Hollywood with Sarah Brown (Carly), and saw a little clip on this HUGE screen! We did tape it though, so I'll see it tonight. I don't usually watch, though, because the last thing I wanna do after a long day of shooting it's the last thing I want to see.
JZ: Well, I'd like to thank everyone for showing up to this, this has been so fun.... to talk about the present, and relive the past. As far as the future, the next few weeks are going to be SPECTACULAR, you won't want to miss it.... For me, thank you personally for all your support, and I'm aware that all this wouldn't be happening for me without the audience, so thank you so much! Goodbye!
milwaukee2: That's it for tonight - Jackie was great! Come back!