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The Vanessa/Michael/Virginia triangle was typical soap fodder until Sunset Beach's writers spiced up Virginia and made her a bitch. She immediately vowed to learn more about Vanessa's long-lost mother and use the information to snare Michael. Viewers (and Virginia) were shocked to learn that Vanessa's mother suffers from Martin's syndrome, a fictional disease that disfigures its victims and leads to dementia.
Armed with this knowledge, Virginia embarked on a reign of terror that is alternately hot and humorous, terrifying and tragic. Her portrayer, Dominique Jennings, defends the character and offers personal insight into Virginia's psyche.
Virginia was only a recurring character when you debuted last year. What were you initially told about the character?
The show was developing her as they went along. I initially knew that she was a young single mother from South Central Los Angeles with a child who is approximately 13 years old. Michael had killed her husband, Jackson - and the details of that still haven't been cleared up. Michael killed him during gang warfare, and it was unintentional. Afterward, Michael fled Sunset Beach, but returned years later. Then he found out where Jimmy and Virginia were living and hung around the basketball courts and became a surrogate father to Jimmy.
When did you first get the hint that they were turning Virginia into something different, something special?
God, I've been on about a year, so I don't remember, really. I think I just heard someone say, "What if Virginia had a secret and she was evil?" And I thought it sounded interesting. So at that point I remember thinking to myself, "Something is going to be going on with Virginia," and it unfolded from there.
Do you like how the character has changed?
Oh, I love it. It's interesting, because so many of my friends say to me, "You're such a nice person." So it means that I'm doing a good job if I can pull off something like this.
It's a really sharp turn - all of a sudden she went on the offensive.
Yeah, but her love for her son, Jimmy, is still the basis for everything she does. Her actions may seem twisted, but everything makes perfect sense to her.
But she did put him in danger that one time when he found Mrs. Moreau's
[Joyce Guy] potion.
You're right, and that freaked her out. She may be out to get Vanessa, but she genuinely cares for her son.
What's your take on all this Martin's syndrome stuff?
As Virginia? OK, when Virginia posed as nurse Selita Jones in the hospital she only wanted to get information on Vanessa's mom. She just wanted to run Vanessa out of town. She didn't want to kill her or hurt her. Then, when she found out that Vanessa's mom had the disease, she just wanted it to appear that Vanessa has Martin's syndrome. There are times when Virginia says, "Forgive me," and she feels like she is redeemed, and there are times when she's touched when she sees this woman. But Virginia is doing this for her son....
And to get Michael!
Right. Martin's syndrome is just a means to an end.
One of the things that I like about this storyline is that even though the three characters are black, the storyline isn't about them being black. That's rare on soaps. Do you guys ever talk about that?
We do. There are times when writers will want to try things like throw "ebonics" into the script, or put in words they think are hip and cool, and that's something that I think should be left up to the actors. In different circumstances a character is going to speak differently, and there are different facets to our personalities, so slang is bound to come out sometimes - but not all the time.
Now you're from South Central yourself, so you know your slang, right?
Yes, but that doesn't mean I go around saying, "Yo, yo, yo!" all the time. I say "girl" on the show sometimes, but I say "girl" in real life - not because I'm trying to be cool or ethnic, but because it's the way I talk.
What have the black fans said?
When you don't get comments about it I guess it's going OK. I don't get feedback about that aspect of the storyline. If I did a lot of neck-twirling, it might come into play. But Virginia is not like that.
I've heard people criticize the show for making one of the few black characters on the canvas a bitch.
But the thing is, she's not a black bitch. She's a bitch who happens to be black. I have heard people mention that, and she's not a bitch because she's black or from South Central. She just wants what she wants. And I guess that makes her a bitch. But she doesn't think she's a bitch, and that's how I play it.
If Vanessa really does leave town, would Virginia ever tell Michael the truth?
The only time I ever thought Virginia was going to break down is when Jimmy spilled some of the potion on himself. But getting Vanessa out of town is Virginia's whole purpose, so she wouldn't feel guilty or anything.
Really? No pangs of guilt?
Well... there is something coming up where Virginia will show some guilt. Definitely. I was surprised when it happened, because it caught me off guard.
Is all of this hard to play, because you seem like such a nice person.
Yes, because I get along so well with Jason and Sherry. And it's not that Virginia doesn't like Vanessa - she just wants to get her out of the way. That said, sometimes when we're doing scenes I find myself thinking like the character, because Virginia does have feelings. It's not like she's completely cold and doesn't care.
You could see that when she was dressing up as Selita. Sometimes the anguish and pain in her face was heartbreaking. Was it fun dressing up?
Oh, yeah! My father loves her! When I first heard about the Selita character I knew that I had to make her different. I knew that I really had to make her a character - even before they told me Selita would be wearing a fat suit.
I have never seen a more incompetent nurse.
I know, but she always smiled whenever she did something wrong. I made sure she always smiled. People were calling her Nurse Ratched. I think she's a little worse than that because she doesn't know what the heck she's doing.
When this storyline is over, what sort of things would you like to see happen to Virginia?
I want a man - regardless of whether it's Michael! You know what, I have no idea what I'd like to see happen, because the scripts surprise me all the time. I want Vanessa to be OK, but I would like Virginia to get Michael.
Have you given any thought to the idea that Virginia could get Martin's syndrome?
Oh, yeah! I was scared to death of reading the scripts. I was thinking, "please don't let the potion spill on her." Then, when Mrs. Moreau kept saying, "You're bad to the bone, girl," I kept thinking Virginia was going to get it and be laid up in the hospital like Vanessa's mom.
Do you guys have the crew cracking up when you do scenes with Joyce Guy?
Yes, but they really go crazy for the Selita stuff.
Can we talk about your personal life? I understand that your mother died in an airplane accident when you were very young. Did you get to know her? Do you ever think about her?
I was so young, so I don't think about it on a daily basis. I definitely think about it when I'm flying. I'm probably lucky that it happened so young. But my father has movies and pictures of my mother, so she's always here. And I think I'm a constant reminder of who she was. I'm very much like my father, but I have her mannerisms and qualities. And that's interesting, because I was so young when she was killed. But you seem to inherit things - and these are things I wouldn't even know. But I do them.
What do you do when you're not working?
I'm a complete movie buff, so if I'm not at home studying movies then I'm out going to films. I love to see new, raw talent. And I love music, I love to eat and I love to shop.
Do you want to do film?
I've done film, and it's just a whole other realm. To see yourself that large is amazing. The slightest movement means so much. You can't be as large as you are on television or you'll look like a complete imbecile. I would love to be behind the scenes, too - as a producer and writer. There are a lot of things I want to delve into, and some of them have nothing to do with the business.
Like what?
I just love fashion.
Do you design?
In my head. I wish I could draw. Hey, what I draw looks good to me. I also love music.
So, have a musical fashion show, with Nurse Selita Jones as the host.
Oh, god! Selita could do her dance. Did you see the day she did her little dance in the hospital? It was like my Solid Gold imitation combined with the Cabbage Patch [a break-dancing move]. I thought it was hilarious. I was so pleased with myself for coming up with something that funny.
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