Like her character, Down is a new mother. But the similarities end there. The actress' home life - like her closet - is worlds apart from that of dilettante Olivia. "I have to say that since George was born, we've been out at night only twice," says Down, who relishes the quality time that she and her husband of a dozen years, director of photography Don FauntLeRoy, share with their 8-month old son.

While Olivia's motherhood has been fraught with desperation and scheming, Down's latest go-round as a mom has been downright idyllic. "George is so adorable, and just a very easy child," she says. FauntLeRoy's daughters, Season, 18, and Juliana, 17, and Down's son, Jack, 16, have proven to be good, responsible babysitters for their new little brother. And, adds Down, "Don and I both have our lives and work sorted out so that, for the most part, one or the other of us is there with him."

Even the labor was relatively stressfree. "It was an easy-peasy thing," Down says. "It was just, 'Thank you very much. Open the champagne!' Well, it wasn't quite like that, but verging on it."

Having a child later in life has its pluses and minuses. "It's a double edged sword," says Down, who gave birth to Jack when she was 28. "When you're younger, you have more exuberance, more energy. But is all that energy spent on the child? I think probably not. When you get older, you become much more into the child's general well-being."

"I have to say, though," she adds, "it's more exhausting, especially for things like your back. But perhaps that has something to do with the lack of sit-ups."

Despite the back trouble, Down says that she's making smarter parenting decisions this time. "You are completely selfless when you are older. You give more time and you give more of yourself," she explains. "There are many different choices that you make because you have done it before. I do believe, and so does Don, that we are doing it better this time."

Mother From Another Planet

On the other hand, Olivia is far from selfless. Though she's attentive and loving toward her baby son, Trey, she's quite the opposite toward her grown daughter, Caitlin. "What Olivia is trying to do, which is to be a part of [Trey's] life, is terrific," Down observes. "I just think she's going about it in a really idiotic way."

When Down first heard about Olivia's plot to break up Caitlin's marriage to Cole - Olivia's ex-lover - in order to win back Trey, the actress says that she had one thought: "She belongs with Gregory! They're two little peas in a pod. Here, her husband is doing ghastly, underhanded, nasty things. And then, when it suits her, she ends up doing the same thing at the drop of a hat!"

If Down could give Olivia any advice, she'd tell her to take a good, long look at herself - literally. "I think soap operas are a little like going to the psychiatrist," she ventures. "They show you the insanity of human relationships, of how star-crossed lovers happen and how people get divorced who shouldn't, and how relationships go wrong - or go right sometimes. Very often you're mirrored in a character or a plotline - not in quite so outrageous way - but in small details. So, you can get something from it. You can learn how to deal with your own life and your own marriage and your own kids. So, the bottom line is, I think Olivia needs to watch some soap operas! SUNSET BEACH should be at the top of her list, followed by DAYS OF OUR LIVES."

What Will Happen Next!

While Down isn't one of those actresses who takes her character's personality home with her (thank heavens!), Olivia's troubles do weigh heavily on her subconscious. "Sometimes I dream about Olivia," she confides. "I'm shaking her, telling her what to do. I get upset for Olivia sometimes. She's so unhappy and so miserable, and I don't like to see anybody in pain."

The way things are going, though, Olivia's pain can only get worse before it gets better. "The best thing that could possibly happen for Caitlin is for Olivia to leave Sunset Beach," Down states. "But for her son, Trey, that is not the best thing for Trey. Does she do the best thing for Caitlin, or does she do the best thing for Trey? She can't do the best thing for both her children, they need different things. So, she's in a completely no-win situation."

As an actress, however, Down loves these trying twists and turns of Olivia's life. "The more dramatic and outrageous, the more fun," she exclaims with a smile.

And, wardrobe misgivings aside, Down hopes to be snapped into Olivia's business suits for years and years to come. "I'm so happy doing what I do," she says. "The feeling, the camaraderie, the niceness of everybody... it's very different on our set. And I do hope that it goes on for a long time."