Audition Stories
Audition StoriesDenise Alexander (Mary McKinnon):
Denise recounted, "I agreed to do "Another World" for several reasons. In the business, "Another World," has always been considered a quality soap. Now they're going through lots of changes - new producer, new writer, new everything. That's the most exciting time to join a daytime drama, to feel that you can really have an effect on the show." The character of Mary McKinnon was another reason for Alexander's return [to soaps]. Denise stated, "In the past I played a character who acted upon others...Mary will affect nearly everyone in Bay City. At least, that's the way the character was presented to me. Margaret DePriest, who did such wonderful writing on "Days of Our Lives," also worked on "General Hospital" as head writer. I trust her work." On her character's age, Denise said, "I was told she was about 38 or 40, which is not outrageous for me to play (Denise was 47 years old at this time). Upon being told that Stephen Schnezter, her contemporary when he played her arch-enemy Julie's twin on "Days of Our Lives," would be courting her daughter Kathleen on "Another World," Denise was quiet, then suddenly said, "Maybe Mary had kids really early."John Aprea (Lucas / Alexander Nikkos): On January 16, 1989, Aprea bumped into Linda Dano, with whom he had worked on the 1975 series The Montefuscos, at the Soap Opera Digest Awards. He'd recently wrapped up a stint on Knot's Landing. "I got nominated for outstanding villain. Linda mentioned they were casting for Lucas, she pushed it a little bit and it snowballed and I got the role."
Lewis Arlt (David Thatcher / Ken Jordan): Lewis was originally hired by then executive producer Allen Potter to assume the role of Ted Bancroft (last played by Richard Backus). Instead, Lewis originated the newly created role of David Thatcher, a man from Sally Frame's scandulous past, and Luke Reilly was hired to play Ted.
Joseph Barbara (Joe Carlino): Barbara was called for 3-4 auditions with different combinations of producers. The executive producer who had an interest in hiring him was being replaced and Joe came in for his screen test thinking he'd lost his advantage. His character then was known as Joe McConnell, only for the show to call him to let him know of a name change to Joe Carlino.
Judith Barcroft (Lenore Moore): Judith recalled, "I just happened to walk into this Broadway show called 'Mating Dance' that lasted one night. It starred Van Johnson and Richard Mulligan and I played a stewardess that came in and out the window. That was my Broadway debut. As soon as that closed, Another World was casting and I got that part [Lenore] the same week I also got 'Dinner at Eight,' directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie on Broadway. At first the producers said they wouldn't let me do the soap, and then Tyrone Guthrie said he could work around me so I did both at the same time....My first day I stood up quickly and bumped my head on the mic. I didn't know anything about television." Judith was hired by Agnes Nixon, who was Head Writer of Another World at the time.
Alice Barrett-Mitchell (Frankie Frame): "Another World Today" asked, "Do you remember your initial audition as Frankie?" Alice said, "I remember the screen-test. I really didn't know much about Frankie from the sides except that she was originally named Francesca. What I was told about the character was that she was going to be brought in to shake up Nicole and Cass, and give Nicole a run for her money."
"The scene for my screen-test was a pretty generic scene where Cass and Frankie were doing that quibbling thing they do and at one point I got the idea to inject something a little silly that might bring something else to the table. So I did a silly dance and allowed for a goofy moment. Then I had to wait because it took them forever to decide! Once I was tested, I signed a contract and was on hold for three weeks until finally I got the call. I found out that in those weeks while I was waiting they were tinkering with the character..." The show quickly realized she would be better off having a connection to the existing cast. The show made the character a Frame "..so she would be related to someone on the canvas (Sharlene) and also made her intro[duction] storyline to the show that she comes to Bay City to avenge her uncle's death. Initially Frankie is convinced Felicia is involved and even got her arrested, which is how Frankie and Cass come together initially, at very extreme odds."
"Another World Today" then asked, "How much did you contribute to the character's evolution and direction?" Alice recalls, "Well, first my name was changed from Francesca to Mary Frances. Then I shortened it to Frankie because I liked her having a spunky nickname which I also had when I was on another [P&G] soap, "The Catlins," where I played a character named Jackie."
"Frankie took another unexpected turn when, in the scene where Frankie and Cass have their first kiss and recognize their attraction, they were at a hot dog stand, hiding from someone [Lucas] they were following and the scene called for me to eat a hot dog with sauerkraut and I told the director I don't eat meat but would make it work with a bun with sauerkraut and everyone felt that worked for Frankie so she becomes a vegetarian. The crystal Frankie wore around her neck was initially my crystal as it was something I wore and the producers took that and the non-meat and decided to take Frankie on a New Age bend. It was very flexible and creative that way. When Frankie went New Age she really took off."
Richard Bekins (Jamie Frame): Bekins auditioned for the role in Los Angeles. He won it without taking part in any screen tests. He recalled being very nervous his first day on set but that his partner that day, Constance Ford, did a great job in calming him down.
Harry Bellaver (Ernie Downs): Harry agreed to do a "one-shot" favor for director David Pressman, a personal friend. The single appearance turned into a four-year role.
Bradley Bliss (Kit Halloway): Bliss recalls, "There was a certain type they were looking for. I walked into the audition looking my best, only to meet 100 other blue-eyed blondes!"
Lisa D. Brenner (Maggie Cory): The role of Maggie was being recast so quickly that Brenner doesn't recall going through an audition or screen test process. Jill Farren Phelps had hired Brenner earlier that year when she was Executive Producer of Guiding Light, and nabbed her for the role on Another World.
Kale Browne (Michael Hudson): Though the part wasn't written for him, he was later told a couple of people had him in mind for it for a long time. Ellen Novak, casting director, remembered him from an audition at As The World Turns in 1978. However, when the part of Michael came up, he was doing a film in Brazil and they couldn t locate him. In an unrelated offer, his agent called when he returned to Los Angeles and said, No audition, just go in and screen test with Diedre Hall from Days of Our Lives," which was for the role of John Black. He did and a week later, his agent called back and asked if he d do a soap in New York. It turned out that the first time Novak had been able to locate him was when she discovered he had tested for the L.A. soap. He didn't get the role on "Days of Our Lives," but he did become Michael Hudson on Another World. Browne said to himself, If this lasts 13 weeks and I get to pay off my VISA card, I ll be happy.
In 1994, Kale met AW Executive Producer Terri Guarnieri at a party. "She hated me on sight. I knew as long as she was the producer, I would not be on the show. I assumed she would be with the show for quite a while." He was wrong. A short time after he met the producer, she was let go. "John Valente was named producer at 2 o'clock, and at 3 o'clock, he called and asked me to return."
Chris Bruno (Dennis Wheeler): Chris tested for the role of Sam Fowler but didn't win the part. AW didn't want to lose him though, so they brought back the character of Dennis for him to play, even though there had been no plans to resurrect that role.
Jensen Buchanan (Vicky Hudson): In Jensen's own words: "I was very single-minded about getting this role. I was very, very focused on the audition, and I went with the sole, hungry purpose of getting this job. That seriousness may have translated in my audition, and perhaps that's why I got the role." Jensen had a hard time staying focused on the audition when she walked in and saw Ellen Wheeler, who was auditioning to return to the part. Jensen hadn't seen her on AW, but she did see her on AMC and respected her work very much.
Danielle Burns (Nancy McGowan): "Another World Today" asked, "How did you get into show business?" Danielle replied, "My sister was in commercials and my mother took me on one of her auditions when I was 6 weeks old. I slept through the whole audition and my sister's agent asked my mom if she could book me for AW." (Ed. Note: Aha! I knew it! The sleeping baby gets the part!)."
Producer Mary Bonner stated, "Her mother had registered her with an agent, and when we needed a baby, we auditioned her and several others. We auditioned her with Connie Ford. Connie came in and played with her and lifted her up, and they looked good together. And Danielle was adorable even then -- and she was just two-and-a-half months old. There was only once in all the time that she was on that she cried, and that was when she was teething. You know, it's such a risk to have a baby on the show. But we never have to redo anything. A lot of shows with babies tape their dress rehearsals in case anything goes wrong. But we never have to do that. With Danielle, nothing ever goes wrong."
Barbara Bush (Tyson) (Dawn Rollo): Barbara tells the AWHP, "They wanted a singer, so my agent sent the producers my singing demo tape (long time ago, so that was an actual "tape" lol). I did audition with Hank Cheyne (Scott [LaSalle]) on the set as well. (I vaguely remember about 5 or 6 actresses there auditioning for the same role."
"A few days later, I remember being at another audition when the casting assistant said my agent was on the phone and needed to speak with me. In 1987, we didn't have cell phones or pagers - in NYC we had a "phone service." People could call and leave a message, and you could call periodically to retrieve them. It was about 5pm and I was at an audition, so I hadn't checked in, but I soon found out I had been cast in the role of Dawn Rollo! I was to start the next morning, and a limo would pick me up to drive me and a few other cast members to Brooklyn, where we taped the show. Oh, and I had 47 pages (double spaced ) to memorize before 5am!!! I stayed up all night learning those lines! An Airplane scene with Scott LaSalle."
"I remember it was in the limo, another actress asked me if "they" had told me my storyline. I answered that I thought they just wanted a singer..."You're the AIDS storyline" she told me. I had absolutely NO idea."
Jane Cameron (Nancy McGowan): The producers of "Another World," inspired by Cameron's performance for the League of Professional Theater Training Auditions, aged the character of Nancy several years "overnight" to create a role for her.
Amy Carlson (Josie Watts): AW usually looked within New York for its actors, and while Amy was working in Chicago, her agent was friends with the AW casting agent. He sent the episode of her "Missing Persons" appearance to the soap's casting agents. She was flown out to New York and put up in a Hyatt Hotel near Grand Central. Her screen test was with Matt Crane (Matthew Cory).
Liza Chapman (Janet Matthews): Chapman recalled, "A number of my friends in my home town, Westport, Connecticut, kidded me when I took the job. But they looked in and got caught on the shows. I find it lovely to play a person like Janet Matthews, one I like and respect. I can't give you the storyline because I haven't gone through the complete prospectus yet, but the character I play is Janet Matthews, a very successful but lonely commercial artist who has family and personal problems, a typical career girl who loves her job and vows that she won't be a housewife and mother. We hope that people will like us. I remember Irna Phillips' name from radio as a little girl. I've just read the first three scripts for Another World, and believe me, they're good."
Robin Christopher (Lorna Devon): AW's casting director was auditioning for the part in LA. Robin went to meet him in his hotel room and read her lines while he watched from across the bed.
John Considine (Reginald Love): John tells the AWHP: "The four-episode stint [playing C.C.'s brother on "Santa Barbara"] was used by NBC to put me in the running for the part of Reginald, but I was flown to NY to test for the part against 3 other actors, all of them English (British), which was the way the part was conceived. It actually got down to me and one of the Brits, and they originally tapped the Brit for the part because of the writer's original vision of Reginald being British... Fortunately for me (and unfortunately for him) they changed their decision after his first day's taping, and put in a distress call to me to come to NY and start work that night! We compromised to the next day's early flight and the rest is history."
Alicia Coppola (Lorna Devon): Coppola did not screen-test, as the role was only meant to be short-term. Alicia recalls being in a bad mood and unfriendly with everyone during the audition, which she credits with helping her win the role.
Jacqueline Courtney (Alice Matthews Frame): Her auditions started at the beginning of casting in February 1964. After enduring months of auditions in front of everyone involved with the show, she was called for the final, on-camera auditions at Rockefeller Center, where Irna Phillips traveled from Chicago to attend.
On August 26, 1983, Courtney was written out of her role on OLTL after eight years. She took the next six months off to relax and spend time with family. "That's good to, a degree, which is why I made that choice. But what it did to me was when I was out of a job again! I didn't have an agent. I had been out of the commercial world for a long time. It was starting all over. I had to go out and get an agent. I had to get new composites. I'd go to ad agencies and they would look at me and say, This can't be little Jacquie Courtney, we haven't seen you in ages." She was about to head off to the West Coast to look at parts in the myriad of pilots being made there for the fall TV season, when the call came from Another World. "To step back into the character really isn't that much of a problem because the character was always me." Courtney was given an outline of everything that had happened to Alice after she left in 1975. "There wasn't much. I was there for all the big things. The last thing they did was send her off to medical school and she's coming back as a doctor. She was a nurse when I played her and now she's a doctor. Actually the only difference is, she will have - we hope matured as I have. She was rather passive and naive when I left her. Very vulnerable. I will never take that vulnerability away. I don't think I could if I wanted to, because I still have it. The character will never be tough. But there has to be a sense of strength, maturity, she's developed."
Nicolas Coster (Robert Delaney): According to Coster's autobiography, then Executive Producer Paul Rauch offered him a job after learning that he had recently been fired from Somerset. Rather than create a new role for Nicolas, the show decided that he would reprise the role of Robert Delaney on Another World.
Matthew Crane (Matthew Cory): Matthew recalls, "For the initial audition, I read for the casting director, who called me back right away for a reading with the producers. From there, I did two successful screen tests and then found out later that I had the part."
Irene Dailey (Liz Matthews): Irene recalls, "I was working in Lafayette, Indiana, at Purdue University when I was called in to audition for the role of Liz. I didn't have much time to go over the script, but I remember after my reading the people just stood up and applauded. I knew the role was mine."
Linda Dano (Felicia Gallant): Linda was at a dinner given by Robin Strasser (who was the original Rachel), when a producer told her he had just the part for her. She was wary, having just finished playing weak female roles on OLTL and ATWT. She screen-tested with long-time friend Stephen Schnetzer, and when she had doubt about her ability to play this role, he told her, "You *are* this character."
Carmen Duncan (Iris Wheeler): With a flourishing career in Australia, Carmen sought to find similar success in America. After not finding work for almost a year, she made plans to return to Australia. She did a screen-test for the role of Iris, then moved back home the next day. Five days later she learned she had won the role and so she returned to the U.S.
Sandra Ferguson (Amanda Cory): Sandra recalls, "I was introduced to a local talent manager who brought me up in the summer, on my school break, and I started auditioning. I didn't have the money to fly out there and stay at a hotel, so I would stay in his office and sleep on the sofa, and then I would pack everything away so he could see his clients in the morning. Then I would go on my audition and fly out. I did this on the money I made modeling locally because my parents would not support me, with money...."
"In three months I had five screen-tests for three different shows and I thought that's just the way it was. You go, you screen-test, you get a callback, you almost get the job, and then you try again. I think I had a look that was hot at the moment for what the shows were casting. I had one last screen-test, and I had read for Another World a couple of times. I had screen-tested for them but I had not heard back. My manager said, "Don't worry; I'll pay the cab, just get up here!" So I did and when I arrived I called up to his office, he came down and paid the cab fare, and I walked into his office. All of the people said, "Congratulations on your first job! While you were on the plane Another World called and we signed a deal. You have a job!" That was how it happened. I guess tenacity is what shows through in that story."
Regarding her return to the role in 1998, Sandra once said in an interview that she didn't really want to go back, so she asked for what she thought were terms too high and demanding to be accepted. To her surprise, they were accepted and she agreed to resume the role.
Faith Ford (Julia Shearer): Faith recalls, "Inside, I was afraid my neighbors were right: I would go under in this city [New York City]. In auditions, I was going up immediately against people with many credits, which took a lot of nerve from me. But I prayed a lot. And the Lord has been a major part of my success." Faith's boyfriend at the time, Johnny Venocour, became her manager and had her wait outside casting directors' offices to get her tested. Eventually, Faith was hired to play the newly created role of Nicole Love, but replaced Jonna Lee as Julia Shearer instead.
David Forsyth (John Hudson): David didn't have to audition for the role. Executive Producer John Whitesell had gone to school with him and knew of his experiences in Vietnam, so he tapped him for the role.
Nancy Frangione (Cecile DePoulignac): When Susan Keith was negotiating a new contract with the show to continue on as Cecile, her agent (subsequently fired) and the show had a "mixup." The show assumed she wasn't willing to compromise financially, and recast the role. The press wondered if her replacement, Nancy Frangione, would be able to portray Cecile's deviousness as well as Keith.
Sharon Gabet (Brittany Peterson): Gabet recalls, "AW offered me a nice contract and a character developed just for me. And this one is terrific!" The role was created by Gillian Spencer, an AW writer who also played Daisy Cortlandt on All My Children. It required Gabet to make a lot of special preparations, such as taking horseback riding lessons in New York's Central Park. But her additional training in another area was much more intense. "For three weeks before I came on, I studied sign language four hours a day, with Marybeth Miller, a teacher from the New York Society for the Deaf. She's deaf, and an actress, too, a real live wire. Learning to sign is like learning a whole new language. Marybeth also had ear molds made for me (which usually are used in making hearing aids) so I could see what being deaf was like. It was frightening and enhanced all my other senses. It also made me think about what was important in life. If you can't communicate, what can you do? If there's anything I'd like to show in this role it's how hard it is to be deaf in a hearing world."
Joe Gallison (Bill Matthews): Joe moved from Boston to New York for his role as Bill.
Timothy Gibbs (Gary Sinclair): Auditioning but failing to win the role of Joe, Gibbs impressed the studio enough that they created the role of Gary Sinclair for him.
Joanna Going (Lisa Grady): Joanna recalls, "I was the last two-year contract on the show; after that, they started signing actors for three years."
Ricky Paull Goldin (Dean Frame): Ricky tested for the role of Sam Fowler. He lost that part, but he so impressed head writer Donna Swajeski that she created the role of Dean for him. He was not hired for his singing talent. During a meeting, Swajeski asked him if by chance he sang or played the guitar. Ricky said he played the keyboard, and then he performed an a cappella U2 song, which resulted in Swajeski transforming Dean into an up-and-coming singing star.
Micki Grant (Peggy Harris Nolan): Micki recalls, "...I did Another World for seven years. The reason I got it was because my agent told them I couldn't keep coming back to town [New York] to do the show when I was getting work out of town. And when they tried to replace me, they didn't like the people they were bringing in, and my agent said, 'She can't keep running back here every time you call. If you want her, you have to give her a contract.' So I became the first Black [person] to have a soap opera contract."
Kim Morgan Greene (Nicole Love): Kim recalls, "I was chosen to be in the cast after going through an open casting call. I later learned I was all wrong for the role they were trying to cast at that time, but I was told I was being put on hold for another role - that of Nicole Love. I was scared to death. I had a strike against me right from the start because Nicole was a drug addict. The audience doesn't take kindly to that kind of character." However, Kim turned that into an advantage instead of a handicap. "I have tried to make Nicole a person. I wanted her to have some depth, and I wanted people to understand that she got involved in drugs because she was confused, very lonely, and looking for someone to love her."
Jackee Harry (Lily Mason): Jackee was chosen by a member of casting named Liz, who saw her perform in a play by Toni Morrison. Liz called Jackee's agent and offered her the role of Lily, which was originally intended to be a "Day Player" role. After her first appearance as Lily, the show kept asking her to return for subsequent appearances. After three weeks, Jackee was offered a contract. Jackee recalls, "I started getting fan letters, and they really liked the character, and as everybody knows, once the fans start liking you, you can no longer be a bad person. So, they switched me and I became legit."
Anne Heche (Vicky Hudson): In 1985, Donna McKenna, a casting director for Procter & Gamble, was laid over in Chicago for a night due to snow conditions cancelling her flight to Los Angeles. Knowing that local Francis Parker private high school numbered Jennifer Beals and Daryl Hannah among its graduates, she decided to see if the school theatre department was putting on a play that night. It was. She sat and watched 16-year old Anne Heche play the role of Sabina in Thornton Wilder's play, "The Skin of our Teeth." Going backstage after the performance, she asked Anne if she'd be interested in flying to New York City to screen test for a soap opera ("As The World Turns"). The young Anne exclaimed, "Absolutely!... What's a soap opera?"
Anne was flown to NYC where she screen tested, but ended up turning down the role. Her family was living in exile in a residential hotel with no TV, no phone, and no bank account. She felt she couldn't leave her mother, who was dealing with the recent deaths of her husband (from AIDS) and her son (from suicide).
In 1986, ATWT Executive Producer John Whitesell jumped ship to head up Another World. The following year, two weeks before her high school graduation, he reached Anne through the hotel phone and asked if she'd be willing to come to NYC again to audition for a role on his new soap. He knew she had been underage in 1985. "You'll be an adult once you graduate," he said. "You can make your own choices."
She came right for the screen-test. She showed up in Levis and saw that all the other girls had come in high heels and makeup. Her reading was cut short, and they told her, "You can act, but the thing is, we really need a fantasy girl, and you're nobody's fantasy."
Later, Heche recalled, "I was asked to audition twice, and then when I got hired, he said, '"I asked you to audition twice because you're gonna play twins.'"
David Hedison (Spencer Harrison): David Hedison wasn't too thrilled when he had to grow a beard for his role as Spencer. When he first joined the show, David [wanted] to be clean-shaven. But he felt he didn't look old enough to pass as the father of a silver-haired Dack Rambo, so he [grew] the beard to make himself look older. [By the time] Dack left the show, and was replaced by the more youthful Mark Pinter, David had grown fond of his chin-whiskers and he kept the beard for his entire run of the show.
"I really believe that Another World was the best soap opera on the air and I was lucky to be on it, but the whole five years I was there I felt I was miscast. I remember when I went to test for the part, I ran [into] Victoria Wyndham and she said, 'Why are you here?' 'I'm testing for Spencer.' 'All wrong,' she said and she was right. But they gave me the job, so what was I going to do? And oh, I worked so hard. Because I thought the part should be played by someone like Brian Dennehy. But, as an actor, I will make it work. Certain days, I did make it work."
Anna Holbrook (Sharlene Frame): "Another World Today" asked, "Do you remember your initial audition for the role of Sharlene Frame? What did they tell you they were looking for in the character? What do you think you brought to the audition that landed you the role?" Anna replied, "I actually happened into a copy of that audition a few years ago, so it brought back the memory of it rather vividly. Mainly, I remember being terrified. Seeing a few of the other women who were also testing for Sharlene in the hair and make-up room, certain that they were more right for the role than I, certain that they were real actresses, certain that they could never be as nervous as me. Then, David (Forsyth; John), of course - I'd never met him and we had to kiss. Bingo, just like that. He was lovely. Anyone who meets David knows that almost immediately. Considerate and a pro at putting a person at ease. Well, we did the scene, I headed back to the theater, I was doing an Off Broadway show. I found my dear friend and castmate Marilyn, and cried my eyes out, sure that I had failed miserably."
Allison Hossack (Olivia Matthews): The show had a hard time casting the role of Olivia. They had been holding auditions for six months in several cities in the States before they extended their search to Canada. After testing about 20 girls in Toronto, they called Allison, who won the part.
Anne Howard (Nicole Love): Anne recalls, "I was flown to NYC to screen test for the role of Nicole Love. On the flight there, I saw another actress reading a script and memorizing her lines. I asked her if she was testing for AW and she said, 'Yes.' I told her I wasn't given the script ahead of time and she asked if I'd like to borrow hers and copy it down, so I did. Thank goodness, because when I got to the hotel late that night, I found out that I was the first actress scheduled to test early the next morning. It helped that I already had the lines memorized and could get a good night's sleep. The actress was Elizabeth Storm and I will always be grateful to her. There were a few lines in the script that required Nicole to speak in French so she helped me with that, too. We went out for margaritas that night after our screen tests to celebrate whoever booked the job. She was so gracious when she found out I'd gotten the role. One fun thing about the test is that Steve Schnetzer (Cass Winthrop) was there to do the scene with each actress testing. There was a kiss in the scene and he's a really good kisser! I was really looking forward to more! One of the perks of being an actress is getting to kiss your leading man. And Steve was sexy, handsome, and great fun to work with."
Leon Janney (Jim Matthews): "Another World marks a couple of firsts for me. Though I played several roles per program in one day, that is, on one radio serial, and am known as a complete dialectician TV usually has cast me only as a heavy. This is one of the few times I've been cast in a sympathy part. But I really have to love this show, it's the first time I've ever signed a long-term contract. There's always so much else happening. Irna Phillips (the creator-writer of this and a host of earlier series) for whom I have great respect realized that until I finish in 'Nobody Loves An Albatross' I couldn't physically get over to the big Brooklyn studio. Yes, it would help me a lot if we originated from Manhattan, because there's no working ahead. This show is live! There's plenty going on in Another World before I get in on it full time. Lots of excellent actors, too. Who? Hard to single anybody out. There's Vera Allen of course. And Virginia Dwyer, who plays my wife. And then well keep your eye on Liza Chapman. She plays a Matthews with love-affair problems. Very, very good. Jim Matthews' problem? Well, just think of the trouble I'm going to have when I realize my youngest boy is a school dropout type, and in a university town!"
Janney's character on ATWT, who was named Major Page, was written out on Thursday, May 7, 1964 so that the actor could officially replace John Beal as Jim Matthews the following Monday (May 11, 1964) on AW.
Lawrence Keith (Lefty Burns): While vacationing in Hawaii, Larry's agent in New York called him and said, 'They want you to do a part on Another World. It's only a two-day part but they want you to do it.' Larry recalls, "He [his agent] explained the part was for the Friday and Monday shows. I got to the studio in Brooklyn and they gave me the script. I looked it over and saw I was playing a doctor during an operation and would be wearing a cap over my head and a mask over my nose and mouth - all you could see were my eyes! I started to laugh and when they wanted to know why, I explained how far I had come for this part because I was told they specifically wanted me. Anyone could have played that part! And to make matters worse, I only had about three lines. I did a lot of "eye acting" on that one! And that was the end of the job. But several months later I got a call that they were introducing a new character on Another World and was I interested. It was the Lefty Burns character and apparently I had done such a good "eye job" at the operation, and since nobody had seen my face they decided, well, let's use him for this part. So I did that for several months until I was killed off..."
Maeve Kinkead (Angie Perrini): Maeve had never even watched a soap opera before, but she took the opportunity to join AW when her fellow actors encouraged her to try something different and interesting. She was terrified, especially at the prospect of "replacing a very good very much loved and respected actress. I like doing the role very much. I did have many qualms about taking over the part but it's working out nicely. I watched the show for a while, after I was told that I was to play Angie Perrini. I wanted to get to know the character. I had been told what days Angie would be appearing on Another World and I made sure that I watched Toni Kalem do it. I was also given a thumbnail sketch of the character by the show's producer Mary Bonner and also Paul Rauch, our executive producer. Everything had to be done in a hurry because Toni had been offered another assignment which Paul Rauch wanted her to take. So, I really had to step in very quickly. Leon Russom, who plays Willis, was a very big help to me that first day."
Christopher Knight (Leigh Hobson): Knight recalls, "It's ironic because you look at soap operas today and most of the casts, like a lot of television now, youth is controlling it all. I was 21 on the show and in life, but I had no one to engage with because everyone else was 40 or older. The closest they had was Ray Liotta [Joey Perrini], who played my friend. Ray was a trip!"
"At the time, I had a house [in California] that was just finished being built. I had a dog, was happy as a lark, and then we had a strike. I went off to New York to visit a friend and thought I'd go on some interviews because AFTRA wasn't on strike. It was a SAG strike. Next thing I know, I get this role and I have to move to New York in 10 days. So I moved my family into the house, and I go off and live in New York. I was born there, but really I'm a West Coast kid. It's really not a city for a young man. It's a city for a power broker. I was totally out of place and lost there. I hated it."
Alla Korot (Jenna Norris): Alla recalls, "I had two auditions in L.A. and screen tested in N.Y. by performing two scenes; one with Linda Dano, and the second with Ricky Paull Goldin. One of my scenes was very emotional where I was required to break down in tears, and because I was so nervous I became extremely emotional which ultimately worked in my favor. Sometime later, I came to find out that when they made the decision to hire me, the decision makers wondered whether I was a great actress or have deep emotional issues. Thank goodness they took a chance on me; it was one of my very first jobs."
Jennifer Lien (Hannah Moore): Jennifer Lien auditioned for the role of Vicky/Marley. The show liked her, so they decided to cast her as Hannah, a teen who would get in the way of Jake and Paulina.
Ray Liotta (Joey Perrini): "The first job I ever had was I played a dead body on One Life to Live for a day. That was the first time I was ever in front of cameras. In the meantime, I got a job as a bartender at the coat check for the Shubert organization. I got to audition during the day, and at night, I was a bartender for the patrons that were going to see the play that night. I was doing that and then I got an audition for [the soap opera] Another World. I thought, I don't want to do a soap opera, [but] I went for the audition. It was a rainy day, I walked to the audition, I was drenched. I didn't give a shit. I did the sides, and I found out I got that soap and they gave me a two-year contract. I talked to my dad for advice, and he said, Have you ever worked in front of a camera before? Are they going to pay you well? You get some experience in front of a camera, make some money. At that time, I was 22-years-old."
Mitch Longley (Byron Pierce): Byron was originally cast as David Campbell, Olivia's physical therapist.
David Andrew MacDonald (Jordan Stark / David Halliday): His agent told him to call the show, despite them knowing that MacDonald did not audition for contract roles on daytime. The casting director, who knew MacDonald from his theater work, told him, "the show is casting a 221-year old facially deformed time traveling scientific genius and I don't know anyone on either Coast who can pull this off except you." Initially he did not get the role, as the show decided to double cast it, where two different actors are assigned to play the same character. This did not work out, and MacDonald was given the role.
Laura Malone (Blaine Ewing Cory): Laura Malone came to New York in 1976 with $150.00 and the desire to, "do something creative" with her life. She had a few local commercials and some police-training films under her belt, found work as a waitress in an Italian Restaurant, and made the rounds once she secured an agent. Malone experienced two years of unsuccessful auditions and grew frustrated over producers wanting to cast her as a prostitute. Malone recalls, "I tested for a role on For Richer, For Poorer, but since that show was about to be canceled, agents sent me to Another World. At first, there wasn't a role I was right for, but they paid me to read with actors who were trying out for the role of Joey." So impressed were AW producers that they created the role of Blaine for Laura. Blaine was intended to be a "baby Rachel, a girl with a bad reputation who's trying to get something better than what she's had. They didn't describe the role to me. All they said was my name was going to be Blaine and I was supposed to be from a ranch in Wyoming. They didn't tell me I was going to be a bad girl." She discovered subsequently that her early utterances as Blaine had been a hatful of misrepresentations. "I found out they were all lies and I thought, Oh my, she's going to be a bad girl. Why would they cast me as a bad girl? The audience seems to have an instant, gut reaction to a character like that. I remember that a woman once grabbed me in an airport, pushed me against a wall, and berated Blaine's actions while shaking the daylights out of me."
Wyoming-bred and smart-mouthed, Blaine was as bad as they come, arriving in Bay City with what appeared to be an endless supply of greed, lust, and skimpy, little halter tops. She married twice, did an amazing amount of bed-hopping, and killed a wealthy lover before Another World's producers decided it was time for a change." Laura recalls, "If it had happened quickly no one would have accepted it...But it happened subtly and slowly and I suffered a lot. If you suffer, and you change because of that, then it's logical. Blaine Cory is now a character that is the epitome of respect after enduring one storyline that endangered her brother's life, nearly driven crazy by being trapped in a closet, and tortured with dead kittens and a giant rag doll."
Kristen Marie (Cheryl McKinnon): Initially known as Kristen Hey, then Kristen Marie Hey, Kristen Marie had been a model since she was 12, but AW marked the first time she would have a dramatic role. "I still can't believe I was picked for the role. There were several other actresses auditioning for the part who had much more acting experience." When she landed her role on AW, Kristen decided to postpone her plans to attend the University of Vermont. "I decided I wanted to become an actress last summer. I began working with a drama coach and started going out on auditions. I never really expected to land a part so fast." The powers that be over at AW obviously felt that Kristen possessed all the right qualities to portray Cheryl, who Kristen described as "basically a down-to-earth girl who has run away from a boarding school in order to live like a normal teenager and to re-establish her ties with her family."
Kevin McClatchy (Nick Hudson): Jill Farren Phelps brought McClatchy over to Another World having hired him on Guiding Light in 1993. He had what he called "a three-day audition" where he played Nick for three episodes so the studio could see if he was a good fit for the role.
Grayson McCouch (Morgan Winthrop): Grayson heard about the role from other sources. When he asked his agent to arrange an audition, he was told that the show was looking for someone older. Nevertheless, Grayson persisted and eventually won the role.
Mark Mortimer (Nick Hudson): Mortimer remembers being very nervous during the screen test. "A train wreck," he said and recalls not being sure exactly how he was supposed to kiss his screen test partner, Dahlia Salem. Salem recalls him having a natural, genuine quality.
Brian Murray (Dan Shearer): Director Melvin Bernhardt, a celebrated theater director, was partly responsible for bringing aboard theater actor Murray; both were nominated for Tony Awards in earlier that year.
Julie Osburn (Kathleen McKinnon): In 1984, Julie went to Los Angeles with the hope of winning a role on night-time television. After many unsuccessful auditions, she learned that her training and stage credits were not enough. "Everyone asked, 'What television have you done?' So I returned to New York and asked my agent to get me on a soap."
Beverly Owen (Paula McCrea): Beverly was hired to play Lenore Moore, but she was replaced by Susan Sullivan before taping her first show. Susan was free to accept the role when A World Apart was cancelled. Beverly Owen then played Dr. Paula McCrea instead.
Petronia Paley (Quinn Harding): Petronia auditioned for a role on OLTL. She didn't get it, but AW's executive producer saw her audition tape and hired her for the part of Quinn without an audition. Said Paley to We Love Soaps, "I had actually contracted with THE DOCTORS and I was there for about a year, but that didn't work out. I had originally auditioned for one character on ANOTHER WORLD and they decided to cast that character as a white actor, and I didn't get it. But Paul Rauch (I always thought of him as my grandfather) created another character, Quinn. And they just called me up, and offered me the part! I didn't have to audition, because I had auditioned for the other part, which had not worked out, and that part actually went nowhere. The character was canceled. But the Quinn character, for some reason, locked onto their imagination, and they started writing for that character."
Lisa Peluso (Lila Roberts): Lisa recalls, "Pursuing work in [Los Angeles] was not easy for me. This offer to test at ANOTHER WORLD came and I said yes. I wanted to be on the East Coast. The screen test was two very long dramatic scenes. I had so much fun with Tom Eplin and Robert Kelker-Kelly. Tom was great He was supportive and rooting for me. Tom is a very giving actor. Robert and I really didn't know each other but he was fine...Talking to [AW head writer] Michael Malone, I said, 'Thank you, you wrote such a wonderful character.' Lila is from New Orleans, but she's lived all over the South. She's like Blanche Dubois, Vivien Leigh, [and] Elizabeth Taylor all roled into one."
Beverly Penberthy (Pat Randolph): An agent lured Beverly away from the theater to the Big Apple for what he promised was a "wonderful play," which turned out to be "Another World." The job resulted in a split from her first husband back in their native Detroit.
Mark Pinter (Grant Harrison): Pinter recalls, "I waited around for a couple of years hoping that somebody would create a character on daytime for me, but it didn't happen. So when this opportunity came along, I thought, 'Gee, I'd love to do this because I think I'm good at daytime.'" Pinter was aware that Dack Rambo was popular as Grant Harrison, and the actor claimed he had no qualms about stepping into his predecessor's shoes, "since this is my third time replacing someone in a daytime." Pinter believed he earned respect for his acting talents over the years, but felt he never had the chance to shine. The actor was optimistic that on Another World he would finally get that chance. "I've never had a chance to show what it is I can do as an actor, because I haven't been used to my fullest. I've been disappointed in the past, but I think on Another World, I'll finally be able to show how fine an actor I really am."
Clayton Prince (Reuben Lawrence): "Another World Today" asked, "When you auditioned for the role of Reuben Lawrence, who did the producers tell you he was?" Clayton replied, "It's funny, I did a lot of primetime and film stuff, and I didn't think I'd be doing daytime. When they first approached me, I was originally only supposed to be on for 6 months. I was the bad brother of B.J. Jefferson (Veronica 'Ronnie' Lawrence). But after I auditioned with Michael Laibson (AW Executive Producer at the time), I remember Michael saying: You're a star. There's no way we're only offering you six months, it's a three year contract or nothing. I was like: 'whoa, give me a day or two to think it over before I start shooting.' I was doing a movie-of-the-week at the time, but I really liked the character of Reuben because there was so much room for growth."
Trevor Richard (Kevin Thatcher): According to Trevor's manager Gary Scalvo, casting director Randy Lein hired Trevor because, "he was the only boy at auditions who responded immediately to what he was asked to do; he was serious, handled pressure well and didn't waste time."
Barbara Rodell (Lee Randolph): Rodell recalls, "I was interviewed during that time by Mary Green who did all the casting for the Proctor and Gamble shows at Young and Rubicam Advertising Agency. Mary called my agent, Josh Meyer and told him she had set up an audition for me the next day at 5:00pm. I would be the last actress to be seen that day but to be sure to get there early to study the sides and to drop off at her office before the audition which I did. She wished me the best of luck at the audition and felt this was a perfect role for me and one she wanted to work out for me as the others during the two years I had read for had not happened. I was very thin, and I remember thinking when I entered the audition room that all the other actress[es] were far prettier than me and wondered how I could get this role."
"As the room emptied and I being the last actress to read and study the sides realizing the name on the paper of the character I was auditioning for did ring a bell for me but the scene was written beautifully and, having watched soaps from time to time, I thought I think this is the part of Lee Randolph on ANOTHER WORLD who was the daughter of the main family. I had no trouble remembering the lines almost perfectly by heart which meant I would not have to look down at the pages during the audition. I was fed the lines off camera by an actor and the audition was over. However, a side door opened as I was getting up from the chair. I was asked if I would do another scene cold which means without preparation. I have always felt completely at ease with cold readings and said "Yes," which I did. I left feeling blessed and not thinking over and over again in my mind's eye if I had given a good audition as I had learned by now to let go of the result of an audition. I was no longer self-judging my work as an actress and just allowed it to unfold as a gift given me by God..."
"Later that day I got a call from my agent. Mary Green had called, saying that I was to come back to [Young and Rubicam Advertising Agency] again for a meeting at 11:00am. He was not told anything else. I entered a conference room and saw several men and a very pretty dainty woman sitting at the head of the long table who I learned later was Agnes Nixon, the head writer of AW and the men were executives from P&G. Agnes introduced herself to me and told me that my audition was special and found it magical. She went on to tell me that the role I had read for was going to demand a very strong actress as it was going to deal with subject matter new to daytime and did I think I could handle the demands of this role as the character would be on several times a week. Several of the men also were complimentary to me about how touched they were after seeing my audition."
"I left a bit confused. I went to the phone booth on the corner and called Mary Green. I said I didn't really understand what was going on after the meeting. Mary told me to go to the back service elevator and [to] come upstairs to speak with her. Mary then said that my audition had really impressed Agnes and all the others and, although she did not know if I had gotten the role as they could change their minds over the next few days, she wanted me to just not be concerned. Of course, my agent was negotiating my contract to play Lee Randolph on Another World. A pivotal moment in my career as I walked happily on to Alexander's Department Store to do my jobs as I didn't quite believe what had just happened. First audition was on Thursday and Friday was the meeting and on Tuesday I was taping my first show. My character of Lee Randolph was the pivotal character in my first show as they were unfolding the beginning of what would happen to Lee and her family and all others she would encounter according to Agnes Nixon's storyline."
Howard E. Rollins, Jr. (Ed Harding): Rollins recalled, "I took a role on Another World simply because I like to work and I needed a job. And to me, a job is a job, no matter where it is. In Europe, actors take jobs no matter what the milieu and nothing is looked down upon. I have a lot of respect for soap opera actors." The role was scheduled to be only a one-month stint, but Rollins decided to return to the role for an open-ended encore.
Carol Roux (Missy Palmer): On leaving school she was given three offers: a role in the touring company of "Oh Dad, Poor Dad" by Kopit, a contract to study with and act in the Lincoln Center Repertory Company, and in "Another World." She accepted the last to play orphan, Missy Palmer.
William Russ (Burt McGowan): During his tenure as Burt McGowan, William stated, "I signed to do "Another World" in January, and I signed for a year because that's all I wanted to do. I enjoy it, but my main interest is the stage and eventually movies."
Dahlia Salem (Sofia Carlino): Salem recalls sitting nervously in the audition waiting room with five other girls who all looked Italian. Joe Barbara peeked his head in to wish them luck, giving Salem what she needed to relax and have fun with the audition.
Philece Sampler (Donna Love): She tested for the part, then flew to New York to screen-test with Kale Browne. A friend of hers who had been watching AW for 12 years filled her in on Donna's past, and even picked out a "Donna outfit" from her clothes-closet for her test. The network took a long time to decide upon Philece, but they finally called her when she was in the middle of watching "Santa Barbara."
John Saxon (Edward Gerard): Saxon stated, ""I was under the impression that soaps were the last step for former movie stars but I was mistaken. I suffered from the old thinking. When the offer came for me to join the cast of Another World my sister was the one who thought it would be a great chance for vast exposure to an audience which might not have seen me in my other roles. I said yes and I am glad I did. If I hadn't taken the part of Gerard in World who knows what parts I would have played in the episodic TV series I would have been offered." Saxon also welcomed the chance to work in New York, or to be more exact, Brooklyn, where Another World is taped. Saxon was born in Brooklyn, not very far from the studios, and this represented a homecoming of sorts.
Ned Schmidtke (Greg Barnard): A Chicago native, Ned was persuaded by his agent to try his luck in New York. Once there, it only took him 10 days to sign a two-year contract with Another World.
Stephen Schnetzer (Cass Winthrop): Just one day after he finished "One Life to Live," he tested for and won the role.
Diego Serrano (Tomas Rivera): Robyn Griggs remembers screen testing with many applicants for the role of Tomas, but felt Serrano had a different quality about him. Despite his difficulties with English, she worked well with him that day and was excited to hear he'd gotten the role.
Ted Shackelford (Raymond Gordon): Ted was originally signed for 10 weeks, but the producers liked him so much they signed him to a year.
Ann Sheridan (Katherine Corning): Ann's interest in soap opera was nothing new. Ten or twelve years ago, when she still lived in Hollywood, she asked her agent about soap opera possibilities. When asked if she wanted to work on "Another World," she replied, "Good lord yes, if I'm not overexposed - if I don't have to be on every day, just once or twice a week." Ann was given a 13 week contract and an option for 13 more weeks.
Sally Spencer (M.J. McKinnon): While appearing in the Los Angeles production of "Cats," Sally called in sick to go to New York to do her screen test, which was illegal. But within three days, she won the role, quit Cats, and moved to New York.
Richard Steen (Ben McKinnon): Steen recalls, "The 'Another World' screen test marked the first time I had ever walked onto a real set. I got the role trying to get an agent. I sent a photo to an agent who submitted it to NBC before meeting me. And - boom! That was it. I never even met him until the day before I left for New York."
Robin Strasser (Rachel Cory): Robin recalls, "Agnes Nixon watched all the young actresses they brought in. She said [about me], 'That one reminds me of a young Anna Magnani, I want her." "I had come back from one of these four auditions [including "Dark Shadows" and "As the World Turns"] for a daytime serial. I told some of the other actresses in my dressing room, I auditioned for a daytime soap but I'm telling my agent no more soap auditions. I'm never going to get one, I'm not the type they want. The stage manager said, "There's a telephone call for you, Robin." It was my stage agent and it was Another World saying I was cast as Rachel, I was being offered a five year contract."
Anna Stuart (Donna Love): Anna recalls, "I had the audition for Paul Rauch [....] "I rushed off to the audition and I had to kiss Stephen Schnetzer. I was auditioning for Felicia. I went into the ladies room to gargle with Lavoris to make sure I was fresh. And they called me, Anna Stuart, where are you, we are waiting for you! I didn't expect it, and I spilled the Lavoris all over my all white pant suit. So here I am trying to cover the Lavoris stains with the white fur throw. I walked up into the room and Paul Rauch never looked up, he never even looked at me. He had a tendency to be sort of intimidating that way. He had issues in that area. I didnt get that part, and that was that. I didn't want to do another soap anyway.
About three weeks later Paul Rauch called my agent and said, We have a character in mind but it's recurring, would she be interested? I said, Absolutely, if it's recurring then I don't have to make a commitment. So I started doing Donna Love as a recurring character, and the rest is history. By the time they asked me if they can put me under contract, it was eight or nine months into the run. The character had taken with the audience, so they had to pay me more money than they would have if they had put me under contract right away.
Dolph Sweet (Gil McGowan): Prior to joining Another World, Dolph had already performed a Broadway play nearly every year, made over eighty television appearances, and appeared in fifteen films. It was while Dolph was playing the title role in the play, Agamemnon at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey, that he was offered the part of Lt. Gil McGowan on Another World.
Paul Tinder (Jerry Grove): Show producers reportedly found Kevin Conroy to be rather limited. Aware of Paul Tinder's previous work on Edge of Night as hoodlum Larry Watts, producers felt that Tinder had the right spark to make the role of Jerry Grove "catch fire." Tinder would replace Kevin Conroy, becoming the third and final actor to play the role of Jerry.
Victoria Thompson (Janice Frame): When Robin Strasser left the role of Rachel, Paul Rauch auditioned many actresses for the part. He liked Victoria Thompson enough to put her at the top of his list. Then he learned that Victoria Wyndham, who had taken several years off from acting to raise her family, was available and cast her instead as Rachel. But liking the work and personality of Victoria Thompson so much, he created the role of Janice Frame especially for her.
Russell Todd (Jamie Frame): Russell recalls, "My agent submitted me for the role. I was living in LA and got called into NBC offices here and read. I then got a call to be flown to NY to read with Anne Heche in a screen test. We had good chemistry and I got the role."
Patrick Tovatt (Zane Lindquist): Like Sharon Gabet, Tovatt learned sign language for the role of Zane. "It was confusing for the actors who worked with Sharon and myself when we first began our roles on Another World. The other actors didn't understand what we were signing. But when they incorporated their frustrations into their acting, it worked to everyone's advantage. That's the way people really do feel when they can't communicate."
Susan Trustman (Pat Randolph): When Susan was six years old, her parents arranged for her to take acting and elocution lessons in an attempt to overcome her timidity. By the time she reached high school, Susan had developed a fondness for acting. From there she went to Carnegie Tech because of its fine acting school. Susan graduated in June 1961 and became a member of the Cincinnati Repertory for year, doing mostly Shakespeare and Shaw plays. Since then she built an impressive list of stage credits both on Broadway and in the road company of "Come Blow Your Horn."
Christine Tucci (Amanda Cory): Living in Chicago at the time, Tucci was selected from a tape to join the screen testing with Mark Pinter (Grant Harrison, 1991-1999), where she remembers encountering a lot of blonde actresses.
Paul Michael Valley (Ryan Harrison): "I was in my last year at Juilliard, and I was miserable-broke and physically exhausted. "I was very insecure," he recalls, "and then I did the screen test for 'Another World' and everybody was so kind. They liked me, and all of a sudden this joyride began." After what he describes as an "only adequate" audition, Valley recounts how he chatted offscreen with "AW" star Anne Heche (Vicky/Marley). It was the duo`s spontaneous conversation that clinched the deal for him.
Kathryn Walker (Barbara Weaver): According to Michael Ryan (John Randolph), Roberta Maxwell left the role of Barbara due to family commitments, taking her older father to live in Ireland. Her replacement, Kathryn Walker openly admitted that she took over for Maxwell "because I needed the money." She was aware that the character would only last for another few months.
Douglass Watson (Mac Cory): While performing in the musical "Over There," his agent asked him if he wanted to do a soap. He agreed, thinking it would mean just coming on as a minor character for a few scenes for a couple of days. But when he discovered it was for a year he tried to get out of it. The executive producer wouldn't let him. Fortunately, Douglass found he enjoyed the role.
Ellen Wheeler (Marley/Vicky Hudson): "Another World" saw the audition tapes that Ellen had done for both "Search for Tomorrow" and "Days of Our Lives" in 1984. Ellen received a call on a Friday night stating she'd be starting work as Marley on Monday. Her scripts were waiting for for her when she checked in to the New York hotel on Sunday and she ended up filming material for three episodes the following day. When Ellen took on the dual role of Victoria in 1985, it was only supposed to last four weeks, after which it was decided to expand the part at least through the summer.
Karin Wolfe (Pam Sloan): Karin took a leave from DOOL to do a Broadway play. Realizing she missed the hustle and bustle of New York, she moved back East. "After several weeks of unpacking and getting used to the weather. I went out for an audition, and believe it or not, landed my role on Another World."
Failed Auditions (AW Actors) Failed Auditions (Non-AW Actors)