The following is the transcript of the NBC Chat with Victoria Wyndham of "Another World" 10/16/96

Host nbcshows:
Hi. Welcome to the NBC.COM chat room on the web and the NBC SuperNet Auditorium.

Tonight, we have a special guest here in our Burbank offices at NBC: Victoria Wyndham of "Another World."

Before we begin this chat, here are a few background notes on our guest:

VICTORIA WYNDHAM, the longest-running cast member of "Another World," joined the serial in 1972. Wyndham and her "Another World" co-star Charles Keating have been seen throughout the country in their successful theatrical production "Couplets: A Celebration of Love, Verse, Scene and Song," which they created last year.
Wyndham is also a sculptor, and some of her work is on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. (her pieces have also appeared on "Another World"). The daughter of the late actor Ralph Camargo, Wyndham was born in Chicago, and raised in Westport, Conn. She has two grown sons. Her birthday is May 22.

Host nbcshows:
Well, enough of this...let's get chatting! Victoria is here with us in the NBC Auditorium. Welcome!


Victoria Wyndham:
Hi everybody....hope your keyboards are ready...let's rock and roll! First question please.

AWFanBrigade:
Victoria, welcome. This is Tom Freeman from the Another World Fan Brigade. I was wondering if you could explain how Rachel has lasted all these years as Another World's main character!! Congratulations on 25 years with AW!!

Victoria Wyndham:
Thanks Tom! Hope you're still nice and skinny. I think Rachel has lasted all these years because of loyal fans like you and all the fans in the fan brigade who have watched her grow up and grown up with her. I think what I've tried to do is make her honest and reflect women today.


hirsoshima:
Victoria...so what is going to happen with your character?

Victoria Wyndham:
We've got some really interesting stuff coming up...and that's all I'm at liberty to say, so you'll just have to keep watching. But after a long wait, I think you're going to see a clear strong story for Rachel, so keep you're fingers crossed and hope that it's well-told and in-depth and hope you like it. And hope its shows a progression for Rachel, because that's how I see her...as a character who grows and progresses.


ASSTMGR
I loved that romance between Mac and Victoria it was the greatest! Sorry he passed away.

VictoriaWyndham:
So am I. But it was a romance between Mac and Rachel and a close friendship between Douglas and Victoria. And both Victoria and Rachel miss him very much.

VictoriaWyndham:
How do you feel about Carl?


Daphne, Dallas Texas:
Hello Victoria, I have been a fan of yours for a very long time. I am 22 years old and I can remember watching you way back when... Anyway my question is, of all your leading men who is or was your favorite Thanks.
P.S. You are so lucky to work with Tomas & Rafael they are too HOT!! -

VictoriaWyndham:
I'm glad you like the youngsters. I think we've got a lot of cool men on our show. I must say I'm partial to most of them. And it's very hard to name favorites, but I think Douglas and Charles are neck and neck. Very different men, very different acting styles and very stimulating partners.


Carmella from Montreal, Quebec:
Is Rachel ever going to have enough of Maggie, revoke her trust fund, and send her out into the cruel world to get a job and a life. Would you, Victoria, put up with a grandchild of yours, if they had the same attitude as Maggie ?

VictoriaWyndham:
I don't think I would, no. I don't think I would put up with a grandchild with the same attitude as Maggie. And I don't think Rachel would put up with her either. However, we've seen very little interaction between Maggie and Rachel. So to me, the lack of supervision is the problem with the relationship between those two characters. In real life a parent wouldn't be never there and clueless as to what the child is doing as Rachel has been. So this part of the story has not seemed very authentic to me and is certainly not the parent Rachel that I've been playing all these years. That's sad. I agree with the little that Rachel has had to say to Maggie and I think that Maggie will come up with a resolution to this.


Sheila, Vancouver, BC, Canada:
What's it like working with Charles Keating and will you be making any appearances in my area, any time soon?

VictoriaWyndham:
It's a delight working with Charles. Very few dull moments :-) We loved Vancouver, we were there last year, last summer. But unfortunately not to do Couplets, we were just passing through. Find a theater and have them ask us and we'd be happy to go back. What a beautiful city!


diva22:
HI Victoria, Lisa in Michigan Here. First I love your Web site and all the photos and info. Any chance of bringing the character of Loretta back? Your interaction with her was really good.

VictoriaWyndham:
I'd love to see Loretta back, we have a dearth of ladies of her age range on the show. I think it would be great if that were remedied. And she was so warm and fun to work with. So, you'll have to write TPTB and keep asking for her!!!


Shelley from Port Orange, FL:
I've been watching since the early 70's. I've always been a big fan, but lately I think the show has reached an all time high. Do you have a say in story lines and if so, the Matt and Sofia characters have a real chemistry. I really would like to see this happen. Also, any chance of Rachel returning to her "bad guy" ways. She and Carl are a great team no matter what.

VictoriaWyndham:
We have absolutely no say in story lines. Aside from suggestions, I think are team is interested in Matt and Sofia, but it also helps to hear from the audience what they want to see. That means YOU writing TPTB. That's more effective than writing me. I don't think Rachel will go back to her bad ways unless, she forgets who she is. She struggled long and hard to grow out of the anti-social behavior. She learned the value of goodness from Mac. Once you learn that 2 + 2 = 4, it's impossible to unlearn it. However, if things got bad enough. I think anything could happen. But I don't see the interest of 2 people being bad together. Unless they brought Justine back...she was a hoot! I enjoyed playing her. But I expect if Rachel became bad, she might be too reminiscent of Justine. So what would be the point?

VictoriaWyndham:
I would have liked to see Justine and Carl as adversaries for a bit longer. I think that would have been interesting.


AWFanBrigade:
Victoria, it is so exciting to learn about your many artistic and creative endeavors. Now I hear you are opening the National Horse Show. What is that, and how did it come to be? -- love, Tom F.

VictoriaWyndham:
I'm not opening the Horse Show...I'm exhibiting the Horse Show, and doing the National Anthem the night I exhibit. I'm exhibiting my own horse, Andante, in a celebrity class and if there's time I'll perform with him, a musical freestyle to show a little of what we do together. And it came about last year when the National Horse Show wanted to do a celebrity ride...they got my name through horse people around here.


VictoriaWyndham:
And it was so fun, I told them I would bring my own horse this time. So Andante gets to go to Madison Square Garden this year! We've been practicing very hard, and he's very excited.


NF,NY:
Do you feel that you are alike with the character of Rachel ? If so, which qualities do you share? Brandi Graton

VictoriaWyndham:
Well we certainly look alike :-) We both share our love for our family. I think I display my sense of humor more than she does. I think I'm more proactive than she has been this last couple years. But we haven't really seen Rachel very much the last year of so, so maybe I'm being unfair. I'm a lot more casual than she is...and much more irreverent and I have a much more casual relationship with my children than she does. But we've become more and more like each other over the years.

VictoriaWyndham::
And I'm bored much more easily than Rachel is! Thank goodness! If she wasn't like me, she wouldn't be there :-)


Alice, Ft. Wayne. In:
I've watched the show since the very beginning so I was thrilled with the anniversary show. What has been your favorite storyline?

VictoriaWyndham:
I think the Mac/Rachel storyline was my favorite and a quick runner-up would be the wooing of Carl by Rachel. Two very different men, two very different kinds of romances. One, where she was transformed and one where she transformed someone else.


Jbroo Boyne:
Who was the biggest supporter and motivator who helped you get where you are today as one of the top actresses in Daytime soaps?

VictoriaWyndham:
I'd have to say my parents. My father and mother who were actors also. And who made sure, as a young person, I got the education and training I needed.


Victoria, you have played your character as both "naughty" and "nice"---which do you prefer?

VictoriaWyndham:
I don't see Rachel in simplistic terms. I see her as a real person. She and her family really exist. I don't see her as a two-dimensional person. I don't see her as bad or good. The only way as an actor I can bring her to life is by feeding her reality to myself. After you've played a character this long, they become an alter ego. She worries about me and I worry about her.

VictoriaWyndham:
I like playing her. I guess that's all I can say.


Victoria...Could you please wish Charles Keating a happy birthday from all the girls at Stamford University?

VictoriaWyndham:
I certainly can...and what form do you want that to be in? LOL


Signed, Mary from Michigan:
Hi Victoria -- I have watched AW since its beginning in 1964 and have enjoyed watching the evolution of "Rachel," first with Robin Strasser and then with you in the title role. It was obvious that you had a wonderful relationship with Constance Ford and Douglass Watson. Do they continue to inspire you and influence your acting? Also, are you still active in sculpting?

VictoriaWyndham:
Yes, Mary, I still sculpt when I get the chance too...which isn't very often these days. And yes, Connie and Douglass are very real influence and presence on Another World still to this day. Very few days go by in the studio without one of us telling a story about one of them.


Loving-Him:
Victoria I would like to know if you enjoy the story line you have now

VictoriaWyndham:
What storyline??? Beth Lock Haven PA
Hi there! How are you tonight? I was wondering if you were surprised when you got Best Actress and does it bother you that Another World gets so few nominations?

VictoriaWyndham:
Yes, it does surprise me that we get so few nominations. But hopefully that will change with the present team we have now, who are extremely dedicated to putting Another World on the map in a BIGGER way. I think we're already seeing a clear new sensibility that's good for the show.


cheryl from pennsylvania
victoria, where do you see yourself in 10 years both professionally and personally

VictoriaWyndham:
I don't look that far ahead...They're too many things I love doing each day, and my experience has been: if you make the most of each day, the future takes care of itself. But they're plenty of things I still want to do. I'd love to do more nighttime TV, I'd love to get better at dressage, I'd love to see one of my scripts through to production, etc., etc.,

VictoriaWyndham:
I'd love to see Another World #1 with Carl & Rachel :-) and their family!


Gail from Seattle, Washinton:
How are you doing, Victoria!! I am sure you and Charles have been rehearsing in preparation for Couplets perf this coming weekend. Any new performance dates scheduled for next yr? Its been great to see the gutsy Rachel back on the air!! Have you seen Charles web page yet? What do you think?

VictoriaWyndham:
I have seen his page...I think it's nice. For those of you who do not know, Charles and I are appearing in Oklahoma, at Cameron Univ. on Sat. 19. Next weekend, we're in Albany, NY at the Egg. After these 2 gigs, we have a couple of dates in the spring. Other than that, neither of us think ahead beyond the next offer. So I hope we continue to do them, but you never know :-) And I'm glad you're liking Rachel these days, thanks for watching!


Nicoleo from Texas: :
How did you get your first break into acting?

VictoriaWyndham:
Well my first break in acting...I was about 5. And I guess I was the only little kid who could learn all the words. And my parents were actors, so it was a clear shot. But I think my biggest break as an adult was getting into Fiddler on the Roof understudying one of the leads and before I knew it, I was on playing her regularly. So that was my BIG break!


Gabriel, Ann Arbor, MI :
I love the show, Victoria. It's one of my favorites. What's the oddest thing that's happened on the set that you can remember?

VictoriaWyndham:
When Nicolas Coster and John Considine did a strip-tease in my sighlines when I was doing a taping. They were trying to make me laugh and nearly succeeded

VictoriaWyndham:
And the other odd moment, was (those 2 again) when they took my portfolio and they inserted bawdy pictures into it without my knowing it. So when I flung open my portfolio in the middle of the scene, we got a real eyeful.


Stephanie from Pennsauken, NJ :
Victoria - How do you feel about all the changes(writers, producers, cast members, etc.) that have occurred through the years at AW?

VictoriaWyndham::
Well, very few people like that much change. Sometimes the change has been for the good, sometimes for the worse. There's no question that much change has been difficult for continuity so no one gets a chance to adjust. I'd like to think that this current team will be around for awhile, so that the show can settle in and so you viewers can have a better sense of continuity.


LLS in KW :
where is your WEB site? please

VictoriaWyndham:
http://www.olywa.net/victoria.wyndham


AWorldFan:
Victoria, alot of the fans of Carl & Rachel would love to see them become parents. Any chance of this happening and what would be your views on the storyline?

VictoriaWyndham:

As long as it happens to Rachel and not Vicky...god, do you think she REALLY needs another child? God love you for thinking that we're young enough to be parents...I guess we really are... It gives me the bends just thinking about it...AGHHH!!!


Now for my question, Victoria how do the powers that be, or the cast feel about such fan organizations as the Another World Fan Brigade and the AW Fan club being involved in bringing viewers concerns to the forefront? I mean if it weren't for the fans there would be no show. How important is viewer input to the show?

VictoriaWyndham:
I think everyone is delighted to hear from audience. And to hear specifically about what audiences like and dislike. It's extremely helpful to everyone. It makes you heard and it enables those of us who put these shows on some insight into what you want to see. So, it's great! Keep up the good work!


Gabe, gabe@rust.net:
Do people recognize you when you're in public?

VictoriaWyndham:
Well, yeah...mostly they recognize my voice...that's what gives me away. I had some little girls running down the streets of my little town today that they had seen Rachel. She's certainly better known than Vicky Wyndham. And what's really delightful is the response Charles and I get when we're together in public. In Rhode Island, one night, very late...we wandered into an IHOP...it was jammed with kids from the club scene...they bought us breakfast. Another table sent us a complimentary egg on a plate in lieu of a drink!!!

VictoriaWyndham:
Rachel and Carl seem to appeal to all ages. A great time was had by all! Thank you to whoever sent us the egg! And Charles is a HUGE hit with the stroller set in airports!


Mark - Tarzana California
Victoria, I would love to see AW use your 25th anniversary year to do a retrospective on Rachel over these years... What do you think of the idea?

VictoriaWyndham:
I think it's great...let them know!


Mark - Tarzana California:
Hello Victoria. I just wanted to say I've been watching Another World since I was 13 years of age. I've enjoyed the soap ever since and have continued watching it. I just wanted to say BRAVO to you and your fine cast, and thank you for the many moments I have personally enjoyed watching Another World. Thank you

VictoriaWyndham:
Thank you, Mark...stay tuned.


Carrie Sundridge, ON, Canada: You're character Rachel is so kind. In real life do you do charity work or anything to help people?

VictoriaWyndham:
Yes I do. I like to keep it quiet...or else it would just be another publicity stunt.


hirsoshima:
Victoria....Is it possible to request an appearance of you and Charles at Samford University in Birmingham, AL? We would absolutely die to show ya'll true southern hospitality.

VictoriaWyndham:
Yes, if they have a theater and they want to see Couplets, We'd love to come down there.. They'd have to tell us a little bit more of what they have.


Laura in Kingsburg, California:
Victoria, is there anything your character has not done yet that you would love to have her do?

VictoriaWyndham:
Gosh, I don't think so Laura. I guess I'd love to see her do some comedy. I don't think I'd love to see her do something light. That's something that Carl and I do. And it's something that I haven't had a chance to do, so that's what I'd like to do!


VictoriaWyndham:
ok everybody, I have to sign off. Thanks for joining us, and thanks for staying tuned in.


Host nbcshows:
THANK YOU for a great chat everyone. :-)

Special thanks to VictoriaWyndham for taking the time off her busy schedule to chat with us.

Host nbcshows:

Do you have comments or questions about this chat or anything you've seen on the NBC television network or the NBC.com website(http://www.NBC.com)?

please e-mail us:

entertainment@nbc.com or NBCshows@msn.com

Thanks and good night!