Post by jag11 on Jun 28, 2007 10:04:56 GMT -5
June 12, 2007 Soap Opera Weekly
Switching shows has brought great rewards--and great challenges.
Vincent Irizarry (David, Y&R; ex-David, AMC; ex-Lujack/Nick, GL)
After David Hayward's exit from AMC, Irizarry didn't have to think twice about his next move. "A week-and-a-half after I left, I was offered this role," marvels the man playing Genoa City's new spin doctor on Y&R. "I was happy to work on the show that's No. 1. It's a wonderful group here. I've been in this medium for over 20 years, so I knew a lot of them already. Some I'd never worked with, but had admired from afar. Right off, I was working with Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru), Kristoff St. John (Neil) and Sharon Case (Sharon). I knew Kristoff, he gave me a big hug. I also knew Peter Bergman (Jack) for many years, but never worked with him. I knew Christian (Le Blanc, Michael) since the early Lujack days when he was on ATWT (as Kirk). He's such a sweetheart and he's fantastic in this role. He and Tracey (E. Bregman, Lauren) are wonderful together. I also worked with Eric Braeden (Victor) on a miniseries called Lucky Chances years ago. It was good to be reunited with him, too."
And Irizarry didn't even have to answer to a new name. "It's interesting that I went from David Hayward to David Chow," he laughs. "When fans recognize me, they say, 'David! David!' I don't know which one they're talking about, but it works. It's funny."
The "new" David has been a refreshing change. "For the greater part of nine years, I found playing David Hayward exceedingly challenging and satisfying," Irizarry explains. "But toward the end, what used to be a wonderful, multidimensional character turned into the stereotypical bad guy. I was doing my job, but knowing it could be better. That's not fun."
Y&R, in contrast, was all about opportunity. "They created the role and it was exciting to be there in the beginning with a character they were figuring out," notes Irizarry, who acknowledges there was a downside. "David Chow started off strong with the Drucilla storyline and then he floundered, because the character wasn't slated to be on-camera until they gave it to me. We were finding him. Now that we have, they're giving him some meat."
As Irizarry learns more about his character, he's also learning the ropes on his new show. "There are a lot of differences here," he concedes. "Technically, it's a different show. Y&R uses hi-def cameras and the quality is amazing. Visually, it's very sharp. At AMC, they're not going for that look. Also, directorially, Y&R tends to shoot close-ups a lot more than AMC. That's their signature. It's a different way of telling the story. The close-up shot is important in romance, because the audience wants to see the unspoken communication taking place, and that happens in the eyes."
One thing the actor does miss about AMC is the opportunity to be trained as a director. "I was breaking down scenes and writing the director's shots," he reveals. "It was wonderful, but I have to establish myself here before asking that of the Y&R directors."
Eileen Davidson (Ashley, B&B... crossed over from Y&R; ex-Kristen/Susan, Days of our Lives)
For Davidson, transitioning to B&B was a lot different than jumping between Y&R and Days. Unlike her fellow soap-hoppers, Davidson is playing the same character, and on Y&R's sister show. "It's a very unique experience," allows Davidson, "because I'm literally working right across the hall from where I used to be. I still go back to Y&R to say 'Hi' to the people I used to work with. I see them a lot in the hall and the commissary, and sometimes I work with them over here. A lot of the same crew crosses back and forth between both shows. It's different, but not completely alien to me. It's definitely not like starting a whole new gig, which I've done in the past. But in some respects, because the character had changed so much on Y&R, it does feel different here. The way she's being written, the way she's being dressed is different."
Davidson concedes the transition has not been without its bumps. "It's been fun, but at the same time it hasn't been a slam dunk. It's still a new gig. In some ways [it's more challenging], because I have so much history on Y&R and yet I'm on B&B now. It's a mixed bag." Davidson has been very pleased with the way B&B has handled the balancing act between Ashley's Y&R back story and new B&B story lines. "I think they inject just enough of it in to give her credibility, like her references to Jack and those flashbacks with Victor."
For Davidson, the big difference between the sister soaps has also been the best: the pace of a half-hour show and the schedule it affords. "We do seven shows in four days," she marvels. "Like today, I've got 40 items and I'm doing six shows in two days." Such a compressed work week is beneficial for actors like her with families. "So far, so good!"
Hop On Top
Switching shows has brought great rewards--and great challenges.
Vincent Irizarry (David, Y&R; ex-David, AMC; ex-Lujack/Nick, GL)
After David Hayward's exit from AMC, Irizarry didn't have to think twice about his next move. "A week-and-a-half after I left, I was offered this role," marvels the man playing Genoa City's new spin doctor on Y&R. "I was happy to work on the show that's No. 1. It's a wonderful group here. I've been in this medium for over 20 years, so I knew a lot of them already. Some I'd never worked with, but had admired from afar. Right off, I was working with Victoria Rowell (ex-Dru), Kristoff St. John (Neil) and Sharon Case (Sharon). I knew Kristoff, he gave me a big hug. I also knew Peter Bergman (Jack) for many years, but never worked with him. I knew Christian (Le Blanc, Michael) since the early Lujack days when he was on ATWT (as Kirk). He's such a sweetheart and he's fantastic in this role. He and Tracey (E. Bregman, Lauren) are wonderful together. I also worked with Eric Braeden (Victor) on a miniseries called Lucky Chances years ago. It was good to be reunited with him, too."
And Irizarry didn't even have to answer to a new name. "It's interesting that I went from David Hayward to David Chow," he laughs. "When fans recognize me, they say, 'David! David!' I don't know which one they're talking about, but it works. It's funny."
The "new" David has been a refreshing change. "For the greater part of nine years, I found playing David Hayward exceedingly challenging and satisfying," Irizarry explains. "But toward the end, what used to be a wonderful, multidimensional character turned into the stereotypical bad guy. I was doing my job, but knowing it could be better. That's not fun."
Y&R, in contrast, was all about opportunity. "They created the role and it was exciting to be there in the beginning with a character they were figuring out," notes Irizarry, who acknowledges there was a downside. "David Chow started off strong with the Drucilla storyline and then he floundered, because the character wasn't slated to be on-camera until they gave it to me. We were finding him. Now that we have, they're giving him some meat."
As Irizarry learns more about his character, he's also learning the ropes on his new show. "There are a lot of differences here," he concedes. "Technically, it's a different show. Y&R uses hi-def cameras and the quality is amazing. Visually, it's very sharp. At AMC, they're not going for that look. Also, directorially, Y&R tends to shoot close-ups a lot more than AMC. That's their signature. It's a different way of telling the story. The close-up shot is important in romance, because the audience wants to see the unspoken communication taking place, and that happens in the eyes."
One thing the actor does miss about AMC is the opportunity to be trained as a director. "I was breaking down scenes and writing the director's shots," he reveals. "It was wonderful, but I have to establish myself here before asking that of the Y&R directors."
Eileen Davidson (Ashley, B&B... crossed over from Y&R; ex-Kristen/Susan, Days of our Lives)
For Davidson, transitioning to B&B was a lot different than jumping between Y&R and Days. Unlike her fellow soap-hoppers, Davidson is playing the same character, and on Y&R's sister show. "It's a very unique experience," allows Davidson, "because I'm literally working right across the hall from where I used to be. I still go back to Y&R to say 'Hi' to the people I used to work with. I see them a lot in the hall and the commissary, and sometimes I work with them over here. A lot of the same crew crosses back and forth between both shows. It's different, but not completely alien to me. It's definitely not like starting a whole new gig, which I've done in the past. But in some respects, because the character had changed so much on Y&R, it does feel different here. The way she's being written, the way she's being dressed is different."
Davidson concedes the transition has not been without its bumps. "It's been fun, but at the same time it hasn't been a slam dunk. It's still a new gig. In some ways [it's more challenging], because I have so much history on Y&R and yet I'm on B&B now. It's a mixed bag." Davidson has been very pleased with the way B&B has handled the balancing act between Ashley's Y&R back story and new B&B story lines. "I think they inject just enough of it in to give her credibility, like her references to Jack and those flashbacks with Victor."
For Davidson, the big difference between the sister soaps has also been the best: the pace of a half-hour show and the schedule it affords. "We do seven shows in four days," she marvels. "Like today, I've got 40 items and I'm doing six shows in two days." Such a compressed work week is beneficial for actors like her with families. "So far, so good!"