~SPECIAL FEATURE~ MY INTERVIEW WITH FAYE FOLEY

MY INTERVIEW WITH ACTRESS/MODEL

FAYE FOLEY

Thank you so much Faye for joining me.

For those who do not know, please tell us who your famous great grandmother was.

My great grandmother is Agnes Nixon, sometimes referred to as the "queen of daytime  drama”. She created iconic soap operas including All My Children, One Life To Life, and Loving and worked with many more. She was also an incredible social activist and a feminist before either really had titles. She brought awareness to important issues like racism, gay rights, women’s health, poverty and much more through her writing and the characters and storylines she created. She was also an incredible great grandmother who  taught me more life lessons just through her being than anyone ever has or could. She was the most generous person I have ever known and never asked for anything in return. I miss my Aggie every day and love her dearly.

You are an actor/model. Any projects you can tell us about?

I just shot an exciting beauty campaign for a very well known company but I can’t really talk about it yet.

This spring I worked on a film called “The Darkest Minds” starring Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, and Gwendoline Christie and directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson. It is based on a captivating Young Adult novel about kids fighting for their basic freedoms in a dystopian not- so -far- off future. I played the lead character (played by Amanda’s) best friend. It was such an honor to get to meet and work with Amandla, an actress I have long admired and Jennifer who worked on the Kung-FU Panda movies which I love. Th talent involved with this film is tremendous and I am thrilled to be part of it. It will be in theaters September of 2018 and I am counting the days. I think its going to be a huge hit!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

When I’m not working on a project or audition I’m either at school, doing homework or chores or hanging out with friends or my dog.

I also like to hula hoop and practice aerial arts, martial arts and archery.

What actor would you like to work with in the future?

I absolutely adore Will Ferrell and think it would be so fun to work with him. I think I have seen every movie he’s been in.

What shows do you watch right now?

I just finished watching "The Handmaid’s Tale". I hadn’t read the book so I was pretty shocked by the intense plot and almost couldn’t stomach it at times. But the acting was extraordinary and the cinematography stunning. I also have been watching “That 70’s show" a lot. I find it pretty relatable to being a teen these days and I also got to meet Kurtwood Smith who plays the dad while working onABC’s  “Resurrection”  where he also played the dad. He was super sweet and it makes it even more fun to watch. If I'm going to watch TV or film I comedy is usually my first choice but I’ve actually lived off the grid for most of my life with no television. I’ve been making up for it a bit the past year or two though. 

Any advice for any up and coming actors?

I would tell them to take risks. There are so many variables to being cast that are out of the actors control that you might as well be memorable. That way even if you don’t get the part you may be thought of for a different one. Push yourself to take on various characters, emotions, and choices with interpreting the script rather than type casting yourself and sticking to what feels most comfortable. That way you can keep growing in your craft.

Thank you once again for joining me Faye.

All the best to you!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your support!

MY INTERVIEW WITH DARLENE TEJEIRO

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> Hi Darlene! Thanks so much for joining me.
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> Tell us how Daytime has impacted you.

   All My Children was my first professional acting job. I'm so grateful to have been a part of such a wonderful ensemble. The first year on the show was incredibly rewarding as I learned a great deal on how to deal with memorizing an enormous amount of dialogue within a short period of time.
But most importantly, To have the opportunity to delve into the emotional and psychological  life of a character (Anita Santos) on a daily basis is in essence why I'm an Actor. To explore the complexes of human behavior, and to create her inner life through me with truthfulness and authenticity. Thank you "All My Children" thank you "Anita Santos" for allowing me to create a character I will always cherish and love.
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> What actor that you haven’t worked with yet, would you want to star with.

I would love to work with Kiefer Sutherland. He's an extraordinary talent. His work is truthful, intense...never a false moment. I've watched all his films! Including ,"The Lost Boy's" I think I was around 12 years old when it was playing in the theaters. l was truly obsessed. I think I saw "The Lost Boys" around 20 or so times.
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> If you weren’t an actor, what would you do for a living?

I don't want to think about it! Lol. I don't believe I would be anything else. If I was born today? I would still grow up to be an actor.
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> Do you have a guilty pleasure?

Daydreaming with a little glass of wine.

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> Would you ever consider doing daytime again? 

Yes!!! In a heart beat!! 

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> What advice would you give to up and coming actors? 

Do not listen to the naysayers! Do not look for validation from anybody! Do not get off your path because of someone else! Stay on your train and DO NOT GET OFF!!! Work on your craft! Be consistent. Stay persistent!
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> Thank you again for joining me!
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~INTERVIEW WITH TALK DAYTIME'S EMILY CORBETT~

                                             MY INTERVIEW WITH TALK DAYTIME'S
                                                           EMILY CORBETT      

EMILY CORBETT

Tell us a little bit about your show Talk Daytime. 

Hi! Thanks for having me back. Talk Daytime is my podcast with [co-host] Cathy Chandler. We had the idea and agreed to do a show together last summer, and we worked all summer and fall to ultimately premiere in January 2017. We focus on soaps and TV gossip, but we agreed, the day we decided to team up for this, that we'd use our platform to bright light to social issues and make a difference. In just a few short months since our premiere, we've taken on advocating for March of Dimes and the American Cancer Society, with plans to incorporate more causes that are important to raise awareness to such as sexual violence, Turner Syndrome, and Spina Bifida to name a few.



You are currently doing a fundraiser for brain cancer. Tell us about that.

We have decided that we wanted to use our platform to collect donations for the American Cancer Society through my personal Relay for Life page. This money benefits cancer research of all kinds, but brain cancer is something we're desperately trying to raise awareness to. A close friend of mine, Nancy, passed away in March after a fight with brain cancer. She wanted to share her story and raise awareness, and this fundraiser was actually, in part, her idea last fall. My personal reason for being passionate and involved with this is to honor her memory, but I know that cancer has touched the lives of nearly everyone in someway, so we've invited everyone to contribute and help support the fight against cancer. We have a giveaway going right now; anyone who donates through the link [on our Talk Daytime twitter] is entered to win a raffle basket full of "soapy" stuff and fun things.


Will it be an annual event?

YES! We want to do this every year until there's a cure.


How can people donate?

There is a link on all of our social media and the giveaway rules are there as well. We also have Talk Daytime shirts for sale for the entire month. I'd also like to encourage everyone to wear gray on May 9th for brain cancer awareness and tweet us your selfies with the hashtag #TalkDaytimeforACure

Thank you so much for joining me Emily. All the best! Please join us again soon!


Emily Corbett

~MY INTERVIEW WITH CADY MCCLAIN-APRIL 12, 2017~

                MY INTERVIEW WITH CADY MCCLAIN 

Hi Cady and welcome to the Spiel once again.

You have started the "Seeing is Believing" campaign. For those who are not aware, please tell us about it.

The campaign is over but people can still contribute to the Indiegogo page and get fun perks like t-shirts and a coffee mug that looks like a camera lens!

The project is a series about women directors: interviews with amazing women who direct films and television. We talk about why they decided to be directors, the process of their creativity, and leadership skills that are important, especially when you are a woman!

What are your thoughts on ABC regaining the rights to the characters from AMC and OLTL?

Good for them! They invested the most into those shows, they should own them. Hopefully they will find a place online or on cable to make them available to all the fans who so want to relieve those stores. They are playing “Dark Shadows” on Hulu, so I don’t see why not!

Would you ever go back to daytime?

I look at it like “Never say Never.” Because something always happens. But I am focusing on directing now. I was just nominated for an Emmy for my directing work on Venice the Series, which is a soap, so who knows? I think the future is friendly.

Who is your dream actor to work with that you have not yet?

You know I never had that thought. Ever. I didn’t look that far down the road. I look just ahead of me. I wanted to work with Michael Knight, and I got to. David Canary, Peter Bergman, and of course my favorite, Jon Lindstrom. I have been very lucky.

Thanks again for being here. All the best to you!

~MY INTERVIEW WITH INTERNET RADIO HOST EMILY CORBETT

                                                             EMILY CORBETT

You co-host Weekdays with Murph, how long has it been and what is it like for you to do an internet show?

I have co-hosted the show nearly three years. It will actually be three years in March. It's great, I love it. I like that we can just get on the phone with people and do the show, and that makes scheduling interviews a little easier, because we don't have to physically go anywhere. We can do the show anywhere, and I've done it in some strange places... the tanning bed, the grocery store, in my car on a road trip. You name it, I've probably done a show from there at some point. I will actually be leaving Weekdays at the end of the month to focus on my own new show!

You're starting a new show?
Yes! I'm so excited. Cathy Chandler, who has helped us at Weekdays a few times, has agreed to co-host with me. We named the show Talk Daytime after going back and forth on names a while. We've been planning it and working on it about six months so finally premiering is exciting!

You and Cody recently interviewed Genie Francis. What was that like?

It was amazing. Seriously. Ever since my first day on the show, I have said that my dream interview would be with Genie. It took me a really long time to get there, but I did. I have been actively pursuing it on and off for about eighteen months, and we finally worked it out. I was the one working on it, but Cody was always encouraging and supportive of my dream and he let basically stepped aside and let me do my thing, which was so sweet of him. I appreciate his support on it, for sure. As for Genie herself, she  was very kind and genuine and I enjoyed getting to know her a little bit. I can't say enough nice things about chatting with her. We also got to make a longtime friend of mine, Nancy's, dream of "meeting" Genie come true, which is something she'd wanted for about 35 or so years. While I was excited for myself, I was also really excited to make someone else's (who has wanted to meet Genie longer than I've been alive) dream come true. It was a great day for all of us.

What is your guilty pleasure?

I love to record a bunch of episodes of General Hospital, like an entire week, and binge watch them all at once. I also love watching Gilmore Girls reruns. I sing to Martina McBride's old records, too. I also secretly love watching episodes of Bob Ross' TV show, and I love the super romantic, sappy Hallmark Christmas movies, even the ones that are really unrealistic like "A Prince for Christmas".

Is there anyone you would like to have on your show in the future?

You know, I said for nearly three years that Genie Francis was my dream guest. Now, I feel like I can retire happy at the ripe old age of 19 (LOL). But, no, seriously, I would love to interview Laura Wright or Nancy Lee Grahn. I'd like to have Mary Beth Evans on the show sometime, because she was my first real interview on Weekdays. But, my dreams have come true as cheesy as it sounds, so honestly, I'll be happy no matter what happens in the future.

You attend college. What is your major and goals?

Well, until recently, I was a nursing major. I was completely miserable but scared to tell anyone. I finally told my family I wanted to change my major and everyone was really excited and supportive, and happy that I made the decision to do what I always wanted to do. My major is now communications with a minor in political science. I might pursue law school one day, but my goals for now are just to get good grades and do as well as possible. I used to joke and say that I wanted to be like Hillary Clinton, because I admire her a great deal, but who knows?! I'm just very excited to be pursuing something that makes me happy.

Thank you so much for joining me!

Thanks for having me back on the blog! I just want everyone to know that they can find me on Twitter @ emilyc0915 or Instagram @ emilylaurencorbett and catch Talk Daytime in 2017. Very exciting things happening in this new year, so everyone stay tuned!

~~MY INTERVIEW WITH LIZ VASSEY (EX-EMILY ANN SAGO, AMC)~

                                                           MY INTERVIEW WITH LIZ VASSEY

It's such a pleasure to have you here! Thank you and welcome to The Soap Spiel.

LV: Absolutely. Thanks for inviting me.

 What can you tell us about your time on AMC?

LV: Wow. How many pages do I get for this thing? I’ll try to keep it to a paragraph or two. It was, hands down, one of the best times of my life. I was 16 when I got the job, and I moved to New York with my mother and grandmother. We’d been living in Tampa, FL so it was a hell of an adjustment -- but from the second I stepped into Manhattan it felt like home. This many years later and it still does. 

As far as my actual time on the soap, I think it was unparalleled training for being on TV. I had only done theater for the most part before I booked AMC, so getting used to having a camera inches from my face was a skill I had to learn. I also got to watch the best actors and, quite frankly, try to copy what they did. I’d love to say I’m lying. I’m not. David Canary, Cady McClain (who is still a dear friend), Michael E. Knight -- I mean…come on. It was a terrific class in not only how to act, but how to act like a decent human being on set. 

And I met some wonderful friends during that time. I can't overstate how much fun Kelly Ripa and I had being young and ridiculous in NY.  We shared a dressing room in the studio and hung out a lot outside of work. Bill Timoney and I weren't on AMC at the same time, but we met through castmates and ended up doing a cabaret act together at a bar downtown.  He's now like family to me. Honestly, I can’t say enough about my time on that show. It was magic for me. 

 We lost the creator of AMC, Agnes Nixon last month. What was your experience like with her?

LV: Honestly, I didn’t know her well at all. I was very sorry to hear she’d passed because by all accounts she was a lovely woman. I am in awe of the sheer amount of television she created. She was prolific and inspiring beyond words. 

I met you in NY while you were on AMC. I was 19 and a friend of mine and I went to see you sing. Do you still sing?

LV: I do! I’d like to sing more, but I have done some charity events like “What A Pair” in which I got to get up and do songs with other TV actresses. Marg Helgenberger and I did it together one year and it was huge fun.

What is your favorite storyline as Emily Ann Sago? 

LV: Basically anything involving Candice Earley and Vasili Bogazianos (Donna and Benny). I loved them dearly as people and had so much fun anytime the three of us were together. 

What is your guilty pleasure?

LV: That’s a great question! Hmm. I’m not a guilty person by nature, so that’s tough. I love single malt scotch, but I love it proudly. Oh! I know. “Grease 2”. I’m not lying. I LOVE that damn movie. My friend and I quote it far more frequently than you’d ever believe. I feel that “Let’s bowl, let’s bowl, let’s rock-n-roll” should go down as one of the all time great song lyrics. And YES, I’m kidding. But that movie does make me smile. Each and every time I’ve watched it. Which has been a LOT. I mean, baby- Michelle-Pfeiffer singing “Cool Rider”? That’s gold!

What projects are you working on now?

LV: I have switched my focus from acting to writing for the time being. I wrote an episode of CSI in my last season and absolutely fell in love with it. Since then, I’ve sold four TV pilots and I’m waiting to hear if a TV movie I sold is going to be made. At the moment, I’m adapting a book series into a TV show, I’m working up a pitch with producers for another show, and in January I’m going to start a crowdfunding campaign for a documentary about long distance runners between the ages of 50-100. The athletes I’ve met have been incredibly inspirational. One of the reasons I wanted to make this was because I am an avid runner myself and a huge fan of not only the physical benefits, but the mental ones. The other reason was this: the entertainment industry is without a doubt ridiculously ageist and I want to show people of this demographic in the badass light they deserve. 

Here’s a link to the Facebook page: 

 https://www.facebook.com/TheHumanRaceDoc/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

Who would you like to work with that you haven't already?

LV: Another good question. I would LOVE to work with the director of “La La Land” and “Whiplash” – Damien Chazelle. Speaking of “La La Land”, I think Emma Stone is just about the most talented actress out there at the moment, so let’s throw her in the mix. I love pretty much everything Danny Boyle has directed. I think Dan Fogelman is an incredible writer. And I would do anything in any “Star Wars” movie ever. 

Such a pleasure! Thank you again for being here. Love and all the best to you!

 LV: Thanks again!!

 

 

~~~MY INTERVIEW WITH JEN LILLEY~~~~

                                        MY INTERVIEW WITH JEN LILLEY

                                         (EX-THERESA DONOVAN BLACK)

                                                          PHOTO BY BRAD EVERETT YOUNG

I just watched today's and it was pretty epic. Congrats! 

When you saw the scripts leading to your exit, what do you think? I was so overwhelmed by the exit.  It's EXCELLENT.  I think it's some of the smartest writing I've ever seen.  It's tragic and classic, a true modern day version of Romeo and Juliet.  Some fans have found it to be unbelievable, but if they understood how dangerous certain mafias and cartel leaders are, they would realize it is VERY believable.  I am so grateful Theresa went out like a hero.  She went out fully developed, with a full arch.  It was beautiful and selfless, and I think they tied so many lose ends up in a full and perfect bow.  It's flawless.  

Would you ever do daytime again?

 I would happily return to Days of Our Lives on a recurring basis.  That's my family.  I'd go back recurring tomorrow if they'd have me.

Have to ever been "star struck"? 

 Absolutely.  After I did The Artist, I got to go to Weinstein's Oscar party, and I saw Meryl Streep.  It took me 45 minutes to muster up the courage to say hello to her.  She was incredibly gracious and kind.  I made her cry (happy tears)...but that could have just been a performance.  She's THAT good.  That same night, I saw Tony Bennett perform for the private party.  I started crying. I love him so much.  I called my mom in the car on the way home and told her if I died now, my life would be complete.  She was horrified.  haha, but seriously.  Can you ask for more?

"Its Tinsel Time" again...any plans for another Christmas CD or regular?

 I'm currently selling Tinsel Time again on my website and itunes and all other digital platforms.  I will definitely do another Christmas CD in the future, just not this year.  I'm currently working on a regular album, but I don't want to give any details on that yet.

http://www.imdb.com/name/ nm2373595/
www.jenlilley.com

Twitter: @Jen_Lilley
Facebook.com/JenLilleyFanPage

Women in Film

Congrats on being a foster parent!!! I'm so happy for you. Can you tell us what led to this decision?

That's a LONG story.  And something to do a complete article on.  But in short, I have found the foster care system in the United States to be a road paved with good intentions, but leading to hell.  It's the most broken system in the U.S.  And I figure, none of us can take on the world, but if we do our part, and do what we have the power to change, we do actually change the world.  So Jason and I became foster parents to change a foster kids experience. So many foster homes are horrible, dangerous places.  Ours is happy, safe, and full of love.  We're doing our part to love on abused, neglected, and at risk children.  And our love will have a ripple effect.  (seriously, we can chat more about it, but on phone.  I could never type fast enough).

Any other projects in the works? 

Yes! I've shot 3 movies and 2 TV shows since I left Days in June.  And on Saturday, I fly to Vancouver to shoot another movie.  I'm the lead in a Romantic Comedy :) More details on that later.

The others are 

Mommy, I Didn't Do It premiering on Lifetime Jan 1

Galileo (in post production)

The Wedding Do Over (in post production)

Grey's Anatomy (aired in October)

Encounter (a new original series for Pureflix) that is available on their website.