COVER STORY:
LIFE, LOSS AND LLANVIEW
In part two of our bombshell interview, Catherine Hickland explains why ONE LIFE is the most toxic soap she’s worked on, why Lindsay is her favourite character, and her favourite storyline!
There’s really no one like the beautiful and talented sun-kissed soap veteran.
Which is why UNCENSORED named Catherine The Great Hickland one of our Entertainers of the Year in 2011.
Last year, the real-life soap fan and hero proved how unconditional her love for the genre, the fans and her friends/peers when ABC murdered AMC and ONE LIFE in cold blood on April 14.
But she wasn’t going to let the Mouse House get away with it.
If Lindsay had to go to jail for doing the world a favour by murdering Spencer Truman in order to save Blair Manning, Hickland was going to seek her own kind of soap justice. And she was taking no prisoners.
Having starred on classic soaps TEXAS, CAPITAL, LOVING, THE CITY, Hickland is no stranger to cancellations, but ABC/Disney’s decision to cancel two of its highest rated soap operas hit her hard.
Not one to rest on her laurels, La Hickland took a huge risk — especially in a business that infamously blacklists actors who speak out — and hit back accordingly.
Lindsay Rappaport would be proud.
In an industry that scares actors from speaking the truth, Hickland immediately spoke out on social media and in the press on what she really thought of Brian Frons, ABC’s hack Daytime President, and how toxic AMC and ONE LIFE’s work environment was because of the egomaniac.
And it’s not like the 55-year-old superstar hypnotist had anything to lose.
Having been unfairly terminated in 2007 (Hickland learned of her axing on a SOAP OPERA WEEKLY cover), the blonde goddess reinvented herself: She published a book, The 30 DAY HEARTBREAK CURE — A GUIDE TO GETTING OVER HIM AND BACK OUT THERE ONE MONTH FROM TODAY, became a successfully hypnotist performing in sold-out shows all over America, and is creating her own production company with her famous beau and Hollywood royalty, Mr. Todd Fisher. Yes, he of the warped Fisher dynasty (talk about soap scandal, huh?).
For La Hickland, life is good… but it would’ve been much better, she attests, with ONE LIFE and AMC in it.
In honour of last week’s ONE LIFE’s finale, UNCENSORED tracked down Hickland in Las Vegas and caught up on all things sudsy and scandalous! Here’s part two of our fascinating conversation; Cat Cosmetics sold separately.
After Lindsay saved Bo and Nora from the sexy clutches of Troy, she escaped and we never saw her again.
No, I’m afraid you won’t see her again. The actor’s choice for me was to play it both ways: she could do the right thing or run.
You really are one of the best actors on daytime. You cemented that status during the whole Spencer Truman murder storyline… which I loved and was one of the reasons I fell back in love with ONE LIFE. Most recently, during this past visit, you didn’t miss a beat. And you looked ah-mazing. Clearly, they sell Cat Cosmetics in Statesville!
Believe it or not, I didn’t have much makeup on.
Oh, I believe it. Is Lindsay your favourite role ever?
Oh God, yes. Ever. My favourite show ever is CAPITOL but my favourite role ever was Lindsay. I am so grateful for all those years at ABC from LOVING, THE CITY to ONE LIFE. I will never forget what that afforded me to do in my life. I started my company, I put myself through school… these things cost a lot of money to do… and that’s how I spent my money: on education and on my company.
You really reinvented yourself.
Yeah, I did. I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit. I don’t like to be dependent on anyone, especially creatively. That’s a hellish thought.
You were a fan of ONE LIFE growing up, right? What hooked you? Also, why is ONE LIFE such a special show?
Yes, I was a fan! Oh, yes! That’s an interesting question, because I don’t know if anyone would have the nerve to say this, but ONE LIFE had a legend to it before I got there. Whenever I would run into ONE LIFE actors, I would gush, “Omigod: you’re so lucky to be on that show. It’s so awesome. It has the best acting, writing… the best everything! I love it, I love it, and I love it!” Every single one of them would look at me and say, “Really? Because the truth is inside this building is a toxic environment.”
And there was. We all heard about this toxicity when I was on LOVING and THE CITY. It was a toxic building, apparently, but I never believed it. I mean, come on: the great part of life is getting up every day and being excited about be able to do what you love to do, so I couldn’t imagine not feeling blessed to do this. Why would anyone in the world be toxic when you get to do what we do every day? But from the day I was cast on the show, I saw it from day one! I felt it. I was like, “Whoa; this is true! It’s toxic in here…. And I knew it was from the day I got there.”
I’ve heard that, too, but I always refused to believe it! Mainly, only because I never saw it up-close.
I can’t tell you why, or who made it so obviously toxic, but it was very clear to me who the troublemakers were and the people who caused these vibes. It was very covert. When I joined the show permanently, which was shortly after I began, I said to myself, “OK: I’ll be fine. I’m going to keep to myself and stay in my room. I’ll make a few friends, but just do my work, and go home and mind my own business.” People would come into my dressing room to gossip, but I told them to leave. It’s like 8 a.m. and people were already going at it. It’s like, I haven’t even had my coffee yet: Get your own dressing room! Please don’t do that in my dressing room. It really bugged me.
To be fair, the toxic energy could have come from the armory building we shot in because the studio was haunted. Up in the production office, people saw 3D apparitions all the time! [Laughs] It was crazy haunted. They held Irish immigrants in that armory building at the turn of the century so there was a really bad energy in that building. It was also full of asbestos, which we didn’t know until they tore down the sets for the ESPN offices and we saw signs outside saying, “Asbestos Warning.” Now I know why we were sick all the time!
Also, as in corporate culture, bad behaviour was rewarded best. And that always creates chaos. It was not an easy place to work, therefore that’s why it wasn’t my favourite show; however, Lindsay was my favourite character because I loved playing her. [Conversely,] CAPITOL’s executive producer John Conboy would get rid of you if you caused trouble. And that’s the way it should be. Every business should be run that way. You don’t like it here? You’re complaining? You’re causing trouble? Please leave because a lot of people want your job and it will be very easy to replace you. When you run a business like John Conboy, you don’t have a toxic environment.
When did you start watching ONE LIFE?
I started watching ONE LIFE in 1979. I joined the show in 1998. I had come close to a couple of roles over the years. And each time I didn’t get the role, I was really bummed. Usually, when I didn’t get a role on another project, I’d be like, “Oh well, it wasn’t meant to be.” But I really wanted that show so much. Pat Fili-[Krushel] and Jill Farren Phelps are the people who brought me on the show. Pam Long was head writing. Those are the three people who brought me on… and I’m very grateful to them for that. But yes, it wasn’t an easy show to work on. Some people think it was lovely, but I didn’t find that to be true.
You were up for my all-time favourite soap role ever, Tina Lord! As the hugest Andrea Evans fan, I thought you were the only actress who could take over the role. In hindsight, however, Lindsay was waiting for you in the future, so it all worked out.
It did! In hindsight, it did all work out, because in the meantime, I was having so much fun over at LOVING.
I found that I had to step back from all of this to realize why shows get this way. People were fearful at ONE LIFE. And if people are scared all the time, fear makes people act out, and it’s not who they really are. It always seemed like ONE LIFE was always the red-headed stepch
ild — you know, of the network — even though the show was so awesome. God, in spite of it all, I enjoyed my time there so much. I am so grateful, but that also doesn’t mean I can’t tell the truth!
Why do you think fans took to Lindsay right away?
I think people related to her because there’s a little bit of Linds in most of us. She did all the wrong things for the right reasons. She didn’t trust the process of life. She wanted someone to love her unconditionally. She was married to Sam, who always pined for Nora, and she knew it. Her anger and hurt over never being loved made her become hard and bitter to life. I think people can relate to that because being hurt is relatable to a lot of people. Then, the next level is, she’s funny! She had a great sense of humour. Three, she was a bad girl. Everyone wants to do and say the wicked things Linds did but don’t because of the serious consequences involved. Linds was bold and crazy! [Laughs] But hey, some people hated that character — and that’s OK, too. However, most fans loved to hate her. And they mostly wanted something good to happen to Linds. Finally, I loved Lindsay because every time she walked into a room you knew something was going to happen.
I’m
Soap Opera Uncensored: Issue 14 (Vol.2, Issue 4) Page 3