Exclusive Interview: The Edge of Night’s Raven — Sharon Rose Gabet

Sharon Rose Gabet took over the part of Raven Alexander on The Edge of Night in 1977 and made the role her own. She wound up playing Raven (with a slight break of a few months) for seven years — until the show ended on December 28, 1984.

Sharon Rose Gabet Recalls Raven

When Gabet began, Raven was the typical bad girl, but over the years, she became the girl you loved to hate, even the girl you just loved — and fans couldn’t get enough of her onscreen.

“Raven was a survivor,” notes Gabet. “People love that. I think the first couple of years, she was the one everyone loved to hate. She did what she wanted and said what she wanted and schemed and manipulated.”

After Gabet took a four-month break, she returned to EON ready to tear into her role anew. “[Head Writer] Henry Slesar and I gave her more depth and humor. And, of course, Sky came along. That changed the whole ball game.”

Enter Larkin Malloy

Sky would be Schuyler Whitney, played by the late Larkin Malloy. The role was only meant to be a short-term part, as it turned out that Schuyler was really an evil imposter named Jefferson Brown and he was meant to be killed off after a year. But nobody could deny the chemistry between the actors and, so, Larkin Malloy was brought back as the real Sky.

“If Larkin Malloy had not been cast as Sky, Raven may not have clicked with him like she did,” observes Gabet. “Sky Whitney, or Jefferson Brown, was only supposed to be on the show one year for the Switzerland story. They had planned to have Raven’s next paramour be Detective Damian Tyler [Christopher Jarrett]. But the chemistry between Sky and Raven – or Larkin and Sharon – was so apparent and mind-blowing, that both producer and writer [Erwin “Nick” Nicholson and Slesar] had to scramble to figure out how to bring him back. Poor Damian was left in the dust.

“Sky was fabulously rich, manipulative, handsome, and fun — just what Raven had always wanted. Someone just like her. They understood each other. They were perfect for each other. The chemistry between Larkin and I was instant. You can’t fake this kind of thing. It happens or it doesn’t.” That kind of chemistry doesn’t happen often — and Gabet knew that.

“I had plenty of fantastic co-stars in my career, but nothing like with Larkin. It was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. He was a fantastic actor, absolutely gorgeous, and he loved to improvise, as did I. We would just take off together in a scene. If someone messed up a line, the other would adjust and we literally would play together. It was magical. We adored each other and respected each other and the characters of Sky and Raven were therefore adjusted because of our chemistry.”

Sky and Raven remained popular with fans of EON until the show was cancelled in 1984. Surprisingly, the two actors didn’t speak again until shortly before his death in 2016.

Losing Touch

“I did not see or speak with Larkin after our final show in 1984 for over 30 years, which was actually strange. We just never ran across each other working on our other shows in New York [she played Brittany on Another World and Melinda on One Life To live; he played Kyle on Guiding Light and Travis on All My Children]. And then I moved to California in 1993.

“In 2015, I had written a new book and decided to start a Facebook page and soon I was posting episodes of The Edge of Night. Larkin found me and joined in the EON parties. It was fantastic. Larkin and I began talking on the phone and Skyping together until his death. It was like no time had gone by at all. All the love and admiration was still present.

We watched the old shows and laughed and cried. I’m so grateful we had that time together again before he passed. We had made plans to meet in California and it never happened, but we had many deep and loving discussions about our lives and it was absolutely wonderful to make that very special connection again. I loved him dearly.”

Starting A New Life

After leaving New York and the soap world behind, Gabet moved to California and started on a new path. “Around the time my third child was born in 1990, I started getting interested in healing. It started with my own psychological healing as I explored various therapies to deal with stress and events in my life that were painful. And that expanded to spirituality and energy work.

“It turned out I was a natural. Call it ’empath’ or ‘clairsentient’ – I realized that I felt emotion and environmental energy around me acutely and always had. I began to study and read… hundreds of books and many many workshops. I loved it. It was opening a whole new world for me.

“Meanwhile, my youngest daughter was having developmental issues and was eventually diagnosed with autism. My life changed. My focus shifted from acting and career to family and body, mind, and spirit,” she shared.

Sharon Rose Gabet: The Write Stuff

“Around 2003, I wrote and published my first attempt to describe what had happened to me in my autobiography, From the Raven to the Dove. Right after that book was published, I went back to nursing for about 10 years. I was an RN previous to my soap career but had only worked a couple of years before getting Raven.

“I was proud of that accomplishment and kept my license current.” Gabet kept studying and worked with advanced healing groups all over the world. She also became certified in yoga.  In 2014, she published an ebook called Spiritual Magic, which was a manifestation of what she’d learned.

She’s currently working on a couple of new writing projects; a novel called The White Witch of Woodside and a play about her experience as a nurse called The Night Shift.  When asked what else keeps her busy, she laughs.

“My children, grandchildren, and other creative endeavors. I am now, during this home sheltering, recording a version of Sentimental Journey complete with music video using an iPhone, Garage Band, and iMovie. I am always a child at play!” Gabet adds, “My life is good. I feel blessed and grateful for every second of it.”

Keeping In Touch With The Edge of Night Cast

When asked about her former EON co-stars, Gabet says that Frances Fisher (Deborah Saxon) and Terry Davis (April Scott) have remained her best friends for over 40 years. And she’s sporadically met and/or kept in touch with others from the show, including Mariann Aalda (Didi Bannister), David Allen Brooks (Jim Diedrickson), Karrie Emerson (Jody Travis), Allen Fawcett (Kelly McGrath), Mark Arnold (Gavin Wylie), and Jayne Bentzen (Nicole Cavanaugh). She even had the chance to speak with the late Forrest Compton (Mike Karr) on his 90th birthday.

As for fans of EON, they’re still active and love to connect with Gabet through Facebook and her YouTube channel. “I am constantly surprised at the love I feel and hear expressed from The Edge of Night fans.

“I had not watched the shows for over 30 years when I began my soap Facebook page in 2015. Watching it together with the viewers who loved it was phenomenal. I had so many things happening in my life post EON that I forgot how good we were. I forgot how good I was, too. It felt good to remember that and see how much joy we brought to people. I loved that show. I loved every minute of it.”