The second edition of Super Soap Scenes: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments was determined to catalogue even more diversity of actors and stories that make up the genre we all love. Lydia Look may only have been playing Selina Wu since 2015 (and may currently be out of Port Charles due to being framed by Sidwell for the fire that destroyed Charlie’s and injured Kristina), but the actress certainly made her presence felt over these past 10 years.
Yet Selina Wu may have never taken off as a character if Look hadn’t been given a key piece of acting advice by co-star Maurice Benard (Sonny) right at the start. While Selina is on the run for fear that Sonny will be after her for (he thinks) hurting Kristina, Look takes us on a stroll down memory lane:
Feeling Good
Many fans of General Hospital often ask me how it feels playing Triad Boss Selina Wu, standing up to the feared Don of the North Shore, Sonny Corinthos, as a woman in a strictly man’s world of the Mob.
I tell them it’s orgasmic.
There’s nothing quite like the rush of standing my ground against a powerful and beloved legacy character like Sonny Corinthos, played by the incomparable Maurice Benard. With an intrepid and powerful actor like Maurice, two things are certain: Unpredictability and going for broke. Two elements that make the magic of any scene between actors.
Day One
I remember my very first solo scene with Sonny as Selina, sans the mob meetings of the Five Families. Without the safety of the long table and the repartee of the other long dead Dons such as Charles Buscema of the Cosa Nostra, played by the amazing Bart Tangredi, and Vincent Novak, played by the wonderful Glenn Taranto, it dawned on me that it was truly an opportunity for me to unleash the many shades of Selina Wu, who until then, was cleverly sitting tight and patiently biding her time with the men at the table.
Deep credit has to be given to Maurice, whom I now get to call Mo. Truth be told, you could be the most prepared and experienced actor and still show up on a soap shoot, lost and unhinged. Soaps move at a lightning speed, and the love and support of your fellow actors is vital in sealing in the spell to your scene.
Follow the Leader
I was very fortunate to have Mo in my corner. Never one to mollycoddle any actor coming to his set, he simply sussed me up right away before our one rehearsal and one-take shoot and said, “With me, you keep it simple. Just simple.” You see, Mo was experienced enough to see what I needed, and he uttered the key adjective I needed to hear: “Simple.”
Mo saw in my eyes a torrent of thoughts and actions, and gently reminded me to simplify. Instinctively, he saw the raging force of nature I created in my inner life as Selina Wu, and he knew that doing absolutely nothing – hence, to simplify – would render me the most powerful.
What was Selina and Sonny’s most powerful scene together to date? Find out in Super Soap Scenes: A Time Capsule of Daytime Drama’s Greatest Moments.
