Longtime fans of One Life to Live recall Jessica Morris as Jen Rapport. Alas, the ingenue met a gruesome end when her character was killed by Daniel Colson (Mark Dobies), who was motivated to commit murder in order to keep his secret life from coming out.
Exclusive Interview: Jessica Morris
Morris has gone on to be one of Hollywood’s busiest actresses, appearing in TV movies (The Wrong Mommy; Pool Boy Nightmare) and web series (Ladies of the Lake; Beacon Hill). Soap Hub Insider recently chatted with the actress about life in Llanview. Read on for the walk down memory lane.
Soap Hub Insider: New York used be home to so many soaps. Alas, now, there are none there. What was your time on OLTL like?
Morris: It was a golden era. I was glad I was able to be a part of it. It was a great learning experience on OLTL. It felt like a family in a way. I was working a lot. I didn’t know anyone in New York, so I grew close to the people at the show.
Catherine Hickland (ex-Lindsay), who played my mom, was very helpful with both the technical stuff, but also about living in New York. She helped me with acting, too. One Life to Live was my first big job. She worked with [me] on how to connect emotionally.
Did you decide to leave or was it the show’s call?
I was interested in trying other things out. I really appreciated the experience of being on OLTL. My agent and I decided I should take a break from daytime and mix it up.
They didn’t recast you when you left in 2005, but what a gruesome end!
I’m glad they didn’t recast me, but maybe if they’d had [Jen] go away for a while and then come back? Getting smothered [to death] in a parking lot wasn’t a very graceful ending.
I hope Mark Dobies, whose character killed yours, was gentle!
[Chuckles] Yeah, he was fine. But watching it was bizarre. I’d never seen myself get murdered. It gave me chills, in a way.
You came back to the show for an appearance in 2008. What was that about?
Yes. I think it was as a dream or a vision for Rex (John-Paul Lavoisier). There was a game show? I have no idea. But I came back as a spirit.
Who are you in touch with from the show?
Melissa Archer [ex-Natalie; ex-Serena, Days of our Lives]. She and I are writing partners.
What did you learn from OLTL?
I definitely learned how to memorize a lot of lines very quickly. I learned how to pull up emotions quickly. If you have a crying scene, it’s one and done. You only get, at the most, a couple of takes. That’s helped me in my career.
