Guiding Light Alums talk reboot possibility.
In light of the news that All My Children is potentially being rebooted as a holiday movie on Lifetime, Soap Hub reached out to a few of your favorite Guiding Light alums to see their thoughts about the potential to bring their show back.
GL aired on CBS from June 30, 1952, to September 18, 2009. Before that it was broadcast on the radio from January 25, 1937, and June 29, 1956. It aired on both CBS and on the radio from 1952-1956. Keep reading to see what they had to say!
How would you feel about GL being rebooted as a movie? I would love it. There is the selfish reason that I would get to see and work with my wonderful friends on the show. There is also the knowledge of the joy that would bring to long-time viewers. People rarely understand the unique aspect of these long-running series. They provided a touch point between generations. Grandmothers and granddaughters had something they could talk about, something where nana could fill in the past story points. It was a way to bring people and generations together.
Where do you see Beth at this stage of her life? I would like to see her doing her second act in life while including the real challenges we face. When your children start to become more independent, there is an adjustment in pulling back, but it can also feel like waking from a long nap. In Beth’s case, Peyton, Beth’s youngest, would be 16 years old. How is social media affecting Peyton’s life? How is Beth handling that? How are abortion issues impacting young women of her age? What about dating and online predators? Maybe Beth has decided to run for a political office. Maybe Beth has very strong feelings on a particular issue and then, through an event with Peyton, is faced with a choice that goes against her previously held beliefs.
What do you miss about being in the soap industry? Getting to play a character that evolves over years is a truly special experience for an actor. To make choices, to arc your character, your storyline over a long period is deeply satisfying. It is also a wonderful experience to work with other actors for years, to come to a place where you have trust in what you will each bring to the scene. That trust translates into something spontaneous being created in the playing of every scene.
How would you feel about GL being rebooted as a movie? I love the idea of GL being rebooted as a movie! Best actors and TV families out there! I have been shocked that at the very least, GL has not been picked up by one of the streaming services. I have always been so proud of our show and believe it would fit so seamlessly on any platform! As head of the “Cooper” family I believe we, the Lewis [family], the Bauer [family], and the Spaulding [family] would fare really well in today’s environment.
Where do you see Frank at this stage of her life? Well, Frank is already a grandfather, probably retired, not sure who he would have ended up with Blake, going back to Eleni, or someone new. Being that the Coopers were the largest family on the show when it went off the air, I’m sure that I would be as usual right in the middle of what was going on!
What do you miss about being in the soap industry? The soap [opera] industry is the greatest industry in the world!!! It reached the greatest number of people and addressed numerous relevant subject matters. Best job ever! It provided me and my family a very good life. So very grateful for the opportunity.
Have you stayed in touch with any of your former co-stars? I have stayed in touch with cast members Mark Derwin (A.C. Mallet), Murray Bartlett (Cyrus), Tom Pelphrey (Jonathan), Matt Bomer (Ben), Beth Ehlers (Harley), Robert Newman (Josh), Gina Tognoni (Dinah), Jennifer Roszell (Eleni), Melina Kanakaredes (Eleni), Lawrence St. Victor (Remy), Crystal Hunt (Lizzie), Laura Wright (Cassie), Michael Dietz (Alan Michael), Wes Ramsey (Sam), Crystal Chappell (Olivia), and John Driscoll (Cooper).
How would you feel about a reboot as a movie for GL or Another World? I would love it.
Is there one character that you would prefer to reprise (Gus vs. Dean)? I LOVED all my characters. But It might be fun to bring back an old rockstar (Dean Frame) who has really fallen from grace and watch him crawl back (over broken glass) to the top.
What do you think your characters would be up to at this point in time? Gus Arturo would be the best homicide detective in America with an ex-wife and kids who aren’t speaking to him, living on his own. He is a complex guy who is a savant when it comes to solving murder cases and ‘reading people’ yet he is unable to do it for himself. . He is the best at what he does but not when it comes to love, unfortunately. Dean has either fallen from grace and is crawling his way back up, or he has turned into a Clive Davis-type has built a record labor bigger than God. Dr Jake Martin has lost the right to practice medicine because of his Kevorkian-like methods, but he is the person to call when such a life decision is on the table. He also created a heart valve that made him a billionaire, but it didn’t bring him happiness.
What do you miss about being on soaps? The camaraderie of my cast members. Each one of these shows I did brought me endless happiness with my friends and family at work.
How would you feel about GL being rebooted as a movie? I love the idea of GL being rebooted for a TV movie. It could be so rich.
Where do you see Blake at this stage of her life? I see Blake, the mother and possibly glamorous grandmother of her three kids. Jason and Kevin have grown into men at odds with each other; one takes after Roger, the other after Ross. Clarissa has possibly become a prominent writer in the LGBTQ community. I see Blake running an internet company and hosting a podcast while advocating for all of her children. Is she still with Frank? That’s the real question.
What do you miss about being in the soap industry? I miss the cast and crew family. I miss the day-to-day feeling of walking into an ensemble and trusting that every artist from every department counts on each other to do their best. There is nothing like the bond and trust the soap community brought and continues to bring to the table.
How would you feel about a reboot as a movie for GL? Honestly….not sure. You know, when something goes away like GL did in 2009 (15 years ago!), at some point, you need to be ok with letting it go. That’s just Psych 101. Let go. Move on. I let go of GL a long, long time ago. I don’t miss it. I don’t yearn for it. I really don’t even think about it anymore. For that reason, I don’t really have a desire for or any real interest in a reboot movie of GL. If one were to happen, I suppose I’d want to look at the script and then make a decision about whether to be a part of it or not.
What would you like to see Josh doing now, if such a reboot were to happen? Well, Kim and I are both enjoying being Grandparents. I suppose it could be something like that for Josh and Reva. Doesn’t sound very exciting though, does it? Fans often ask me what I think Josh and Reva are doing now. I say I’d guess that they’d be on their 5th marriage to each other by now. (They were married and divorced to each other 3 times on the show). Britt and I just watched The Perfect Couple on Netflix. Maybe something like that. Josh and Reva live on an island like Nantucket and are having a big wedding for one of their kids or grandkids. Maybe one of them is getting married to a Spaulding. A murder takes place. Both are suspects. Both have motive. It brings up a lot of old crap. Maybe we could get Nancy Curlee and Stephen Demorest to write it.
What do you miss about being on soaps, specifically GL, but you could also include The Young and the Restless since you spent time there as well. Actually the Y&R experience showed me that there [is] not much I miss about soaps. I’m really a theater guy now through and through. Give me a great character, a talented cast, a good director, a couple of weeks of rehearsal, and a live audience. That gets my blood going. Y&R reminded me of what a sausage factory soaps can be. Every day, this material comes flying at you, and with almost no rehearsal time, you are expected to turn it into something interesting and watchable. You do, because that’s your job. But you don’t get a lot of days where you go, Man…that was great! Mostly you’re just happy to get through the material and live to fight another day. I do miss some of the fellowship and family though. Back when it was me, Kim, Jordan, Larry Gates, Krista…those were some pretty great days.
How would you feel about GL being rebooted as a movie? That would be great. I vaguely recall that GL did a movie of the week version many years ago. However, I think that P&G would never permit this as they retain the rights.
Where do you see Rick at this stage of his life? Honestly, Dr. Rick should be serving serving several life sentences for the amount of his patients he killed – so-called “natural causes.”
What do you miss about being in the soap industry? I really miss my GL castmates. We were/are very close.
Have you kept in touch with anyone from the show? Yes! Many of the guys still get together in the city for dinner about twice a year. Grant Aleksander (Philip) & Ron Raines (Alan) remain [my] best pals after all these years.
How would you feel about Guiding Light being rebooted as a movie? It’s a great idea to see GL rebooted as a movie.
Where do you see Lillian at this stage of her life? I see 81-year-old Lillian running marathons and enjoying her grandchildren and her husband Buzz and fighting with Beth as always about her choices of the men in her life!!!
What do you miss about being in the soap industry? What I miss most about the soap opera industry being off the air is the good we did for people when we attacked important issues (like my breast cancer story and the incest story and the ups and downs of life that played out in real time, not just in an hour show or hour and a half movie.) We made such a change in peoples lives with these stories as we became real to fans.
As you know, there has been speculation about AMC being rebooted as a Christmas movie on Lifetime. Would you be interested in reprising the role of Griffin? I would love to reprise my role, Griffin! To be reunited with the cast and tell a Christmas story in Pine Valley would be a dream come true.
Do you think he would still be a doctor and if not, what would you like him to be doing now? Oh yeah, he’s still a doctor. he’s still fixing broken hearts. Only this time, he’s married and taking care of the hearts of his family!
You were also on GL as Tony Santos, which was your first daytime role, for which you won a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Leading Actor in a Drama Series in 2003. Where do you think Tony has ended up? Tony is a reformed gangster. After doing a long prison stint, his brother, Father Ray, talks him into prison ministry, and he becomes a deacon in the church. He gets married and starts a family. However, his past often comes back to haunt him, and he must fight against the temptations of the old life and bring others to redemption.
Since it was your first role, would you like the opportunity to revisit the character now that you are in a different mindset after your long career on soaps? That would be so fun! It would be interesting to do that as an acting exercise. I think I’d have to tolerate watching old clips to remind myself of Tony Santos!
What did you miss the most about being in daytime in between the different daytime stints you have had, and your most recent gap between Y&R and The Bay? I miss the camaraderie of work and the pace of time television. Closest thing to 9 to 5 actors we have in this industry. [I] feel like you can still work on television and have a life at home.
When the fans meet you, do they tell which of your daytime roles was their favorite and why? Just depends if they’re ABC, CBS, or NBC watchers. Viewers usually stick to a network!
I know this is like picking a favorite child, but does any soap role you have played hold a special place in your heart over the others? Definitely Tony, Santos, on Guiding Light! The role was a baptism by fire and I was so naïve and fearless. The things they were doing Guiding Light during that time were epic, and I love the cast as a family. Everyone was so good to me and I believe I made the role my own.
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