Interview: 'One Life To Live's Farah Fath

It’s hard to believe that Farah LeeAllen Fath is a soap vet.

After all, the talented whippersnapper is only 25!

Having shot to fame as accidental heroine Mimi Lockhart on Days of our Lives in 1999, Fath shocked many by leaving the show in 2007 considering her popularity and front-burner status.

Before she could clear out her dressing room, the sassy Lexington, Ken. native was personally courted by ABC chief, Brian Frons, for a new role on One Life To Live.

As the earnest yet passionate Gigi Morasco, Fath once again proved that she could make any character on any show a fan favourite despite the set-up, writing, or backstage politics. Instantly, Fath’s sassy take on Gigi inspired the Emmy-winning series to make the former Paris, Tex., waitress one of their front-burner players.

Today, Fath is content that she left DAYS for the much smarter One Life, but this past year has been challenging for the former Miss Kentucky Pre-Teen winner.

Sharing in our frustrations over the much-maligned Stacy Fiasco storyline, Fath finally goes on the record about her issues with her current plot in an exclusive interview.

TVGuide.ca: You finally look like you’re happy on-screen these days after that Stacy Fiasco drama earlier this year!
Farah Fath: Yes, I am! And yes, I was miserable for several months. The light at the end of the tunnel was the Schuyler character. If it wasn’t for Scott Clifton and our chemistry, I’d still be miserable. He’s been my saving grace. I’m looking forward to that side of the story to be more developed instead of focusing on the Stacy angle.

TVG: Have you heard the oh-so-vocal, negative fan reaction regarding the Stacy fiasco?
FF: On daytimeconfidential.com, fans want Gigi and Schuyler more than they want Rex and Gigi together, so yes, I have! I told Scott that and he was like, “Really? I find that shocking!” I told him, “Don’t find that too shocking because all of our characters have been idiots, and you’re the only smart one in our story!”

TVG: Fans have noticed how similar Scott and John-Paul’s acting styles are — and many think One Life should make them real-life brothers.
FF: We were on location about a month ago in Brooklyn to film exterior location shots outside of Rex’s loft and I was watching them act and banter back and forth philosophically and I said, “They could be brothers, you know?” Both the producers looked at me and didn’t say anything! So I think they might be going down that road, but I don’t know for sure. JP and Scott have become instant BFFs and they are very similar. Very. Scott is a great addition to our show.

TVG: Is JP jealous of your chemistry with Scott?
FF: No. He knew right away we’d hit it off! John-Paul told me that I’d love working with him and that we’d have major chemistry. I think the words were, “So much for Rex!” [Laughs] He’s very happy with the story. He loves working with Scott. We are all looking forward to the love triangle.

TVG: Even though you and JP are together in a carnal and romantic way, you guys are not hesitant to play out a love triangle, right? FF: Oh, God no! After everything that has happened with Stacy, we think Rigi should take a break from each other. Especially when Gigi finds out about Rex sleeping with Stacy — he never once apologizes for sleeping with the stripper! Once again, Gigi takes the blame — and Rex lets her take the blame. That’s the fault in their relationship — Gigi and Rex both need to take responsibility for their mistakes. Gigi does, but Rex doesn’t. Hello — you never sleep with the love of your life’s sibling! TVG: Depends on who your other half’s sibling is … [Laughs] FF: [Laughs] Rex is really jealous of Schuyler and Gigi. Rex and Gigi’s relationship is very rocky in the next few months from what I see.

TVG: On DAYS, you were always fighting for a man as Mimi. On One Life, Gigi fought Adriana and Stacy for Rex, so it’s nice to see you being pursued for a change.
FF: It’s amazing. After 10 years of fighting for men, it’s so nice to be in the middle for a change.

TVG: You slut! [Laughs]
FF: [Laughs] In daytime, women are always fighting over men. In daytime, it’s acceptable for men to be a-holes, which makes women want them even more. It’s so refreshing to play out this different angle in a love triangle. I cannot express how happy I am that Gigi is being pursued by two great guys.

TVG: I agree. Meloves Scott and Schuyler. Did you ever meet Scott in L.A.?
FF: Yes, I did. I was visiting Kirsten Storms [Maxie] on the set of GH and we chatted in the makeup room. Little did I know that we’d be working together one day …

TVG: Let’s talk about this Stacy mess/fiasco. How do you make a contrived storyline work when you don’t believe in the material?
FF: I haven’t gone on record yet to state how much I loathed that storyline.  This is not news to [head writer] Ron [Carlivati] and [executive producer] Frank [Valentini]. They saw right through me! They knew I was fed up. The most frustrating thing for me was the fact that Rex and Gigi were so blatantly stupid. I knew the viewers would have the same reaction. I have enough experience to know what makes a good soap story, and this wasn’t it. You can’t piss off soap fans. Maybe for a few episodes, fine, but not for half of the entire year. There was nothing rootable about this storyline. It’s been the hardest storyline of my career. I did my best. Fans on the Internet could tell I was unhappy but I didn’t throw in the towel. That’s impossible, but there is only so much I can do. For the most part it was really hard. It got to the point when I got home I would just cry. I almost had a few nervous breakdowns! I couldn’t understand our characters’ motivation. It was great to have John-Paul there to be my rock and make me feel better because we were going through the same thing. “This too shall pass …,” he’d say to me. Rex took the most hits because of this story so I shouldn’t complain, really. It was sad because the 1968 storyline was our favourite story of our careers.

TVG: What’s ironic is that the 1968 story was far more realistic than this storyline! FF: Makes you believe in time travel, huh? [Laughs] You’re preaching to the choir, Nelson. All I want is to entertain people, not annoy them. You know it’s bad when my father calls me and says, while he’s thrilled that I introduced him to this excellent show, for the first time since I’ve been on soaps he said, “I can no longer watch One Life — even for you!” That was the moment when I knew we were all in trouble. This story was so plot-driven and the actors and characters involved always take the hits. I went from the best story to the worst in less than a year. But it happens to everyone. As an actor, you just have to suck it up. Having said that, the storyline has gotten better, so we’ll see. I hope the fans fall in love with Rex and Gigi all over again.

TVG: With actors like Chris Engen [ex-Adam, The Young and the Restless] and Patricia Mauceri [ex-Carlotta] hijacking scripts to suit their own personal agenda, there is a renewed focus on whether or not performers have the right to influence storyline. I know I’m about to sound like I’m contradicting myself when I say: While I think an actor should act what is on the page, I do think, especially in your instance, that a star does have a right to raise concerns if a storyline doesn’t make sense and threatens the integrity of the character and their career — as long as it’s not about a political or religious agenda. But at the end of the day, you must act whatever the head writer chooses you to.
FF: Listen, I know it sounds like I’m being tough on Ron and Frank for this Stacy storyline, but I want to make something clear: Ron and Frank know what they are doing. John-Paul and I believe, and I know you share this opinion, that they are probably the most talented creative minds in the business. Ron told me that he knew fans would hate Stacy and think Rex was stupid, but all I will say is we don’t know what happened behind closed doors. Ron could have had five different voices in his head, and he had to try to make everyone happy. I don’t envy his job. I’m sure he envisioned this storyline playing out a different way. But he’s a smart guy; he cares about the fans, the show, and his actors. I wouldn’t place the blame on Ron or Frank. I am not mad at them at all. I don’t think it’s their fault. Ron’s a genius and daytime is better by having him write this show. I’ve never had such a loving and respectful working relationship before like I have with Ron and Frank. They really, really care and love the soap genre. I hope I don’t sound ungrateful. I love my job. And at the end of the day, no one died, but I wanted to air my frustrations because I felt the fans’ pain and want them to know they weren’t the only ones. I’m really looking forward to the future. I think it can only get better from here.

TVG: John-Paul and you helped make the storyline more tolerable when Rex and Gigi put their revenge plot into motion thanks to all your eye-rolling. I feel the show is not taking how seriously the fans hate the Stacy character — and how evil this woman is. I mean Stacy threatened to kill her nephew! Do you think Stacy is redeemable?
FF: Now we have this new stripper on the canvas named Kim. The frustrating part of this storyline is that the stripper named Kim seems to be ruling the upcoming storyline. Once again, it’s making Rex and Gigi look like complete doormats. I’m trying to ignore that part of the story and focus on the saving grace of the story which is the Schuyler/Gigi/Rex triangle.

TVG: I appreciate your honesty. That’s rare in this business. For the life of me, I don’t understand why Ron didn’t recast Adriana because that triangle was authentic and highly entertaining. FF: I tell John-Paul that all the time. There are a million beautiful and talented Latina actresses out there who could easily play Adriana. Instead, now we have two strippers instead of a character who shares chemistry and history with Rex and Gigi. TVG: Next week, Schuyler kisses Gigi and Stacy miscarries. FF: Yep, Schuyler kisses Gigi to see how she reacts, but unfortunately she doesn’t give him the reaction he wanted. She basically tells him, “please don’t let that happen again.” But because Rex is tending to Stacy and her baby, which she miscarries right away, Gigi is left alone a lot. That’s when the story becomes interesting because Schuyler is there for her to pick up the pieces.

TVG: I hope there’s not a baby switch in the horizon. Do you feel like One Life was trying to copy the widely popular Sami/Austin/Carrie DAYS triangle?
FF: Yes, I did. When I first started getting my scripts the first thing I thought of was that this felt very DAYS to me. I watched DAYS as a kid so I remember the Sami/Austin/Carrie triangle very well. I’d rather work one day a week and have a smart storyline than be on five days a week and be an idiot.

TVG: I don’t believe anything that comes out of Stacy’s mouth —even if she told me I was talented and gorgeous. Do you think Gigi’s parents are really dead?
FF: You’d think Gigi would visit her parent’s graves, especially now that she knows what a liar Stacy is. But you can argue that Shane’s leukemia and breaking up with Rex distracted her. Maybe down the line Ron will address it. I think they are alive.

TVG: If they are dead, I bet Stacy killed them.
FF: I know, right?

TVG: I’m sure Ron will address that because he wouldn’t have thrown that out there if there wasn’t a reason behind it.
FF: I think so, too.

TVG: I wish Gigi had more friends. Do you miss working with Erika Slezak [Viki] and Kathy Brier [ex-Marcie]?
FF: I do. Erika, Kathy and I love our on-screen friendships. I think that Gigi may start to rely on Jessica and Natalie for support.

TVG: You’re a big soap fan and very industry savvy. Did you watch One Life before you were hired?
FF: Not really, but I knew who the major players were on the show and some of the stories because I read the soap magazines religiously and my mom is a One Life fan.

TVG: One Life is ABC’s top-rated soap; you guys must be all very happy. I think your recent ratings position may have saved One Life’s life!
FF: I don’t pay attention to ratings but I know everyone is pumped — especially regarding the Kish romance. I think it’s going to be our most popular storyline.

TVG: Were you disappointed about John-Paul Branco not receiving an Emmy nomination?
FF: Of course. I chose his reel so you can blame me. But I don’t regret the episode I chose which was the day when Rex confronts Charlie in the hospital about lying that he was his dad. J-P was amazing in that episode, but you know, Nelson, people get snubbed all the time. There is no rhyme or reason when it comes to the Emmys. Look at Kirsten [Storms] — she deserved to be nominated last year and she was snubbed. I doubt I’ll ever be nominated in my entire career, but as long as my show pre-nominates me, that’s all the recognition I need. Having said that, J-P’s head is so together that he hasn’t really thought about his omission. You were more upset, Nelson!

TVG: I know! I need to get a life. By the way, since you’re Llanview’s location queen, where does Frank schlep you out to? Tell me it’s not Peapack, Hell Jersey!
FF: We film mostly in Brooklyn, though we shot once in New Jersey. I love Brooklyn. Location shoots are fun. It’s a nice change. It depends who you are working with. I took my little puppy with me so it made it more fun and I didn’t feel bad about leaving her at home for so long.

TVG: Shouldn’t Gigi have a dog, too, damn it?
FF: I think so! I get so jealous of Tika Sumpter [Layla] when she gets to hold that Shitzu. Though I think Gigi should have a Yorkie. I have two Yorkies named Jack and Jill. I also have a little Shitzu named Little Egg Harbor, who is named after a little town in Jersey that we drive by when we travel to Atlantic City to play poker.

TVG: Does my fave soap director, Larry Carpenter, shoot all the location sequences?
FF: So far, he has. This week Gary Donatelli is giving it a shot. He’s been shadowing Larry.

TVG: Are you proud that One Life is tackling a gay storyline with the Kyle and Fish characters? FF: Yes! I can’t believe it’s taken this long for daytime to include gays in their narratives. There should be gay storylines on every soap. Heck, these days, it feels like there are more gay people in society than straight people! I’m thrilled that Ron created this storyline. Kish is bringing a lot of attention to the show along with being one of our best storylines. TVG: Gigi tried to “seduce” Kyle to get him to spill the beans about that fiasco, Stacy! FF: Brett Claywell told me before we shot that scene to not take it personally that Kyle would be turned off or not be responsive because his character is gay.

TVG: Gigi should have gay friends.
FF: I think so, too!

TVG: Well, Gigi does have Rex! [Laughs]
FF: [Laughs] That remains to be determined …

 

 

 

 

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Nelson Branco is a Toronto freelance entertainment journalist, who regularly contributes to Hello! Canada, The National Post, The Los Angeles Times' theenvelope.com, TV Guide USA, tvguide.com, Inside Entertainment, OUT, and fab magazine, along with spearheading the soap coverage for TVGuide.ca's popular daytime TV hub. After graduating from Ryerson University in 1997, he moved from Toronto to New York in 1998 to take on the roles as senior news editor at Soap Opera Update. Branco first freelanced for Soap Opera Weekly as an intern in 1994, and after leaving Soap Update to help create and launch Bauer Publishing's In Touch Weekly in 2003, Branco continued to freelance occasionally for its sister publication, Soaps In Depth. Most recently, he helped create and launch Canada's first celebrity magazine, Weekly Scoop in 2005 as its news and entertainment director. Branco is also a contributor to a new TV show titled Planet Soap to air in Canada and America.