Interview: Crystal Chappell, 'Days of our Lives' and 'Venice'

Are you addicted to Crystal?

Not the meth variety, but the Crystal Chappell kind?

If you’re not, you have a major binge/bender in your near future.

With The L Word off the airwaves, gay and straight audiences all over the world are riding high on The C Word.

This past Friday, after a two-week hiatus from the small screen, the 44-year-old Emmy winner triumphantly returned to the role that launched her remarkable and award-winning career as Carly Manning on Days of our Lives.

In a riveting cliffhanger, Carly shockingly stabbed Lawrence in the guts in Chappell’s first scene. And so begins a new chapter in Chappell’s career — and in Salem.

The Silver Spring, Md., native is also busy getting ready to shoot Season 1 of her highly anticipated and much buzzed about web soap, Venice, this month.

Starring a bevy of former Guiding Light stars, including her widely popular Springfield love interest, Jessica Leccia, Chappell headlines the series as the show’s lead character, Gina, a complex lesbian (is there any other kind?) with major issues. Co-written and co-created by Chappell’s friend and longtime writing partner, Kim Turrisi and Hope Royaltey, Venice will debut sometime in November 2009.

With a Grey Goose martini in hand, Daytime’s most powerful, talented, respected and sexiest player alive sat down with TV Guide Canada in her most revealing interview to date to discuss the last episode of Guiding Light, raising her children in an Otalia world, and how she manages to deliver those trademark perfect performances of hers that have simply inspired the world.

TVGuide.ca: Is it surreal for you to be the hot topic in entertainment considering the mainstream media’s soap phobia? I don’t think I have typed a celebrity’s name more often than yours this year. And I’m not sick of you yet! [Laughs] Do you ever sleep?
Crystal Chappell: I sleep on occasion. [Laughs] I don’t have a grasp of it because I’m too busy working. My objective right now is to do my best on DAYS and Venice. To be honest, I’ve chosen not to wrap my head around all the attention. I’m having a lot of fun with it, of course, and I’m certainly chewing it all. The biggest high right now in my life is that I’m loving the community we’ve all created thanks to Otalia, Big Purple Dreams and Venice. It’s a real community of people.

TVG: The majority of message boards are very contentious, but Big Purple Dreams is a very peaceful forum because of everyone’s unconditional love for you.
CC: I’m very proud of that.

TVG: And you’re allowing fans to become involved in the creation of Venice …
CC: I can’t tell you how many people have offered their help with Venice. At the end of the day, Venice is a collaborative effort. Venice is new and different in that respect. I think a lot of people are watching us closely to see if Venice works and if we can make money off of this.

TVG: Viewers have really responded to you because you’ve done something beautiful and inspiring, which is respecting your audience. Fans are very savvy these days and they know when they are being marketed or lied to. You’re also paving the way by bringing soaps into the future by introducing soaps to the online world, which is something the networks should be doing. CC: It’s certainly not something you set out to do. I just wanted to continue telling a story that I really loved which was the Otalia love story. Viewers wrote to me and told a spectrum of personal stories ranging from their very best and worst. They shared their struggles with me. I almost became addicted to my email reading all these stories. I love discovering who all these people are. It’s so big and overwhelming. So, Venice was a very logical move for me. I’m such a computer geek. I take the technology wherever I go. Red Bull and Twitter are my new addictions! [Laughs]

TVG: You’re the female Ashton Kutcher! Twitter should give you stock.
CC: The Twitter universe is a great way to communicate with people. And I generally love everyone I hang out with on Twitter. I’m determined to make Venice a show for the fans and by the fans.They have just as much stake in the show as I do.

TVG: What a concept. Someone alert P&G/TeleNext.
CC: In this process, we’re also discovering great artists from musicians to graphic designers. Yes, we’re working our asses off but we’re also having a really fun time, as you can tell by the pictures of me with my wine glass and bottles! [Laughs]

TVG: Passion breeds success. I think that’s the biggest reason why daytime is dying because there are so few people in charge who really love and respect the genre they work in. Around the time I named you 2008’s Sexiest Woman Alive last year, I noticed something change in you. While I loved you as Carly on DAYS, it was apparent that something beautiful was awoken inside of you while you were on Guiding Light. Would you agree that something transcendent happened to you during the last couple of years?
CC: Absolutely. My growth as a person and actor really began when I turned 40. I decided to do everything I was afraid to do. No regrets or attitude. And it’s been the really mundane things like eating sushi, which used to gross me out. And flying. I used to be terrified of [getting on a plane]. Yes, the Otalia storyline also helped wake me up, but personally, giving up fear was the thing that made me grow. I even gave up cigarettes! [Laughs] Letting go of fear has also helped me become a better actor. Being judged doesn’t scare me anymore. So, yes, I think you’re right, I have grown into myself.

TVG: I don’t think anyone would disagree with me when I say you’re one of the best actors working today — in any medium. Do you know how talented you are?
CC: Well, thank you. There are days when I feel really good about what I have done, but then there are other days when I feel, “Oh crap, I hope that came off better than it felt.” It’s weird because the choices you make when you’re the most uncomfortable are the ones that stand out in the end in a good way. To me, I’m still learning. Acting still scares me.

TVG: In 2002, you won your first Emmy Award as outstanding supporting actress on your first nomination. But you have done your best work since. Is it weird that you haven’t won again or that you weren’t even nominated this past year?
CC: Practice makes perfect. The more you do something, the better you get. The year that I won the Emmy Award, I was really written for beautifully. As an actor, GL really challenged me in many ways. I was lucky in the fact that GL really wrote great stories for me more times than not. I had some of the best material of my career on GL, so I had to say to myself, “Listen, you either need to get better or they’ll escort you out!” It really was a sink-or-swim situation. I don’t know about how I feel about not being nominated this past year because I was so happy to see other actors nominated for a change. I genuinely love the daytime world and community. These people really are my friends even if I don’t hang out with them as much as I would like. Soaps are my extended family. I want everyone to win a trophy.

TVG: It’s funny because you almost left GL to re-join One Life To Live as a Paige recast in 2005 [La Chappell played Maggie Carpenter on the show from 1995-97]. Had you left, Otalia would have never been born. Clearly, fate had bigger plans for you.
CC: Towards the end, I’d say the last three years of the show, we all had a stronger sense that the end was coming and the show would be cancelled. I mean, we were always hopeful, but you could feel the end was near. So, the feeling amongst the actors was: do we want to still be here? Yes, I had an opportunity to leave, but I’m glad I couldn’t [contractually] quit because in hindsight, I wouldn’t be where I am now without having stayed until the final days. And not just for Otalia; I really am blessed that I stayed until the end of the show because I love GL and I probably would have regretted leaving.
 
TVG: If it weren’t for you and Jessica, I doubt I would have watched GL at all this past year. You made the show bearable. I know The Young and the Restless was your first choice post-GL, and they wanted you, but unfortunately they have an abundance of actresses in your age range. I have to admit, I was a tad surprised you didn’t parlay your buzz factor and unbelievable talent to the big screen or prime time.
CC: It’s not out of the picture at this point! [Laughs] Gary Tomlin is a friend of mine. To be honest with you, DAYS wasn’t even on my radar at that point. But I’m glad I made the decision to join DAYS. I’m so happy to be a part of DAYS and it’s a really comfortable place for me to be at. DAYS has been unbelievably accommodating when it comes to my web series. DAYS is also dark 15 weeks out of the year, so that allows me to do other projects. We’ll see what happens. I feel very lucky these days because there aren’t a lot of parts for women my age. And fun parts, for that matter. And Carly is fun!

TVG: I think you made a very wise choice in coming back to DAYS. I think the business needs a ratings hit in order to make show runners believe that anything is possible. I know those loyal Otalia fans will follow you to DAYS …
CC: And like you said before, DAYS has improved. It was doing great long before I came back on. Gary Tomlin has set everything up very nicely. And I really like the story. I’ve been very impressed. It makes sense, but it’s still a soap and dramatic. DAYS has been really cared for thanks to Gary’s leadership.

TVG: Seeing you on your first day back on DAYS really punctuated how far you’ve come as an actor. And you still look the same! It was orgasmic to see you back as Carly because I was a huge “Princess” Katerina fan.
CC: The first thing Gary said to me was “the first time fans see you is when Carly plunges a knife into Lawrence’s guts!”

TVG: [Joking] Which you have probably wanted to do to your hubby, Michael Sabatino, a few times!
CC: [Laughs] OK, I will admit there have been a few times I’ve wanted to throw a shoe at him! That’s as heavy as I get. [Sarcastically] I actually kind of like Michael … [Seriously] I’m so proud of how DAYS is telling this story. It starts with the murder, but we will flashback to see how Carly and Lawrence got to that point.

TVG: Is it spooky being back on DAYS? On GL, you were changing in cars, eating in outhouses, and Ellen Wheeler was running around like a mad woman doing everything from craft services to holding bible readings! One of my DAYS set sources remarked how shy and quiet you have been on set since you’ve returned.
CC: [Laughs] It’s been overwhelming! My first few weeks I was like, “Omigod, the cameras move! Look at the lights! We have light! Omigod, we have lights!” [Laughs] Yeah, between DAYS and Venice, I have to be very focused. When I’m on the DAYS set, I don’t even have my crackberry with me, so that’s what they are seeing. I also didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes.

TVG: Well, they are all in awe of you. At the Daytime Emmys, Nadia Bjorlin told me that she has a major crush on you and would love to be your love interest on DAYS. You make women want to turn into lesbians. Can you live with that? [Laughs] You probably carry toaster ovens around with you!
CC: [Laughs] Awww! You’re so funny. I love that. I love that! You made my day! Nadia is so lovely. I’m feeling more comfortable on DAYS, so I’ll be hanging out with more people there soon.

TVG: Alright, let’s send the Otalia fans into a tizzy — what’s been your gay experience in real life? I know you’re a human being first, but did you always have gay friends? Did you dabble/experiment? The fact that you have become a super-gay icon is not an easy feat to accomplish, but it’s clear you are a part of our community because you get us, much like Madonna.
CC: I’ve always had gay friends. To me, it’s a non-issue. I consider myself a very open and sexual person. Homo or hetero — it doesn’t matter; I’m available to life. I fell in love with my husband, but I could have easily fallen in love with a woman.

TVG: [Joking] OK, now I’m worried for Michael’s safety! [Seriously] Let’s talk about your kids, Jacob and Dylan. What do they know about the Otalia phenomenon and what have you taught them about homosexuality? I would venture to say that they are going to be pretty evolved adults when they grow up.
CC: Because we have such a large group of gay friends in our life, this is nothing new to them. But we did have to explain to them that gays can’t get married in the state of California. So they get it, but they know gays still have to fight for equality. As for Otalia, they treated it like any other love story I’ve played before. Listen, they were more traumatized by the fact that I ran Ava over with a car! [Laughs]

TVG: And I thank you for that! [Laughs]
CC: [Laughs] Stabbing Daddy in the stomach, well, I don’t know if I’m going to let them see that episode when Carly knifes Lawrence.

TVG: Speaking of Michael, as a straight man, he must be in heaven that you’re a lesbian goddess!
CC: [Laughs] Well, he certainly hasn’t shared his opinions about that with me! He is very supportive of me, so he gets how good it could be. I adore him. I love him.

TVG: Due to the writers’ strike, Ellen Wheeler created the Otalia storyline. What started out as an authentic imagining of a soulful love story told so beautifully has made me wonder what Ellen’s impetus was to tell the story. In the end, as an actor, what was it like to see Otalia’s sacred love story being thrown under the bus?
CC: Are you talking about the last episode?

TVG: No, up to the point when Natalia left town. By the finale, I wrote Otalia off. Heck, I was surprised you and Jessica Leccia were in the finale at all!
CC: Hmmm … I think Otalia was burdened by the lack of time involved to tell the story. Let me defend Ellen by saying that towards the end, things were out of her hands.

TVG: That’s good to know. CC: It wasn’t her decision to not take it forward. TVG: But what was CBS going to do — cancel the show if they kissed, married or had sex? To me, this proves to me how homophobic P&G/TeleNext is because they refused to promote their most popular couple or treat them fairly. CC: I know! You’re preaching to the choir. I’ve gone over that in my own mind. I have no answers. Once again, I’m in that why-not stage in my life, so why not have them kiss? TVG: It’s shocking that on American TV, it is acceptable to murder or rape, but God forbid, two people who love each other show affection. And didn’t you recently state in an interview that GL cut a kiss between Otalia during the finale? CC: They didn’t film or script a kiss during the finale. I snuck in a kiss on Natalia’s cheek, which didn’t make it to air. There was never an actual kiss in the script.

TVG: What was your initial reaction?
CC: I was thrilled because there was nothing like it on daytime. The heart and soul of the Otalia love story is that it was — and is — a metaphysical intimacy. I was actually concerned that the fans would find it boring or reject the story, but they didn’t. The fans embraced it, and that’s when I really fell in love with my viewership. I so respect them for getting this story more than they can ever know. Also, Ellen was on the money with this story. She really took care of the story by taking it slow because she was scared the network would pull the story.

TVG: I can’t believe I’m defending Ellen Wheeler but by doing that she actually made the story a big hit because the natural and realistic pacing of the set-up lent to its authenticity and power.
CC: I completely agree. That was the reason why this story was so successful. [In a way, the network’s hesitancy made Otalia, even if they got cold feet in the end.]
 
TVG: Truth is in the contradiction. To me, the journey is the destination, so naturally, I had major problems with GL’s finale, as you know. With the exception of Otalia, every character on GL had a happy ending — even Alan! I felt GL insulted fans by having Otalia sit at the back of the bus during the last episode. In the last year, Otalia re-built The House of GL and they should have gone out with as much fanfare as Reva and Josh. What was your process as an actor when Olivia learned Natalia ditched her when Otalia was supposed to come out during the Bauer barbecue? Without a doubt that was one of the most uncomfortable scenes I have ever watched. It was horrific; painful, even. Did you rehearse that scene the night before? Where the hell did that powerfully visceral performance come from?
CC: First of all, the scenes were very well-written. Our writers got Olivia’s pain so it was easier for me to nail it. Of course, I rehearse, rehearse, and rehearse. Are you kidding? I’m not that good! [Laughs] By the time I’m on the set, I’m on the journey and enjoying the twists and transitions just like any human being would in real life. But then again, when you’re acting with a co-star you have to be open to reacting to the process of life and acting and change your performance accordingly. That’s the magic of acting. You never know how the scene will turn out. Just like life. In many ways, acting is a revelation.

TVG: One of the reasons why I am obsessed with actors is because you guys can find truth in lying. It’s a paradox.
CC: I studied with Sandy Meisner whose philosophy was to live truthfully under imaginary circumstances. As an actor you have to immerse yourself in contrived circumstances because in the world of the character it’s all real. That’s what I try to do. That day was hard as an actor. It was beautifully written which is why it was easy to let the angst and betrayal come out. It was a great set-up, so it was easy for me to go to that dark place. Unlike film, on soaps you know your characters sometimes more than your character does, so you can easily and readily go there without much preparation or rehearsal.

TVG: There are no rehearsals in life. The first time I realized your unlimited potential as an actor was when Olivia tried to commit suicide in that Maria Callas-inspired scene. Do you think Olivia was battling with her homosexuality back then? Let’s face it, Liv’s had extremely unhealthy relationships with men — and then this woman comes along and Olivia is all of a sudden evolved, healthy and happy … CC: I see it as Olivia being with men all her life because that’s what she had in her mind of what she was supposed to do. Truthfully, I can’t answer if she was gay her whole life. What I can say is that she finally experienced true love with Natalia. And in the process, developed a true appreciation for her children. Olivia is inspiring because she got a second chance at life. That’s the power of love. The unconditional love that Natalia gave Olivia was the greatest gift of all.

TVG: [Laughs] I know. I love the fact that you grew up a soap fan and that both our favourite soaps are One Life To Live. Did you know right out of the womb that you were an actor? Or did you grow into it?
CC: Yes, I’ve always been a soap fan. But I was always a computer geek. I have a great math mind. I didn’t know how to make money as an actor first, but then I decided to jump off the cliff and trust the net would appear. I said to myself, “I love soaps. I love acting. Let’s see if I can make this work.” And I did. I immediately got All My Children, Santa Barbara and then DAYS. 

TVG: And the rest is history. Why did you leave DAYS? There were rumours that you and Deidre Hall didn’t get along. CC: If there were issues with Deidre, I didn’t know about them. I would guess that she didn’t like me very much, but I could be wrong about that. I was a troubled young person. I was overworked. I made a lot of problems for myself. I was suicidal. I was in a very, very bad place. I left, not because I thought I’d be a big star; I left because I needed to get my health back. As for the rifts, I don’t know. I was very miserable to be around at that time. I spent most of time in between DAYS and One Life in therapy. TVG: What’s it like working with Peter Reckell after 16 years of never seeing each other? CC: Because Peter Reckell was involved in my first big screen test, I have nostalgic feelings for him. We have a great working relationship. I am so happy to be working with him again. It’s easy. Do I know him very well? I can’t say I do because we’re still trying to get to know each other. But we’re having a great time working together. TVG: How long is your contract on DAYS? CC: Two years.

TVG: In the end, it all worked out for the best.
CC: It really did. In many ways, Venice is a new beginning for Otalia.

TVG: And we can’t wait to set sail …

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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.