Star: CRYSTAL CHAPPELL
Role: Maggie Carpenter, ONE LIFE TO LIVE
Birthday: August 4
Birthplace: Silver Springs, Maryland
Daytime Resume: Dr. Carly Manning, DAYS OF OUR LIVES; Jane Kinglsey, SANTA BARBARA.
Moved to Llanview: October, 1995
Very Significant Other: Married Michael Sabatino (ex-Dr. Jonathan Kinder, AMC; ex-Lawrence Alamain, DAYS) on January 6, 1997 at City Hall, New York, New York.
Crystal Chappell is deep in cow country wearing high heels and a fox stole. The actress is at Romeo's Farm Studio in rustic Hopewell Junction, New York, to be exact, two hours and several worlds away from Manhattan, home of the ONE LIFE TO LIVE set. On this day, Chapell was taking a break from playing the former Sister Maggie Carpenter to film USA NETWORK's "Pep Devlin: Private Eye," which aired during the cable channel's "Killer Blondes" movie marathon July 20. In the short film noir, the actress plays Chloe, a femme fatale with a clock over her head and a thing for chocolate .38s. The project proves to be another feather in Chappell's chapeau -- and, as co-star Anna Holbrook (ex-Sharlene, ANOTHER WORLD) points out, "This woman was born to wear 1940s clothes. Talk about the celebration of the female form."
While that might not come as a surprise, some things about Chappell do. She is indeed a study in contrasts. For example, although she would have loved to have played Glenn Close's role in "Fatal Attraction," she has been watching I LOVE LUCY reruns forever. In the same breath, she beams about Jim Carrey... and Jimmy Stewart. Although looking every inch of the daytime star that she is, Chappell is friendly and familiar. When the actress couldn't hear our soft spoken Soap Opera Digest Online writer, she just moved in closer and stayed put. Meanwhile, her enthusiasm for ONE LIFE TO LIVE is quite evident and genuine. Surprisingly, just a couple of weeks after this interview, Chappell opted not to renew her contract with OLTL. She will leave Llanview sometime this fall. "I've had an amazing time," Chappell says of her latest, and hopefully not last, daytime gig.
DIGEST ONLINE: What femme fatale from film history would you have loved to have played?
CRYSTAL CHAPPELL: Well, the first femme fatale that comes to mind is Glenn Close's character in "Fatal Attraction." That's the ultimate femme fatale role. [Editor's Note: In the film, a woman named Alex (Close) becomes obsessed with a married man (played by Michael Douglas) after a brief affair. She terrorizes the man and his family before trying to kill him with a butcher knife. She ended up dead in a bathtub with a little help from the married man, however.] I'm not too happy with the end. (laughs) Alex was a wonderful psycho, very manipulative. I loved Linda Fiorentino in "The Last Seduction." I like those kinds of films, those kinds of female characters, especially as an actress to play them. It's a lot of fun. You really get to dig deep and get dirty, which is not something you get to do every day and remain out of prison.
DIGEST ONLINE: What kind of movies are your favorites -- romantic comedy, thrillers, action?
CHAPPELL: I'm a very moody movie person meaning I have to be in the mood for the genre to go see a film. There are sometimes that I'm only interested in seeing campy comedies, like "Liar, Liar." I saw that movie twice.
DIGEST ONLINE: You're a Jim Carrey fan, I take it?
CHAPPELL: I am, but I have to be in the mood for him. I'm not too fond of violence, I can't stomach it. I love romantic comedies more than anything and a good thriller, a really well-written thriller. Something that keeps my brain working the entire movie, a real whodunit. "North By Northwest" was fabulous. "Rear Window" with Jimmy Stewart, I was riveted to the screen. I just love him. Any of the Alfred Hitchcock films, I love.
DIGEST ONLINE: Who are your favorite actors not only in movies but in daytime, too?
CHAPPELL: In film, I generally enjoy watching Mel Gibson. Not only because he's gorgeous, but he's just a really versatile actor. I also like Harrison Ford. I guess my mind is on the high emotional, high impact films because of what we're [filming] today. On stage, I've seen so many wonderful actors, it's hard to narrow it down. On television, you know, I watch mostly sitcoms.
DIGEST ONLINE: When you go home, which sitcoms do you turn on?
CHAPPELL: I like FRASIER and SEINFELD. I'm pretty predictable.
DIGEST ONLINE: Your favorite SEINFELD episode?
CHAPPELL: That's easy. The masturbation episode, "The Contest." [Editor's Note: In the episode, George's mother catches him @#*& with a Glamour Magazine, prompting the four characters to embark in a contest to see who can restrain from @#*& the longest and be "Master of their domain." It wasn't certain, but a safe bet is that George won.] That's the ultimate SEINFELD. My all-time favorite sitcom episode, and I have it on tape, is THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW's "Chuckles The Clown Dies" episode. Oh, God. He got shelled to death! [Editor's Note: In the episode, Chuckles, the beloved children's performer, was dressed as a peanut and bought the farm courtesy of a wayward elephant. Although everyone at WJM found Chuckles' demise hilarious, Mary didn't. That is... until the funeral.] Classic. Hysterical. One of the best episodes in television. And I love I LOVE LUCY. I've been watching that in reruns forever. I'm tuned in to that. I like to laugh. What can I say? Other than that, I watch a little daytime when I get a chance.
DIGEST ONLINE: Your role in "Pep Devlin, Private Eye" is a bit of a departure from your daytime work.
CHAPPELL: I play Chloe. She's married to this rich man who she wants to get rid of because she wants his money. The greedy vixen, as it were. She hires Pep Devlin, this not too bright detective, and convinces him that her husband is trying to kill her. She also convinces Pep that they could fall in love and run off if they kill her husband. She's a fast worker, and a very evil woman.
DIGEST ONLINE: She's a far cry from Maggie, that's for sure, and from Carly, the character you played on DAYS.
CHAPPELL: It's fun. Isn't this place beautiful? There are cows up here. Fabulous! It's good to get out of the city and do something a little bit different. I'm having a good time today, but I must say I'm having a really good time working one ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
DIGEST ONLINE: That seems to show in your work on the show. Head Writers Claire and Matt Labine give Maggie her share of light-hearted material as well as dramatic twists and turns.
CHAPELL: I was a little concerned coming back to daytime that I'd get stuck in that rut of always crying... of playing a tragic heroine. That really took a toll on me that first time around, so I really wanted to find a character that had a little more color, a little more humanness. One, who could be hit emotionally, but still laugh. Ultimately, I think what happened is, because the show has stories filling the dramatic niche, they really used me to add some levity to the show. It's been interesting to be on a soap opera and to be given lighter material, kind of quirky, offbeat stuff to play.
DIGEST ONLINE: You've played Maggie different from the way other actresses have played nuns. In a sense, you've helped turn the concept of nuns on its side a bit.
CHAPPELL: I wasn't sure how to play a nun. I was also thinking I would have to wear a habit. It frightened me because on a television show, the audience has a concept of religious figures -- that they should appear a certain way. To break the mold is kind of a risky thing to do. My feeling was if Maggie is to remain a nun, she should have some colors to her and keep her humanity alive just in case something would happen to change her. I met with a couple of nuns. They brought someone in. I did some reading and heard all kinds of stories that there are a lot of women who are nuns, but who dress in regular clothes. They have a mouth on them. They drink beer. They smoke sometimes. You would never know that they're nuns. It's just that they have chosen to be non-sexual and devote their lives to serving God. They're still this human being. I'm glad the show let me do that, to show multiple sides to Maggie because they very easily could have had me just blessing people. (laughs)
DIGEST ONLINE: How do you rate the OLTL set?
CHAPPELL: The show has been very kind to me. It's a great group of people. It's fun to work [at OLTL], and I realize that that is rare.
DIGEST ONLINE: And how is your personal life?
CHAPPELL: Married life is great. I love Michael. Can you tell? I married him. (laughs) We're having a good time. We've got our dog and cats. It's a whole different life. We still have our house in L.A. with a yard for the animals. It's a happy home.