Soap Opera Update
May 21, 1990
A Day in the Life of
The Inimitable Erika Slezak
By: unknown
Any job...any good
job...should always offer new challenges and new heights to conquer. It
can become a dulling experience when every daily expectation is just that -
expected and never off the routine course. Just for the record, I'm
talking about my job - not Erika Slezak's job as Viki Buchanan on One Life to
Live. You see, being with Soap Opera Update allowed doors to open up to
me, offering me the opportunities to meet and speak to many daytime
favorites. There are a few daytime stars who can be so eagerly awaited to
meet as Erika Slezak. Speaking on the phone to her would have been one
thing, but spending an entire day with her could have been nerve wracking,
exciting, scary...the list continues. Why? Because Erika Slezak is a
legend, but an acting legend in general - though her candor, demeanor and
personality never give a clue to the feeling that she might be too big for her
britches. A more down-to-earth performer is hard to find. Harder to
find is an actress more insightful and fun to spend a day with.
At 9:30, ABC publicist Rodi Rosensweig and photographer Cathy Blaivas and I
rendezvoused with Erika. She greeted me at her dressing room door with a
very polite, “Hello, I'm Erika Slezak.” As if I couldn't guess. Her
makeup-less face boasted a young and fresh complexion - a face that gave no
indication that she had actually been on One Life to Live for 19 years. We
sat in Erika's dressing room talking about the day's taping schedule, her daily
routine, and then she was called up for a rehearsal.
On the way to the studio, we ran into Fiona Hutchison (Gabrielle), whose
mother was visiting from England, Nicholas Walker, complete with the scar makeup
Max has had to endure, and a pacing John Viscardi, waiting to rehearse his
scenes as Father Tony. On the set, Erika went through blocking with Clint
Ritchie (Clint), while Larry Pine (Roger) waited on the sidelines. John
Loprieno (Cord) joined the activities in the midst of giving an OLTL tour to two
guests.
With rehearsal over, Erika excused herself to take a shower before hair and
makeup, In the makeup room, she got the full star treatment - which was an
added plus for her as she was going to the theater that night with her
husband..one of the ten times they go the theater, she relates. This was
the hour in which Erika gave us story after story about her two children
(obviously a mother thoroughly proud of her children), and her late father,
actor Walter Slezak. With an hour for lunch after her beauty treatment, we
hopped over to a local Italian restaurant. Erika was ever so gracious,
even considering the slow service this particular day.
Once back at the studio, Erika went to the makeup room to run lines with
Clint Ritchie. Hustling and bustling were Linda Thorson (Julia)
blow-drying her hair, John Viscardi having his makeup applied, and Melody Combs
(Lily) walking in and out. Erika then headed to her dressing room to get
into her outfit for dress rehearsal.
We went back up to the studio for dress rehearsal (which went off without a
hitch), and had some time before the actual taping was to take place. On
our way to her dressing room, we paused in the lobby to take a few photos.
While there, we watched a bevy of beauties enter the ABC portals to audition for
the role of Tina Roberts (Erika's comments concerning some of the Tina wannabes
were priceless...humor can be her forte.)
At one point, a fan standing on the street with a bouquet of flowers and a
small bag of potato chips (a Slezak favorite) motioned to the actress to join
him outside. Erika recognized him as an admirer who often waited to get a
glimpse of his favorite OLTL star. No, he doesn't always bring
flowers. This was a particularly special day (March 16) because March 17
(a non-working day in 1990) is Erika's anniversary with the show. Erika
obliged by posing for photos with the fan, and even accepted a kiss (which she
normally is loathe to do)!
Back in her dressing room, Erika shared stories with me and paused to watch
General Hospital - her favorite soap next to One Life to Live. She
actually doesn't have a lot of time to watch TV in general, so if its not
scheduled during one of her daily breaks in taping, then she wont see it.
Her time at home is quality time for her children, not for television!
Watching Erika watch General Hospital is terrific, because it's not an actress
your witnessing watching a soap...it's a fan. It happened to be a
red-letter day for GH, as it was the episode on which Duke (Greg Beecroft) met
his demise. Erika was ooh-ing and ah-ing just like a true GH fan.
After OLTL taped, it was time for good-byes - a sad good-bye because I
actually had a wonderful day with Erika Slezak. She is a complete
professional. A day in the life of Erika Slezak? You'll never get to
know or see everything there is to know about Erika in one day. For her
life goes well beyond the acting profession. She is an actress, a wife, a
what seems to be her most favorite role - a mother. And anyone who might
be having problems with juggling an acting career and domestic life, need go no
further than to see what Erika Slezak has done with her life. Everything
correctly!
Erika Slezak on waking up early and long
days:
“There are days when my commute is a killer - when we go
until 11 o'clock at night, which is not often, but has happened. We went
to 3 o'clock in the morning once during the Heaven sequences. The Eterna
sequences never went that late, but the Heaven sequences were usually done no
earlier than 10 o'clock. Only one night did we get out at 7, I think, and
that was the last night. There are very long days. I drive most of
the time. Sometimes I take the train...if the weather's bad, snowing or if
it's pouring rain. But the train I have to take from home leaves at 5:40
in the morning which means I have to get up at 4:45. And there's something
major offensive to me looking at a clock that says 4 something. Even if
it's 4:59. I cannot get up!”
...on Viki becoming Mayor of Llanview:
“I don't know if I win. You know I asked (director) Peter
Miner last week, 'Do I win?' He said, 'I don't know.' I said, 'I better win, I'm
the good guy.”
...on Jane Elliott (Tracy, GH):
“I think
that Jane Elliot can do no wrong. One of the reasons that I watch the show
is Jane. I stop everything when she comes on. She is
wonderful. She's bitchy and nasty and mean, but it's all done in humor.”
...on her children coming to visit her on the
set:
“My eight-year-old Amanda was here with me one day at the
studio. And they love to come and visit the set because they think it's
fun, because I have a television in my dressing room. And they come with
me in the morning and they get to eat a sweet roll for breakfast, which we don't
allow them at home. I bring them in on days when I don't have a lot to
do. And we go to the park or we go to FAO Schwarz and shop around.
Michael likes to go the Hammacher Schlemmer and the Sharper Image and look at
gadgets. Amanda likes to go on rides on the carousel in the summer.
But anyway, I had her here. And I went upstairs to do my taping, and I
said if you want to watch the taping turn on the television to channel 31.
And I came downstairs right after my last scene, in which I had been very upset
and was crying, because somebody had done something to me again. And I
found her sobbing in my dressing room. And I took her in my arms and said,
'What's wrong?' And she said, 'Mommy, I hate it when you're that
sad. It's so sad to see your crying. I've never seen you cry
before.' And this was a big thing for her. She said she had never
seen me cry except on television. And I thought that she probably hasn't
seen me cry.”
...on winning two Daytime Emmys:
“You
never expect to win. I can tell you that I've been nominated four times,
and I've won twice. And you never think you're going to win and you never
think you're going to lose. And you sit there and you say to yourself, and
it goes back and forth, “I'm not going to win. There are these four other
ladies. They have unbelievable reputation in daytime. Why would I
win? Of course I'll win. No I won't. Because Susan Lucci's
going to win because she's been nominated 103 times. And she's never
won. Of course she's going to win. And Liz Hubbard. She's so
good. Why wouldn't she win? Of course she's going to win. And
Helen Gallagher's going to win. Of course she's going to win. Why
can't I win. I should win. I think I'll win. No, I'm not going
to win. Because Kim Zimmer's sitting there.' And you make yourself
stark raving crazy!”
...on why people leave Daytime:
“Because
they think they can do better somewhere else. And the track record isn't
good. In the number of years I've been here, I've seen any number of
people leave...”I'm gonna be a star'...and off they go. And two years
later, they're back. Sometimes they come back, and almost without
exception, it does not work when they come back. Andrea (Evans, ex-Tina)
was the only exception.”
...on which OLTL alumni have come back to
visit:
“Perfect examples, I can give you two. Judy Light
(ex-Karen), who would not come through New York without stopping in here.
And she comes in and goes to the page phone at the lobby desk, and she picks up
the phone and she goes, 'Heeeeellllooooo,' screaming. And I heard that one
day two years ago, and I said, “Judy's here!' Robin (Strasser ex-Dorian) is
another one who comes back. Judy and Robin used to do the best Jewish
accents of anybody I've ever heard...as Sadie and Esther. Oh, and Blair
Underwood. Every time that kid is in New York, he's here. My sweet
Bobby Blue.”
...on her childhood aspirations:
“When I
was a little girl, I wanted to be an actress from the time I could remember -
like three-years-old. I was going to be an actress. That was all I
was ever going to be. It never for a second occurred to me to be anything
else except once, for about five minutes, I was going to be a nun. That
was probably when I was 13 and going to boarding school. And I gave that
up very quickly. I was quite determined, always, that this was what I was
going to do. My children don't talk about it at all. Michael has had many
different professions since he could start thinking about it. And they've
all been wonderfully sensible things. Like an architect. He as going
to be a fireman. Until he realized it's dangerous to be a fireman.
Now he wants to be Donald Trump. That's fine by me. Amanda is very
definite what she wants to be. She wants to be a horseback rider, have a
farm, and have horses and animals. And Michael, because he's going to be
Donald Trump, is going to buy the horses. This is a pact that they have
made.”
