Soap Opera Update
October 10, 2000 Vol. XIII No. 41
The Incomparable Erika Slezak
By: Sheila Steinbach
OLTL's
Erika Slezak (Viki) once again touches the heart of daytime television
It takes a special actress to
bring the emotional feelings and the awareness of a serious illness to daytime
television and not turn off viewers with the reality of it. Erika Slezak is that
special actress. The five-time Emmy Award-winning Outstanding Lead Actress has
tackled another devastating time in her One Life to Live's character Viki's
life, coming away from it more revered than ever. The story of Viki's battle
with breast cancer has touched the hearts and minds of many people. "We've dealt
with real issues that are serious before, but not like this one, not something
as common and that affects as many people," she says.
Slezak admits that she wasn't cheerful when she first heard the show wanted
to do this story some time ago. "They had just done this kind of story on
General Hospital and Leslie Charleson (Monica) was so good in it. But Jill
(Farren Phelps, Executive Producer) said they would do it differently.”
In the end, however, ABC shelved the idea at the time, and it was only
recently that Slezak learned that they were finally going to do it. “I was
actually very pleased that they let me do it, because I feel very deeply for
breast cancer survivors. I don't have it, but it is in my family. I've always
been very aware of it. I go for mammograms and checkups.”
“The odd thing is that as far as I know, I'm perfectly healthy when I go for
those checkups. And every time I go, I sit there with all these other women
waiting, having X-rays, and with me, for the last 10 years, they come in and
say, 'we need to do some more pictures,' and I gulp. But I know to expect
it—it's something they saw years ago that hasn't changed, but they're very
careful and it's been going on for 10 years, I know they're going to come back
and tell me that and then say it's fine. I certainly know the fear, the nerves
of sitting there," she says.
Slezak did a great deal of research about breast cancer and talked with the
show's medical advisor, Cora McCraw, and people at the studio who told her about
their experiences with it, but it was a TV show that really showed her what it
was like to go through what Viki was going to be tackling. "There was this
program, a documentary about a woman who had a double mastectomy, but this
wasn't just a documentary—it was, let's show you what it looks like, what an
unreconstructed breast looks like, what a reconstructed one does. What I was
curious about in order to play that thing—you can't exactly go and ask someone,
and the books give you drawings—was what happens the first time you take off the
bandages and you look and you see what's there. I needed to know what it looked
like...and there it was!”
As part of Viki's journey, OLTL devoted an entire episode to following her on
the day she entered the hospital. Slezak was very pleased with the way the show
handled that aspect of the story. She was especially touched by the scene when
Viki wanted to show Kevin where all the important papers were and tell him what
he had to do in case she didn't make it.
As a mother in real life, Slezak knows how important it is that her children
are well informed. She reveals that her father left a letter for his children
which was very difficult to read, but heartbreaking and sweet, that she thought
she would never do that, but she has. "I wrote each kid a letter telling them
where all the important papers are. And so, I'm a wicked mother—I did it to my
kids,” she laughs. “But it was mainly to give them information.”
In looking back over the scenes that have taken place in this story, there
are many that stand out. The first time that Viki and Ben make love after her
surgery was particularly moving. "Jill Mitwell, who is a brilliant director,
directed that. She has an incredible eye and heart and soul. She told us this
was not a scene about sex, this was a scene about fears, which I think is how it
played. It became a loving, gentle, tender thing. I think that no matter how
much somebody loves you, you have to think, 'He loves me, but he loves every
part of me, and how is this going to change things?'
“One of the most wonderful things for me was at the beginning. Not to slight
any other actor on the show, but I shared it all with Timothy Gibbs (Kevin), who
is such a giving, sensitive actor. To have him there and to have that kind of
support was wonderful. I've been very, very lucky on this show in that
practically all the people who have played my kids have been very giving. And
let's talk about Erin [Torpey, Jessica]. I don't think of Erin as new. The day I
told the kids, that was a big thing because the three of them were so in there
with me. They were just fabulous. It's hard, especially for someone as young as
Erin. There was a scene in the kitchen during taping where she started crying
and I started crying. During the dress rehearsal, she was really trying to hold
it together. Nothing makes you cry faster than someone you love in tears,” says
Slezak.
“So there have been big high points, and one of them has been Mr. Mark Derwin
(Ben), who will not let me be unhappy,” she says, laughing. “He's just so
cheerful and up and delightful. He's a joy to work with,” she says with a big
smile on her face.
Now that Viki's gotten the good news that her cancer has not spread, will
that mean we'll be hearing wedding bells for her and Ben? “You betcha, cookie!”
Slezak says with a big laugh. “I don't know when. I've been told there will be
wedding bells in the future. I haven't had a costume fitting yet, so don't hold
you're breath, but I think so. I think the audience deserves it. I deserve it!”
she says, laughing, as she goes off to weave her special magic as Viki.
