What Your Faves Are Talking About

GH’s Kin Shriner (Scott) and Genie Francis (Laura) both look back fondly on the period they spent as a real-life item in the 1970s, and Shriner says that he scored points as a boyfriend via his taste in good food. “Back in the day, she lived in the Valley, and I was a big proponent of eating out,” recalls the actor. “I would say, ‘Genie, come on, I’m going to take you out to dinner tonight!’ And when she looks back on that time, she goes, ‘Well, we did have fun, and I ate in the best restaurants in Sherman Oaks!’ I didn’t really think about it at the time, except that it’s what I always do —  I love eating out at restaurants and I had money coming in. But I don’t think Genie was accustomed in her younger years to eating out at the types of restaurants I was taking her to that were, you know, kind of fancy spots! So she has very fond memories of being taken to dinner at these fun restaurants and trying escargot for the first time or vichyssoise — anything she’d probably never had before in her life!” Not only have they remained friends, but Shriner still looks forward to working with her. “Whenever I get scenes with Genie, I’m always very pleased, even though the dynamics between our characters are very different now.”
 

Jackée Harry (Paulina) believes she hit the jackpot when it comes to her DAYS OF OUR LIVES daughters. Namely, Raven Bowens (Chanel) and Sal Stowers (ex-Lani). “I love them. They’re great young women,” says Harry. “They are very strong and mature. In terms of the business, I always tell them that if they have questions [come to me], because I’ve been through it. How to navigate sometimes gets confusing. [You wonder] how come you’re not getting certain parts? Why don’t people see in you a certain light? And [I’ve told them] how to steer clear of trouble makers. That’s two words — trouble and makers.” Harry has great admiration for Bowens. “She’s gorgeous and very ready to do the work,” she notes. “She’s a great actress, and she’s comfortable in her own skin and loving and warm. She took right to [the role]. There was no awkwardness whatsoever. Our connection was instant.” The pair often spend time behind the scenes bonding. “Oh yeah. We talk about people,” Harry delivers with a laugh. “We gossip. We talk about boyfriends, and in her case she’s doing better than I am. And we talk about being a woman in the business. I give her tips about the business. You have to find people who like you for you.” Harry still keeps in touch with Stowers, who left the soap early this year. “She’s an exercise guru. She’s happy. She’s finding herself,” notes Harry. “I hate her because she has no cellulite. I told her, ‘I don’t think it’s right. It’s not fair.’ She’s also a free spirit. She [follows] her own star. She’s very independent thinking, which is really refreshing.”

On B&B, unlucky-in-love Carter finally found happiness with Quinn just before Rena Sofer (Quinn) departed the soap — and Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) has fond memories of her and their memorable pairing. “Man, working with Rena, I was so excited because I had no idea what the match would be like with Carter and Quinn,” the actor smiles. “We both had no clue, and the fans had no idea, either. No one would have ever predicted it, including us. That’s the mind of Brad Bell [executive producer/head writer], so I super-excited and a little nervous. Rena and I got on the phone the weekend before we started our storyline to talk about it, and we have a very similar work ethic. We like to really get into the story and spend as much as much time as possible to create a safe environment to work in and play in and find things. That was always the goal, and working with Rena was a joy. I love her as a person. I love that we became great friends. For so long, we didn’t get to spend any time together and then, it happened. I learned so much from her. After a long day of working, we would still stay after our scenes and run lines for the next day or even the next few days. We’d keep digging, and that was so much fun. I’ll miss all of that.”

lthough she’s never handled as much dialogue in previous acting projects, Zuleyka Silver (Audra, Y&R) found memorizing copious amounts of lines for her latest soap job to be not so difficult. “Well, at first, I knew there was going to be a lot to commit to memory, which made me pretty nervous, but I think going to college helped me in this department,” she explains. “I had to memorize so many essays for when my finals would come around. To study, I would write out an entire essay, memorize it, and then write it out again on my final.” When Silver got her first script, “I was looking them over and thinking, ‘Wow, this is a walk in the park,’ ” she admits. “It just seemed a little less burdensome compared to college, but that’s not saying that it requires  little work because it does. I’m just glad that applying those memorization skills have come in handy. And everyone here has been so helpful and patient, which has definitely been a confidence booster on set.”