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tvguide.ca/Soaps/Articles/110601_crystal_chappell_NB.htmSoapypants
By Nelson Branco 2011-06-01
'Days of Our Lives' and 'Venice' superstar Crystal Chappell is reinventing herself again. Plus: Her new web project; and will she leave DAYS?
It's hard to believe that it's been almost two years since Crystal Chappell returned to the soap opera that made her a superstar and launched her acting career.
A lot has happened since then - including naked shower scenes, drunken/violent lesbian outbursts and husband stabbings. All on-screen, of course.
Just another day in the life of one of the definitive soap opera leading divas (as in divine, not difficult) of daytime and web soaps.
Since Carly controversially returned to Salem with a very bloody knife and a new daughter, four soaps have been cancelled, including her beloved Guiding Light, where she played late-in-life gay icon Olivia Spencer, a role that won her the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 2002. She's been nominated every year since (as Lead Actress, too), except for 2009 and 2011.
But in the those couple of years, Chappell has been busy becoming the Tina Fey of soap operas, by creating, directing, acting, promoting and writing post-modern Sapphic hit web soap, Venice, which was recently nominated for a 2011 Daytime Emmy Award. The mother of two adorable boys was also saluted by this very website as the producer of our Outstanding Soap Opera, Venice, as well as its head writer and various other prestigious awards at this year's Spirit Awards.
No one can accuse the French descendant of being a slacker.
This month, Chappell will find out if she takes her first golden statue for her incomparable and unrivaled behind-the-scenes prowess on June 17 in the inaugural special class format category. And TV Guide Canada will be there to enjoy the celebration and root for the moregeous stunner and talent in this groundbreaking category with a Cougar Town-sized wineglass in hand, Lara-style.
Is The Chappell psyched?
"I think it's pretty wonderful," the ruthlessly diplomatic Chappell says. "I'm happy for [co-writer] Kim [Turrisi] and the whole team. Season 1 had some issues. Season 2 was a huge undertaking, but thanks to our team, I felt like it worked very well. We all worked our asses off. It was definitely a team effort. It never comes down to one or two people. I'm so grateful to our IT team, people like you who promote the show, the actors who donate their time, and the fans who purchase subscriptions so we can make this show. And you know what I love the most? I love that we're not censored [by a corporation]. I love that freedom! We're telling the stories we love and want to tell!"
Mrs. Sabatino-Leccia is also thrilled that her P&G/TeleNext Emmy-winning, soap creating compadre, Martha Byrne (World Turns' Lily) is nominated right along side her!
"Look at us little soap opera girls," she enthuses. "I'm happy for Martha. I think this is just the beginning for her as well. There's a way to continue this art form; and we're all figuring it out together. The numbers have been really great, so we're encouraged. And we now have sponsors calling us! There is a future for soaps; we just have to figure out how to streamline the production model a little bit more to prove that we are credible to people. Right now, I know that Venice is watched in over 150 countries around the world. Our numbers are real. We're just on the cusp of [reinventing the genre], which is why we need to keep creating more web soaps and [not just rest on our laurels] and rely on one show. We have to create more soaps. And we're talking to people right now to help us develop more shows. This is just the beginning, but we're still figuring it all out."
Along with her moonlighting, Chappell is currently embroiled in a riveting performance as Carly battles a drug addiction and broken heart. Not necessarily in that order.
As for the reason as to why Carly has broken down and deconstructed herself, Chappell agrees it's not because she's in love with her baby daddy, Dr. Daniel Jonas - even though Shawn Freakin' Christian is one hot, hairy bastard.
"I don't think she's in love with him, either. But I do think Carly has strong feelings for him," she exposes. "I don't think it's that kind of love. She's in a very precarious, emotional place. Everything that has happened with her ... with Lawrence locking her up a lot of the time ... hell, that would f--- anyone up, let's face it. The loss of her son is hard to recover from as well. She's the kind of person who can't accept help; so she keeps moving and that leads to [her self-medication]. Carly is not really in love with Daniel, but there's a lot of other things happening. He's a loving friend to her, but she's afraid, so she's [projecting something more]. Because she did go off with Lawrence years ago - and let's face it there is something about the men Carly chooses - that's been her flaw from the beginning. He was horrible to her but she really loved him ... and the most important thing to me as a mother is my kids ... and you have to think of your kids first - and that's why she's looking at Daniel a certain way. She's really messed up and lonely at this point. There's more explanation coming up. There's a lot more coming up, so it's too soon to say it's only because she's in love with Daniel."
What she does applaud is DAYS' decision to write a gay storyline for Will Horton - even if fans were hoping it was she in the homosexual storyline.
"I don't know too much about the story, but I am rooting for DAYS because this is such a new story for them," she congratulates.
But as forward thinking as DAYS is becoming, a dramatic turnover in the industry and new head writers, Chappell finds herself at creative crossroads once again as her Salem contract expires in August.
But that's not all: the Maryland native has big news to share with TV Guide Canada's readers!
"I like to dream small," downplays a half-serious Chappell with a laugh.
Boy, I'd hate to see what happens if she dreamt big!
"I'm working on another new web soap opera called The Grove, co-written by my husband [and former DAYS co-star] Michael Sabatino and I, which I hope to shoot in October and will hopefully air in December," she announces exclusively. "It will also star Jessica Leccia and I. And other Venice stars. Maybe other soap stars, too. I'm creating a network with original content where you can buy packages of the shows you want to see. I want a more traditional brand of soap opera out there on the web [that's democratic]."
For now, that's all Chappell will say, but she'll reveal more soon.
As for Venice Season 3, fans will be happy to know it's written, and in Chappell's words, "is really good!"
Well, duh.
But what fans really want to know is: Will she re-sign with the lone NBC sudser?
"I don't know," she says. "And I can't say anything about that right now."
As mentioned earlier, Carly's descent into drug addition is keeping the actress engaged with DAYS like never before. Does Chappell love the acting challenge?
"I honestly love it," she asserts. "I know there is a lot of change happening over at DAYS with the new head writers. From my perspective as an actress, they're giving me wonderful things to play. It's a heavy story, for sure, but it's a real one. I think they've done a beautiful job. I'm having a great time. We're shooting the end of the story now ... which should air around the end of August."
A soap fan since the days her trademark, beautiful breasts were bountifully growing in, Chappell is equally depressed with ABC's moronic announcement over the joint cancellation of her alma mater, One Life to Live, and All My Children this past April.
"I'm sad," she sighs. "I grew up watching soaps, ABC in particular. I knew Agnes Nixon's name when I was just 14 years old. Like [former Y&R co-executive producer] Paul Rauch noted to you recently, ‘we've lost four soaps in two years,' so we have to look at that very closely. I'd hate to see any other show go. I want daytime soaps to be here and thrive forever because I love them so much, but to be honest, I don't know anymore. I honestly don't know anymore."
There was a time when Chappell didn't know if she'd re-sign with Guiding Light before the Otalia romance literally blew the minds of viewers. Chappell was famously in talks with One Life to re-join the show as a new character, a recast of the ill-conceived character, Paige, even though she had played deaf advocate and circus clown enthusiast, Maggie Carpenter earlier. At the last minute, Chappell declined.
"Yes, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation if I had said, ‘yes,'" concurs the brunette jogger.
But would she return to One Life as Maggie Carpenter for its finale season - either as a cameo or something more long-term?
"If it's workable, for sure," she offers. "I love [executive producer] Frank Valentini. I consider him a friend, so for sure. I'm open to anything. Now I'm trying to dream big!"
Since everyone and their illegitimate child has come out with a soap memoir/book, is La Chappell-erella thinking of issuing a tome? Even if she's still a embryo in the grand scale of soap stardom?
"I actually have," she reveals, adding with a laugh. "I just want to know if I'm in Kim Zimmer's book, I'm Just Sayin'! I can't wait to read it. I was there for most of it. I adore Zimmer. I love her to pieces. I actually wrote a part for her in the new show. She's phenomenal."
But back to her tell-all: "In the past couple of months, I've been thinking seriously about doing a book, because a lot has happened in the past couple of months that would be interesting to talk about. I have to figure out how I want to do it first."
Did Chappell ever think as a young soap fan that she would help reinvent the genre she loved so much, win an Emmy for her intense, visceral acting, and be adored and worshipped by millions, gay and straight, as a human and acting hero of sorts?
"No," she laughs. "Never. I just wanted to act and loved soaps. I got lucky by getting the work I did at first in soaps. It's been paralyzing with the uncertainty out there today with the future of the genre. I knew I wanted to produce, direct and write down the road. Kimmy and I have been pitching show ideas for a while now, but after Otalia on GL, that really inspired us to create Venice. We've learned a lot ... and we rely on our fans and their honesty. The fans guide us. I'm happy to be where I am now to answer your question. At the end of the day, I'm still a soap opera fan first and foremost - and I produce what I want to see."
Are you paying attention, ABC, CBS and NBC?
Chappell agrees one of the reasons behind Venice's success is that she doesn't write with demographics in mind during her creative process.
"I want to write for people," she insists. "I'm on the older end of that demo that the network wants to avoid. Even as a kid, I enjoyed watching older, more experienced actors and characters. If you look at my cast, there are no teenagers, and that is something I want to explore and there's nothing wrong with that, but in our studies, 60 per cent of our viewers are in the 18-49 age range, so I think we're doing something right."
I'd say.
Tune in to Friday's Suds Report for more on Chappell, where she thinks GL's Otalia is now, whether or not Carly and Chloe should rely on each other thanks to their drug dependencies, and why she resonates with fans as an actress.
Courtesy of Daytime Royalty
