SoapCity
Network - April 25th, 2003
John
James launches his own Dynasty in Oakdale
From 1981 to 1989 he
was Jeff Colby on the ABC behemoth hits, Dynasty and The Colbys,
appearing on magazine covers and airing simultaneously in dozens of
countries all over the world. In the 1990s, however, actor John
James chose a different path. He decided to focus on his family,
relocating his wife and two children to upstate New York and
selecting projects that kept him closer to home. On April 24, John
debuted on As the World Turns in the role of Dr. Rick Decker, a new
love interest for Susan Stewart. And, in our exclusive SoapCity
interview, he shared a few choice words aimed toward those who might
judge his latest acting job a step down from the heights of
Dynasty...
SoapCityAlina: Your
last soap opera job, on Search for Tomorrow, was back in the late
1970s. How are you getting back into the rhythm of things almost 25
years later?
John James: Well, I
feel like I've been shot out of a cannon. I was prepared for it to
be difficult; difficult in the sense that it's quick. I've certainly
had a lot of dialogue, but memorization isn't really a problem. It's
just so fast that before you know it, it's done. But the most
difficult part was figuring out the system, getting around the
studio. I'd end up half the time in the wrong stage. I had to get
used to the whole process and learn my way around, like when to get
make-up, when to get wardrobe and not to feel like I'm going to be
on in four minutes when it's going to be more like four hours. For a
few days I was behind the waves, but now I am up on top, surfing and
I feel that we're doing better.
SCA: When we first
spoke, the day you were cast, you still didn't know much about your
character beyond his name and occupation. Now that you've been
shooting for nearly a month, do you feel like you have a firmer
grasp on Dr. Rick Decker?
JJ: Yes, that was
the other issue. It would be different if I had come in and replaced
someone, and they could say, "Here he is, he's this guy, he's
been an alcoholic and he is this and this and this." But with
this guy, I'm free. I have a little chance to create him. I do
know that he is a brilliant doctor, whose specialty is geriatrics.
He met Susan at a conference while she was in Florida and they
enjoyed each other's company. He mentioned that he was looking for a
place to practice and he came to visit Oakdale. They are basically,
for lack of a better word, falling in love. It's very interesting
and that's all I'm going to tell you. Don't try to pull it out of
me.
SCA: How are you
enjoying working with your new costar, Marie Masters (Susan)?
JJ: She's great! I
couldn't ask for a nicer person to help the new kid in school. She
assisted my walk into an environment where you're the new guy and
it's certainly a little nerve-racking. I didn't know anybody, I
didn't know where to go and she made it very, very easy on me. She
made the relationship so that it was very comfortable, very low key.
She made it very pleasant, really easy. (Marie) and I share work
styles that are very professional, and consequently has made it much
easier on me.
SCA: Your last time
on daytime, on SFT, you worked with ATWT's current Executive
Producer, Christopher Goutman. Who were some of the other actors
there during your stint?
JJ: Well, I worked
with Kevin Kline and Michael Nouri. And I worked with Morgan
Fairchild and (ATWT writer) Courtney Simon. And there was
Christopher Reeve next door on Love of Life. It's amazing, I guess
there are only 12 people in showbiz!
SCA: What are your
favorite memories of your early soap days? What did you learn from
it?
JJ: I loved working
as a professional actor. It was my first job, and I was actually
getting paid to do something I wanted to do! I learned that you
better keep up to the standards or else you're out. You either cut
it or you don't. You had to think on your feet and that gave you an
element of confidence. Randy Mantooth (subbing for Benjamin
Hendrickson as Hal) and I were just exchanging stories and he was
telling me about his first day on the soap when they went "5,
4, 3, 2, 1," and he just stood there. The director said,
"Randy, you're supposed to start now." Funny enough, Randy
and my first experiences were just the opposite. I got in front the
camera and they said "Ready," and I immediately started
talking. They said, "Cut, cut, cut, cut! John, it's ready,
then action." All the crew just rolled their eyes.
SCA: You went from
SFT into Dynasty. What was it like to go from a half-hour daytime
soap into a prime time, worldwide phenomenon?
JJ: Well, it was an
evolvement. In the beginning, we were considered nothing more than a
Dallas rip-off. We were almost cancelled, and I signed on only to do
seven shows; though I ended up doing all 13 the first year, and
consequently was signed to a seven-year contract. But, the first
season, there were 42 motor homes for every other actor, and I had a
trailer with a flat tire -- true story. As my agent walked out, he
said, "I'll try to have that flat fixed." I was hanging on
by tooth and nail. It took them many years before they even admitted
Jeff had a family. That's when they brought in Charlton Heston and
ended up spinning me off to my own show.
SCA: Do you ever
watch the Dynasty reruns on SoapNet?
JJ: I see The Colbys
more. They're on Saturday mornings. I don't see Dynasty on weekday
mornings, I'm usually out. I saw (The Colbys) over Christmas. That
was when I first knew it was back on the air. The kids and my wife
and even I were able to watch it without cringing, as I did what I
was doing it. I sat back, relaxed and watched it. And I could see
how people could get hooked because it was pretty good. I mean the
characters were rich and deep. It was fun. It was a good show.
SCA: You mentioned
Charlton Heston, who played your father, Jason Colby. What was it
like working with Moses, himself?
JJ: It was pretty
nerve-racking. For the first episode, Chuck actually called a
rehearsal. I walked in. He was standing there with his back to me.
And it was actually like meeting Moses, like going up to the gates
of heaven. He was backlit and standing on the set and it was pretty
impressive. So, I figured I might as well be a sponge and absorb as
much of this as I can, because what an opportunity I had to work
with someone who learned his craft during the golden age of
Hollywood!
SCA: And what did
you learn?
JJ: I learned camera
technique. I learned not to jump around like a moron, to be still
and let the camera like you. To just be there. I learned not to do
anything, don't move your head, just be there. It's a concentration
of body language. It looks very composed.
SCA: Many of the
actors with whom you worked with on Dynasty and The Colbys, like
Gordon Thompson (Adam), Maxwell Caulfield (Miles), Emma Samms
(Fallon), even Joan Collins (Alexis), have gone on to do daytime
roles. What is your opinion of people who consider that career move
a step down?
JJ: Usually, the
people who say it's a step down are the ones who are not working. If
given the opportunity for your job, they'd push you out of the way
to take it. Daytime work is extremely hard. I hate it when people
say it's a step down. There is no step down. It's working. It's a
good paying job for an actor. It's not theatre, it's not prime time,
it's not movies, it's not dinner theatre, either. These are all
different things that actors do. There are two kinds of actors,
those who make a living at it and those who want to make a living at
it. The people who don't have jobs are the people who are saying
it's a step down. So, here's my opinion: They're idiots.
Source: SoapCity
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