Reflecting on his show’s ups and downs, GH’s Stephen Nichols has perfected the art of . . .
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES
By Robert Schork / Soap Opera Weekly / November 9, 1999
In ECON 101, it’s called the law of supply and demand. In show business, it’s simply known as reality. Within any ensemble production, there’s the occupational hazard of having too little limelight (supply) to be cast on too many egos (demand). Especially on General Hospital, a show which is blessed with an embarrassment of riches in the on-screen talent department.
Such a premise sets the stage – literally – for the misgivings articulated by one performer to be dismissed out-of-hand as mere kvetching at being eclipsed by another. But the concerns candidly expressed by Stephen Nichols (Stefan) about the state of affairs at GH cannot be so summarily discharged. For not only has the condition of his show been the subject of much discussion in the press, among fans and within industry circles but the veteran soap actor comes across as resolutely passionate about his craft and the quality of the total production – caring more about the aesthetics of the larger mosaic than the luster of his own tile within it. A continuing thread of changes at the show has gradually led Nichols into a state of anomie. For starters, abrupt story changes have left a sea of false starts, aborted subplots (e.g. Miranda, the Faberge egg and the Ice Princess, to name but a few), and drastic swings in character motivations in its wake. For Nichols, this has meant a weakened grasp on his character. “I’ve lost a bit of focus, yes. It has to do a lot with inconsistency and the changes in the writing staffs, changes in the story that needed to be told or didn’t need to be told and loose ends being left. It’s a very hard job to keep one of these shows
together and to also keep every character on track.”
The track for Stefan, at the outset, was a gothic one imparted with intrigue and love in equal measure. “The writers wanted to bring forth and explore the idea of ‘Can evil love?’ And it started to work,” but that delicate balance became an early casualty of writer changes. “I feel like I started off very strong on the show. I put a lot of work in, I thought the writing was very clear, and the history of the Cassadines coming in was compelling.”
But ultimately, “There was nothing more at stake in terms of Stefan struggling with these dark forces inside of him. I would love to get back to that, but it has to be rooted in something real; it can’t come out of nothing. To do evil things for the sake of being ‘evil’ is ridiculous. I can’t connect to that; I need to portray a human being. I can’t be one-dimensional. I might as well be a cartoon. Draw me, and I’ll do the voice. I’ve just been trying to keep it together, trying to make whatever they give me work.”
Perhaps the biggest casualty of writing changes for Nichols was the failed re-pairing of him and his former Days of Our Lives co-star Mary Beth Evans (ex-Katherine Bell). As Patch and Kayla, Nichols and Evans were the hottest thing going in Salem for years. Playing armchair quarterback, Nichols reflects on the way things played out at GH, and if they could have been done differently. “I don’t’ know what happened,” he says. “A lot of fans really liked Stefan and Katherine. I would have probably given it more time. The idea of pairing us again was wonderful, but it has to be handled very carefully” because of the potential backlash by fans who’d complain that Stefan and Katherine are not Patch and Kayla. “I think Mary Beth and I could’ve clicked, and made it work again, but it was done too hastily. So yeah, I’m a little bit sad that it didn’t’ work out for us. Anyway, I’m glad Mary Beth is moving on, because she wasn’t getting anywhere in that role. There was never a clear [vision] of who [Katherine] was. Of late, she was being used as a [story] vehicle and not as a solid character in her own right.”
Problems stemming from storyline inconsistencies have been exacerbated by several voluntary actor departures beyond the show’s control, which adversely impacted Nichols’ storyline, including Evans, Jonathan Jackson and Tyler Christopher (ex-Lucky and ex-Nikolas). “It’s been very tough. I feel somewhat disconnected from the show, partly because I haven’t been working all that much. We had some problems. Things happened. For instance, Jonathan’s departure. The story between Laura and Stefan was heating up when Jonathan decided – and to his credit, I think he’s a fantastic actor and I think he’ll do very well – he had to leave. Lucky died, and when a mother loses a child, she’s not in the mood for romance. So I was relegated to the role of holding her hand through all that.”
Christopher’s departure dealt quite a blow to the show, because not only is his character Stefan’s nephew-turned-son but Christopher and Nichols debuted together when the Cassadines made a beachhead on the shores of Port Charles in the summer of ’96. The duo hit the ground running, successfully re-establishing the Cassadine clan on the GH canvas in no time. “I think if they would have asked him to stay, he might have reconsidered,” Nichols says.
Having to contend with the incumbent comings and goings is tumultuous enough, but GH was reportedly experiencing a protracted period of creative differences among its powers that be. Such competing philosophies of what the show’s concept should be are generally blamed by industry insiders for the show’s current problems. “I don’t completely understand it,” says Nichols, “because I’m not in the meetings. And, as Brando says, ‘Was ya dere, Charlie?’ In the past, it seems that there was more of a collaboration in terms of the actors and the writers and producers. But when I have problems I go upstairs and say, ‘Let’s talk.’ Recently, I had a talk with Bob [Guza; GH’s head writer], and he laid out a story for me, and it’s all very exciting. You know, he’s a good storyteller, he’s passionate about it. I’m very optimistic. I’m hoping for the best, and I’m there to do my
job.”
At first approximation, it might seem paradoxical that a show besieged with so many issues could pull a rabbit the size of five Daytime Emmys out of its hat this year (the show won for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Show, Anthony Geary won as Outstanding Lead Actor, Stuart Damon as Outstanding Supporting Actor, and Jonathan Jackson as Outstanding Younger Actor). Nichols feels that the golden nods for the show and writing were ultimately won on the backs of the actors involved. “I personally think that Tony Geary deserves as many accolades as he can be given. He’s a superlative actor, one of the best.” As for the writing and show Emmys, “I think you had the rape storyline, bringing that back out, as painful as it is, and dealing with it on a real level. You have great actors, Genie Francis, Tony, and then you add Jonathan to the mix – you win all the way around. Everybody is going to look good: the producers, the writers, the actors – the whole shootin’ match.”
Exogenous austerity, fueled by the industry’s continued downsizing as budgets get slashed to keep pace with declining viewership, has impacted every show on the daytime dial, GH included. For veteran actors like Nichols, who have been working in the industry since its golden era, when the shows were all cash cows for the networks, the negative impacts of such forced economy are more discernible. “In the ’80s, you had a lot of money flying around. They had no qualms about going on location a couple times a year. Even though it was rushed, and you had to do a lot in one location, it was fantastic to go out and be able to do that.
“And the whole OJ thing nearly destroyed us,” Nichols continues. “It’s really a shame.” At GH, “They’ve cut down on the sets that they put up on stage. I haven’t been in my Wyndemere conservatory, or even the office set, for months. They’re beautiful sets, they really add to the character and the whole show,” but now, instead of reigning supreme from the grandeur of Wyndemere, Stefan is more likely to be seen chowing down on a bowl of chili at Kelly’s diner. “My god, that’s way out of character. Yeah, the budget cuts don’t help us at all.” But Nichols remains optimistic, even a bit philosophical, about the future of the genre. “I think there is a way to get people back: telling compelling stories with characters who remain true to their identities.” As he and his colleagues work their way through their on-air identity crises, Nichols has seemingly perfected the art of rolling with the punches. “Look, an actor interprets material the way a musician plays a score. I get excited every time I see a new script; I can’t wait to crack it open and see what’s inside. I’m always hopeful there will be moments where, through the material, I will connect with the character, the other actors, and ultimately with human experience.”
One of the first – and most profound – curveballs Nichols was thrown was his character’s romantic pairing with Laura. While he was obviously aware of Stefan’s romantic back-story with Laura, he had no idea when he started on the show that the two would ultimately wind up together again – breaking up the infamous Luke and Laura franchise in the process. Portraying Laura’s first romantic interest post-Luke was a daunting proposition. “At first I felt a bit of pressure and responsibility. I thought, ‘My God, these guys as a couple, they’re the soap opera icons.’ And I remember they wanted me to do a tribute to these guys once and they put me on-camera to say a few words. I said, ‘I never understood this Luke and Laura thing, because I had never watched. I didn’t know what the big deal was until I worked with these two.'” Nichols says he and Francis clicked the moment Stefan first laid eyes upon Laura on the docks of Spoon Island. “She’s game for it, I’m game. And Tony’s game; it opens up new story opportunities for all of us, so it’s worked out great for everyone, I think.”
Things seem to be picking up steam for Stefan and Laura in light of Katherine’s second murder, but whenever Nichols gets benched and takes his obligatory turn on the backburner, he turns his newly freed attentions to his ongoing top priority, his children: Vanessa, 21, Aaron, 19, and youngest daughter, Dylan, 8. “The big ones are pretty much out there, independent, and doing their own thing. My little one is the only one left at home. She’s in a school that requires a great deal of parent participation, so two or three day s a week I’ve got something to do that involves her. But the weekends are a special time. The rest of the time, I’m running around most of the week, and she’s in school all day, leaving just a precious few moments before bedtime.” Those moments are spent the old-fashioned way between father and daughter: story time. “Right now we’re reading Treasure Island. But after I read to her, she demands that I tell her a ‘real-life story,’ as she calls it, from my life or her life. She’ll say, ‘Tonight, make it about me, or something about Vanessa.’ She loves that history of the family. She’s so connected in that way, and it’s something that I love, because it’s something that I didn’t have as a kid. I just love that she has it and cherishes it.”
Nichols’ own childhood was spent in Ohio, where he and his sister lived with their grandparents until Nichols was 8. That experience forged a strong bond between grandfather and grandson, the essence of which lives on through another relationship today. “I love woodworking and tinkering in my garage. I have a neighbor, Henry, who’s 86. Between our garages, he built a woodshed. He asked my permission to come on my property line a little bit to create it. He thought he was asking me a huge favor. But I said, ‘No! Henry, I need a place for my scrap wood, too.’ It’s so funny, because my grandfather was that guy. It’s almost like having my grandfather back again. He’s a guy who loves to fish, and loves to work with wood. He brought me into his garage one day, and over to one of his table saws. And he put his old, cracked, dry hands in this pile of sawdust, he lifted it up to my face, and he said, ‘Smell of that.’ The smell of fresh-cut wood, it’s something that I love, and I knew at that moment, my grandpa was back. My grandpa instilled in me that love of work in general, and doing something with your hands and making something. He loved to build things, and I still have his workbench, that my mother saved for me when he died. He built it himself.”
While woodworking difficulties can be sorted out in a consultation with Henry, when it comes to rolling with the professional punches, there’s no greater inspiration for Nichols than Geary and Francis. “They’ve really preserved the integrity of their characters, because they’re very good actors, and very smart, and they’re protected themselves in this industry. And that’s why they last, because they really have helped fight for what’s right. You can see a difference in people like that and people who give up and throw in the towel.” Contemplating his own future in Port Charles, Nichols offers that, “on the one hand, I see myself doing it for a long time. On the other hand, it’s hard to see that, for the very reasons I’ve been talking about: To try and keep the integrity of the character and the integrity of my work, along with all these other factors that are out of my control, is tough.
Days of Our Lives, after five years I was burned to a crisp. They could’ve offered me the world – which they did – and I couldn’t do it. I had to walk away. But I have greater hopes for my tenure at GH, because it’s a much richer show in every aspect. I think that my chances are much better for hanging around a while this time around.”
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