(This transcript is limited to the questions Stephen was asked or answered, and includes limited commentary by the other actors onstage. Stephen was asked a majority of the questions. It was also Stephen’s birthday.)
‘People Are Talking” – Boston, Massachusetts
Host: Tom Bergeron
Those sharing the stage with Stephen included:
Jean Le Clerc (Jeremy, GL), Michael Swan (Duncan, ATWT), Hugo Napier (Lord Ashton, GH),
Peter Francis James (Blake, ATWT)
Tom: Now here’s the thing. If we had told you we had five guys here who cheated on their wives, who played around, who can’t be trusted, who used to be bad guys but now they’re kind of good guys, you probably wouldn’t have come. But you make them daytime drama stars and some of the top ones at that, and everybody shows up.
Tom: Are you looking forward to this? I get that idea! Ok…what we thought we would do…we’ve got such a large audience here, and I want to accommodate as many people…that despite this fine attire, I’ve got my running shoes on just for this one (shows off his sneakers).
[An audience member/fan introduces each actor, then the actors and fans are seated in a row of chairs facing the audience. I only included Stephen’s introduction].
Tom: Ok now, Chris Keys is going to introduce Stephen Nichols from Days of our Lives. You’re a longtime fan are you?
Chris: OH, yes!
Tom: Is this a big moment for you?
Chris: Oh please (puts her hand over her heart)!
Tom: Don’t fall over on me here, alright give it your best introduction.
Chris: He’s sweet, he’s seductive, he’s romantic, Boston let’s give a big warm welcome to Patch from Days of our Lives. (Loud applause and cheers from the audience).
Tom: Hi Stephen, good to have you here. (Shakes hands with Stephen)
Chris: Hi.
Stephen: Hello (shakes her hand and gives her a kiss on the cheek).
The camera scans the audience as Tom says: Look we have patched audience members…put your patches down, flash those patches.
Tom: Now the introductions have been taken care of. This is like ‘New Kids On The Block’ with you people. Let me turn first to Chris. Here he is, sitting right next to you…elbow to elbow…
Chris: (nervously puts her hand over her mouth) Oh, Gawd. (Stephen puts his head on her shoulder and smiles. Chris and the audience giggle.)
Tom: What’s the one thing you most wanted to ask…Patch?
Chris: Are you married? (Laughs)
Stephen: (smiles) That’s the only thing you can think of? Yes, I am. My wife is watching. (Waves) Hi baby! (Laughs)
—
Tom: (standing among the audience): I’ll open it up to you folks too here, who has a question? Over here, ya, stand up. We’ll get back to our panel members, too.
Audience member #1: This is for Steve–Patch, and I want to know how long Kayla will be gone you know out of…
Stephen: Yes, she’s going to have a baby. We taped nine shows on Saturday in order for her to do that. She’ll be gone eight weeks, but you won’t notice her gone the full eight weeks on the show because we did a lot of pre-tapes.
Tom: We have a picture by the way of the baby that debuts, I believe on today’s Days of our Lives?
Stephen: I have one too. (Looks for it in his pocket)
Tom: Do we have that picture handy? (Picture of a baby with a heart shaped patch on one eye comes up onscreen)
Tom: Aw, look at the baby! (Everyone says Awwwww).
Stephen: I have one of my own.
Tom: With the little patch…. (Stephen holds up a picture of the baby with the same patch on. On the picture it says, “Guess Who’s Having a Baby?”)
Tom: I was talking to Stephen this morning on WEZ radio and I asked him if this patch thing was genetic then, and he said it’s on the wrong eye.
Stephen: Ya, it’s on the wrong eye on the baby. Maybe it’s not my child after all! (Everyone laughs)
Tom: Could be Moshe Dayan’s baby! (Stephen laughs)
—
Audience member #2 asks: For Patch, I bet my boyfriend that I couldn’t get a kiss on the cheek from you….please?
Stephen: What now?
Audience member #3: (to Stephen) I bet my boyfriend that I couldn’t get a kiss on the cheek from you.
Stephen: (smiles) You lost, baby. Nah, I’m just kidding, go ahead give me a kiss. You started this,
didn’t you Jean? (Jean had allowed an audience member to hug him earlier. Audience member #3 walks up to get a kiss from Stephen.)
Stephen: Now remember, my wife’s watching.
Audience member #3: (walking) Just on the cheek.
(Audience member #3 gives him a kiss on the cheek and then a hug)
Stephen: (joking) Oh Oh, she wants a hug now too! Ok, very nice…wasn’t that great?
—
(Jean has been asked how he disassociates from his character)
Jean replies: It’s just a part of it…and it’s just an hour a day, and the rest of the 23 hours we are ourselves, don’t you think? (looks around at the other actors, then says to Stephen, jokingly pointing at him) ‘I am talking about myself, but I don’t know about you’.
Stephen: (smiles) Yes I do Jean. (Laughs)
—
Telephone Caller: I have a question for Steve. Steve, do you enjoy your love scenes with Kayla as much as it looks like?
Stephen: Have you seen her lips? Of course I enjoy them, she’s beautiful.
Telephone Caller: Well good! She is beautiful. And Chrissy (addressing the Stephen fan who introduced him on the show), you dirty dog! Chrissy Keys is my best friend.
Tom: Let me ask you about this patch business, because the patch was taken off, and Patch got a glass eye for a while and a crazy haircut and glasses. And then they went back to the patch. How did you get the patch back?
Stephen: I got into a terrible fight, and the orbital socket which holds the eye was not able to accommodate the eye.
Jean: My GOD!! (Jean feigns tears, puts his head on Stephen’s shoulder as Stephen laughs).
Stephen: Ya, it was terrible. (Laughs)There was this comedian…he did a whole routine about it. He said, ”Who’s this guy patch. He’s got the patch, the patch is gone, then he has the patch…who is he?” Really, it drove people crazy.
Tom: Guard your orbital sockets wisely, won’t you?
Stephen: Ya, be careful.
Tom: You’re lucky you got nailed in the same eye though.
Stephen: Ya, very lucky.
(Tom is in the audience with the microphone pointed to a fan)
Fan: Happy Birthday to Patch and we have some flowers for you.
(Awww from the actors onstage, cheers from the audience. Stephen stands up as the audience sings Happy Birthday. A group of fans hand him a bouquet of yellow roses. Their patches are hanging off their necks)
Stephen: Thank you, thank you…aww that’s very sweet.
Tom: People just tuning in must think this is Leo Buscaglia hour. (Stephen laughs)
—-
Audience member #4: Hi my question is for Stephen. I’ve watched it since I was little and I’ve enjoyed your show, but we’ve yet to figure out what Patch’s occupation is.
Stephen (lets out a sigh): He’s a sometime pool hustler; sometime ISA agent…no, he really doesn’t have an occupation. He really wants to be a blues musician. (nods)
(Quiet audience)
Stephen: That got a big reaction! (Laughs along with the other actors).
Audience member #5: I have a question for Steve. How many times do you say ‘baby’ in one show?
Stephen: Let’s see…baby baby baby baby baby…a lot, ya. ‘Baby’ and ‘Sweetness’.
—
Audience member #6: This is for Steve. Are you and Kayla ever going to have some happiness in your relationship?
Stephen: Well if you watch today, we’re having a baby…
Audience member #6: Oh ya, that’s wonderful, but you know… (Everyone laughs)
Stephen: That’s happy… isn’t that happy?
Michael: Ya, but are you going to be happy? (Audience member #6: laughs)
Stephen: We’ve had a few happy moments haven’t we?
Audience member #6: Ya, you have.
Tom: A whole week?
All the actors in unison: Nooo…
Stephen: Oh no, never.
Tom: Isn’t she on trial for murdering your first wife?
Stephen: Oy, you had to mention that didn’t you Tom? (Laughs along with the other actors)
Stephen: Yes she is. It sounds so ridiculous. (Laughs)
—-
An audience member asks if the actors plan to stay on soap operas or have plans to do other things. Jean is not quite done answering when Tom interrupts to ask Stephen a question:
Tom: Stephen, you just did ‘Around the World in 80 Days’ last year right?
Stephen: Yes, and that was also an NBC production. I played Jesse James in it…and Jean just did a movie, didn’t you Jean?
Jean: Yes, I just did a movie, and it’s important to go and do other things. When you are on a soap for a while, you need to go and get some new juice from doing something else.
Stephen: Yes, you do, it’s very important.
—
Phone caller #2: Hi this is for Steve Nichols. I love Days of our Lives, I’m an avid fan, and I’ve watched it since I can remember, and I really…
Stephen: Thank you.
Phone caller #2: I’m disappointed in how they’ve kind of gotten rid of some of the older people. They seem to be taking away from the family orientation of the show. I was wondering if any of the characters had any input…try to get them to keep some of that family togetherness, keep some of the people together…and I’m really upset that Kim and Shane aren’t together yet either.
Stephen: (listening intently) Ya….well…let’s face it, there are a lot of upsetting things on the soaps and they wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t conflict. And I have no control over what they write. The actors don’t have any input as far as that goes.
Tom: What happens in a case like that? Someone comes down from on high, waving pink slips, are the actors sort of the last know?
Stephen: Well, it depends on the show. I’ve heard some real horror stories about people coming to work and finding champagne and roses with a little note… (Laughs) and ‘You’re gone!’ I mean it’s true, it happens.
CLIP from Days of our Lives. Kayla having contractions in the hospital, about to give birth.
DR. CURTIS: Look, here’s a stopwatch. Try to settle in and …
STEVE: Where are you going man? Where are you goin‘?
DR. CURTIS: You know what to do!
STEVE: (nervous/anxious) No we missed the first week of Lamaze class didn’t we?
—Dr. Curtis leaves the room
KAYLA: Steve, Steve come here.
STEVE: Ok we’re in the first stage…the hee hees…
KAYLA: (Doing her breathing exercises through a contraction) Come here, give me your hand.
STEVE: Ok, I’m here with you, baby. Hee-hees or the ho-hos which one is it? The ho-hos are later aren’t they?
KAYLA: No…it’s ok
STEVE: What?
KAYLA: It’s over
STEVE: (lets out a sigh) Oh, man. I didn’t even turn the watch on.
KAYLA (laughs): Its ok…it’s alright…
STEVE: Ya, it’s gonna be alright, we’re gonna get through this baby
KAYLA: (stroking his face) I know, we will
STEVE: (setting the watch) I gotta remember to turn this on…ya.
[End of clip]
(Shot of Stephen watching the clip intently. The audience cheers.)
Tom: (talking to the audience) I only counted one ‘baby’ for whoever asked. There were 2? And a couple of ‘mans’.
Tom: (Looks over to Stephen) That’s a good scene, Patch trying to go through the birthing process.
Stephen: She’s so incredible. Just watching it…you know I haven’t seen this yet, and just watching Mary Beth…I just want to do a little tribute to her. She’s just incredible. If it wasn’t for her….(Audience cheers)
Michael: Is that today?
Stephen: Ya, I guess that’s today’s show.
Tom: I want to find out the times that you were not happy with the roles or the plotlines that were being developed.
Stephen: Well you know, when the patch came off and they bleached my hair like Chatty Cathy, ay ay ay…the whole thing with the running around, (rubs his eyes for a bit). I would only do the operation for my friend Marcus. You know, they didn’t want to deal with the real stuff that would go on for the character, emotionally, having two eyes again after so many years being without…so I didn’t like the fact that they didn’t want to deal with that. It was just another spy chase. I don’t like spy chases, I like the more at home, and real situations…people stories. I don’t like running around, chasing.
Michael (to Stephen): Let’s switch shows. (Stephen laughs)
—
Tom: Have they ever used a Pam Ewing in the shower device, to say none of that happened, let’s just clean the decks and go on again, it was all a dream type of thing? [All the actors say yes]
Stephen: They do that, and they bring people back from the dead.
Michael: Daytime is where nighttime got the idea to do that kind of thing.
Stephen: That’s what’s frustrating though, because as actors we create characters and they start following the lead in the writing of what we create for the characters…and then, the problem is that soap operas are story oriented, the character has to follow story, and it should be the other way around, story follows characters.
—
A caller asks what the actors do on their spare time.
Stephen: I play with my children. I have so little spare time that I spend it all with my kids.
—
Audience member #7: For everyone on the panel, which would you rather be, a hero or a villain?
Stephen: Villain [All but one of the actors say villain].
—
Audience member #8: I have a question for Steve. I’ve been a fan of yours forever, you’re so sweet and nice…did you find it hard when you did the bad boy on the show? Was it a challenge?
Stephen: Oh, when I started and Steve was just a bad, bad guy?
Audience member #8: Yes, yes…
Stephen: It was a challenge because they usually write those guys one dimensionally. They do bad things, but you never know why. I pretty much wrote a back story for this guy, and Peter Reckell, when he was on the show playing Bo, the two of us got together and figured out what our [characters’] relationship was, and we went to the writers and we talked it all out, and it gave us some background to work from. It’s a lot of fun if you’re, if you’re human about it, if you know who you are.
Audience member #8: You did a wonderful job.
Stephen: Thank you.
Tom asks Audience member #8: Let me ask you this…who was more fun for you to watch…who do you find yourself more attracted to? The sort of roguish characters like Patch?
Audience member #8: Oh, I like how he evolved. I like how Kayla got him to be such a good guy.
Tom: Watching him get turned around…
Audience member #8: Turned around….
Tom: But you don’t want him getting too sweet on you, do ya?
Audience member #8: He can get as sweet as he wants! (Laughs)
Stephen: Ooooh…
Stephen: Honey, I’m still here, baby. (Addressing someone on the phone).
Caller (Tom addresses her as Kirsten): Hi, Steve. I’d like to know when you’re going to give your brother Billy Jack a break, because he’s turning into a nice guy now.
Stephen: Didn’t you see me asking him to be the best man at the wedding?
Caller Kirsten: Ya, that was really nice.
Stephen: I’d say that was a major break…after he did what he did to my wife….
Caller Kirsten: I know, but he’s trying.
Stephen: (addressing Tom, the other actors & the audience) You know what he did, don’t you?
Tom: What did he do?
Stephen: I can’t say Tom, it’s too horrible. It’s the R word.
Jean: (gasps) Oh No! Not the R word!
Audience Member #9: This is for Steve. I wanted to know about your acting experience and how you landed the role on Days of our Lives.
Stephen: Let’s see, very quickly, what did I do? I was going to be a monk at the time. I was studying to become a monk. I was living like a monk and when I decided I wasn’t going to be a monk, I became an actor…went to school… LA City College Theatre Academy, studied for a couple of years there, then went out and did lots of plays and just worked my way up. Got a little part here, a little part there. Doris Sabbagh called one day and said, “You’re going to work, you’re wearing a patch, you’re crazy. He’s a bad guy and you can do it. Just go to work tomorrow.”
Audience Member #9: You didn’t have to audition?
Stephen: No, not for this part. I was a day player to start with.
—
Audience Member #10: This question is for all of you. Have you ever had a fan try to endanger your life, or just follow you everywhere you went?
Stephen: I’ve had a couple of followers…people who like to follow me home, but pretty much harmless stuff.
—
Tom: What’s the strangest thing you’ve gotten in the mail bag?
Hugo: Underwear….and not clean.
Stephen: Ay ay ay! Ay ay ay!
Stephen: I get dolls. I get a lot of dolls, Tom. They make Patch dolls…some really nice ones too, a lot of them, very nice. And one came with a photograph of a young lady sleeping in bed with the Patch doll. And the Patch doll had…uhm…all of its parts. Let’s move on.
—
Audience Member #11: I have a question for Stephen. I know that Victor Kiriakis is the cause of all of you and Kayla’s problems. I was wondering if there were any plans in the future for you to get revenge on him.
Stephen: Not that I know of…it wouldn’t work you know…he gets away with murder, literally…so (shakes his head).
Audience Member #11: Okay.
Audience Member #12: Julie has just returned to Days of our Lives, Steve, and I wondered if Doug was coming back and if Doug and Julie are still married in real life…still
Stephen: I know the answer to the third part of that, Doug and Julie are really married yes…other than that, I don’t know if they have any plans to bring Doug back.
Audience Member #13: This is for Stephen Nichols, I’d like to know what your favorite scene was… on Days of our Lives obviously.
Stephen: Favorite scene? Oh boy…there are a few…I kind of liked the beginning of the relationship with Patch and Kayla where she took a look under the patch, and really no one in his life had ever seen what it really was under there…he was really self conscious and she was accepting of that. That was one of my favorites.
Tom: What was under there, a glass eye or?
Stephen: Horrible stuff…just horrible stuff…terrible…it was like a horror film. (Laughs)
—
Audience Member #14: I have a question for Steve Nichols. I first saw you in Witchboard. I don’t watch Days of our Lives…I’m going to get booed but, my friends do, and I’ve watched it with them, and I never knew that was you till about a year and a half later, and I said “Oh my god, that’s the idiot that was on Witchboard!” Because I liked the other guy….
Stephen: I was an idiot on Witchboard? I didn’t know that…
Audience Member #14: No I liked the other guy
Tom: What is Witchborn?
Audience Member #14: Witchboard…a movie he was in, that was you right?
Tom: Witchboard, I see.
Stephen: Ya, that was me. It was about Ouija boards, Tom.
Audience Member #14: How did you like working with Tawny Kitaen?
Stephen: Tawny Kitaen? Very nice. Sweet.
—
Audience Member #15: I’d like to ask Steve, how much of a distraction it is to wear a patch on him every day?
Stephen: Well, I’m used to it now…in the beginning it was like having half a face, you know. But when you wear it for a while, you don’t even know it’s there.
—
Audience Member # 16: You guys have a lot of different love scenes and I was wondering if you ever go home and say, geez I wonder what it would really be like to be with her. (The audience cheers – apparently like the question).
Tom: Hey, you’ve got a future as a talk show host, you know that? (The actors are quiet for a while. Jean nods, says yes.)
Michael: What was that thing that Jimmy Carter had a few years ago about impure thoughts?
Tom: Lusted after women in his heart…
Stephen: I have lust in my heart.
Tom: Stephen shut up so tightly there…his wife’s still watching, that’s why.
Stephen: (smiles and waves) Hi Honey, hi baby…
Audience Member # 17: Steve, I want to ask you, how do you and Victor get along off the set?
Stephen: Oh, John? John Aniston who plays Victor Kiriakis. We get along great. He’s a wonderful
man. Really, really good guy. (Audience is quiet)
Stephen: That’s not what you wanted to hear obviously. (laughs)
Tom: Would you like them to really hate each other? Would that make it?? (Audience says no)
Tom: No…you like the idea of sort of one big happy family.
Audience Member # 18: First of all, I wanted to make a comment to Steve. I thought it was really nice how you came out when Kayla was sick…from her pregnancy…
Stephen: Ohhh…
Audience Member # 18: You came out those three days and let us know, because we really do get attached to you people and we like to know what’s going on, especially since she was pregnant in real life. Secondly, rumors are going around about Bo coming back. Is Peter Reckell really coming back or is that something that can you tell us?
Stephen: The last I heard they were trying to get him to come back, but I haven’t heard any official news on it yet.
Tom: But there are official negotiations going on?
Stephen: Yes.
Tom: There you go, heard it here first.
—
Tom: We got a call during the break, Steve, with a special request for you if you don’t mind?
Stephen: Yes…Ginny (edited name out), you’re in Mass General Hospital right now, and it’s your birthday, and I love you very much…and Happy Birthday to you. We all wish you a happy birthday. Get well, baby, get well. Write me a letter, I’ll write ya back.
Audience Member # 19: Hi, Steve. We’ve been all anticipating the birth of this baby. Is it a boy or a girl, and what are you going to name it?
Stephen: Well, its happening today, should I tell you? (Stephen listens to the audience response)
Stephen: You want to be surprised? How many yes, how many no? (Loud cry of ‘yes’ from the audience)
Tom: It was in the paper today….
Stephen: Okay…it’s little Stephanie Kay Johnson. (Awwwww from the audience)
Audience Member # 19: Oh beautiful!
Stephen: I wanted to name her Kayla.
Audience Member # 19: And one more question; we’re great fans of Nicky. Will he and April get back together?
Stephen: You mean Nick the pimp?
Audience Member # 19: Ohhh he’s a nice guy.
Stephen: I think so, I think so. Ya, they’re great together aren’t they?
Audience Member #20: Yes, Steve, I was wondering if they were going to show you and your family together at all? Show your kids?
Stephen: Where?
Audience Member #20: If they’ll show the baby on the TV show.
Stephen: Oh, the baby, on the show? Oh ya! She’s gonna be there and she’s played by twins.
Audience Member #20: Are they going to show a lot of them?
Stephen: As much as they can. You know, there are very strict rules about children, and especially infants, keeping them on air and whatnot,so they can’t show her very much.
—
Tom: Please join me in thanking all of our stars here today.
(Transcript and pictures courtesy of nicholsevansfan)
**Please do not copy photographs without permission.**
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