Mary Beth Evans
Soap Opera Weekly Performer of The Week
Issue Dated December 4, 2001
Article by: Tonya Lensch
Even for those of us who know Mary Beth Evans as Days Kayla or GH’s Katherine, her multilayered performance on ATWT as Sierra buried her son, came as a surprise. Sierra put up a brave front as the dutiful hostess at the post funeral reception, but Evans made sure we saw the drama broiling beneath her character’s calm exterior.
Sierra was even confrontational with her mother, Lucinda, who tried to comfort her. “These feelings are overwhelming me; I feel like I am drowning,” Sierra stammered while pulling awkwardly at her collar, her words and body language testifying to her desperation. Evans’ pained facial expressions showed Sierra on the verge of giving in to her despair as she tried to shake it off and switch back to hostess mode.
Lucinda didn’t buy her act and called her daughter on it. “I don’t want to feel what I’m feeling, don’t you understand?” Sierra cried. “I can’t fall apart. I need to be strong for Lucy,” she said, wiping away tears. When Lucinda began to mother Sierra, urging her to move back home, Sierra finally allowed herself to find some solace in her mother’s arms.
When Craig arrived, Evans switched gears again, revealing Sierra’s guilt about Bryant’s death. Frosty Sierra went a few rounds with him about Lucy, launching into mother-bear mode. “It’s always about you, Craig, and what you need,” she whispered harshly. “This is about Bryant and Lucy.”
The role-playing didn’t end there, as Evans conveyed Sierra’s frustration at being pulled between the warring factions of Lucinda and Craig. She scolded Lucinda for lying to Craig–“Don’t speak for me, mother!”–and let out an exasperated sigh as she stormed off.
Veteran Evans (who isn’t even on contract!) played it all–grieving mother, angry ex-wife, exhausted daughter–in one unforgettable week.
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