She's So Excited
Soap Opera Update
"I vividly remember doing a scene with her by Megan's
gravesite, and
I remember thinking that Susan is going to be very big. I was just in
awe; she has such a talent. She's bright, gifted, kind, thoughtful and
trustworthy. She is 100% a lady." - Wortham Krimmer (Andrew)
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ONE LIFE TO LIVE'S Susan Haskell
(Marty) had no idea why Soap Opera Update wanted to interview her.
After all, she's not exactly frontburner, nor has she been since her
Daytime Emmy Award-winning turn as rape victim Marty Saybrooke in 1994.
Then it was a different story. You couldn't get enough of her. Every
publication clamored for her time and attention. Now it seems as if
she's fallen prey to that wretched Emmy curse; you know, the one where
actors disappear into the woodwork after running on stage to pick up
that coveted statuette.
"It seems to be that way," the
beautiful actress smiles. "It bothers me that I'm not working as much
as I'd like to be (on OLTL). I'm frustrated, which has just got to be
obvious, coming from the story that I did and doing what I'm doing now.
For a while you understand that things ebb and flow, and then after a
while it gets to the point where it's like, 'I don't really understand
it.' Marty's a powerful character. They just have to find some way to
use it. I think it's there; I think everything's all there. It just has
to be played."
Haskell has come to grips with the fact that
she may never be afforded the wonderful opportunity and storyline that
began with Marty's insensitivity to the homophobia permeating
throughout Llanview, culminating in her rape by Todd and the fraternity
boys and her need to cope with the repercussions of that fateful night.
"I felt that was just a wonderful thing that happened," she says.
"Sometimes you just get frustrated for your character in a weird way,
so I'm just going to see what happens."
On ONE LIFE TO LIVE, that
is. As far as the outside world, there's a lot happening. Besides the
rewards of being the national spokesperson for I Am Worth It, an
organization which handles Toronto's women shelters (the actress hails
from Canada), Haskell has three acting assignments on the shelf.
Surprisingly - especially to the youthful star - she plays wives in all
of them.
"I did an ABC Afterschool Special called 'Fast
Forward,' which airs September 14," she excitedly begins the new list
on her resumé. "It's about drinking. I end up marrying a man, and it
shows how alcoholism affects our marriage. Gerald McRaney (MAJOR DAD)
is in it. Then there's Danielle Steele's miniseries called ZOYA.
Melissa Gilbert is the star of it, and it basically spans from her
early childhood in Russia to when she's in her 70's in the United
States. I marry her son...and it's not a happy marriage either. That
airs on NBC in the fall."
And the piece de resistance? A feature film. A major feature film.
"I
got a part in 'Mrs. Winterbourne,'" she beams. "Richard Benjamin is
directing the comedy, Ricki Lake is the star, and Shirley MacLaine is
also in it. Brendan Fraser plays my husband...and I'm pregnant in it!"
When
asked to choose three words that best describe her, Haskell responds:
"Blessed, Happy, Excited." The fourth word might have been Lucky. After
all, it isn't every daytime performer (and character) that can chalk up
so many years on one show as she has without another family member in
town. To that end, the actress has the rare distinction of sharing the
screen at one time or another with practically every performer on the
Llanview cast list - from the mysterious and sensitive Suede (played by
the exited David Ledingham) to the menacing and brooding Todd (Roger
Howarth) to the torn and patient Andrew (Wortham Krimmer). Now, Haskell
is in the throes of a hot romance with new-hunk-in-town Dylan, played
by fan fave Christopher Douglas. It's quite different being paired with
someone who's known more for his smoldering good looks, Haskell doesn't
mind.
"He is good-looking, isn't he?" she confirms. "People
like us, I think, but they're still kind of under-developed. I don't
think our characters have had a chance to do anything that really works
with just the two of them. The gang storyline is important, I think
it's a strong story, and I'm sure people find it interesting, but it's
not about the two of them. Fans are excited about Dylan, and they want
to see what happens with the two of us and that kind of love story."
Daytime
fans were quick to get over the fact that GENERAL HOSPITAL's Luke raped
Laura, DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Jack raped his one-time wife Kayla, and
ANOTHER WORLD's Jake had his way with Marley, but it bothers Haskell
immensely that Todd Manning has become somewhat of a hero in the eyes
of many. And scenes where Marty gives Todd her shoulder to cry on -
remember her condolences when Blair lost the baby? - turn her stomach.
"I
fight against that, and so does Roger Howarth," she emphasizes, "But
'people' have different feelings on that subject, shall we say. As
'they' put it, Marty is sorry; Marty should take the high road. I think
that's fine; I think she is. I think she's living in the same town with
this man, and dealing with a lot, and that's taking her on the high
road. But I think that sometimes they push it, and I just know from
dealing with people who have been in this situation, I don't think
that's realistic. But then you kind of have to let it go and say,
'Okay, it's a soap opera.'"
And what about the fact that
Luke wound up marrying Laura, Jack found love with Jennifer, and Jake
walked down the aisle with Paulina? There have been rumors of a
Todd/Marty romance somewhere along the way. "I told them they'd have to
get a different actress (if that were to happen)," Haskell says point
blank. "I think that's disgusting, to put it mildly. There's no
point...unless they absolutely made her brain-damaged. I'm sure they
could find a way to do it, but the way the situation is now, I think it
would be appalling."
Which is exactly how she feels about
the Hollywood game of stars jumping in and out of each other's beds.
While marriage and parenthood are certainly on her mind - not at this
time, however - she plans on beating the odds and rising above the
fray. And to whom does she hold as an example? Well, despite rumors of
love affairs with her co-stars, Meryl Streep gets her vote.
"I
like her because from whatever I've read - and you never know; I don't
know the woman personally - she seems to have her private life private,
which I admire," Haskell explains. "From what I understand, she has
four children, one husband, (is not part of the Hollywood scene) and
does her job and gets great scripts. Ultimately, that would be the
ideal. That's what life's all about. It's disappointing, I must admit,
in this whole movie, TV kind of thing, where people's private lives are
pretty messed up. That's why I admire people like that. That, to me, is
success!"