Gays of Our Lives: Part One of Our Two-Part Interview With "Forbidden Love" Stars Jo Weil and Thore Schölermann
In an all new
edition of Gays of Our Lives …
First up, we have
Part One of a two-part interview with Forbidden
Love stars Jo Weil (Olli) and Thore Schölermann (Christian). In GOOL
THEATER, Aaron deals with life out of the closet on Emmerdale while Syed takes action to get rid of his gay desires on EastEnders. In GOOL SCOOPS AND
SPOILERS, the kids go ‘GaGa’ on Glee while
Noah finally learns about Luke and Reid on As
the World Turns.
Speaking of ATWT, we have plenty of
news for you about the latest in Oakdale in GOOL NEWSBEAT. Find out what Jake
Silbermann (Noah) thinks of the latest plot twists for his character and some
behind the scenes dish from Eric Sheffer Stevens (Reid). Plus news from the set
of Southland.
All this – and more!
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SPOILERS
PEEKS
INTERVIEW WITH FORBIDDEN LOVE’S THORE SCHÖLERMANN AND JO WEIL
Gay soap couple Christian Mann and Olli Sabel have a
worldwide legion of fans, most of whom have never seen the televised version of
Forbidden Love, the German show on which they appear, but instead follow them
via daily clips posted on the Internet.
I had a chat with both actors during the recent Gays of Our
Lives fan weekend and the conversation was so long and interesting that I had
to split it into two parts! This week, we discuss their first trip to New York
City, hints about what they are filming while in town, the difference between
American and German fans, their charity work, who they would like to play them
in the planned U.S. version based on Christian and Olli’s love story, and much
more.
AfterElton.com: Have
you been to New York
before?
Jo Weil: It’s the
first time and we’re both so thrilled to be here. When we arrived we were just
baffled because we were so excited to be in this amazing town.
Thore Schölermann:
From the airplane, looking at the tall buildings … it was so impressive.
AE: When I spoke to
you earlier today, you said you were filming first. Where did you film?
JW: We were
filming for the Chrolli video blog. We were filming a special. Christian and
Olli in the storyline … we’re not allowed to tell too much about the story, but
they go to New York together for a while, so the video blog is about what they
experience in New York.
TS: The video
blog and other stuff will be put on the Internet when it’s in the story.
JW: We can’t say
too much because we can’t explain why Christian and Olli are in New York.
(Pause) It’s our first filming in New York and we’re so proud because America
for us is like Hollywood and big films and now we’re here. This morning we did
some filming at Rockefeller Center.
AE: So this is going
to be on the video blog, but
not on the show itself.
JW: You will get
some explanation as to why Christian and Olli go to New York and there will be a tiny piece of
what we experience here on the show. But most of the stuff we’re filming will
be on the video blog. It’s some extra goodies for the fans and you’ll get something
there that you won’t get on the show.
AE: How did you feel
when they told you they were setting up this event where you could meet your
American fans?
TS: We couldn’t
believe it.
JW: But we wanted
to do it. It’s a combination of two cool things: the possibility for fans to
meet us and for us to meet our American fans because we don’t get the chance to
see them personally like we do in Germany with our German fans, so it’s perfect
to be able to combine that with this charity affair. I think that’s what makes
everybody so proud that we can do this big thing together. We can meet our fans
and raise money for a good cause.
Jo Weil at the Run of
Colors to benefit AIDS
AE: Why is doing
charity work important to you?
JW: I think
that’s the good thing about our job is that we get to do something to make this
world better and because we’re in the public, people know us and we are kind of
icons for many people and so it’s a great thing to be able to use this to
convince people to work for different charities. In our case it’s AIDS. I think
it’s really important to remind people that AIDS is a big thing to think about
and you should never forget that it’s still there. And it’s good to know we
have the power, in a way …
TS: We have the
power to get many people involved and we have to use that if we can.
JW: Because we’re
on television people will listen to us.
TS: And the power
of the Internet is so unbelievable. We met a guy on the street here in New York
City who came up to us and said, ‘I know you, right. I know you from
television.’
AE: How does it feel
to have the chance to meet your American fans?
Igor Dolgatschew, Gregory
Michael, Hal Sparks, Dennis Grabosch,
Felix Isenbügel, Thore
Schölermann, Jo Weil and Scott Evans
at the Gays of Our Lives event.
JW: Great. We get
so much support from them. We get so many presents and e-mails that give us
power and strength and convince us that it’s right what we’re doing and so it’s
a wonderful opportunity to say thank you, to get to know these people and to
give something back.
TS: And American
fans are really different (from) German fans.
AE: How? How are they
different?
TS: They’re more
intense. More passionate. They’re really into what we say and what we do. And
it means so much more to them. In Germany, they’re like: ‘Hey, it’s good, but
it’s only a soap opera.’ And they smile about it a little bit. But here they’re
more passionate. I guess that’s the best word for it.
AE: Why do you
think that is? Why do you think there’s such a difference?
JW: I think our
storyline touches people in a different way here. In Germany, people are used
to this gay storyline on television so it doesn’t move people as much, but here
it’s still very special that you can see a gay couple in such a normal way and
I think that’s what moves many people and makes them have such a big reaction.
AE: Well, here in America
we have or had two soaps with gay storylines. One is As the World Turns, which is going off the air, and the other is One Life to Live, which fired their
actors because they said their characters didn’t resonate with the mainstream
audience. How do you feel when you hear things like that?
TS: It’s sad.
JW: You can’t
predict what’s going to work or not, but it’s sad that it was a gay couple and
that the explanation was because it’s a gay couple. I think it’s hard for us to
comprehend because it’s very different in Germany.
Scott Evans and Jo
Weil at the Gays of Our Lives event.
AE: You guys became
so popular that they’re doing an American version of your relationship. Now how
did you feel when you first heard about that?
TS: We thought it
was a joke. We read about it on the Internet. You have so many big shows here
in America so we thought why should an American production company buy a German
storyline.
Jo and Thore at the
Gays of Our Lives event
JW: Normally it’s
vice-versa. Usually we see a big American show and we buy the rights and do a
German version and to hear that a comparatively small storyline from a German
soap might make it to a primetime show in the States was just surprising.
TS: Now we’re
hoping that perhaps when they film it, we get a small part.
JW: That would be
the best thing for us. It would make us so proud.
AE: Now you don’t
have any say in casting, but who would you each like to play you?
JW: I answered
that question in another interview. There are two actors I could imagine
playing Olli. One would be Matt Dallas who starred in Kyle XY – cause I just like the actor, or Ian Somerhalder. He’s on Vampire Diaries. I think these two would
be good actors to play Olli.
AE: And what about
you Thore? Who would you like to play you?
TS: I think
there’s nobody who can play me so I have to do it myself. [laughs]. You know, I
haven’t thought about it so I’m not sure, but I’ll have to think about it.
AE: Jo, you were with
the show for a while and then you left. When you returned, were they bringing
you back with the idea of being a love interest for Thore?
JW: When they
asked me to come back, they told me they were planning to create a new gay
couple and if I would be interested in that. And if I was interested, they were
going to make Christian gay.
TS: I didn’t know
that.
JW: Yeah, I knew
you were gay before you did [laughs]. But if I had said no, I don’t think they
would have done the storyline.
AE: So what made you
decide to come back?
JW: When I left
the show before it was because I had just gotten out of drama school before
joining and I wanted the chance to do some other things. And while I was gone I
got to do a primetime show and theater and some other things, so when they
asked me to come back in 2007, it just felt right. And when I heard about the
storyline, it sounded like a good storyline to me so I said why not. When I
left the show, I never said I’d never come back, as many colleagues do. I said:
‘maybe one day, Olli will be back.’
Jo in the prime time
show Medicopter 117
AE: Thore, before
this your character had girlfriends, so how did you feel when you learned they
were taking him in this direction?
TS: It was quite
a shock. My boss told me to come to his office and he said, ‘we have big plans
for you … you’re going to be gay.’ I thought it was a joke at first and I had
to think about it because I wasn’t sure if I could play a gay character
truthfully or convincingly. It was hard to play because it’s so different from
me. I was really afraid I couldn’t do it so I had to think about it for about
three weeks.
AE: But it worked
out. I mean you couldn’t have imagined how well it was going to work out … not
just in terms of the show, but everything else that came with it.
JW: Yes. We can
be really proud of what we created and how much heart and energy and work we
put into this story. There’s a chemistry between us …
TS: Jo is a good
colleague. We talk about the story and we want to talk and we want to work with
the story. I think it’s important that we just not read the lines and do the
scene. It’s important to talk about what you want to do with the storyline and
what you want to create.
JW: We spend a
lot of our free time talking about stuff and trying to make it better. If
there’s something we don’t get, we go to our producer and ask and suggest other
things. We really work on this and we’re very proud of what we do.
Next week, I'll have the second part of my interview with Weil and Schölermann. We discuss their physical chemistry and how they go about doing
those steamy love scenes, their frustration at being on the back burner and not
having a storyline for over a year, their thoughts on their current storyline –
and how they feel about the characters Rebecca and Rob. Plus updates on their
outside projects, their opinions on the clothes that their characters have to
wear and what they would like for their respective characters.
Don’t miss it!
GOOL THEATER
All That Matters
Guess what? I couldn't care less about Katja and her issues
with her mother, her skating drama or her terribly boring relationship with
Ben. It’s all too much like Stella and Lars, a couple I absolutely detested. So
the show finally got rid of them and they introduce an even more boring
version. And since they are so intertwined with Roman and his storylines with
Deniz, I can’t avoid having to be assaulted by them every week. Thanks, show.
Just… thanks.
Now that I’ve got that off my chest (but don’t think you
won't hear me bitch about it again), the really juicy stuff was with Marc,
Roman and Deniz. Too bad we didn’t get nearly enough of it. Of course we all know Roman
shouldn’t show up for his "date" with Marc. But he will. He has to. Marc is
irresistible. And there wouldn’t be much of
a story if he didn’t go.
I did like the scenes between Roman and Annette as she tries
to advise him how to best handle this situation, even though she knows exactly
how this is going to all turn out. And she’ll be there for him when it all
blows up in his face too. I think I’ll be much more in love with this show next
week.
As The World Turns
Talk about angst! This Reid/Luke/Noah triangle really poured
it on this past week as everybody is in love with somebody, but none of them
are happy about it. And probably is the best storyline that Luke and
Noah have ever had. I actually think I’m enjoying it more than any other gay
storyline daytime has done. And this is coming from someone who was a big fan
of the Kyle and Oliver plot over on One
Life To Live.
What I’m loving the most is that this is not a case where
Luke is just marking time with Reid until he can have Noah back. Luke can have
Noah back right now, but he’s not sure if that’s what he wants. He’s actually
considering a life without Noah and starting something with Reid, and Van Hansis
is doing a good job at playing that conflict. That’s what makes this a viable
triangle and that’s why people are suddenly paying attention to a gay storyline
that has been ignored and/or derided for a long time.
I am usually no fan of either Jake Silbermann or Noah,
mostly because I find his "good guy" character to be stiff and unlikeable and
the acting to be without any depth. But I was taken by Noah’s palpable sorrow this
past week as he desperately wanted back the
love he’d thrown away and was devastated at the idea he might have
actually love the thing he’d been pushing away for so long. As for Eric Sheffer
Stevens as Reid, he balanced on the edge of being lovesick, but still retaining
the snarky edge that defines his character.
And all this makes me even more sad that the show is over in
just a few short months.
Emmerdale
Not much to say about Aaron this past week because not much
happened. But I’m enjoying his "new" life now that he’s out of the closet. It
was devoid of high drama and histrionics because that’s pretty much the way it
really is in most people’s day to day lives. And it would certainly be the case in a town like Emmerdale. The
best thing about it is that his worst fears are going unrealized in that most
people don’t care about his being gay. And that’s causing him to be more
comfortable and at ease with himself.
As much as I loathe his ex-girlfriend Holly, I liked that
she came around and showed her support. Though I wondered how many lines of
coke she had before she dropped by. Heh. And I thought the scene with Aaron and Victoria was sweet. It’s
believable, especially for a girl that young, that she might wonder if she was
responsible for his being gay. And I loved the comment when Aaron was asked how
he felt now and he said "it just feels like me." I think that’s the point of
this very well done storyline.
Física o Química
David and Fer are pretty much where we left them last
season, still trying to deal with David’s cheating, and in Fer’s case, not doing it very
well. But I’m going to cut poor Fer some slack. It’s tough when you’ve been cheated
on, especially when the guy in question is as sexually curious and flirtatious
as is David.
And I don’t blame Fer for his concerns. David wasn’t up to anything
this time, but honestly, I don’t believe that David can stay faithful no matter
how often he proclaims that he can. I don’t think the character is at a point in
his young life when a serious relationship is what he needs.
That said, I’m really glad this show is back and all my
favorites are here. I loved the scene between Julio and David where Julio
groused about maybe going gay because women were so difficult. David’s reaction
was so David and very funny. I gotta say though that these "teens" are starting
to suffer from the 90210 syndrome
where they’re a little too long in the tooth to pass for high schoolers. Let’s
just hope they don’t start balding soon like Luke Perry back in the day.
EastEnders
As I said before, I think this Christian/Syed storyline has
gotten much, much better now that everyone is dealing with the fallout of Syed
and Christian’s relationship. The storyline is much more involving and much
more interesting instead of the endless scenes of Christian and Syed whining
and complaining about why they can’t be together. But as much as I’m enjoying
it and as well written as I think it all is, it’s really kind of sad and
depressing to watch. And it is clearly not going to end well.
These scenes of Syed struggling to rid himself of his
homosexual thoughts and feelings are just so bleak. You can feel the dark
clouds hanging over him and the drumbeat of doom echoing in the background.
Marc Elliot is really doing an excellent job as the sad and increasingly
pathetic Syed trying to convince his family and himself that this gay
reparative thing is going to work out.
Meet Syed’s new man…
But even has he says it, he truly does not believe it. And
neither does his family. But they are all so desperate that they’re going for
it, even though they know there’s only more pain and tragedy ahead. I’m loving
how they are writing Tamwar, Syed’s younger brother, who is voicing common
sense and saying all the things the audience is thinking about Syed’s newest
path. When he said to Syed “I just want you to be you,” that was a touching
moment. And hopefully, in the end, that will be the lesson that comes of all
this drama.
Botineras
Oh! I wouldn’t cross Lalo. He might look sweet and innocent,
but he’s clearly not to be messed with. No wonder the cops thought he was
guilty of murder. I’m enjoying the football intrigue. Even better is that it’s
great that the gay boys aren’t always the nice guys for a change. They should
be on the full spectrum of personalities and show both dark and light sides.
That’s one reason why it’s good that we get so many gay stories from other
countries, as they tend to give us that more than American shows do with their
gay folks, ATWT’s Reid Oliver being
an exception.
The face of innocence?
As for Manuel and his situation with Lily… I’m starting to
get bored with it already, and I hope they resolve that plot arc soon in one
way or another. And I also don’t want Manuel and Lalo’s relationship to get
lost in all this drama. We really haven’t seen much of them together lately and
I thought their relationship was so interesting and well done that I want to
see more of it and where it can go, especially with the most recent plot
developments.
The Young and The Restless
It’s no secret that I don’t enjoy this soap, and that I was
almost glad when they dumped all their gay characters and storylines so I
wouldn’t have to watch. But when I learned they were dragging Rafe out of the
closet for a couple of episodes, I figured I should check it out. Alas, I still don’t like the show and find it
terribly boring. Now viewers have to sit
through who a killed faux-gay Adam Newman storyline when anybody who has ever
watched a soap knows he’s not dead. But
I am here to complain, er, talk about Rafe so let’s get to that.
The biggest problem with Rafe, as always, is that the role
is just miscast. Yani Gellman is a fine
actor, and he’s adorable, but he’s just not right for this part. They need to get an actor about ten years
older… or one who at least looks it. I
mean, are we really to believe that Billy and Rafe were in college together?
And dressing him in the Men’s Warehouse fashions is not going to help. It really only makes the fact that he’s so
young looking more glaring, not less. You can’t dress a boy and make him look like a man.
He’s cute, but…
Now since I haven’t been watching, I didn’t know that Rafe
had lost his job because of his affair with Adam (which makes him a murder
suspect – hmmm….). So now Rafe is going to go into private practice, and the
show is already putting him into two different stories. Only on a soap could getting fired from your
job for ethics violations get you hired by the town’s biggest movers and
shakers. But I digress. At least this
indicates the show hasn't given up on this character.
Still though, I say before anything is done, the show needs
to recast the part.
Forbidden Love
Well, at least the show remembered my "Andi rule" about
keeping that character half naked because he’s
really pointless otherwise. Also
pointless? Rebecca’s silly attempts to reunite Christian and Olli while she
also moons over Christian at the same time. Worse? Watching David, who is terribly dull himself, moon over this drip. Frankly, I don’t know who is the bigger
idiot.
I think I’d rather watch Rob dance around naked and I hated that.
Please, show, end this nonsense. Are you listening? If I have to watch a straight
couple’s romance play out at least make it interesting. Oh and that coat Olli had on? I think I know
where I can have that burned and buried.
As for Olli and Christian, they are clearly trying too hard
to pretend they don’t have any problems and not really addressing the problems
between them. It won’t be long before
they are fighting again. All in all, this episode
was pointless all around.
Les Bleus
Is it really not against the law for guys to just beat each
other up for fun? And it’s really not against any sort of code or ethics
violation for the police to engage in such activities? I guess I don’t know
much about French law, because that doesn’t sound kosher to me. You’d think the police would want to stop
that sort of thing within their own ranks, if only because of how it would
appear. But again, what do I know?
As for the case itself, it is interesting, and it’s clear
Kevin is going to get in over his head because of his problems at home. I do like his nerdy partner. Not only is he cute, but he and Kevin have a
nice banter and their clashing personalities make their scenes fun.
And while I’m glad that Kevin finally knows the truth about
Yann and his injury, I think that whole thing was brushed aside and forgiven
much too quickly. Those are the kinds of
things that make you wonder what other lies your partner is capable of
telling. At least it would for me.
I’ve always felt that Kevin and Yann’s relationship was
shaky anyway, and Kevin puts up with far too much from this guy. I’m just wondering if Kevin is holding out on
how he really feels in order to keep Yann in his life.
GOOL SCOOPS AND
SPOILERS
As The World Turns – Noah
can only stay blind for so long and this week his vision finally clears up…
only he doesn’t like what he sees. Noah is released from the hospital and
having decided to patch up he and Luke’s troubled relationship, he plans to
surprise Luke at his house and calls up his pal Richard to help. However, when
Luke learns that Noah has left the hospital without informing him, he assumes
that it means Noah wants little to do with him. Oh, Luke!
Of course, who should Luke run into, but Reid. The two talk
and for some reason only the soap gods know they wind up at – you guessed it –
Luke’s place. Being together and alone, they talk about their feelings for one
another and things soon turn passionate. As they kiss, Noah arrives and can see
them through the window. And this time, his vision is not so blurry. He
probably wishes it was though. But maybe not. Those kisses are kinda hot, you
know.
Enjoy the sweet moment while it lasts.
Forbidden
Love – Olli is throwing a party at No Limits and he wants Christian to
attend. Christian would rather not, especially since Robert is going to be
there, but wanting to make Olli happy, he agrees to come. Things go too far
when they each flirt with different people, and when Christian kisses someone
else, he quickly realizes that this time he’s gone too far and Olli is not
going to be so forgiving.
Glee
– When Tina has trouble finding her inner star, Will comes up with an
idea for the kids to help her with performances using the music of Lady Gaga. Will
it solve her problem? This is Glee, so
of course it will. But the real drama comes from Kurt, Finn and his father when
the situation brewing between them comes to a surprising and very emotional
head. Are the very gay Kurt’s feelings for the very straight Finn about to be
revealed?
Simon has already lost his lover … is his
job next?
Doctors – Simon has
been emotionally fragile since his breakup with Will and now his work life is
about to get considerably worse. Charlie, who has made it all too clear that he
disapproves of Simon simply based on the fact that he’s gay, has been made a
partner at the medical firm and his first act is to boot Simon out of the
office he’s been using and take it over for himself. Charlie warns Simon that
he needs to keep his private life behind closed doors. Even worse, if he does
anything that would publicly bring attention to himself as a gay man, his
future at the clinic could be in jeopardy.
Aaron learns gay men are pigs too.
Emmerdale – Aaron begins his community service and immediately
has to deal with being harassed by Wayne, one of the other men working there.
Wayne read in the paper about Aaron being gay and gives him a hard time. When
Aaron claims he only said he was gay in order to get a lighter sentence, Wayne
doesn’t believe it, especially after Aaron tries and fails to chat up a group
of girls.
Wayne plays a dirty trick on Aaron, embarrassing him and it
takes all of Aaron’s self control not to strike back. Later, Adam is worried
that Aaron is spending too much time holed up at Paddy’s in an attempt to avoid
the world and offers to go to a gay bar with him. The guys go out and manage to
have a good time – until Jackson shows up.
Hoping for another chance, Aaron tries to apologize to
Jackson. Jackson makes it clear that he wants nothing to do with Aaron and
could never get involved with someone with such a violent temper. As if that
weren’t bad enough, Aaron has to watch while Jackson makes out with another
guy.
Welcome to the land of dating, Aaron Livesy.
Kris tries to help
Eliot.
Hollyoaks – Calvin
having been murdered, Kris thinks he knows who the killer is … and he points
the finger at his brother’s wife.Malachy, however, insists she had nothing to
do with it. Kris doesn’t believe it, certain Malachy is protecting her.
Later, Kris finds a troubled Elliot near death having overdosed
on a new designer drug popular in the village. Kris rushes Elliot to the
hospital and thankfully he’ll be okay, but Kris’ worries only increase when he
learns who sold Elliot the drug.
All That Matters – Is it ever a good idea to go on a date with
your ex-lover when you’ve already got a live-in boyfriend? Perhaps someone
should tell Roman Wild that, because he goes on a date with Marc just to see
what his feelings are. To his credit, Roman avoids sleeping with Marc – barely.
However, his reprieve doesn’t last and Roman winds up in Marc’s bed after all.
Roman nearly gets caught by Deniz, but Annette covers for
him. Later, Annette burns Roman’s ear by telling him what a fool he is being by
cheating on Deniz. Roman knows she’s right and decides he needs to tell Deniz
what has happened. Can Roman go through with it?
Would you let your
boyfriend date this guy?
AND ALSO THIS WEEK…
Good Times, Bad Times (Dutch) – Lucas uncovers a crime …
Shortland Street – Gerald tries to get a social life …
United States of
Tara – Lionel and Marshall go where the boys are …
Les Bleus – Kévin’s latest case collides with that of a fellow
officer …
GOOL SNEAK PEEKS –
WHAT TO WATCH FOR IN THE COMING WEEKS!
All That Matters – Roman has to face his daddy issues …
Roman comes face to
face with his father.
Emmerdale – Aaron wants another chance with Jackson …
Glee – Who is the traitor in the club?
Good Times, Bad Times (Dutch) – Lucas plays hardball with Lorena …
True Blood – Lafayette meets a mysterious man
…
EastEnders – Syed continues his reparative therapy treatments …
As the World Turns – Noah or Reid? Who will Luke choose?
Forbidden Love – Olli makes a huge sacrifice for Christian’s
sake …
Olli gives up a lot for love.
GOOL NEWSBEAT
Noah might wish he were blind again after he
sees Luke making out with another guy.
As revealed in the
spoilers, on this Friday’s episode As the
World Turns’ Noah Mayer’s vision has finally returned … just in time to see
his ex-boyfriend Luke Snyder making out with his doctor Reid Oliver, a plot
twist that finally reveals Luke and Reid’s relationship and kicks this love
triangle into high gear.
But does Noah blame himself, especially since he wanted out
of the relationship with Luke? Not according to Jake Silbermann, who plays the
betrayed ex.
“Sure, the breakup was engineered by Noah, but a doctor
hooking up with his patient’s significant other is crossing the line,”
Silbermann said to TV Guide Magazine.
“It’s just too close to home and Noah is furious that this has been going on
right under his nose.”
In fact, Noah is going to be so angry with Luke that on the
June 9th episode of ATWT he
socks Reid in the mouth (those cheers you hear are Noah fans across the
country). Silbermann thinks Reid deserves it.
“I think the guy is deserving of a punch, at the very least,”
said Silbermann.
Is there romance ahead
for Luke and Reid?
With everything out in the open, what happens next? Well,
Luke and Noah are going to end things permanently, leaving Luke free to pursue
a relationship with Reid. But as you would expect, it’s not going to be smooth
sailing for the dropout college student and the neurosurgeon. Luke and Reid
will become embroiled at a crisis at Oakdale Memorial, which will have them
wondering if they really have what it takes to make it as a couple.
As for Noah, we won’t see a lot of him over the summer
months (Jake Silbermann took some time off from the show to make his indie
movie Stuffer), but at some point he
will reappear, just in time to realize that maybe he shouldn’t have let Luke
go.
Will Luke and Noah
ever find themselves like this again?
But is there a reunion in the works for Luke and Noah as the
show comes to a close (its last airdate is September 17th)?
Silbermann says he has no idea how it’s all going to turn out.
“They’re pretty broken up at this point, so if the writers
are going to put them back together it’ll take some work,” the actor said.
“Plus, a lot of viewers want Luke and Reid to be together, so who knows which
way it’ll go? I do think Luke and Noah have established themselves as a couple that
can rebound from most anything. We’ll have to wait and see. ATWT has
survived 54 years because of audience loyalty. I just hope it all ends in a way
that’s respectful to the fans.”
You can find the full interview here.
As we’ve written before, the love triangle between Luke,
Noah and Reid has fans divided and daytime buzzing, not bad for a soap with
only a few months of life left in it.
Who will Luke choose
in the end?
Everybody has a different opinion on
how it should work out, and Jean Passanante, speaking to soap blogger Michael Fairman,
admits that it’s a difficult decision as to who will wind up with whom at the
end of the show. Said Passanante:
I think Van Hansis and Jake Silbermann are
the two cutest boys I have seen in my life. Van has an enormous heart and is an
open book. I think a lot of what you see is what you get. He plays a character
of great passion who sometimes goes too far with things. He is very appealing
and very principled. Noah is more controlled, given the background of his
family and his development, and they have a very nice quality together. Eric
Sheffer Stevens [Reid] is just so brainy and has great timing and is funny.”
There is nothing stereotyped about any of
these characters. These are three wonderful actors. In the case of
Reid, we knew he was funny and a pain in the ass and a misanthrope, but without
a face it’s sort of hard. Once we had cast Eric in the role, he informs
everything for us. We are getting positive feedback for Luke and Reid. And who
would’ve imagined we could bring anyone between Luke and Noah? You never know.
I thought people would yell, ‘You can’t do that.’ But it’s been great!
One of Dr. Reid Oliver’s many charms is his penchant for
food. Reid can often be stuffing his face full of food while he somehow manages
to zing someone with his one-liners. Viewers found it fun and eventually so did
the writers.
"The writers started writing that
in," Eric Sheffer Stevens (Reid) told Soap
Opera Weekly. "Like the sandwiches at Katie's house and stuff like
that. Now, they keep writing it in. It's hilarious to me. At Bob and Kim's
anniversary party, Reid was finding moments to stuff his face, and I left with
a little napkin full of food."
Stevens also talked about a recent scene
between him and on-screen love interest Luke Snyder, played by Van Hansis. Said
Reid:
They cut the beginning of
the scene. It opened with Reid talking while he was going through the fridge
and planning to take it out to his room. I remember watching it air, and Reid's
having this serious talk about Annie, but then he's clutching potato chips and
random stuff. So, it looked bizarre!
But what does the actor think of Reid’s
penchant, especially since he’s often talking while eating?
"It's just a challenge," he said. "I
think it's fun, and it's a funny choice to have him always have his mouth full
— and it's also just him being socially inept."
While Stevens loves playing Oakdale’s snarkiest doctor, it’s
not always easy being mean to his co-stars such as ATWT veteran Don Hastings, who plays Dr. Bob Hughes, Reid’s boss
and would-be mentor. Since Reid arrived in Oakdale, Bob has made it his
business to humanize the not so nice doctor and it hasn’t quite worked. Or at
least not yet.
It’s not always easy
being mean.
“… They go back and forth all the time with Bob being a dad
to Reid and then for some reason Reid is a big jerk to him again. There’s more
coming up,” Stevens said to Soap Opera
Weekly, teasing future
story.
Stevens said that Reid’s brusque nature is really more about
keeping people at a distance, rather than just being mean. “When something is
getting too close or getting uncomfortable, then you have to shut it all down
by being mean … and then leaving.”
Javier Calvo (Fer) of Física
o Química
The new season of Física
o Química just started and Javier Calvo returns for a new season as gay
teen Fer. Formula TV spoke to the
actor about the upcoming season, what to expect for Fer and his boyfriend David
(Adrián Rodríguez) and how much longer he thinks he might stay on the popular
teen drama.
Last season, David and Fer’s relationship was rocked by
David’s infidelity. As the new season begins, David and Fer are trying to get
past it and move on with their relationship, but can they?
“We'll try, but very heavy things will happen. I mean,
we'll try to make up, we'll see how the relationship goes, but as always,
things will happen, this time heavier things than usual and we'll see,” said
Calvo.
And what else can we expect in the new season?
“Actually, I have just been told not to say anything, but I can tell
you there are a lot of very good new characters. The new students are awesome
and give a totally new air to the show, which I like a lot. The truth is I'm
enjoying the episodes I'm reading a lot.
Beyond gay teens and being out in high school, Física o Química handles a number of
topical and controversial issues such as drug use, which can give the show a
realistic air. Calvo feels the show is quite good at reflecting the lives of
teenagers.
“I think they [the storylines]
are quite real,” said Calvo. “Everything may not happen in the same high
school, but when I was at high school, I went to the restroom, opened the door
and there were two people smoking a joint. Yes, I think the show is quite real
and we have very current stories.”
Calvo has been with
the show since it began. The show is currently in its fifth season and the
teens are getting older with some being phased out and new younger students joining
the cast this year. Has Calvo thought about a time when he might leave the
show? Said Calvo:
I think characters evolve and
have a building-up process and when you have finished building it up and your
character isn't going to bring you anything new or you aren't going to bring
anything new to your character, it's time to end the series.
Right now I'm in a stage where my
character has already evolved as much as possible as a character, not in terms
of what happens to him, but I know him perfectly. I have done all the building
up and now I'm at ease and enjoying him, seeing where he takes me, but with the
certainty of knowing what Fer is like. There'll be a time when it's totally
done and I'll have to leave before its worse.
Fer and David have a lot to
work out in the new season.
We previously reported that Southland,
the cop drama starring Michael Cudlitz as gay cop John Cooper, will return for
a third season of ten episodes in January, but the show might look decidedly
different upon its return. Now being produced by TNT, which doesn’t have the
deep pockets of major networks like Southland’s original home NBC, the show had
more than a third of its budget cut, forcing the series to drop some cast
members as regulars.
Southland will have a
smaller cast when it returns next season.
So far only Cudlitz and Regina King (Lydia) have signed new
deals with the show, but Benjamin McKenzie (Ben) is expected to return as a
regular as well. Several other cast members who weren’t offered contracts will
return to the series on a recurring basis, giving them the opportunity to take
other jobs. All of the actors have been asked to take a pay cut.
Kevin Alejandro (Nate)
will remain with the show only on a recurring basis as the actor landed a gig
as a regular on the series True Blood playing
gay orderly Jesus. The actors aren’t the only ones taking pay cuts. It’s been
reported that producers on the show have had their paychecks slashed by some
30%.
The bitch is back … but
did she ever leave?
Well, that didn’t last long. Vanessa Williams, who just saw
her ABC series Ugly Betty canceled
after four seasons where she played the wicked Wilhelmina Slater, already has a
new gig and she’ll get to keep her bitch on. Williams will join the cast of Desperate Housewives in its new season,
where she will appear in just about every episode. It’s said that Williams will
bring back the bitch factor that left the series when Nicollette Sheridan
(Edie) was fired last season. And to no surprise, Williams will play a
housewife with a secret.
That's it for this edition of Gays of Our Lives. We'll be back next week with the second part of our interview with Jo Weil and Thore Schölermann, plus the usual scoops, spoilers and news from your favorite shows!
