Joseph Mascolo

Interviews

Mascolo Makes a Bold Move

Though he vehemently denied the rumor, Joseph Mascolo will indeed by joining the cast of The Bold and the Beautiful later this month.

It's been more than two months since Mascolo exited his role as Stefano DiMera on Days of Our Lives. Mascolo's exit with the show was amicable, but it was clear that the actor definitely wanted to remain on the show's canvas.

In March, a message appeared on Mascolo's official web site claiming that his contract talks with the network had broken down and that he'd be leaving the show when his contract expired. A day or so later, the message was rescinded and a post was made claiming that the first note was a fraud.

In the end, however, the first message appeared to be accurate. Though Mascolo says that he bargained "in good faith," talks apparently did break down and Mascolo exited the show on June 14th.

Even before Mascolo's exit from DAYS was official rumors of interest by B&B hit the net. Soap Opera Central first reported that Mascolo was being courted by B&B in April. It was said at that time that Mascolo would possibly play a love interest for actress Darlene Conley's Sally Spectra.

Now, Soap Opera Central has learned that Mascolo will play Massimo Marone, an "importer/exporter" on the show. Instead of sharing a past with Sally, Mascolo's character will be associated with Stephanie Forrester. It's unclear if this implies any sort of past or present romance.

As for Mascolo's character on Days Of Our Lives, the show has not ruled out the possibility of recasting Stefano.

Mascolo was scheduled to tape his first B&B episodes on August 6th. He'll make his on-air debut on August 23rd.

A BOLD DECISION. By Michael Logan

The Phoenix rises again...but on another soap. Joseph Mascolo has played the 'often killed' but never quite dead Stefano DiMera on NBC's Days of Our Lives since the early 80s and he is the most popular supervillain in the soap world. But it meant trouble when it came to renegogiating his contract last spring. After a prolonged negotiation with Days, Mascolo took a hike and joined the competition. Starting August 23, he'll be seen on CBS' The Bold and the Beautiful as a pushy tycoon and likely love interest for Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). TVG: What happened with you and Days?

JM: That show has been very dear to my heart and I really like Ken Corday and Tom Langan, but negotiations weren't done right. After 18 years, I was asking for a little pat on the back for a lot of good work. They didn't know how to deal with that.

TVG: What did you squabble over?

JM: It had to do with the time on the next contract. I did not feel what I wanted was outrageous but Ken was afraid other actors would be coming to his door asking for the same thing. I said 'If we don't cooperate with each other, if we don't give a little bit, I'm leaving.' I felt it was very foolish on their part to allow things to go this way. I said 'If you want to cut your nose off to spite your face, that's fine.' (Corday refused to comment.)

TVG: During those negotiations, you had interest from B&B but denied it to the press. Why didn't you use it to make a dream deal with DAYS?

JM: Ken and Tom knew what was going on with B&B. The soap world is like one big whorehouse. There are NO secrets. Actually I had calls from several soaps.

TVG: Why pick B&B?

JM: Other shows just wanted another Stefano, but Brad Bell had some very interesting ideas, and I trust him. He said 'I can't belive Ken will ever let you go, but if he does, I will create a part for you. I won't let you down.'

TVG: Your fans are furious. I've been inundated with letters of complaint. And nails.

JM: What do you mean 'nails'?

TVG: The Mascolo freaks are sending them out as a symbol that your departure from Days is the last nail in the show's coffin. It's quite a campaign.

JM: I didn't know anything about that (Laughs uproariously) That's very cute! I'm getting great letters of support, brilliantly written letters I'd love to show to Ken and Tom.

TVG: So you think they'll see the error of their ways? Might you someday return as Stefano?

JM: When (former Days writer) Pat Falken Smith created Stefano, she gave him the code name 'The Phoenix' because he has a way of rising from the ashes. If Days is smart, the'll keep that aura out there.

HELLO, JOE

Joseph Mascolo, who reigned for many years as Stefano, Days of Our Lives’s number one villain, has switched camps: he’s signed on to Bold & Beautiful to play the role of Massimo Morone, a powerful import/export magnate with ties to the show’s matriarch, Stephanie Forrester (Susan Flannery). "Supposedly, he's not going to be a villain, but he is going to be pretty tough," previews Mascolo. "He's a rather international kind of character – a powerful kind of businessman, so it should be interesting. He speaks English. There's no accent. Other than that, I don't know too much about him. This has happened so fast. Now, we’ve got to see how we flesh it out."

Joe Cool

For almost 18 years, JOSEPH MASCOLO played Stefano DiMera, one of daytime's most popular villains on Days of Our Lives. Now, he's making a splash on THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL as outspoken businessman, Massimo Marone. CBS.com sat down with Joe to discuss his character's intentions toward Stephanie and Sally, as well as his personal mountain retreat and his former career as a concert musician.

CBS.com: What spurred your decision to leave Days Of Our Lives?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: Primarily, my contract was up. They offered me something to stay, but you know how negotiations go back and forth. I said, "Look, I'm going to leave if you don't make up your mind." No one, of course, believed it because the character I played on that show was sort of an icon for such a long time. Everybody was in denial, but I did [leave]. I do what I feel is right. Then Bradley Bell [B&B Executive Producer and Head Writer] called me and said, "I can't believe they're foolish enough to allow that to happen. I'll create a role for you if you'll come over here." He just sounded so terrific that I said, "Okay, let's talk." It's really because of him that I'm here [on B&B]. He thought up this character of Massimo and it's fun because I [get to] speak English. [Laughs]

CBS.com: Tell me more about Massimo Marone.

JOSEPH MASCOLO: Well, he obviously was a childhood friend of Stephanie. They almost got married at one point. They went to Northwestern University together, but then she got involved with Eric. Through all these years, Massimo has been in touch with Stephanie. Eric did not know this. No one knew this. I didn't know it. Bradley Bell didn't know it. [Laughs] But [through] e-mail, letters, telephone, [Massimo] knew everything about her life. He never quite got over her, so he came back. I think he really wants to help her and, of course, probably wants to corner her himself!

CBS.com: Since you portrayed such a recognizable character on another show, has it been difficult taking on a new role?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: No, actually it's fun. A lot of people will say, "Oh, my gosh, there's Stefano, but he doesn't speak funny." [Laughs] This character is a little different. [Massimo] is a very powerful guy. They've given him an international hook in the sense that he's an importer/exporter. He's got ship lines all over the world. He's got that [power] at his fingertips. I think he's a genuinely strong, sensitive kind of guy who can be pretty tough if he has to be, depending on his background, which I'm working on myself. We're creating this role as we go along, which makes it fascinating. I guess he's sort of a catalyst for a lot of people's lives here all of a sudden.

CBS.com: So he's not a villain?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: No. I don't believe he's a villain in that sense - or evil - but he can be manipulative because when you deal with the kind of power that he has, that's like business. He'll do whatever it takes to win the case, win the agreement, whatever it is. That's the way they play.

CBS.com: I think viewers are enjoying seeing Massimo in Stephanie's corner where Brooke is concerned. He gets to voice all the things about Brooke that some fans have been saying all along.

JOSEPH MASCOLO: I guess so. I didn't know that until I started and then everybody was saying, "Yeah!" [They were saying that] especially on the set. It was kind of fun. It was the same thing with Eric [Forrester]. That's why I said [that Massimo] has been in touch with Stephanie because he can't come in there and whip Eric's head around with all these facts unless he knew about them. Susan Flannery [Stephanie] was cute one day. We were doing [a scene] where I was really going at Eric and she was saying, "Right! Right!" [Laughs]

CBS.com: How has it been working with Susan and John McCook [Eric]?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It is very wonderful. They are pros. They are lovely people. Everybody here has been really very gracious. [They've] made it very comfortable.

CBS.com: Have you been in any episodes that Susan was directing?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: No, I haven't. That will be fun so I can give her a hard time!

CBS.com: Is Massimo trying to reclaim their romantic relationship by breaking up Stephanie and Eric's marriage?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: That's hard to say because she represents the innocent part of his life. I think maybe he would like to recapture that, like we all would in a way. Maybe in spite of himself he's doing it. I think his feelings for her are genuine. I think his feelings toward wanting to protect her are genuine. His dislike of what Eric has put her through is genuine. I think Massimo is very strongly related to family and family morality.

CBS.com: After so much time passes between two people, do you think it is possible to get back that love?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: That's a great question because it's a very difficult to answer. I know it's been done and I've had a little experience with it, but I also know others who literally were in love with each other and their families totally disapproved. [They] went their own ways; married other people; had children and twenty-five years later met again. They were both divorced and they got married finally with a twenty-five year gap in between. So I guess it's certainly possible, but it doesn't happen that much. [It also] depends on their characters [and] how they grow in life. Even when you have couples where one grows more than the other, that's difficult.

CBS.com: Do you think that one should do anything they can to gain the affections of another?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It all depends. If both parties are vulnerable to it, then fine. There's always a limit.

CBS.com: Coming to a half-hour show, have you noticed the difference in schedules? JOSEPH MASCOLO: Oh, God yes! A lot.

CBS.com: How has it been?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It's been wonderful. The idea that here it is two o'clock in the afternoon and I'm finished [with my scenes] is amazing.

CBS.com: It certainly gives you more free time. What do you do in that time?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: [I'm] building my so-called dream house up in the mountains here in Lake Arrowhead. I designed it a year and a half ago.

CBS.com: Was this your first attempt at design?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: The entire building, yes. I've had some homes and I decorate, but this is the first time I've actually built it from the hole in the ground up.

CBS.com: Lake Arrowhead is a beautiful area.

JOSEPH MASCOLO: Oh, I love it. I'm from Connecticut originally, so [seeing] the pine trees [at Lake Arrowhead] makes it ideal. And at Christmas it even snows a little bit! I love it up there. I was there about fifteen years ago to work. They flew me in on a helicopter and I thought, "Whoa, this is like back home!" I said, "Someday...." And so it's come about. I really lucked out because I got a piece of property on the lake.

CBS.com: Do you feel it is important to have a place to retreat from work?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: As an actor, there are a lot of people who are very boring. They never leave the stage. I'm sitting here now as a man. I'm not an actor when I'm not on the stage and I'd like my home environment, whatever it may be, to [be] away from this.

CBS.com: Do you make a conscious effort to separate your work and home life?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It was in the beginning, so now it's become a way of life for me. I was lucky because after college I was a concert musician. I already had been around professionals. I learned a lot. Then when I started doing theater, I used to get bored silly with actors quoting lines of plays they did fifteen years ago. I said, "Oh, my God. I hope I never do that." That was a conscious thing. Also, it's more fun because when I come to work I'm open to this thing. That's a problem I see with a lot of young kids that come on these daytime dramas. They see their faces on a magazine and all of a sudden they take themselves seriously and say, "Oh, I guess I am a star."

CBS.com: You mentioned your music. How did you transition from that into the theater?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It was really kind of funny. In my last year of college, I was set up for what they call a Fulbright Scholarship. I wanted to go to Milan to conduct opera. In the meantime, an English professor had written a one-act play and I was pretty well known on campus for what I did. [For whatever reason], he wanted me in this thing. I made fun of him and actors, but people said, "Do it. Do it." So I did it and when I finished doing it people said, "You know, you ought to be serious about [acting]." I got very curious about the theater. I graduated [and] went to New York. I was recommended to a teacher named Stella Adler. I studied with her for two years, and at the same time I was playing at the Metropolitan Opera. Then I started to work Off-Broadway. I [worked with] Dusty Hoffman, Jon Voight, Bobby Duvall...I learned fast. Those guys were already acting.

CBS.com: That's amazing. Did you realize then that you'd have such success and longevity in this business?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: No. I felt like if you didn't look like Errol Flynn or somebody [it wouldn't happen]. But it hasn't worked that way. I started in the theater, which I still love. What I never ever dreamt [was] that I would be Stefano DiMera for almost eighteen years! That never even dawned on me. Somehow there's a niche in daytime. In terms of this business, just working all the time is wonderful. I've been lucky. On [Days Of Our Lives] and this show, everyone I've worked with has really been quite lovely. I have a good time.

CBS.com: Are you still involved with your music?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: I was in New York. I used to do a lot for charity, but Los Angeles didn't lend itself to the Mozart quintet. Once this house is all in order, maybe I might do it a little again, just for myself up there. I've got all these instruments and they're just sitting there.

CBS.com: That would be great. It seems that you've had quite a career. Do you feel that you've accomplished all that you hoped to in life?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: Do we ever? I just like to give what I'm doing the best shot I can. This house is a little bit of a legacy for me. I don't think about winning an Academy Award anymore. I would love to see China and Japan, but the idea of being on a plane for over eighteen hours is just too much for me! But the rest of the world I've seen a lot of. That's always wonderful. That's an education in itself. Meeting people from all over the world is terrific. I don't think we could ever just sit back and say, "Okay, I've done everything. I've done it all."

CBS.com: Let's get back to storyline for a second. We've now seen Sally show an interest in Massimo. What are his intentions toward her?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: I think he's glad that she's his friend. I also think he can be, for her, someone that allows her to be a little vulnerable. The difference is Stephanie is that fantasy of childhood and [Sally and Massimo] are buddies. At this time, I think Sally would probably want a little more from Massimo than he's willing to give, but he certainly considers her his friend.

CBS.com: Do you think it makes for a difficult friendship when one seeks the affections of the other, but not vice versa?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: It's not easy. It's unbelievable sometimes. It's hard. I was telling someone the other day, "Do you know how difficult it is when somebody turns to you and says I love you and you can't say it back [even though] they want you to?" That's very tough. That's why you don't say that unless you really mean it.

CBS.com: Do you think it's unfair then to continue that friendship?

JOSEPH MASCOLO: If two people can do that then I say good luck. Sometimes it's difficult, especially if one feels more strongly than the other does. It's like asking, "Can a man and a woman be friends?" I've been able to do that sometimes. [Jokingly] I think I have...as long as she's gay.