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A Sensible Star
Guiding Light's All-American Michael O'Leary
by Ellen Byron
Soap Opera Digest
October 9, 1984

Picture this, almost overnight, a fledgling performer goes from a few commercials to a featured soap opera role, finds himself immersed in one of the hottest storylines in years, and becomes a major star besieged by adoring fans. To say nothing of the fact that he's playing opposite gorgeous and talented actresses like Krista Tesreau (Mindy) and Susan Pratt (Claire). Yessir, it could make some 24-year-old actors pretty cocky.

But not Michael O'Leary.

Michael O'Leary, a.k.a. Rick Bauer on "Guiding Light," is anything but spoiled. He may have found himself smack in the middle of GL's resurgence as one of TV's most popular soaps, but somehow Michael has managed to remain, by his definition, "a pragmatist. I always treat success like it might go away any minute. Of course, it's nice to have people like you, and it's good to be recognized and everything else like that, but this could all end tomorrow and then I'd be just another unemployed actor."

Pretty mature stuff from a guy who's basically a newcomer to the glitzy world of show business. But that's the kind of person Michael O'Leary is. Easygoing and unpretentious, he shows up at our lunch date in faded jeans and a comfortably worn white polo shirt, feeling very guilty about the messy apartment and huge stack of laundry he left behind in his tiny upper East Side studio. "Oh well," he shrugs with a laugh as we settle into a wooden booth. "I love this place," he enthuses, noting the casual atmosphere and earthy decor, "I come here all the time." Indeed, the restaurant reflects Michael's own personality. Unassuming and cozy, it's the kind of neighborhood hangout that's a friendly oasis in the midst of Manhattan's hysteria. For Michael, the relaxed, open nature of the restaurant is reminiscent of the tiny Southern California town where he was raised.

"It was a terrific place to grow up. When we moved to Diamond Bar, there were only 40 people, and nothing but open fields, ranches and cows," he remembers, vividly reflecting the kind of village famed director Frank Capra would have loved. "One block constituted the entire town. Our neighbors were like a second family. We would have New Year's parties, and a big Thanksgiving celebration every year. It was very special." Sadly, Michael reveals that those days are gone forever. Diamond Bar now has a population of 40,000 and the fields of his childhood have been paved over for developments.

One thing that hasn't changed over the years is Michael's terrific relationship with his family. The oldest of three brothers and one sister who range in age from 18 to 23, O'Leary has always enjoyed his siblings' company. "We're very close in ages, so we did a lot together," he explains. "We were very tight." The actor is also extremely close to his parents.

Michael credits the all-boys high school he attended with steering him towards theater. "It didn't have a drama department, but it had a very personal atmosphere and gave you a lot of attention," he recalls. "It was a springboard for me in that even though the rules were very strict, you could be yourself, and no one ever judged you for what you were." The school also instilled Michael with a strong sense of discipline. "I became very involved with sports," he states. "The discipline of athletics was, and is, very important to me."

In fact, O'Leary's goal in college was to become a sports broadcaster. "I had transferred to Cal State at Fullerton and was doing play-by-plays of basketball games on the local radio station," he elaborates, tracing his path from sports aficionado to acting ace. "Someone suggested I do modeling. So I went to a modeling school, which was both a mistake and a blessing. I didn't enjoy modeling at all, but it was good because the school taught me how to find an agent. I mailed out my picture to 110 of them, and heard from two. One was a con artist, but the other one was legit. I went to meet them, and all they asked was, 'What can you do?' So I did about five imitations, like of Steve Martin and Jimmy Carter, and they loved it. That day, I was sent out for a McDonald's commercial, and I got it."

Although Michael soon had a thriving commercial career, he still considered acting mostly a good way to earn his tuition. Then he did a quickie feature film called "Lovely But Deadly." The movie itself was unmemorable, but it changed O'Leary's life. "I didn't know what I was doing because I didn't have any real acting training. It was very frustrating: he relates, leaning forward as he warms to his story. "I asked one of my co-stars, an actress named Marie Windsor, where I could take some good classes, and she recommended Stella Adler."

When Michael met Miss Adler, one of the most famous acting teachers in the history of American theater, it was love at first sight -- professionally speaking. "She was 84 years old and so charismatic, so full of life," he exclaims, his face lighting up. "She instilled in me an appreciation of life, too. I got so excited that I made up my mind acting was what I wanted to do."

Ironically, Michael's dream of following Miss Adler back to her home base in New York for further studies kept being preempted by his agent, who wanted him to stay in Los Angeles. Then "Guiding Light" came along. At first, however, it didn't look like O'Leary had a snowball's chance to snare the role of Rick Bauer. "They liked me, but told me I wasn't right for the part," he recounts. "Two days later, my agent called to say that they weren't considering me, but would like me to help out by reading with the 12 girls they were screen testing for the part of Beth. So I did it, and was very relaxed because I felt no pressure about trying to get the role. I just had fun with it." Michael stops for a moment and bursts out laughing, shaking his head in disbelief over the incredible fairy-tale turn of events which then occurred.

"Three days later, I came home from class, and sat down in front of the TV with my mother, who was watching 'Guiding Light,' which she's watched for 25 years. Suddenly I get a call from my agent, who says, 'Michael, you're not going to believe this, but I spoke to New York about getting you a little money for screen testing with all those girls, and they said yes, AND WOULD HE ALSO LIKE TO HAVE THE PART? New York wants you there in a week!' I was just dumbfounded. I hung up the phone, pointed to the TV and said to my mother, 'I'm going to New York and play that part on "Guiding Light."' And my mother goes, 'Shush. Honey, can you go into the kitchen and get me a cup of coffee?' So I said, 'Mom, you don't understand: I'm going to be on that show.' And she said, 'I understand. Michael, leave a note for your father and tell him I'll be at the laundromat ...' It took me three times to get her to realize what I was saying!" O'Leary laughs.

Exciting as it was, moving 3000 miles in a week, then being confronted with the enormous demands of daytime drama proved a little daunting. "My first goal was to get through the script without having a nervous breakdown," Michael admits with a grin, his smoky blue eyes crinkling at the corners. He faced the additional pressure of replacing another actor, Phil MacGregor, who had developed his own loyal following. "It's very difficult to replace someone," O'Leary concedes. "I was a wreck anyhow, so getting through that first week and a half was tough. And I didn't know a soul in the city."

Not long after Michael joined the show, GL began its famous "New York" story, where Phillip and Beth ran away to Manhattan, with Rick and Mindy hot on their heels. Then Rick and Mindy fell in love, amidst carousel montages and romantic music. "That was one of the things I most enjoyed doing on the show," says Michael with a shy smile. "Falling in love that way is something I've fantasized about myself, I guess everybody has." Obviously viewers could relate, because fans went wild, and the young actors became soapdom's most famous foursome.

Michael was stunned when he realized how big the fame and popularity of the quartet had grown. Fortunately, the pressures of success haven't affected the comfortable relationship they share. "We get along very well," O'Leary acknowledges. "We do our own thing outside the show, but we also get together a lot. Krista is a very good friend. We'll hang out together, go to movies and stuff."

Krista and Michael's friendly off-screen relationship translates to a delightful and unpredictable onscreen affair. "One of Rick's strongest assets is his sense of humor and his sense of play with Mindy," Michael asserts. "They're both so opposite. Rick is a romantic in a desperate kind of way, in that he loves this girl no matter what, in spite of all her shortcomings. He doesn't know why he loves her, but he does."

O'Leary has come a long way in understanding what makes his alter-ego tick. "When I first got on the show, I didn't know much about who and what Rick was, so I just tried to play him as close to myself as possible, which is what a lot of people do when they first get on a show." Michael used the intensive work of the past year to understand and analyze the similarities and differences between the two men. "I have the sense of humor and play that Rick has, but he's the kind of person who's everyone's best friend to his own fault," Michael states thoughtfully. "He always looks at other people's problems and never at his own. He's got a lot of things he hasn't dealt with, and he covers them up with humor. The writers are making him stronger and stronger, which is what I want. There won't be good chemistry if he's just someone who can be walked all over. He's also younger than I am. I have to keep in mind that Rick is still a teenager, so everything's 'the first time' for him."

Like making love -- which brings us to the recent, and extremely controversial, romantic involvement between Rick and "an older woman," Dr. Claire Ramsey (Susan Pratt). Rick was a virgin at the time of their affair, and some viewers were shocked by the relationship. But Michael staunchly defends the pairing. "Rick had just lost his girlfriend, Claire had just lost someone she loved -- they were both extremely vulnerable," he explains. "Here were two lonely people, two people who didn't believe that anybody loved them. That's when something like this happens."

Personally, Michael finds that age isn't a factor when it comes to a relationship. "Older women are more directed, more passionate, not only in the physical, but in the emotional and mental sense," he asserts. Michael is drawn to passionate people, particularly to women who are extremely committed to something, "be it art, politics, whatever. They believe in it and go for it. I also like somebody who's got a sense of the world. I hate people who are so closed-minded they only know what's going on around them." At the moment, O'Leary is unattached, but he claims to be dating more than he ever did in California. "People think I'm outgoing, but I'm really kind of shy," he confesses. "I always cultivate a relationship with a woman as a friendship first. That's where love comes from -- being somebody's best friend."

Michael's top priority these days is perfecting his craft. He takes several classes and is constantly auditioning for stage productions. One of Michael's great ambitions is to do live theater, and he is dedicating what little free time he has to pursuing this goal. Although he sometimes gets lonely for the family and friends he left back in California, "Coming to New York was the best thing that ever happened to me," he insists. "It gave me a sense of independence, of worth, of just growing up and meeting people I'd never have the chance to otherwise. And doing the show is a wonderful experience; we have an incredibly talented cast, the best directors and writers." He looks down at his empty plate, then raises his eyes to meet mine. "It's a dream come true." #