| JUDI EVANS |
| On Her New DAYS Role And Her Departure From GUIDING LIGHT |
It is a part well-suited to Judi's strengths. Adrienne is a vulnerable young woman with a great deal of courage. As she tackles life's problems, she seems unaware of the appeal of her natural good looks, her uncalculating femininity and her openness. Qualities which Evans brings to the role, along with her own unrestrained enthusiasm. When she spoke recently about joining the DAYS cast, it was hard for her to find words which would correctly characterize her newfound security and happiness. Clearly, this has been a positive experience and the closest thing to an extended family that she's had in years. And for a kid who grew up in the warmth of a traveling circus, that's an important element. Sadly, that was the component missing during her stint on GUIDING LIGHT. But she's found it on DAYS, and she tries to characterize the atmosphere by saying, "It's a combined effort. It's not this person against that person. I like to feel like we're all pulling for the same thing. I feel that here. I feel accepted. It's really a home." M.L.: Let's begin by talking about your role. How do you feel about playing Adrienne? J.E.: I feel challenged. A lot more challenged. Adrienne is a lot different from Beth. She's a lot less dependent on other people. She's a lot less passive. It's not in her nature to sit back and follow someone or wait for someone else to make things OK. She makes up her mind and does something. M.L.: Do you feel more comfortable with that approach? J.E.: Well, I wasn't as Beth, but I like this approach. Ironically, both Beth and Adrienne have had similar things happen to them, but they have very different backgrounds. Adrienne grew up on the streets. She's not a shy, introverted girl like Beth. Both of them were raped, but Beth was raped by her step-father and Adrienne was raped by her real father after years of abuse. They didn't have similar childhoods. Adrienne has had a lot of interaction with all kinds of people and Beth led a very sheltered life. Adrienne's tougher. She's been out there. And, in playing her, I'm learning something about myself. I didn't know I had this little toughie in me. M.L.: What else have you learned about yourself? J.E.: How to go out there and take risks. That's one thing I didn't learn from Beth. She didn't want to take risks. In a way, she waited for them to happen. I think I was like that for a while. You know, when I started playing Beth I had never really had a job and so I was putting everything I had into the role. After a while, it was like I didn't have any- thing left for me. I had this weird giggle for a long time ... M.L.: You lose yourself in the role? J.E.: It can happen. Especially if it's heavy emotional stuff you're doing all the time. A couple of times on GUIDING LIGHT I felt like ... I was under a great strain. I mean, I was working all the time. I think I kind of lost touch with myself because of that. It's a dichotomy. If you work all the time it puts you right on top of what you're doing. You don't lose momentum. And I love to work because I like the structure. I like the stability of working a lot. On the other hand, you tend to push all of what you are feeling into the part. At least, I did that at times with Beth. I think I'm learning to deal with the role separately now. M.L.: Do you miss playing Beth? J.E.: Yes, I do. I loved Beth a lot. I mean, sometimes. I would get letters that said, "God, you're so sweet you make me sick." But she had such a good heart. Sometimes too good, I admit. M.L.: Was it hard to play such a goody-goody? J.E.: Actually, it helped me be better. I had a lot of good things in me that I really didn't know about before I played Beth. It helped me to be better and nicer and a little more open-hearted. M.L.: Have you been approached about coming back to GUIDING LIGHT? J.E.: Yes, when I was leaving we talked about it. Although I loved the character, I really didn't want to do that anymore. I didn't see a lot of things happening for her. ...I wanted to see what else I had in me. I really didn't know. And now I've got this toughie. M.L.: What's it like working on DAYS? J.E.: Wonderful. This sounds like an advertisement, but I swear, it's the best group of people I've ever met in my life. It's a very positive atmosphere. ... There aren't cliques or groups. It's a combined effort. It's really a home. It sounds syrupy, but it's true. People really care about other people here. If you have problems, they're right there. They notice and they are so supportive. They ask if they can help. In fact, Steve Nichols once said to me, "We're a support group, man. It's like if you wanted to quit smoking, you'd call us." They are all like that. M.L.: What's it like working with Steve Nichols? J.E.: I don't think I've worked with a better actor in my life. And not only that, he's a wonderful person. Very caring, very loving and wonderfully stable. He's a very centered actor and person who knows where he is going and how to get there and he's just doing it. It's really neat meeting someone like that--and I get to work with him. M.L.: Are you glad to be back in California? J.E.: Oh yes. It's nice to come home. I can see my parents often and they have a big yard and my two dogs can run around. It's a bit of an escape being with my mom and dad. It's very relaxing. M.L.: When you moved back to Los Angeles, was it for your career or for personal reasons? J.E.: I guess both. I had about six months off between GUIDING LIGHT and DAYS, I wanted to see what was available to me. I didn't want to play blonde-bimbo roles. I've got a brain and I wanted to use it. Anyway, Adrienne came along and I thought she was such a good character. M.L.: Did you have anything to say about her being a kind of boyish character initially? J.E.: No, but I love that. It adds to her edge. I was really so scared to play this role. I thought, "I'm shy, but I'm not tough." I had been playing this innocent girl ... and I wasn't sure I could pull it off. But after my first few days at work, I came home and my boyfriend said, "This character is really rubbing off on you." I was surprised because I did have it in me. There's more to life than makeup, nail polish and hair. I like playing a character who knows that. M.L.: Are you still scared? J.E.: Well, anytime you get a new job, you're scared. But I'm getting over it. What's there to be scared about? Really, things couldn't be better. I can be such a mouse sometimes. I'm a strong girl, but I'm a weak girl, too. I mean, woman. ... It's really hard to be an adult, but I'm learning. M.L.: What do you think it takes? J.E.: Well, I'm not asking other people to control my life anymore. It's a lot harder to make your own decisions. I think you have to go through some pain to know what good is, what good really feels like. And I think you have to learn that it's OK to have problems and it's OK not to have problems. If you have problems you deal with them. It's OK if you can't do it by yourself and you need some help sometimes. I had to learn that everything happens for a reason. When bad things happen, I cry, but I then pick out the things that were good about the experience and try to concentrate on them. I try not to get ahead of myself and worry what's going to happen in the future. I mean, I do plan my future, I try to guide it, but I understand that I can only guide from this moment. I understand about surprises. M.L.: It seems like you left a whole chapter of your life behind when you left New York -GUIDING LIGHT, your relationship with John Whitesell. ... J.E.: Well, in a way, but John and I have remained very good friends. He's probably one of my very best friends and I am very grateful for that. I know I say wonderful a lot, but John is a wonderful man and he was very good for me. We talk. It's hard for me to talk about this. I was in another relationship for a while. It kind of goes back and forth. Right now, I'm trying to go forward. I'm trying to learn from my mistakes and be honest in each moment. I'm trying to concentrate on what is happening now and what I really feel right now. M.L.: That sounds like what Adrienne is doing. J.E.: Yes, it does. I think she's going to be very good for me. #
|
by Mimi Leahey