| Performer of the Week: JEL |
| Soap Opera Digest: February 1998 |
So Judi Evans Luciano turned in a fabulous, gut-wrenching performance. Soap fans, this is not news: The Emmy-winner has been wowing us since she first burst onto the scene as GUIDING LIGHT's innocent Beth back in 1983. From there, she moved to DAYS OF OUR LIVES, where she touched us as the troubled but plucky Adrienne. Now, Luciano is pulling out the stops as Paulina, a wife and mother who's in the fight of her life to prove she's conquered her addiction. On the night of the fire that destroyed her home, Paulina fell asleep, awoke in a stupor and later tested positive for drugs. Since then, she's fought an uphill battle trying to convince husband Joe that she didn't take pills. (FYI: She didn't; Grant drugged her tea.) They say the eyes are the mirrors of the soul, and in Paulina's case, its true. With just a forlorn glance, Luciano conveys her character's sense of betrayal and despair because the man she loves doesn't believe her. Luciano was never finer in the scenes after Rachel killed Nikos. Joe insisted that they move out of the mansion. Amanda begged Paulina not to go. How could the girl who grew up without a family choose between relatives who all needed her? Equal parts stress and distress, Luciano played it just right, letting us see the conflict ripping apart Paulina's brave heart. The way this story is going, the perils of Paulina are far from over. But as much as we hate seeing such a sweet person suffer, we are enjoying a tour-de-force performance by one of daytime's finest. # |
