Sparks Afire
Lorraine Zenka
Soap Opera Update Magazine

November 23, 1999

Dynamic Dana Sparks is loving her life and filling it with many levels of love and PASSION!

PASSIONS� Dana Sparks (Grace Bennett/Faith Standish) can play a dual role, juggle daytime and primetime, and have a busy away-from-cameras life as well. Her sunny outlook, ready smile and ceaseless energy keep her happily afloat.

Living 30 miles outside L.A., Sparks enjoys a country atmosphere complete with a lake. "I grew up with a big backyard and rolling hills around Orinda," she says of her Northern California upbringing. "My neighbors all had ponies and we�d ride to each other�s houses."

With brother Steve eight years her senior, and a sister Alison ten years older, Sparks became a bit of a tomboy "as a way of survival," she muses. "By the time they got around to me, I was pretty much left to my own means. My parents tried a different approach with each of us."

After her mom sent her to modeling school in San Francisco, Sparks landed some jobs, but soon discovered "the least creative person in the room was the model, while the makeup artist, photographer and stylist all got to do their creative thing. I never found modeling to be a creative outlet for me," she says.

Before their passings, Sparks� parents saw a bit of Sparks� career. Her dad saw her through high school and her contract work on the series COVER UP. "My mom saw me in Blake Edwards� film �That�s Life� and FALCON CREST,� says Sparks. "She�d come to Napa to visit me. It�s too bad my dad wasn�t around then. He loved wine, food and restaurants, and almost bought land in that area many years ago. He would have been totally in his element."

During her commercial days, Sparks landed a job for Club Med that took her to the Caribbean. Her husband Steve, a financier, joined her, so "we worked and played," she remembers. "The best trip was six-and-a-half weeks in South and East Africa for a Nissan Pathfinder safari through Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania and other places. Everything � the sounds, the air, the landscape, taste of coffee, dog barks, accents, food � was totally different. Every sense was bushwhacked. I was in heaven! Culture shock hit me � not there, but on our return when Steve and I went to Starbucks. I couldn�t stand it! I want to go back to Africa.�

Recurring as Lt. Comm. Carolyn Imes on primetime�s JAG, Sparks used a string of days off from PASSIONS to film another one-day of work episode. "It�s refreshing to periodically go back to that format," she admits. "Comparatively, it�s a breeze. Carolyn is pretty gutsy and flirty."

Walking into the dual role of Faith/Grace on PASSIONS was a "real wakeup call" for Sparks, who had not done daytime before. "It would have been overwhelming had it not been so stimulating at the same time," says the actress. "They are very close, but I found approaching them as two different people helpful. Grace is a heady person; quick, breezier, light, happy and satisfied. Faith is much more from her gut, almost defensive, on her own with a daughter.�

Sparks� neither believes nor disbelieves psychic phenomenon, but admits there�s room for "spirits, aura, afterlife. I play Grace and Faith�s reality. Acting is just being a child, pretending that Tabitha can turn herself into a demon dog and show up at my door."

No longer speaking of characters, but herself, Sparks admits she likes best about herself the fact that "I�m pretty open-minded and adventurous." Searching for something she might change, contented Sparks offers, "Steve says I never close doors, especially the refrigerator. That�s something I could work on."

On her nightstand, besides PASSIONS scripts, Sparks has a few bestsellers, and on rainy days, Sparks loves to bake cakes and breads, "unless it�s really pouring, then I go for a hike."

More often, Sparks and her husband enjoy playing golf together. Sean Connery and his wife, Dennis Quaid, Craig T. Nelson, Joe Pesci, James Garner, Alice Cooper and Michael Jordan are among the friends and Steve�s clients the Sparks have joined on the links. "I�d love to work with them in front of the cameras!" Sparks admits. "Golf really clears your mind because it demands such focus."

It appears Sparks already has plenty of focus on the happiest things in life!