Susan Flannery is not like typical Hollywood actors who crave the spotlight; her star manages to shine brightly despite little P.R. effort on her part. Susan has a genuine love for performing, and she prefers to let her work speak for itself. Over the years, she has honed her skills with some of the industry�s biggest names including Kirk Douglas, Robert Wagner, and Larry Hagman. Susan brings tremendous amount of talent on her role on B&B, and time after time, her stellar performances prove just how good she is.
RR: You�ve been playing �Stephanie Forrester� since B&B began eight years ago. Why did you take this role?
SF: (laughs) It was a wonderful role. I�d worked with Bill Bell before on Days Of Our Lives. And I just think that Bill is the best writer there is on daytime. He and I had done Days for seven and a half years together. He won Emmys, I won Emmys so it was a really good, wonderful relationship. The time in my life just turned at that moment. There it was so I said okay.
RR: You had done prime time, too. I remember you were on Dallas in 1981. Was there a big difference for you coming back to daytime?
SF: I don�t really think there is a difference between daytime and night time. There�s a slight difference in the perception in this industry because people in show business like to categorize things, but for the rest of the world they don�t know any different.
RR: What do you like most about playing Stephanie?
SF: I think Stephanie is kind of an interesting character. She�s a real woman of the �80s and �90s.
RR: Do you like her?
SF: Yeah, I think the clue to Stephanie is that the most important thing to her has always been her family. She�s kind of like a mother bear with the cubs�she even considers her ex-husband one of those cubs. Family is everything to her. I suppose Stephanie is slightly adrift in life without her family.
RR: What�s been your favorite storyline so far?
SF: I only have about three scenes that I think were good in all the stuff I�ve done (laughs). But I�m the proudest from the point of view of the show of the story on the homeless. I think that was a wonderful story to take this sort of complacent matriarch from Beverly Hills and place her in a situation so many people find themselves in. And to tell the majority of our audience, to let them see and understand, the social issues that are involved. Not everybody who�s on the streets is there because they�re drug addicts or because they are mentally deranged or because they are alcoholics. There are people there on the streets because they�ve slipped through the cracks. You know the old saying, �You�re just one paycheck away.� When we did the story homelessness was one of those issues where people were like oh yeah, sure they�re homeless. There wasn�t a real genuine understanding about it. I thought by using Stephanie�to open her eyes and get rid of her preconceived notions and to give her understanding and knowledge, and to place her in a situation where she has empathy and sympathy and comes down a peg or two � that was a touch of genius as far as storytelling. I thought that was our finest story.
RR: What would you like to see your character do in the future?
SF: I don�t have any idea. I never know anything about story � don�t want to know anything about story � never make any suggestions about story.
RR: That�s for them (the producers) to do?
SF: Exactly. It�s not what I get paid to do.
RR: That�s an interesting perspective.
SF: I just don�t believe in it. I don�t go upstairs to talk about story. I�ve gone and talked about certain scenes if I�m concerned about something, but nothing with the overall story.
RR: So tell me about your directing. How did that come about?
SF: I love directing. The first producer on the show Gail Kobe was the one who brought it up to me. It took me a long time before I decided that I wanted to do it. Then once I did it, I found out that I enjoyed it.
RR: Is that something you want to do more in the future � stepping behind the camera after you�re done acting?
SF: I don�t know. That�s a life decition. That�s something I have to think through a little more.
RR: But for now it�s okay?
SF: For now I enjoy doing it very much here. I learn something every time. It�s great fun.
RR: Do you have any favorite actors or actresses that you like to work with on the show?
SF: Oh now do you think I�m going to answer that and have three people happy and seventeen people mad at me. Are you crazy? (laughs)
RR: It�s a standard question.
SF: And if anybody answers it they should be taken out and shot. (laughs)
RR: So you like working with everyone.
SF: That�s right. I have no favorites.
RR: When did the acting bug bite you?
SF: Oh, I always wanted to act since I was a little kid. In high school I joined the drama club at Cathedral High School, the Catholic high school, in Manhattan in New York City. They sent me down on scholarship to Catholic University for a summer program in theatre. Then I went to collage and majored in theatre arts. I was supposed to go to Yale Drama School on full scholarship, but I decided I didn�t want to go. I wanted to come to California. So I came out here instead of going to graduate school.
RR: Why didn�t you choose theatre?
SF: I really didn�t want to do stage work. I wanted to work with the camera. I just had a feeling that there was something about the camera that I would like, and that the camera would like me.
RR: So it wasn�t the glitz of Hollywood that brought you here?
SF: No. I just thought that there was something about the screen and the camera that would work well for me.
RR: Are you satisfied with television? Is that where you see yourself working?
SF: As far as acting?
RR: Um hmm.
SF: Yeah. I think this is it. There aren�t very many roles for women the truth of the matter is. And there certainly aren�t that many for middle-aged women. As you reach that point, you just have to face the fact.
RR: Many actors have fan clubs, but you don�t. Why?
SF: Oh I think the kids should do all that stuff. Let them have fun with it.
RR: But you do appreciate fans� interest.
SF: Oh, I�m always concerned. My whole performance is geared to the audience. I always say to myself � how is the audience going to react to this? How is the audience going to understand this? What is supposed to conveyed? A lot of people forget but the audience is who you�re telling the story for. You have to think that they�re there just like a stage audience is.
RR: What advice would you give to aspiring young actors?
SF: That�s really hard. I�d say get a collage education first or go to a school that specializes in theatre arts be it dance, music or drama. Then get a sort of degree. Actually I feel very strongly about collage. I think it broadens you, develops your mind because a good actor has to been an intelligent actor. And if you believe in yourself, don�t let anything or anyone stand in your way. Just stick to it.
RR: I understand you�re a gourmet cook. Is that what you do in your spare time?
SF: I don�t cook as much as I used to, but yes I am a gourmet cook. It�s fun. It�s very creative.
RR: Did you go to school for that?
SF: No. I just taught myself.
RR: We have a new Fanfare feature on recipes from the stars. You should have no problem sharing something.
SF: Oh no. All the recipes are in my head. There�s nothing written down. I make them up as I go along.
RR: Seriously?
SF: That�s right. Whatever is in the refrigerator. People come over for dinner and I say let�s open up the door and see what there is.
RR: It takes a real cook to make a meal out of nothing.
SF: A little of this and a little of that, then boom. You have a meal.
RR: And you fly planes, too.
SF: Yes.
RR: You�re pretty daring.
SF: I sail boats. Directs shows with crazy people. You name it.