Soap Opera Digest - 1992
Some actors cringe at being called a veteran, but ALL MY CHILDREN?S Julia Barr doesn't shun the label. "I've been on the show forr 16 years, so that makes me a veteran," she declares. Except for her two-year hiatus in 1981 because she "needed a break," Barr's stint as AMC's Brooke English has been consistent, a rarity In this day and age of soap hopping. People always assume that in this business [doing a soap] is a step to something else." explains Barr. "That is not necessarily the case. It depends on what you want to do. If you're 18 years old and do two years on a soap, and have never been out to the West Coast, then you would be crazy not to try it out there. But ii you're older, have a family to support, don't want to move around and enjoy what you're doing, then what's the point?" Not that AMC is Barr's first priority; that's reserved for her family- husband Dr. Richard Hirschlag, and eight-year-old daughter Allison. Unlike many soap stars, the actress does very little canvassing for her character. "I don't do a lot of publicity. I don't have the time or the inclination," she emphasizes. When work is over, she heads to her New Jersey home. Even after ten years of marriage, Barr still has to pause when asked what she and her oral surgeon mate have in common "Sometimes I wonder," she smiles. "I'm more of a hysteric narcissist who's had a lot of therapy, and he's more of an obsessive compulsive. I was raised Catholic in the Midwest; he was raised Jewish on the East Coast. But Richie and I have the same values when it comes to love, marriage and how you treat people, which is the bedrock of a relationship. I think we have all the basics."
Barr speaks with an authority she hasn't always possessed. The actress unashamedly admits that it took her years of therapy to attain the level of confidence and happiness she enjoys today. "Moving to New York, which is a more pressurized city, things sort of came to a head, and I found I had some unresolved stuff that needed attention," she says thoughtfully. "Therapy helped me to grow up. It taught me to lake responsibility for myself and that old patterns don't have to run my life." The actress' greatest professional accomplishments have come in recent years. In 1990, she won an Emmy for Best Supporting Actress. The victory didn't send Barr on an ego trip right out of daytime. "I never felt like, 'Well, now I've gathered the highest award, so I'll leave," she says. "The Emmy is lovely and heavy, and I could probably use it to kill someone who broke into my house, but it just doesn't translate the same as an Oscar or Tony. That doesn't mean it's bad. It's a wonderful recognition from your peers."
On the opposite end of the spectrum. Barr confides that she has known other Emmy winners who stayed on their shows and became disconcerted when they were not used for long periods of time. Luckily, Brooke has almost always remained a front-burner character. Barr is quick to attribute the characters popularity to a combination of efforts. "Whether it was my personality or my acting ability, I brought something to the role that was created by writers who continue to keep her interesting and viable, and help her to thrive. You can never say it's just one thing or one [person]? Barr's best work has been done with David Canary (Adam/Stuart). "He and I have a nice friendship, but we also have a great acting relationship. Brooke and Adam's relationship still has an edge. I don't know if that's what the writers intend, but David and I keep it going," reveals Barr.
Canary agrees, and praises his co-star. "I adore working with her," he says, "JuIia is a wonderful actress who is extraordinarily grounded in her work. There are two Julias. There's this little girl who is totally disarming, enchanting and always great to be around, and there's the Brooke/Julia who is very smart, very determined, very tough and sometimes very flinty." Does Barr agree with her co-star's observations? "When you play a character for 16 years, you are bound to have pieces of your personality in her to use. I think both of us are empathetic, but she has a certain moral rectitude, which makes her much more straitlaced than I am. Brooke gives people the benefit of the doubt, more than someone else would," says Barr. I like it when (the writers) loosen her up a bit and have her do things, like the time she put on sexy underwear and seduced Jack."
The actress is excited about her current storyline and the return of Michael Knight (Tad) to the series. Not only is Knight an old friend, but Tad will undoubtedly complicate Brooke's life. (He's the father of her son, Jamie.) While Barr has no idea what's in store for their relationship, she is delighted to be working with him again. "Michael is great, and we used to have so much fun. I'm really very happy that he's back," she grins.