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Originally Published in Rona Barrett's Daytimers (November 1977) "I usually play the character as it's written," she explained, "but when Jill wasn't being straight with Frank and Seneca, lying to one and then the other . . . "I woke up one morning and decided it was all wrong," she declared firmly. "Jillian wouldn't be manipulative! She wasn't being true to herself �� and that was out of character." She was right and the powers that be at Ryan's Hope agreed with her. Jillian isn't deceiving anyone any more. And neither is Nancy.
Her honesty is as refreshing as it is unusual. When she doesn't wish to discuss something, she'll say so �� and while you may wish she weren't quite so reticent about her personal life, at least you can be thankful she doesn't "beat around the bush"! "We started meeting on a regular basis and we'd talk for hours. It's so nice because everyone has someone to bounce off. Female relationships are very important. Too many women think only in terms of male-female relationships �� and they're missing a great deal." When her friends meet, they take turns cooking dinner and bringing dessert, so it's natural to ask Nancy how she rates as a cook. She laughs, "Well, everybody knows how much I like to eat! When I was married, we did a lot of entertaining. I do like to cook, but only when I want to. I don't like having to do it. But then, I enjoy eating alone in a restaurant, too. I love the theater and movies, and I often go alone."
A graduate of one of those self-awareness programs sweeping the country lately, Nancy is still in therapy and feels that she's grown by leaps-and-bounds in the attempt to 'find herself'. "Part of it was learning to express and show my anger and not feel guilty about it . . . " "I'm getting bored with the whole topic!" she declared, tossing her head defiantly." People have no conception of what it's like to do a soap opera! The work is very difficult and I'm tired of people putting it down when they don't know what they're talking about!" "Those situations that happen on daytime series �� they're not so far out. You just go out there to middle America and you'll see." "People don't realize the pressure we're under. We don't take four hours to work on four sentences like they do in nighttime television. We have one shot �� the taping �� that's it, and it offends me when people put that down." "I think Ryan's Hope is wonderful. The concept, the New York setting, the ethnic backgrounds, the contrast of character. It's very different. No other soap is like ours. And the people are superb."
But she does have one complaint about soaps �� and she wouldn't be Nancy if she weren't honest enough to verbalize it . . . Although time is at a premium for her, Nancy manages to fill her life with books, music, antique hunting, karate lessons, movies, theater, tennis, plants, horseback riding, and her two dogs. She has a zest for living, an appreciation of sunshine and rain and spring and fall and everything that makes life beautiful. One of those things is Nancy herself.
Courtesy of Wanda |