How far in advance do you know what will happen to Jack? “Not too far. I still like to be surprised. I never want to know what’s really coming next for Jack. That’s always been my way. I like getting to my dressing room, opening my computer and seeing that another script has just been released. I take a look and usually go, ‘Oh, my God!’ because I’m still regularly surprised and I like that.”
How is it working with Susan Walters (Diane) again? “I’ll tell you, that girl is just full of surprises. Every time I think, ‘Oh, yeah, I kinda know what her thing is,’ she’s got another thing up her sleeve and that blows me away.”
Do you have an example? “I just watched scenes the other day of her being confronted by Nikki, Phyllis and Ashley in the Abbott living room. They have information about Jeremy Stark and they’re only letting her know little bits of what they know, and Diane’s completely cornered by these three bitches, and what comes out of Diane is so terrific because Susan Walters is just brilliant in it, just terrific! She’s very professional, very studied and very talented, and I love what she brings to the show. Diane is a really good character that a lot of people play well off of, and you can tell all these women, Michelle [Stafford, Phyllis], Eileen [Davidson, Ashley] and Melody [Thomas Scott, Nikki], are having a ball with this. I think that the alliance of these three characters, who don’t really like each other, is fantastic to watch because it’s so unexpected and so unpredictable. It’s delicious!”
Are you enjoying this version of Diane? “Oh, yeah. Here’s the story: Somebody did horrible things in their past life and spent years dreaming of trying to fix, at least, the part where her heart is. She has a son walking the earth she hasn’t seen for years and years and a man who she loves and always wanted to set things right with. And she’s not going to set things right with everybody, but she could do it with two. So she returns against all wisdom because the whole town hates her and she starts her earnest effort to change herself and make peace with these two people. Everywhere she goes, she wreaks a little bit of havoc. She’s manipulative, she’s cagey and she’s nasty sometimes, but with Jack and Kyle, the audience sees absolute sincerity. She’s not working them. She’s not manipulating them.”
What do you think Diane’s endgame is? “She’s just trying to redeem herself with the only two people in this town that she gives a s**t about. That’s a good story and we have Susan playing it. That’s an easy sell for me and I just think it’s great television. The redemption of Diane Jenkins is long-term story. It’s not, ‘What are we doing in a few months?’ That’s a long-term effort.”
And surely you’ll be quick to agree that Michael Mealor is doing a great job in all of this as Kyle. “I’ve watched that guy grow so much since his return. Because of the way he’s playing his character, Kyle is more of a man, he’s more in control of his life, he’s less letting the world happen to him and more making the world what he wants. His relationship with his mother has made him grow and I think Michael is doing wonderful work.”
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