Soap Opera News had the pleasure of chatting with Lindsay Korman-Hartley about her incredible return to soaps, reuniting with her real-life best friend Brook Kerr (Dr. Portia Robinson), Passions, and much more! Check it out below:
“I didn’t have that much time to prepare,” Lindsay shared. “I’ve actually never watched General Hospital. Just because I was part of NBC for so long and you are more familiar with the soaps and the cast from shows on the same network. I wasn’t very familiar with General Hospital and I didn’t know the storyline at all. So, that was a bit crazy but the entire cast and crew were so loving and supportive. They were coming back from break and everybody was in such great spirits to just start up the engine again and produce a show that they are proud of. So, I got to experience that energy.”
With the amazing work she put forward it’s hard to believe that she went into the role so blindly especially when you look at all the fanfare her performance received. “It was very unexpected. I had no idea how I would be perceived. Actually, the only thought that I had in my head was “Oh, gosh. This is probably not going to be received very well.’ That was my fear. I was like ‘I know I’m just doing the job. I’m going to take care of it the best that I can but I know that I’ll probably get a lot of backlash because Sam is a beloved character, Kelly is a talented actress, who’s been playing this character.’ It’s her role and I completely respect that a hundred percent. So, to get the love and the support from people it was just really humbling and beautiful experience.”
The experience has also led to a single important question. Would she like to return to daytime full-time? “I’d absolutely love to return,” she exclaimed. “Just the few weeks that I was so fortunate to join General Hospital it was so great to be on set. I was just so thankful and I was just so enjoying every second that I had.”
We spoke on how we loved her scenes with Nancy Lee Grahn (Alexis Davis) and she had nothing but great things to say about her acting partner. “She’s so sweet! We spoke just briefly and then we had so much dialogue,” she laughed. “I had to film so much in such a short span of time. I think that particular day I shot two and a half episodes. She was so cool to run lines with me. She’s so talented. Actually, working with her is very similar to working with Michael Knight (Martin Gray), who is on the show and I didn’t get to see. Which sucks because I freakin’ love him to pieces. They’re very similar in that they are just so talented and they own their material so well that you just kinda get lost in their performance.”
She also got to reunite on-screen with real-life bestie and Passions alum, Brook Kerr (Whitney Russell). “That was awesome and surreal! I was like this is not happening right now. Like there’s no way I’m standing on a soap opera stage opposite of the girl I used to work with starting over 20 years ago. And she was in a doctor’s coat which made me think of Tracey Ross (Eve Russell), who played her mom. So, it kind of messed with me a little bit. It was crazy but we did it! I don’t know how. I’m not going to lie,” she shared. “I’m blessed that we met, we became super close. Obviously, we were working together constantly but just because we were working together doesn’t mean that you’re going to remain friends with that person forever, you know? But she will be in my life forever. She’s family.”
Speaking of Passions, when we asked our readers what they wanted us to ask Lindsay you all wanted to know what her favorite memory from the show was. “This is the hardest question because there are so many wonderful moments and great storylines. I think when the Bennett house was sucked underground. Everything just got sucked to Hell,” she laughed. “We all got to work together. So, that was really fun anytime the cast could all reunite. I really loved the Cinderella fantasy that Theresa has with Ethan. I liked the Bermuda Triangle storyline where Theresa married Julian and he threw me in the closet. We made that up during blocking to be funny. I had so much fun working with Ben Masters. Again just another amazing actor. It’s so hard to pinpoint just one experience.” She also mentioned that Masters who has been off the radar since Passions, is living his best life somewhere out there.
We asked Lindsay what she thought it was about Passions that still appeals to fans more than twenty years later. “Just the fun aspect of it. The silliness and the uniqueness. I also think because it was a new show starting from the ground up with all of those elements. The cast itself was very united and I think maybe people felt that underneath. I know that sounds strange but we all started this family together and as the scripts were unfolding we started getting what we were in for and we just had fun with it. It was crazy! The Gone With the Wind fantasy, going to Hell, these were my storylines. How can you not have fun with that? How can you not read it and go ‘Wow, this is crazy’ but let’s go! Let’s put on a show.”
While we are all hoping for her daytime return she has kept busy with several new projects that are in the works! “I have a movie coming out on the Lifetime Movie Network called Young, Rich, and Pregnant. That should be coming out soon. And then I have two movies I’ve written…my first two rom-coms. I’ve only written thrillers and this year I started writing romantic comedies and I sold two. They are being made in Vancouver. One is literally being shot as we speak and the other one is going shortly after I believe.”
Whatever she does next we are sure that it will be fantastic! Thank you, Lindsay, for such a lovely chat! We were honored.
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