Llanview's Leading Ladies Let Loose
"We are family" might be the new motto for ONE LIFE TO LIVE's Cramer women. United in the pursuit of fame, fortune and a fabulous wardrobe, these ladies have decided that they can get what they want without the help of the opposite sex. (From left) Kassie DePaiva (Blair), Gina Tognoni (Kelly), Robin Strasser (Dorian) and *Laura Koffman (Cassie) sat down with Soap Opera Digest for a no-holds-barred chat at the chi chi Cafe des Aristes restaurant in New York City.
Digest: What's the best thing that's happened to you this year?
Strasser: It's a little self-serving, but winning the Soap Opera Digest Award has to be right up there. That was a big thrill.
DePaiva, Koffman and Tognoni in unison: Very well deserved.
Strasser: I hate that expression, girls.
DePaiva: Robin hates any compliment you ever give her...
Tognoni: ... while she's working.
Strasser: And I'm a little superstitious, too. After dress rehearsal, they'll say, "Oh, that was so good." I'm like, "Don't tell me."
DePaiva: She thinks we're complimenting her, but we're not. I'm trying to tell her she sucks.
Strasser: Thank you for sharing, Kassie.
DePaiva: Actually, her wardrobe is what's working (smiles). There have been some dresses she's worn that I'll say, "I'm sorry, I cannot work with this. She has those big boobies; I can't work with her."
Strasser: (Ray, the stage manager) always says, "We're just trying to make the material more uplifting."
DePaiva: It's like, never work with babies, animals or Robin's breasts. You just can't compete.
Tognoni: You should see her when she has that negligee stuff on.
Koffman: Thank God, Cassie never walked in on it!
Strasser: All right, was that dress too low-cut for the Soap Opera Digest Awards? Yes, it was, but I had never worn anything like that. Even my mother was astonished.
Koffman: Everybody said you looked so fabulous.
Tognoni: You looked great.
Strasser: I got nailed by the New York Daily News for wearing too low-cut a dress and they said Gina's was...
Tognoni: Too frumpy. We both made the paper.
Strasser: Patricia Mauceri (Carlotta) and I once made "Worst Dressed" in the Enquirer. We didn't deserve it. It was the hottest day, 104 degrees, and we were at a blood drive. We were giving up our time for a fund-raiser and we got nailed for wearing flowered dresses.
DePaiva: If I wore Blair's dresses out in the street, I would be acosted!
Strasser: Just because they don't cover your rear end?
DePaiva: They don't cover my rear end, they don't cover my boobs. I love Susan Gammie (OLTL costume designer) but she...
Strasser: ... undresses you.
Digest: And how about you, Gina?
Tognoni: I was nominated for a Soap Opera Digest Award - that was fantastic. It was the first time I'd ever been nominated for anything.
DePaiva: Won't be the last, honey.
Strasser: She's the best young actress I've ever worked with - and I've worked with plenty.
Digest: Which OLTL actor would you like to work with that you haven't already?
DePaiva: I think Laura (as Cassie) should have a fantasy sequence. In each scene a different actor comes in and takes his clothes off and she sleeps with him. The first scene should be with Kevin Stapleton (Kevin).
DePaiva: There was a scene where Cassie is supposed to be speechless when she sees Kevin without his shirt on. (In real life) Laura said, "Oh my God."
Koffman: I was so mortified, he opens up the door and I was like (shows a stunned look). I blew all my lines.
DePaiva: It was right on cue.
Koffman: And Robyn Goodman (supervising producer) said, "Nice chest, huh Laura?"
Strasser: Does he have a nice chest?
Digest: Who would you like to work with, Gina?
Tognoni: Susan Haskell (Marty). I think she's awesome. And Thorsten Kaye (Patrick). I had a few scenes with him. Man, he's so there. He's sooo there.
Koffman: I never worked with Roger Howarth (Todd).
Digest: You'd like to work with Roger?
Koffman: Oh yeah, in a minute.
Strasser: I would love to work with Bob Woods (Bo). Years and years ago, Dorian and Bo went on a date. He took off his cowboy hat and planted one on me. It was enjoyable. They never let me do a scene with him again. Broke my heart.
Digest: Let's do a male word association. I'll name a co-star and you tell me the first word that pops into your head. We'll start with Thorsten Kaye.
Digest: John Loprieno (Cord).
Tognoni: He's really sweet.
DePaiva: Precious. He's going to hate us, you know that.
Digest: Nathan Fillion (Joey).
DePaiva: Nathan is the best.
Tognoni: He's a brilliant comedian.
Koffman: He gives a lot of love and he needs a lot of love.
Strasser: Look how much he's changed in just the last year and a half. He's a major player and we'll all be very proud to have known him.
Digest: Phil Carey (Asa).
Tognoni: Curmudgeon. Hilarious.
Koffman: I love him. He's great.
Strasser: Bigger than life.
DePaiva: I love him. And I love working with him.
Digest: Moving on to dressing rooms - whose is the messiest?
Strasser and DePaiva: Probably mine.
DePaiva: Laura and I share a room. She is clean. When I moved in with her, she told me where I could hang my pictures.
DePaiva: Yes, you did. You hung them for me, actually.
Digest: Let's talk wardrobe.
DePaiva: We need to get Dorian a new wardrobe. I'm taking her shopping.
Strasser: My mom thanks you. Actually, if there's anybody who need to be taken shopping, it's Cassie.
DePaiva: When you start doing Kevin.
DePaiva: I see that coming around the corner. Of course, last week, Dorian says, "Come on Cassie, aren't you tired of that reverend?" I thought I would...
Digest: What film actor would you love to work with?
Koffman: Kevin Bacon. I find him amazing.
DePaiva: He's over at my gym all the time. I would love to work with John Travolta. I think my energy could work off him. That'd be fun.
Strasser: Robert DeNiro and Liam Neeson. In separate scenes. And Tommy Lee Jones. Yep, darn it. I didn't play the part then, but Dorian apparently had an affair with Tommy Lee Jones' character (Dr. Mark Toland, 1971-1975)
Koffman: I love Harrison Ford. I saw him once in Sloan's supermarket at 10 o'clock at night. I said to him, "I love your work, forever." Forever? Shit! He looked at me and said, "Thanks." For three days, I kept thinking, "What a jerk I am. What a jerk!"
Digest: Is there an initiation ritual you go through when you do your first love scene on the show?
Tognoni: They took my underwear and hung it on the flagpole.
Digest: Is it awkward doing a love scene?
Koffman: They're the hardest.
DePaiva: Love scenes are not ad-libbed; they're choreographed.
Strasser: You wouldn't want to do a love scene with somebody who you didn't like the taste, smell, or feel of - that's a lot like life.
DePaiva: I worked with an actor for a year and a half who didn't want to do love scenes with me. He was very uncomfortable with sexual scenes. That's very difficult, but you have to do the best you can and try not to take it personally.
Digest: What's the most revealing outfit you've had to wear on the show?
DePaiva: I had to strip down to a bra and panties. You feel extremely naked. I've also done love scenes where I just have pasties on.
Tognoni: I just did that last week.
Strasser: I don't wear pasties.
Tognoni: You don't wear anything?
Strasser: If something showed, I would rather they cut the tape than have that Band-Aid shot.
Koffman: So you don't wear anything?
Strasser: I wear underwear but I don't wear anything up above.
Digest: What do you think about the Cramer women uniting?
DePaiva: I think it's very interesting and very dynamic.
Strasser: It's a good family unit.
Koffman: I'm just hoping that it keeps developing. It's so powerful.
DePaiva: I think women's issues can be dealt with. And we could talk about self-esteem.
Tognoni: Even though Kelly doesn't have any.
DePaiva: See, that's something. Neither does Blair. I think the Cramer women can put the "fun" in dysfunction.
Digest: And what would you like to do as a united family?
Soap Opera Digest (August 27th, 1996 Issue)
*Note that "Laura Koffman" was her married name at the time of this interview and has since reverted back to using her maiden name "Laura Bonarrigo"
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