Loud and proud, One Life to Live's Hillary B. Smith (Nora) is a powerhouse who isn't afraid to put her money where her mouth is. The Emmy-winning actress will tell you when she doesn't like a storyline and, by the same token, will praise her show until the cows come home when things finally fall into place. Smith's honesty is refreshing and her performances are always electric. Some of us have been following her since she was Margo on As the World Turns a decade ago (and some have been following her since she was on The Doctors, before that), and it's safe to say we will follow wherever Smith leads us, because we know we'll be getting some good drama. — Jonathan Reiner You must be exhausted when you go home each night, because every day you're doing something more emotional than the day before! As a matter of fact, I am. I go home, collapse and have a very good night's sleep. I think it's fascinating that you played a story similar to this one on As the World Turns. Isn't it funny? We were talking about that [at the studio], and I said the only difference was [on ATWT] I was in labor when I told my husband that it wasn't his baby, and then my husband and I kept the truth from the real father. This time, the baby's father and I are keeping the truth from my husband! Who could, for all we know, turn out to be the real father! You've sort of had a revival this year after sitting on the back burner for a while. Yeah. I'd say that 1998 took me off the back burner. Before that I wasn't even on the back burner — I was in the freezer. I went from the freezer to the stove, and that was very exciting. Do some fans miss the fun that Bo and Nora used to have in the early days? I'm sure they probably do. I miss it, but we kind of went away from there and we're still finishing up doing what we're doing now. As much as it may not be what some people want, it's certainly a lot of fun to play. It's got a lot more substance to it. We enjoyed our fun, frivolous time, but it's really nice to sink your teeth into something and emote. Have you developed tricks for coping when Nora is in the freezer? I don't know whether there are tricks — it's just that everyone gets their turn, and my turn went on for quite a long time. I think ABC was trying to make sure that when Bo and Nora were back on the front burner, that it was a story worth watching, which is nice. The Georgie story was wonderful because it gave me and Bob [Woods, who plays Bo] a lot to play, as well as the possibility of a triangle, which didn't get explored then, but is being explored now. Which is more interesting to play — the fact that Bo might have been cheating (with Georgie) or the fact that Nora did cheat [with Sam]? The difference is who is the victim and who is the activist. I'm not particularly fond of playing victims, and I didn't play the victim. Nora is just an active person. I was not fond of the reason why Nora and Sam slept together. The one thing I kept saying was, "Make it a good reason why they get into bed." I think that if they had an affair back at the biker bar, it would've been far more understandable than it is now. That said, it happened, it's done, it was where the story went. Now we're committed to it, following the repercussions and playing the consequences — and it's really very good. Sometimes you have to "pretzel" characters to get a payoff. I agree. I think that happens a lot on soaps: The initial action might not make sense, but the fallout is very rewarding. Absolutely. Did you watch the "Woman of the Year" banquet? Of course! Did you think that was a good payoff? Definitely — they were two of the most exciting episodes I've seen on the show in at least six months. Well, there you go! It was a good payoff, and there is more payoff to come. That's what makes a good soap opera. It wasn't the best setup, and it didn't follow what our characters would normally do, but it has spawned these fabulous emotions and consequences and it's very tangled, so we're trying to untangle it. Even with this storyline, I love the spunk you bring to the screen. In fact, I think that's something you bring to any role, because over Christmas, ATWT had a classic episode and you were on [as Margo], and you were so headstrong. Oh, I remember that! Was I pregnant? I couldn't tell — you didn't look pregnant. Craig and Sierra were missing. Yes, and Hal went with me to Greece, and then we had our affair on the beach. If I were your husband, I would be a little concerned about you predilection for playing women who end up having children with other men. The best part, I must say, is that my husband was watching One Life over Christmas. He says, "I'm very concerned about you." I asked if he was concerned about me or about Nora, and he said, "I'm concerned about Hillary, because I saw a scene where Bo confronts Nora and asks her what's going on and she says nothing is going on!" Then he said, "You're very good, and this concerns me, because you completely convinced me that you were not having an affair with Sam — and I know you were having an affair with Sam! You looked so sincere and you sounded so sincere, and I wonder what our conversations sound like and what I'm believing." It was really funny. That just proves to you that you have such a dedication to the material that you can make anything believable and make anything work — even the scenes with Mud the dog. I try! That was [former head writer] Claire Labine who wrote that stuff with Mud. She used to give me these little bones because she really wanted me to do something and be happy. She threw me the menopause story, and then she through me Mud, because she loves animals. I had long dialogues with Mud, and Woods said, "I think you're married to Mud and not me." That must've been the first sign that there was trouble with Bo and Nora's marriage. What's the fan reaction been to the latest twist with Sam? It's been very, very interesting. There are fans who see this as a wonderful opportunity to watch Woods, Catherine, Kale [Hickland and Browne, who play Lindsay and Sam] and me work, and they see it as a chance to see their favorite characters on the screen and to watch us agonize. Then there is a whole other group that thought it was too painful — they didn't want to see it, they didn't believe the characters got themselves in that position and they were ticked off that Nora had done this to Bo. Do you wish you could say something to the fans when they are a little disappointed? Yes. I've gotten a couple of letters where the fans are so disillusioned with who Bo and Nora are now. Nora used to be integrity and honesty, and now we learn that there are no heroes left in life. I got another letter from a fan who says that she's learned that adultery isn't adultery as long as you don't call it adultery! My feeling is that, "OK, you watched the show and you saw the mental process that Nora went through to try to deny the fact that she ever did this horrible deed. But you have to keep watching so that when she comes full-circle and realizes that denial is not the way that it works, it's that more powerful." Also, Nora has had the wool pulled over her eyes, with Lindsay switching the samples. Well, there were other ways to get pregnant. But Bo was very undone at that time — would he have even survived, or gone back to Nora without a baby? Maybe not, and we'll never know. This is going to sound odd, but have you ever thought about writing a book? No. I ask because you have such a great sense of humor and you're so well-spoken. What would I write a book about? It could be a book about nothing. A book about nothing? No, I haven't thought about writing a book. I'll spin a story, but I'm not a book writer. You're more comfortable acting and doing someone else's material? Well, I'm not a dialogue writer. I can't go into people's heads. I could write a treatment, do breakdowns, flesh out beats and stories, and I can see where things are missing, but to do dialogue... that's something else. I really have a lot of respect for all of the writers in daytime, because it's a very difficult medium. To have several different voices in your head and to be able to keep them all clear is just such a talent. It's also a talent to be able to bring people's words to life. You're right — it is. |