In 1989, Beth Chamberlin had the unenviable task of replacing fan favorite and Emmy winner Judi Evans in the role of beloved, tortured heroine Beth Raines on Guiding Light. Chamberlin brought her own vulnerability and warmth to the role, won the hearts of GL fans and left the series shortly after Phillip and Beth wed in 1991. After a stint on the West Coast (and a brief appearance on Days of Our Lives opposite Robert Kelker-Kelly's Bo), the actress reprised the role of Beth in late 1997, bringing new levels of neurosis to the part. Chamberlin recently sat down with TV Guide Online to chat about her second Springfield stint, losing Phillip, commercial appearances, and being the "bad" girl. — Michael J. Maloney What response did you get when you returned to the show in late 1997? It was a mixed bag. What I'm always very surprised and glad about is that a lot of my mail is from teenagers who have started watching the show recently. I have to say I get some pretty intelligent letters and some pretty effusive letters that are just really great. There's a certain way that teenagers express their delight that is wonderful to read. Were you surprised that Phillip came back to Springfield without Beth? I was watching parts of the show at the time and I have to say that it felt odd given the investment that the audience had in that couple. I was like [the show] said "We want you to forget about that." But I had decided to use [Beth's absence] as fuel for who she became and the change within her. I think it worked out the best in the end. I know there are viewers who pine for the "old" Beth, but I prefer this Beth and I think the majority of the people who write to me do, too. She's not a bad person, but she's been wounded and damaged. I think she has more dimension than she's ever had and for me, as an actress, that's fun. And I hope that it's fun to watch as well. Beth hung onto Phillip even after he'd chosen Harley. Too long? I think that Phillip will always be the love of Beth's life. No matter who she's with, she's looking for a Phillip replacement. If Phillip told Beth that he wanted her, she'd say to whomever she was with, "I'm going back to my ex-husband. Bye! Don't let the door hit you on the way out." I think that's something that Beth, the character, is not even totally aware of. Jim and Beth are a nice couple, but I thought you had great chemistry with Hunt Block (Ben), too. I love working with Hunt. I sometimes refer to working with someone as "dancing together." And I think that Hunt and I dance well together. We know what the other person is going to do before the other person does it. I'm like that with Grant Aleksander and Beth Ehlers (Phillip and Harley). Hunt and I are that way, too. It didn't happen right away, but we found a way to get there. But I still have hopes. Tony [Addabbo, who plays Jim] and I have a good chemistry together. Obviously, Beth is crazy about him. There's some funny stuff we have coming up. I hope we see some more dimension to their relationship. I think every relationship has its moments of complete happiness and fears that you're going to lose each other. I hope we're going to see those levels with Beth and Jim. Beth seems most sympathetic to the audience when she plays mom to Lizzie. And, initially, she connected with Susan that way, too. Yes. Susan's definitely gotten under Beth's skin. There's friction between the two of them. But I think overall Beth has great sympathy towards children because of her own troubled childhood. She uses kid gloves when dealing with kids, but Susan pushes buttons with her that no other child has ever done. Beth is trying to be understanding, but as you can imagine that's only going to go so far. The good thing is that Beth is one of the few characters who could fight with a 13-year-old and get away with it is because her own need for Jim is somewhat childlike. It's not just that Beth wants a relationship. She feels she needs someone to protect her. She's looking for another Phillip. It makes for an interesting rivalry between Beth and Susan. It's funny to see you pop up in a commercial during the show. [laughs] Tons of commercials. But I don't think that I have any running right now. I haven't been able to film any over the last year. They're not supposed to run a commercial I'm in during Guiding Light. It's happened once or twice and I have to say that I don't like it. I feel that it takes the viewer out of the moment of what they're watching. They see me as the actress and not the character. Speaking of confusion, there's Beth Chamberlin, Beth Spaulding and Beth Ehlers. How confusing is that for the stage manager? Well, I have to say that when we were working together every day we developed this sixth sense where we'd know which Beth they'd be talking to. But when we're not working together as much, it can get confusing. People not as familiar with the show who read the magazines can get confused, too. They'll read Beth Ehlers had a baby and they'll think it's me. People have written to me, "Gee, you didn't look pregnant!" It can be confusing. Any other work projects going on? Not at the moment. It's been a little crazy because [my husband] Peter and I just bought a house about a year ago that's a fixer-upper. We've been very busy with that. But periodically, I need to do something else. I'd like to do a play. I think it would only add dimension to playing Beth. At one point Beth had been portrayed as the villainess in the triangle with Phillip and Harley. Was that tough for you? Sometimes [playing the villainess] is a person's job. It's the job you've been given and you need to do it or else the show would be boring. But it's upsetting when you think that people hate your character. I remember some of the awful letters Cynthia [Watros, who played Annie] got when she was on the show. I think that sometimes people pick you apart in ways that are unfair. Kurt McKinney [Matt] got a letter from a fan when Matt and Beth were playing scenes together that said we must have been making life miserable for Maeve [Kinkead, who plays Vanessa] off-camera. That was upsetting. Maeve's one of my favorite people. She's gracious, wonderful, and professional. The idea that people would think that I could possibly have anything against her was upsetting to me. You came back to the show after writing to Paul Rauch, GL's executive producer? Yes. I had met him when he was at One Life to Live. I was really blown away by him. Before I met with Paul, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to do soaps or even still act. But after we met, I said, "I want to work with this man someday." When I heard he went to GL, I was so excited for the show. I knew he was going to do something great for it. When I had watched it before Paul got there, there seemed to be in the actors almost a sense of hopelessness. He'd been there for six months before I tuned in again and I couldn't believe how wonderful it was. The whole look of the show had changed and there was a different energy coming from the actors. I wanted to be a part of this, so I sent a letter to Paul with my headshot and a tape of my work. We met, and again, I was blown away. He called my agent and the deal was negotiated. I continue to be impressed by Paul on a daily basis. He's an incredible leader and has an amazing eye. As an actor, that's very comforting. I'm at my best when I work for someone like him. |