Publication: Soap Opera Magazine
Author: Keith Loria
Date: November 24, 1998
OLTL’s Catherine Hickland (Lindsay) and Hilary B. Smith explore their onscreen rivalry and offscreen friendship in a candid look at the lives of the Buchanan women.
Their feud may just be beginning, but the rivalry between OLTL’s Nora and Lindsay is shaping up to be a clash of the titans. Ever since Lindsay has come to town, she has had it in for Nora -–since her ex-husband, Sam, considers Nora the love of his life. Meanwhile, Nora thinks Lindsay squirmed her way into the Buchanan household by marrying Clint, feeling she just married him for his money.
To put some added pain in Nora’s
life, Lindsay doctored Bo’s fertility records and made it appear as if
Bo was sterile. Since Nora told Bo she was pregnant to give him the will
to live after Drew died, a desperate Nora slept with Sam so she could
get pregnant. Lindsay just happened to be outside the cabana the night
of the tryst and believes she knows what really happened. Lindsay is
currently holding the information over Nora’s head, and the animosity
between the women is growing every day. Catherine Hickland (Lindsay) and
Hilary B. Smith (Nora) easily slipped out of character as they talked
about their relationship both on and off the set.
Soap Opera Magazine: You knew each other before Catherine joined the
show. When did the two of you meet?
Catherine Hickland: We met several years ago at a party at the Plaza.
Hilary B. Smith: No, it was before that. You were auditioning for the role of Angelique.
CH: You’re right, I forgot which role it was. I thought it was for Luna.
HBS: You came downstairs to see Nathan Purdee (Hank) and I was sitting in the makeup chair. You came over and said "hi." You had watched the show, and I knew you from Capitol.
CH: And I knew her from As the World Turns. I was such a huge fan of hers before I came here. When I met her, I was so excited, you would have thought I was meeting Bette Davis. I am still in awe of her work.
HBS: The second time was at the Plaza at an affiliate meeting. We sat down together and chatted. From there, every time we saw each other we would migrate together.
SOM: Talk about the chemistry between Nora and Lindsay onscreen.
HBS: We’re the new hot couple.
CH: The cable version (laughs). I never thought about it really.
HBS: I never thought about it either.
SOM: You seem surprised I used the word, but sometimes chemistry works best when it’s not in a love relationship.
HBS: True. We work well together, and I enjoy working with her so much. Chemistry is basically trust and respect, and we trust and respect each other. (To Catherine) Right?
CH: Well, yeah…
HBS: You better (laughs). So I guess that’s what chemistry is about, and we do trust one another, so I guess we work great together.
CH: Except in one scene in the diner when you left me hanging out to dry in the wind like a piece of beef jerky after a week in the sun.
HBS: (Laughs) I cut all of my lines.
CH: She cut her lines without letting me know and I’m flapping in the wind.
HBS: The writers told me to be nicer to you and that was the only way I could do it, to cut all the lines.
SOM: Why does Lindsay hate Nora so much?
CH: Sam is the love of Lindsay’s life, and Nora’s the love of his life, so that’s hard. Just being in the room with her undoes every fiber of her being. The fact that everyone thinks she’s so fabulous, that’s annoying.
SOM: So it’s a bit ironic that Nora is Sam’s great love and Sam is Lindsay’s great love, yet neither is with him.
CH: Isn’t that interesting? The audience always tells me that they want to see Lindsay back with Sam.
HBS: But as soon as you were with Sam, they wouldn’t want it.
SOM: They want to see the triangle. You’re having this great fight over a man who isn’t even in the equasion.
HBS: Right. they want a good triangle and they don’t have a rooting interest yet. I’d love to start playing that.
SOM: The rivalry seems to be getting more intense.
HBS: I think she wants to cause trouble.
CH: Obviously.
HBS: We don’t know what we’re rivaling for though. Right now it seems to be a place in the Buchanan family.
CH: All I know is right now Lindsay's convinced that Nora and Sam did the "you know" in the cabana and that alone is enough to make her crazy.
SOM: What would happen if Lindsay decided to go after Bo?
HBS: Any time that she has even insinuated getting between Nora and Bo the horns and fangs have come out. She doesn't want this woman anywhere near Bo. Lindsay is not to mess with her husband.
CH: If Lindsay went after Bo, it wouldn't be just to get back at her. I mean Bo is a babe, let's face it. He's sexy, attractive, charming.
HBS: Stay away from him.
CH: It wouldn't happen just to get back at her, but isn't that a fabulous fringe benefit?
SOM: Speaking of forever, Viki and Dorian have had this legendary rivalry for years. Is that what you would like for your characters?
CH: I never thought of that.
HBS: You have to think long term. This has to come in right from the start. Nora never talks to women, so it's so interesting to me that the only woman she talks to, she talks to in this way.
CH: I'll take it.
SOM: Do you predict any type of all-out catfight in the future?
CH: I hope not.
HBS: You really don't want to go there. The thing that's so interesting about these characters is that they're not trashy. There's nothing blue collar about them. They're professionals and there's a decorum in how they should behave. In order to get to a point where there is some sort of catfight, it better be escalated to some outrageous point and it better be worth it.
CH: Otherwise you look silly.
HBS: It has to be a real definite ride to get there, and fasten your seat belts if it does, because it would be something.
SOM: When the two of you have some downtime, what's a typical gabfest consist of?
CH: We dish about candy.
HBS: Diets.
CH: Clothes..
HBS: Men.
CH: Oh, yeah..
HBS: Men. I'm at her feet listening. I learn every day from this woman and we dish and dish and dish.
CH: And we are insane with each other (Both laugh diabolically at the same time.)
SOM: Did you practice that?
HBS: Nope, it just happened. There hasn't been an insane person here for me to play with in a long time and it's been really fun. I've had such delight having this woman in my life, and I can't tell you the joy she brings to me on the set each day. I am so thrilled that they proceeded with this sorry in the way that they did it because I get to work with Catherine and she brightens my day.
CH: Thanks you. It' since when I look at my script cover and it says Nora and I know I'll be working with her that day.
HBS: When she's not here, I do tend to walk around in circles, (calls in the air) "Catherine? Catherine?"
SOM: You've said you're two insane people together. How would you describe your relationship off-camera?
HBS: It's like two people and one life preserver with each other. This is the person I really want on the preserver with me. (To Catherine) Now you say something.
CH: Can you repeat the question (laughs). She's like high-voltage. I am also a high-voltage, type-A personality, so we wear each other down to nubs by the end of the day. We're suited for each other and we get along so well because we're both so high energy.
SOM: Any final thoughts?
HBS: If we were one of the Seven Dwarfs, she'd be Happy.
CH: And she'd be Grumpy.
HBS: No I wouldn't. I'd be Bashful (both laugh).
CH: Yeah, right, Bashful - not.
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