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Soap Opera Digest
April 3, 2007
While They Were Sleeping
In 2005, a previously
undiagnosed brain aneurysm sent Nora into a six-month coma.
What did you think about while
playing comatose? “I didn’t have a chance to think about anything – I had to do
my own respirator breathing. I took that job on myself because I can’t stand
watching people on respirators when their chest doesn’t move because I’ve seen
people on respirators and their chest moves. It was my idea and I’m sure they
hated me for it, but I am one of those particular people.”
What id the respirator
breathing entail? “You had to time it to the machine, so I had to make this
noise [imitates noise] and then fill my chest up [imitates noise again], then
inflate my chest, all to the timing of the machine. When I did it, I just kind
of did it lightly, and then when we went to tape it, I did it in full force and
I heard Bob Woods [Bo] go, ‘What the heck is going on in there? Who is that,
Darth Vader? I guess he wasn’t expecting it [laughs].”
Was this a relatively easy
gig? “Yes, [but] it’s hard because you’ve got everything taped in and then you
can’t wait to get it off…I’d arrive with no hair and no makeup, get into bed,
take off my shirt, get on the johnny and they’d tape me up. It was like the
easiest work I’ve ever had to do, except the hardest thing was doing the
respirator breathing and keep that going.”
Was part of the time in a coma
related to contract negotiations? “Well, I was put in a coma and I think the
idea was I would leave the show. And then we did a year extension with the idea
that they would wake Nora up and they didn’t wake her up until [March]. So,
there was a lot to do with me being on the show or not being on the show and
would they use me or wouldn’t they use me?”
When did you get tired of
playing comatose? “Pretty much in the first month. You go in and you get all
dressed up and you know you’re never coming out of it, and you’re like, ‘Why am
I here?’”
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