Hillary B. Smith (Nora, OLTL)
Nora’s quest to bring down Lindsay has been just shy of all-consuming. She finally got the proof she’d been seeking – on the day of Lindsay’s wedding to Bo, of course. Watching Hillary B. Smith stumble through Nora’s crisis of conscience was as entertaining for us as it was awkward for those in her on-screen path.
The action began when Nora found R.J.’s telltale letter to Lindsay. She was breathless upon reading the incriminating text: “It takes a special kind of woman to take out a monster like Spencer Truman and then take a nervous breakdown – “ Smith paused to catch her breath, then savored the final, damning words “-to avoid doing time.” Nora shifted her eyes to wonderment at the long overdue gotcha. She scurried to the mansion to share the news with Clint, but he took the wind out of her vengeful sails by urging her to consider Bo’s happiness. (Oh, right, that.)
Nora eventually resolved to let it go, and as the nuptials got under way, she tried desperately to restrain herself. Smith didn’t ham it up with a lot of nervous shifting and eye-twitching, opting instead to subtly display Nora’s anxiousness with a tightly closed mouth that appeared poised to pop open at any moment. As Bo gushed his way through the vows, Nora’s face became even more contorted (kinda like it did when she lost her breakfast upon hearing news of the engagement!).
Before the bride and groom could say, “I do,” though, a startling sound came out of Nora’s mouth as she pushed out the words, “Nnnnnooooo, wait!” and produced the letter. Nora didn’t expect what came next: Lindsay insisting on reciting the entire letter herself. Smith also expertly underplayed those moments – standing silently, hugging herself, swallowing hard – as Nora contemplated the weight of her actions.
The wedding, of course, ended with no wedding at all. It was Smith’s portrayal of Nora chomping at the bit to get what she wanted – just not quite how she wanted it – that made the non-nups sing.
Mini-skirting the issue
Q: How do two Emmy-winning actresses
prepare for a black-tie event?
A: With a swim and a cocktail.
Note: WEEKLY editor Carolyn Hinsey conducted this interview in the
Hollywood Renaissance Hotel pool.
WEEKLY: Okay, ladies, what are you
wearing?
Kim Zimmer (Reva, GL): We just realized that we’re both going retro.
Hillary B. Smith (Nora, OLTL): I’m doing an homage to the 40th
anniversary of One Life to Live, what I would have worn in 1968.
WEEKLY: Which is what?
Smith: A silver sequined minidress with silver metallic shoes. Of course,
I got them at Target and paid 1960s prices for them, which I love. I think
I’m going to do a beehive hairdo.
Zimmer: Oh, my God! We’re going to look like twinners. I found this cute
little dress, which I decided to make a retro dress.
Smith: Perfect!
Zimmer: Mine’s more like a Laugh-In kind of thing, with big plastic
earrings. I’ve got big eyelashes, too.
Smith: We’ll be the coolest ones on the red carpet.
Zimmer: People will think we’ve lost our minds.
Smith: they’ll know we’ve lost our minds.
-Soap Opera Weekly, July 15, 2008
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~ SNAPSHOT~
Have you ever met Hillary? How long have you been her fan and how has she impacted your life? Do you have favorite memories of Nora’s character or an experience from meeting Hillary at fan events throughout the years that you wish to share? How long have you watched OLTL and what besides Hillary keeps you tuned in? All are well aware that One Life to Live recently celebrated a landmark achievement, as the show commemorated its 40th anniversary on July 15th. As OLTL marks a very special milestone, I am seeking your favorite memories and am interested in learning what you are currently enjoying (or what you aren’t enjoying!) in relation to Nora’s character and in terms of the overall show. I will be mixing up the format of this column over the next several months in order to keep things fresh and entertaining, and moving towards a more interactive format. If you are interested in being interviewed or in participating in a roundtable dialogue, please contact me at the email address listed above. This is your chance to be heard, so don’t be shy! Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy the Q&A with Rosanna that kicks things off in celebration.
NAME:
Rosanna (“Ro”) Schmidgall
HAILS FROM: Pasadena, California
ALL ABOUT ME (BACKGROUND, HOBBIES, FUN FACTS): My family is from Hungary originally, and I learned to speak Hungarian before English due to my non-English-speaking grandfather living with us. I've visited Hungary three times and love it! I'm retired from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and absolutely love being retired. I was the winning bidder and was featured in two photos in last September's ABC Soaps in Depth (one with Bob Woods, one with Catherine Hickland), and that is a really fun fact.
OLTL FAN SINCE… 1999
EARLIEST OLTL MEMORY: Bo going out on his boat during a storm and Nora crying…a LOT!
HAVE YOU EVER MET HILLARY? WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE? I've met Hillary twice: the first time at Super Soap 2003 (SSW used to be held in California). She was so warm and welcoming and I immediately felt as though I’d known her for years. She “ooh'd” and “ahh'd” over my photo of my little grandchildren, and she invited me to New Jersey to see her and Catherine in A Couple of Soap Chicks. I was blown away by her genuine interest in each fan she met. The second time was in 2007 at The Derby in Hollywood, the night prior to the Emmys, when I attended a concert featuring Kassie DePaiva, Renee Elise Goldsberry, and Kathy Brier. I went up to Hillary and introduced myself. She said, "You're Ro? I know you!" I was a very active supporter of hers and was fighting hard at the time for her current contract. She showed me the beautiful diamond necklace given to her by a few of her most loving fans for her 50th birthday and stated that she had been wearing it nonstop since receiving it and hadn’t yet taken it off. I'd also like to add that Hillary is absolutely gorgeous in person!
FAVORITE HILLARY MEMORY: I cherish each time I’ve seen her and every time I look at the photos of us together which were taken from the events I mentioned, it warms my heart.
FAVORITE NORA MEMORY: I can't choose one memory! Nora is such a pleasure to watch and each and every scene where her character is featured is a joy. Hillary is a master at timing and her facial expressions speak volumes. I do, however, truly relish Nora and Bo's dancing memories. An episode without Nora is incomplete, and when she's on I can't stop smiling.
HOW HAS HILLARY IMPACTED YOUR LIFE OVER THE COURSE OF BEING A FAN? Hillary has inspired me to go after what I want and to be a bigger person than I might have been had I never met and learned from her. This is a woman for whom the word "class" was named. Her dedicated support to charitable endeavors and to those of her castmastes speaks volumes about her giving and loving nature.
IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO SIT DOWN WITH HILLARY ONE-ON-ONE, WHAT WOULD YOU CHAT ABOUT? I would ask her about her career and encourage her to write a book about her life experiences. She has quite a fascinating story to tell on so many levels. I think all of her fans would love it!
IF YOU COULD PLAY WRITER FOR A DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU WRITE? I would write an episode wherein Nora was running for President, won the election, and ruled the country in her fair and funny way. No men needed!
WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN TERMS OF NORA’S CHARACTER STORY-WISE? I'm looking forward to Nora having a great court case, perhaps involving the prosecution of Dorian, and the twists and turns and surprises that she would pull out of her hat in order to win this case. Nora is at her best as an attorney and what fun it is to see what she comes up with! I'm also looking forward to Nora and Lindsay's "feud" heating up -- those two are a riot to watch. I hope Hillary will continue to light up our screens as Nora for many years to come.
WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT NORA'S ROMANCE WITH CLINT? The thing about Hillary is that she has a tangible chemistry with everyone she works with. This is so apparent with Jerry verDorn, and I feel that Nora and Clint have very deep feelings for each other. That said, I also think that Nora and Bo will always have places in their hearts for one another but I doubt their "old" feelings can be relived. But who knows? With Ron Carlivati writing for Nora anything's possible!
I wish to thank Rosanna for participating in this month’s newsletter column and for contributing the lovely photo of her and Hillary. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer, and congratulations on forty years, One Life to Live!
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
~ SUPPORT HILLARY ~
Your Daytime Favorites Whistle a Happy ‘Toon
Some of daytime’s most famous faces aren’t being seen these days. And for ALL MY CHILDREN’s Susan Lucci (Erica), Walt Willey (Jackson) and Jill Larson (Opal); ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s Kassie DePaiva (Blair), Hillary B. Smith (Nora) and Kathy Brier (Marcie); and GENERAL HOSPITAL’s Wally Kurth (Ned), not being seen is nothing but good. That’s because these popular actors are lending their voices and personalities to several of Playhouse Disney’s most imaginative and popular animated series for preschool kids: STANLEY, JOJO’S CIRCUS and the brand-new HIGGLYTOWN HEROES. These thoroughly charming programs are giving these stars a chance to try something new and challenging, to do it without makeup, to wear jeans and t-shirts and get paid for it. Who would’ve ever thought that actors could be so happy not being seen?
Who’s The Boss
The person responsible for hiring the stars is Paula Rosenthal, the
executive who oversees all the creative elements on Playhouse
Disney’s original programs. Rosenthal, who is a longtime soap fan,
was also in charge of original programming for SOAPnet in the
network’s early days and was responsible for launching SOAPCENTER,
as well as a variety of specials.
“The soaps’ casts are a huge untapped resource of talent,” Rosenthal explains. “Actors on daytime dramas also have great range. And because of the way they work on soaps, they have the ability to go with the flow. When you’re in the booth recording, you can be asked to do 12 different reads of the same line, and they’re really capable of mixing it up.”
”Mouthing Off”
OLTL castmate Smith says of her experience: “It’s just a sweet,
wonderful thing to do. I loved both roles. I played Mrs. Tightrope
on JOJO’S CIRCUS [a movement-focused series whose main character is
a 6-year-old clown] and an archaeologist on STANLEY.” Smith says
that the most challenging thing was “making sure I got everything in
my voice that I’d usually do with a facial expression.”
It was totally the opposite for her OLTL co-star, Brier, whose character on JOJO – Babalulu, a recent clown-school graduate in search of self-confidence – is recurring. “I took to this really, really easily,” she says. “As a singer, especially in musical theater, where there are 2,000 people in the auditorium, my voice is my most effective tool because the people in the back row can’t really see your features. So your voice is the instrument that conveys emotion.”