OUTTAKES INTERVIEW with SHAWN CHRISTIAN -- ADDICTS ANONYMOUS

SHAWN CHRISTIAN (Daniel Jonas, Days of Our Lives) joins OutTakes to talk about Addicts Anonymous, a mockumentary about a college addiction program that handles all addictions in the same room at the same time.  Shawn is executive producer and co-writer of the series, along with Jack Briggs, Freddie Smith and Nate Hartley.  Episode 1 premieres Tuesday, Nov. 26th at 6 PM EST at http://addictsanonymous.tv/

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OUTTAKES:  Addicts Anonymous has a release date of November 26^th.  Where can we see it?

SC:  You’re going to see the premiere this Tuesday on our website.  We’re going to air the first episode.  And we’re going to continue every successive Tuesday after that right on up to New Year’s Eve – which will be the sixth episode – the season finale.  We’re excited about it.  We’re also sending it out to people at Fox, MGM, Amazon, Hulu and Netflix.  We thought, why not do both?  It can also be on the internet.  We can get followers and build on the momentum that we’ve already got going on now.

OUTTAKES:  Is this a TV show…or a webseries…with the six episodes?

SC:  We’re open for any possibility.  Ideally, I think it would be best seen as a television series on cable.  Somebody had approached me as perhaps doing it as a film.  That would take a little more work, but it’s possible.  We have it edited down to an hour.  Six roughly 12-minute episodes.  That was released at our earlier screening [in Tennessee] almost like a movie…in succession, one right after another.  We’ll see what people are excited about and how they want to present it.

OUTTAKES:  So Addicts Anonymous is like The Breakfast Club for this generation?

SC:  This is what I was discussing with the guys [Freddie Smith, Jack Briggs and Nate Harley] to begin with before we sat down and wrote the six episodes.  The characters are not literally addicts; they’re on the cusp of addiction.  Of course, real addiction is a real problem.  So we have a comedy twist with those people who have the potential to turn into addicts.  Gary Goldberg, our lovable life coach (played by Freddie Smith, pictured above), does a great job of fostering that idea:  that we are here to thwart it before it becomes an addiction.  We try to make that distinction in Episode One.

OUTTAKES:  And you play Gary Goldberg’s father on the show?

SC:  Yes.  Lori Loughlin and I play delinquent parents (pictured below).  When we were creating the show, we were asking who Gary’s parents would be and how would we bring them on.  What we wanted to do was to help define why he is the way that he is because he grew up in such a dysfunctional family.  His father is a bit of a travel addict, never really spent a lot of time in Gary’s life and doesn’t know much about him.  And Gary has spent the majority of his life trying to prove himself to his father.  So now you get a sense of why Gary is so committed to his students and speaking out…getting across to these kids.  We had some really nice scenes.  Some were kind of provocative that really bring you to the edge…but they didn’t really serve trying to define Gary.  I’m sure in the DVD release, we’ll put some of those deleted scenes in there.  It’ll be fun.

OUTTAKES:  What is it that attracted you to this project?

SC:  Freddie had a clip of it on his phone in the makeup room; and I took a look at it.  They had been tinkering with this for five years.  So I asked if we could sit down and talk.  I pitched them my vision for what the show could be.  So we collaborated together with their vision and my vision.  It continued to build and grow.  This great momentum came about.  The four of us sat down; and we wrote for weeks.  It came together very nicely, I thought.  A wonderful process when we got together.  We each had our unique voices that leant to what people will see with these episodes.

OUTTAKES:  You’ve already had a successful screening and Kickstarter campaign.  If people want to continue to participate and contribute to the series, is there a way for them to do so?

SC:  Yes.  We are not non-profit; so we have to give something in return.  We give out headshots, scripts…things like that.  People can contribute at http://www.addictsanonymous.tv/.  And we’ll give them something in return.  You can also buy Addicts Anonymous tee shirts that have “Addicts Anonymous” on the front; and then on the back, asks what your addiction is.  As we have gone from the screening, we still spread the campaign of #SpreadTheAddiction and #WhatsYourAddiction.  I’ve already tweeted out a couple of people who wore tee shirts.  One woman was on a horse; and her addiction is horses.  Another one likes animals; and so I tweeted that out.  If I get pictures of them via Twitter, I will retweet them if they’re wearing a tee shirt and doing their so-called addiction…as long as it’s clean!  (laughs)

OUTTAKES:  You created Moonshine Entertainment Company.  What do you like about being a producer?

SC:  As an actor, I can only paint a certain part of the picture.  Days of Our Lives is a huge landscape; and what I do as “Dan” is a small bit that makes up the better whole.  As executive producer, I get to help paint the whole picture.  I have more of a thumbprint into what this show is going to look like and what it’s going to be.  Of course, you collaborate with your co-producers as well.  When you write and produce, your voice is lent to a bigger part of the canvas.  I really enjoy that.  I had a great time doing that with Spanners; and now that author has written two more books.  We’ll see how it goes.  We may make a movie out of those as well.  I’m optioning rights to a book now that I would like to make into a movie.  There’s a story out of the Netherlands that I’ve gotten hold of based on a true story; and I’m getting documentation on that right now…and perhaps will build a script out of that.  That’s more like a political thriller.  The other is the battle for Atlantis; and that would be a huge big budget film.  So those are the other projects that I’m working on.  I’d love to do a romantic comedy; and I’m reading another script for that right now that I’d love to produce.  I find that with the executive producer hat, I have a little more creative control.  I really enjoy that part of it.  And with the name of Moonshine, part of it is shining light on the dark creative places and just putting it out there.

OUTTAKES:  As “Dan” on Days of Our Lives, you’re on the show quite a lot.  How do you find the time to do all of these producer projects along with playing a front burner storyline on the soap?

SC:  I don’t sleep.  Days of Our Lives has given me a great opportunity to do the things that I get to do and pay my bills…but also ultimately do what I love to do – which is act day in and day out.  It is like going to the gym.  It is literally a great creative workout for me.  It is as 9-to-5 as you can get in entertainment.  And for almost 50 years now, Days has been running.  It’s a nice little family environment; so I really enjoy that part of my life.  And there are so many other unknowns such as the scripts -- the political thriller, the romantic comedy.  And so, I don’t sleep.  Also, I’ve learned how to balance my personal life and spend time with the people I love.  And if you have to sacrifice time, the time to sacrifice is sleep.  Because I just want to do it all…like Paul Newman and Robert Redford who are not just great artists…but are also amazing philanthropists.  So in the meantime, I work with Arianne Zucker on the Arrow-Heart Adventure Camp, working with teens and doing character-building challenges and giving them camping experiences.  We are working with nonviolent juveniles who are either in the probation system or the detention system.  And we give them that adventure with the character-building program.  Over Thanksgiving, we are going to be giving them a big feast; and it will be like an Arrow-Heart Thanksgiving.  I’m so excited about that; and that’s the other part of what I love to do.  Creativity and philanthropy.  So if I can do both of those and balance my personal life…I love it; and that’s part of what inspires me.

RELATED LINKS:

Addicts Anonymous Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/addictstv

Addicts Anonymous Twitter page https://twitter.com/AddictsAnon

RELATED INTERVIEWS:

Molly Burnett 9/15/2011 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2011/09/15/molly-burnett

Freddie Smith 10/16/2011 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2011/10/06/freddie-smith

Shawn Christian 3/1/2012 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2012/03/01/shawn-christian

Freddie Smith 9/20/12 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2012/09/20/freddie-smith-92012

DAY OF DAYS 2013 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEW with JUDI EVANS

THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

Judi Evans (Adrienne Kiriakis, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013
 
OUTTAKES:  How does it feel playing Adrienne right now?  She’s gone in such a new direction from how we’re used to seeing her character.  Becoming very aggressive about the Will/Sonny pairing and against Sami.

JE:  It’s great because we all sometimes take a little side tour; and it’s not always the best side tour for us or in our lives.  In a way, it’s very realistic to real life.  I enjoy working; so whatever they want to throw at me, I’m willing to roll with it and run with it.  

OUTTAKES:  Have you been getting a lot of fan response because some people are just thinking that Adrienne is just out of her mind?

JE:  Yeah, the fans are pretty upset about Adrienne’s reaction.  But that’s good because you’re getting a reaction.  That’s better than not getting a reaction.  There has to be a catalyst.  There has to be somebody who’s not doing the right thing.  And it’s nice that a good girl is not doing the right thing. 

OUTTAKES:  It’s also cool seeing the dynamics between Justin and Adrienne.  I still enjoy them so much as a couple.  What is it that you think keeps them together as a couple? 

JE:  They love each other.  No matter if they agree, disagree, getting along, not getting along…they 100% love each other!  And who doesn’t want that?  Who doesn’t want somebody who is so dedicated and devoted to someone that even in the bad times, no matter what…I still love you.  That’s wonderful.  We all want that.  Marriage has its ups and downs, especially if you’ve been married for a long time…several times (laughs).  Naturally, there’s ups and downs so it’s nice to see that no matter how bad it gets, you still love each other and you’re still together.

OUTTAKES:  One of the funniest scenes that you were part of on DAYS in a long time was the scene with the pastries that JJ had put the drugs in.  Did you guys have a lot of fun taping that scene?

JE:  Oh my God, we had a blast doing that!  And funny, we all had a high from it as if it were all laced because it was so silly and fun and fabulous, especially because we were all involved in very dramatic storylines.  So it was nice to take that little break and have that little fun day.  It was wonderful.  We had a blast!  I wish we could do it again.  Although I gained ten pounds from eating pickles and olives and peanut butter and doughnuts…but you know, it was worth it.

OUTTAKES:  Season 4 of VENICE is coming out on DVD soon.  Do you have any other projects coming up?

JE:  I’m also involved in THE GROVE as well.  And I’ve been approached for a couple of other shows.  So I’m considering them and seeing what develops.

DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEW with WALLY KURTH

THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

Wally Kurth (Justin Kiriakis, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013

OUTTAKES:  How have you been feeling playing Justin in this situation where you’re an attorney working for a crazy Dimera, always having to get EJ and Sami out of these scrapes?  

WK:  I loved the whole trial storyline and working with EJ, bringing Stefano down.  It was really just the greatest year ever.  It’s been so much fun being the smart conniving strong charming character that he is.  A businessman.  You don’t get to see him in that business mode very often; and yes, it was really fun to step into that storyline.  It was great.  And it was so much fun working with James and Ali…which is interesting because I never really worked with either one of them.  The writers really wrote great stuff for them; and it was just a really fun story.  I thought that the writers did a great job with the story.  I thought that it was really executed brilliantly; and I was on the edge of my seat when I read it.  I couldn’t wait to get into the script and see what I was going to do next.

OUTTAKES:  We’re also seeing Justin and Adrienne at odds.  Adrienne disapproving of what Justin is doing; and Justin disapproving of what Adrienne is doing.  We’re seeing some trouble in paradise.  In the 1980s, I loved Justin and Adrienne when they first got together.  People are still rooting for this couple to find their way to resolve their differences.  What is it about the couple of Justin and Adrienne that viewers like?

WK:  Oh, my gosh.  I wish I knew because honestly I can only assume that it is just Judi and I being together…and Judi being Judi, and me trying to be Wally.  And then they write this storyline for us; and we just jump in there with both feet and go for it.  I also think what is interesting is that you saw these young people…well, we were younger 20 years ago, 25 years ago…just getting started in this business.  In Salem.  Cut 20 years later, and here we are back together…and to see us still pretty good and with our grown children.  We have this maturity about ourselves and our life.  I know from an audience standpoint I like it when I watch it.  I’m like “Oh, now there’s Justin and Adrienne; and now they’re older.  They’re a mature couple; and they have a son.  And they’re dealing with issues that we’re all dealing with.”  Because a lot of fans saw us at that age 20 years ago when they were in high school or college; and 20 years later, they are now married with children.  And hopefully they can relate to us now just like they did back then.  And that’s the cool part.  That’s the cool part about soaps.  You don’t get that history.  You don’t get that longevity.  You don’t get that breadth.  That scope of a lifetime.  That’s the miracle of a soap.

OUTTAKES:  You also have the added storyline with what’s going on with Will and Sonny.  Dealing with Sonny coming out and all of the ramifications of that and him dealing with Will.  How has that storyline been as a parent?

WK:  It’s been great; and you know rightfully so.  Rejecting my son because he’s gay would be like rejecting my son for having brown eyes.  That’s what Justin said; and that’s exactly how he sees it.  Getting beyond that, now it’s about…is he being honored in that relationship?  And is Will a good fit for him?  I just look at it as if they were a heterosexual couple.  That’s how I would do it in real life.  And looking out for the best interest of my son, guiding my son like a parent would.  Once again, I think the writers have done a brilliant job of just expressing the concerns that a parent would have whether it be a heterosexual son or a homosexual son.  I think that’s really key and important.  From an acting standpoint, it’s lovely because I’ve never dealt with that.

OUTTAKES:  I’m not only a fan of yours as an actor but also as a musician.  Any more Kurth and Taylor concerts coming up?

WK:  Thank you!  Nothing right now.  We’re actually working on a new song.  I think what we’ll try to do…once we finish it, we’ll definitely get it out there, maybe do a video.  With Twitter and everything else, we’ll be able to get it out there to a few thousand people; and that’ll be pretty cool for people to see it and Facebook it and get a response.  That should be pretty sweet.  That’ll be fun.  In this new world of social media.  It used to be…OK, let’s make the CD, let’s make 10 songs.  We’ll press the CD.  We’ll put them in a suitcase and take them to our next concert.  Now we don’t need to do a concert.  We don’t even have to have a CD.  We just need to record the song and download it on iTunes.  You can go to YouTube and watch it.  We haven’t even done that yet because we haven’t had a new song for a couple of years.  But that’ll be fun.  That’ll be fun.

DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEW with JOHN ANISTON

THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

John Aniston (Victor Kiriakis, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013

OUTTAKES:  Victor Kiriakis has some of the best lines in daytime.  He gives those insulting zingers that are just great!

JA:  Doesn’t he?  Am I lucky or not?

OUTTAKES:  You are lucky.  Do you have any input in that…or is that all the writers doing?

JA:  Mostly it’s all the writers.  Occasionally, I’ll write a line.  But for the most part, it’s the writers.  They’re terrific with Victor.

OUTTAKES:  You know what?  I’m thrilled to see Victor sort of getting his edge back.  He was married to Maggie.  He was kind of being nice for her.  But now we’re seeing bad guy Victor coming back again.  How do you like that?

JA:  I was cynical all of last year, for God’s sake!  What sort of thing is that for Victor to be doing?  Victor’s always much more fun certainly to play; and I think the audience enjoys him more when he’s a bit caustic.  

OUTTAKES:  I agree.  Do you have an all-time favorite storyline on DAYS that you’ve played?

JA:  I remember the old days when we had money.  We used to go on location; and I had some pretty terrific locations.  I went to Greece and I went to Florida.  I went white water rafting in the Kern river.  Those were all fun to do.  The Florida storyline was probably the best one.  

OUTTAKES:  I’m so glad you said that because that’s one of my favorites too.

JA:  Really?  Yes, when Kimberly seduces Victor to keep him from killing Shane.

DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEW with SUZANNE ROGERS

THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

Suzanne Rogers (Maggie Horton, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013

OUTTAKES:  Why do you think DAYS has been on the air for almost 50 years?

SR:  I think it’s the storylines.  It’s the writing.  And it’s about family units.  I think that everyone who watches the show pretty much can relate to that.  We have for years had a lot of romances.  A lot of supercouples.  A lot of fun things.  I think that we do things that the audience wants to see.  They want to be connected and feel like they’re part of the show.

OUTTAKES:  What has been your favorite storyline as Maggie?

SR:  I loved the red shoes storyline which was a long time ago.  But the most recent storyline with John Aniston has been just great.  We never had one of those names like “Magic”…and now all of a sudden, the fans gave us this name; and that’s been fun for me.  I love it!

OUTTAKES:  You and John Aniston have such fun chemistry together.  Now Victor’s in hot water big time.  

SR:  You know he is!

OUTTAKES:  We’re seeing some of Victor Kiriakis, the villain, coming back. 

SR:  There you go!  But you know Maggie will whip him back into shape.

OUTTAKES:  What do you think it is about Victor and Maggie that the fans just love?  What is it about you two that is so popular?

SR:  Maggie was just a very sweet character that was married to a lawyer and was kind of in the background.  All of a sudden, when he [Mickey] passed away, she had to pull up her boot straps and move on.  She ran a business; and she didn’t need anything.  All of his [Victor’s] wives were needy.  They wanted him for his money, for his name, for his this, for his that.  And she kind of didn’t.  I think that’s what attracted him to her; and I think that’s what attracted her to him.

DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEW with JEN LILLEY

THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

Jen Lilley (Theresa Donovan, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013

OUTTAKES:  How do you like playing Theresa?

JL:  I love it.  It’s such a challenge for me. I love that every script has its twists and turns that I just did not see coming.  It’s an adventure and I love it.  I never get bored with her.  I think she’s fascinating.  

OUTTAKES:  She’s quite different from Queen Esther [from the movie THE BOOK OF ESTHER] and Maxie [GENERAL HOSPITAL].

JL:  No doubt about that.

OUTTAKES:  So Charles Shaughnessy and Patricia Pease, longtime favorites, have returned to the show as Teresa’s parents.  What was it like working with them?

JL:  It was so incredible.  Patsy is amazing.  She’s the most fantastic woman.  She can cut into the very marrow of my bones.  She affects me like few actors have ever been able to affect me.  She’s a powerhouse.  A powerful actress.  And she’s a lovely person.  She’s so kind.  I’d never had the privilege of talking to her before.  She is just something else as a person in real life too.  So it was a dream come true working with her; and I’d like to work with her many many times.  With Charles Shaughnessy, I was just freaking out a little bit because I love THE NANNY; and so it was one of those moments where it’s like “Pinch me!  I can’t believe this is happening.  This is my real life.”  And so I’m freaking that here I am working with Charles Shaughnessy.  It was just such a great experience.

OUTTAKES:  If you could write a storyline for Theresa, what would you like to see happen to her?

JL:  I don’t know.  I would love to explore a mental illness.  I would love for her to have multiple personalities like Kimberly did; so she would be really mentally and chemically unstable.  But at the same time, I would also love for her to have a romance storyline.  I like her being evil.  I don’t want her to be fully redeemed, but at the same time, I think everyone has some sort of soul mate.  And that would be a fun side of her to play.

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RELATED INTERVIEWS:

Jen Lilley and Thaao Penghlis -- THE BOOK OF ESTHER -- 5/31/13

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/05/31/the-book-of-esther--jen-lilley-and-thaao-penghlis

Jen Lilley  -- 12/18/12

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2012/12/18/jen-lilley

DAY OF DAYS 2013 with CASEY MOSS

 
THE DAY OF DAYS 2013 INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF THE CAST MEMBERS CAN BE HEARD HERE:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/outtakes/2013/11/12/outtakes-at-day-of-days-2013

Casey Moss (JJ Deveraux, DAYS OF OUR LIVES) -- November 9th, 2013

OUTTAKES:  You’re in this major storyline with JJ finding out about what Jack did to Kayla; and then he went off the rails with Teresa.  How did you prepare for that storyline?  Did you have to look at a lot of the history of DAYS like looking at YouTube?

CM:  I had to do a lot of history.  Basically just somewhat personal experience and also just pure imagination.  That’s usually the way I prepare for everything.  Through personalization, pure imagination and just being open…and then kind of living it.  

OUTTAKES:  What do you like the most about playing JJ?

CM:  It’s challenging and it’s real.  It’s more realistic than anything.  It’s a very real true story because things like this can actually happen.  I believe a lot of kids have found themselves in these situations.