In the summer of 1995, I lost my mother, my greatest and sweetest life friend. This threw me into a chaotic period of adjustment, both emotionally and legally. I did several movies-of-the-week and some episodic work throughout the following year to keep myself busy. By the fall of 1996, I was seriously examining my interest in continuing my career as an actress. I had no enthusiasm for my work. I wanted to contribute, I knew that, but it seemed as if all the life and work that had gone before was somehow “done” and complete. I was in a limbo of unknowing of what the new direction for me might be. It would indeed be “new” as I felt very new myself. It was as if another “incarnation” was beginning fresh. I had the memory and awareness of my experiences and the lessons learned, but no attachment to any of it. It was an unusual place, a peaceful place, and a “holding” place. I knew whatever was ” for” me would reveal itself. I felt patient.
Early in November of 1996, my agent called me and said that Aaron Spelling had personally asked for me to play a lead role in his first entrance into daytime drama. It would be called Sunset Beach. I have to say I was delighted to be asked for by Aaron. Obviously, he is a tremendously successful producer of the famous recent series of 90210, Melrose Place, Seventh Heaven, and his “historical hits” which include Dynasty, Love Boat, Fantasy Island, and Charlie’s Angels. We first met at The Daisy in 1967, a great nightclub on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills attended by all the stars. He’d play pool with Candy by his side, and I was a wide-eyed, very young Peyton Place star with Ryan by my side. At the time, Aaron was a successful writer. We have known each other throughout the years as warm acquaintances.
He is a truly nice man who has raised two wonderful children with his lovely wife, Candy. Randy Spelling is a special young man. He is funny, delightful, talented, spiritual, and like his father, he is very kind and good to other people. Tori is a consummate professional; she has the potential of becoming an even finer actress. She has talent and discipline, and like her younger brother, she is gracious with everyone. Aaron Spelling has never seemed to lose his sense of wonder. Out of his childhood love for movies, he has created wonderful fantasies to thoroughly entertain us and take us momentarily away from life’s day-to-day humdrum. I highly recommend his book, Aaron Spelling, A Prime Time Life. It is inspiring.
From his efforts and who he is as a person, Aaron has created all he has today. He deserves it. He has also incorporated into 90210 and Melrose Place some very pertinent social issues for young people. Seventh Heaven is a value-oriented family show.
When he asked for me to play Elaine, I took it seriously. However, I did not want to do Daytime. I had my judgments about these shows. They seemed “unreal” to me. I had never been captured as a loyal Daytime viewer. I had big doubts. To honor Aaron’s request, I went in to meet the producers and the head writer.
They would be starting in two weeks and they still didn’t have their Elaine. Elaine Stevens was originally conceived as an Earth Mother type, like Patricia Neal or Collen Dewhurst. I was not that. I’m a good actress, but we all carry our own qualities into our roles. However, I am a nurturing person, which did seem to fit the character. The producers felt strongly that I was right to play her. When they started describing the character in greater detail, inwardly I felt a tingle of creative juices stirring. I thought to myself, “Leigh, you are in trouble. You like this character.” I took a day to think about it, and the “tingle” did not go away. I was excited even in the face of all my considerations. I risked it and said Yes! My life now began to have new definition by accepting this commitment. The producer of Sunset Beach, Gary Tomlin, warned me well of the demand and the speed of the work. It didn’t dissuade me. I saw it as a challenge. Well, when I began shooting, I realized fully how right he was.
The first month I was on the show, I was quite upset. I thought I was terrible. I simply was not used to three cameras, almost no rehearsal, and only one, or possibly two, takes. I was a “process”-oriented actress who needed rehearsal and at least some time to prepare. In Nighttime television, you learn to speed up your “process” of preparation and readiness. In Daytime, you work comparatively at the speed of light, often with 20 to 30 pages of dialogue a day. You might take a week to shoot that much dialogue in a Nighttime series. I was convinced I had seriously damaged my career. I felt I couldn’t be good without my comfort zone of “more time”. Given that I was committed to Sunset Beach, I knew I had better find a way. I did. I decided to be good in less time, as quickly as possible. I decided to trust myself. Somewhere in me, after thirty years of working and wonderful training, was the ability to risk, and “go for it” with no “safety net”, and still arrive at the emotional moments.
I accepted there would be days when I simply would not meet my expectations, and so you go on to the next day’s work. You can do that in Daytime. You can always go on to the next day. Just do your best. Sunset Beach taught me to let go, to trust, to accept, and to go on. These are the kind of things I like to be learning in any acting assignment.
I have to say, my respect for actors on Daytime dramas is very high. They work hard. They deserve the loving and loyal fans they have. They make their characters very real and accessible. Accessibility is the key to Daytime. The actors/characters are in your home every day with their daily life challenges. They become familiar friends to the audience. Sunset Beach was for me a very productive and fulfilling experience.