Kassie DePaiva Talks Killian & The Comeback Kids and Her Fight To Keep Soaps On Air! Read More Here ---->>>
Soap Opera News had the honor of chatting it up with one of daytime’s best, Kassie DePaiva, about her new film, Killian & the Comeback Kids, soaps, and more!
"Even in Junior high school I was very involved with our theatre,” the actress shared about her path to stardom. “I also believe because I was a singer that performing was just second nature to me. Though, it wasn’t until I was probably in my late teens that I realized that I could be compensated for these things,” she laughed. “I’ve just been very, very fortunate to have been in the right place at the right time.”
In 1986, DePaiva landed her first soap role as Chelsea Reardon on the long-running CBS series, Guiding Light. “When I first got the gig it was very challenging because I didn’t know if I was even qualified to do it. It was my first television show, it was a lot of dialogue, and at that point, you are developing a character that you hope is interesting and that the fans like. There’s a lot of elements to being successful on a soap, but it worked out! I met some great friends there and I had a great time.”
After some time working to make it in primetime, she found herself in the role of her career with One Life to Live’s Blair Cramer. “That character and that show left a huge mark on my life,” she expressed. “Blair was very empowering. She was strong and she pulled herself up by her bootstraps and kept going. She was extremely flawed but she had a real rooting factor. You cared about her. I think that the success of Blair had a lot to do with the success of Todd and Blair.”
Since the soap was - unjustly - canceled, fans of OLTL have been teased for years with the possibility of a reboot. We asked Kassie if the miracle were to happen and the series was brought back would we see Blair back in Llanview? “Well, yeah! You can’t do it without Blair, Dorian, Starr, and Todd. You just can’t do it.”
Known for her powerful performances, there is no character in recent history that has caused as much of a stir as Days of Our Lives’ Eve Donovan. While playing the villain can be fun it can also be very draining. “It’s exhausting to be that mean all the time,” she joked. “I think no matter how much bravado she puts out you still see those emotional scars, which makes her relatable. You’ve got to have the Eve’s in these little soap opera towns because they’re the ones that stir up trouble. It’s fun to be on that side of the fence but at the same time those are usually short-lived until they need you to come back and do it again.” Speaking of coming back to do it again - will we see Eve back in Salem again? “I certainly hope so but that is something that I can’t look into the future and tell you. It would be nice.”
Recently, Kassie has been enjoying the success of her latest film, Killian & the Comeback Kids. The project follows Killian, who is forced to return to his struggling hometown where he gathers a group of childhood friends to start a band for an upcoming music festival. In the film, she plays the titular character’s mother, Mrs. Raison, which she claims wasn’t really a stretch for her. “I’m a caring mama myself so all I had to do was smile and nod my head.”
Working on the film led to a reunion with fellow One Life to Live alum, Nathan Purdee, and his family with his son Taylor starring and directing the feature. “Nathan is such a good guy! That whole family, Robbie, who helped produce the project, is just smart, beautiful, and kind. And Taylor...he is really brilliant. He did such a beautiful job on this.”
“There’s just a lot of hope in it. I think that Millennials are all in the same boat right now. They are either stuck at home or are having their dreams sidestepped right now due to COVID. I think Killian & the Comeback Kids is a movie about hope and how you should keep pursuing your dreams. That is the key to happiness in life.”
As for what’s next for Kassie...she just wants to keep working. “It would be nice to have more opportunities but I think the older you get those are further and fewer between. I hope that my soap career is not over yet and that I can still continue to entertain and be on a set because that’s where I feel the most comfortable. I feel like I get up every morning and fight to keep daytime on the air. Sometimes it feels like a losing battle but I just believe in it and I love it. I enjoy the process, the stories, and the people I’ve met along the way.”
Thank you, Kassie, for the lovely chat. It was truly an honor to speak with you!
Tori
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