Soap Opera News had the opportunity to catch up with “Passions” alum Kim Johnston Ulrich. Check out our exclusive below: “Passions” was a s...
Soap Opera News had the opportunity to catch up with “Passions” alum Kim Johnston Ulrich. Check out our exclusive below:
“Passions” was a soap opera that aired on NBC from the late 90’s-mid 2000s. Fans would describe it as ahead of its time as it featured supernatural storylines and characters such as witches and a real-life doll.
Kim Johnston Ulrich got her start in daytime television playing the role of Diana McColl on “As The World Turns” from 1983-1986. She described ATWT as a “traditional soap opera” compared to “Passions”. She recalled, “When I did ATWT it was my first job, I had a great time, I had fun, I learned a lot.” Kim was on “Passions” from its beginning as Ivy Winthrop Crane. “I loved doing Passions, I had the best time…It was fun to do something unusual”. She laughed, recalling how funny it was to find out when reading the scripts about the fun and unusual storylines they got to do “Wait a minute? There’s a doll and witch? We had no idea! It was crazy fun and just the best, I loved it.”.
It was difficult for Kim to pick just one favorite storyline [almost 10 years of material is a lot to recall and choose from!]. Kim stated, “I loved all of the supernatural, working with Juliet [Mills, who played Tabitha Lenox], all of the witches when Ivy went to hell.”. Kim mentioned that her least favorite storyline was when Ivy fell and was in a wheelchair for two years “that was tough”.
Soap opera fans are arguably the most loyal fans. Even though “Passions” has been off the air for over a decade, there is currently a petition for a “Passions” reboot. If the reboot were to happen, Kim would love to return as Ivy; “I had the best time; they were the best group of people that I’ve worked with.” She shared that she still keeps in touch with castmates. When discussing possible storylines for Ivy, she stated that “Ivy would probably still be with Sam, but I hope Ivy would get her own company and be a CEO.”.
When Soap Opera News shared on Twitter that Kim was going to be interviewed; Christian LeBlanc [Michael Baldwin, “The Young & The Restless] shared that he loves Kim and that she’s a great actress. Christian played Kim’s brother on ATWT [Kirk McColl]. Kim shared with Soap Opera News that she had kept in touch with Christian for a long time and that she thinks he’s a talented artist. Fans can check out Christian’s artwork here: https://christianjulesleblanc.com/art/gallery/
Soap Opera News has had the pleasure of interviewing “Passions” stars and fans would love to know how Ben Masters [Julian Crane] is doing. Unfortunately, it appears no one from the show has heard from him in quite some time. Kim had shared that she kept in touch with him on Facebook for a while, but that she hasn’t heard from him in a few years. “I’m not sure if he’s doing well health-wise”, Kim stated [Soap Opera News and all fans hope Ben is doing well!].
Lindsay Korman-Hartley [Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald, “Passions”] is currently working on directing a movie and former “Passions” co-star, Dana Sparks [Grace/Faith] will have a role in the film. Kim shared, “I’m really proud of her [Lindsay] to take her career in her hand and be smart enough to learn how to direct” as there are fewer female directors in the industry.
After “Passions” went off the air, Kim has had guest roles in other shows such as “Castle”, “The Rookie”, and she played Connie in “Law & Order True Crime: The Menendez Murders”. The pandemic has caused a lot of changes for production of TV and film. Kim has not worked since the pandemic started, but her husband, Robert J. Ulrich is a casting director who has had to adapt to the changes. He is a casting director for Amazon’s original show “The Boys” and for FOX’s new show “Monarch”. She shared that casting during the pandemic is completely different now because all auditions are on tape. Her son also works in the industry as a cinematographer and Kim noted that he has to be tested every day.
Kim currently keeps busy by spending quality time with her family and her two dogs. She has a grandson who she babysits. Her daughter, who recently turned 21, came back home from college during the pandemic and has stayed home while attending courses online. She also started to remodel her house right before the pandemic started and it is an ongoing project.
Some “Passions” stars such as Brook Kerr [Whitney Russell Harris] have landed roles on current soap operas [Portia Robinson, “General Hospital”]. Kim shared that she would be interested in doing another soap opera as she enjoyed working in daytime. Her ideal role would be to play an “older, bitchier Ivy…. I always liked playing a villain with a little bit of humor”. Kim stated that she would maybe try to get back out there [acting again] in the spring when her daughter goes back to school, but she’s content with her life as it is right now.
Thank you so much for the chat, Kim!
“Monarch” premieres on January 30th after the NFL game on FOX. Check your local listings.
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