Soaptown USA

Andrea Evans

True Passions

Interview By Dawn

A daytime legend chats about being a mother, being a daughter, and being Rebecca.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a daytime fan who is not familiar with Andrea Evans, an actress who literally grew up on screen. From her role as Patty Williams on The Young and the Restless, to her memorable turn as teen temptress Tina Lord on One Life to Live - this beloved performer has graced our screens for years. Now Evans embraces several new and exciting roles, as mother to ten-month-old Kylie Lynn and as Passions' resident schemer. So sit back and enjoy my exclusive chat with daytime's ravishing Rebecca about her greatest passions.

Jumping right in, I ask Evans to share the joys of motherhood. Andrea and her husband Steve became the happy parents to Kylie on Mother's Day of 2004 and the experience has proven to be rewarding to say the least. "Motherhood is fabulous!" the proud actress declares, "It's the best thing I've ever done in my life. It's a wonderful thing." As we're chatting, little Kylie is enjoying her breakfast and intently watching Nick Jr. "There's no other feeling like it," Evans gushes, " I feel like I've grown an extra heart."

As if Evans' heart wasn't big enough already. She was recently appointed ambassador for the City of Hope's "Walk for Hope to Cure Breast Cancer" for the fifth straight year, and it is a cause that hits very close to home. "I've been a long time supporter for City of Hope. My mother is a breast cancer survivor," she says candidly, " I started doing the walks and they asked me to take a more official position, which I was thrilled to do." The walk will take place on October 9, 2005 and Evans encourages participation, adding, "It's a wonderful organization. I call it 'my other job.' I just love to talk to people about this and try to get people more aware and out there walking with us and helping us in this cause."

We realize now what a devoted mother and daughter Andrea Evans really is. So what's her take on one of soaps' worst mothers, Rebecca Crane? Does she think Rebecca is a good mother? "In her own way she is," Evans states, "I think that she loves her daughter. I think there is no doubt about that...It's just her own set of morals that aren't so great. So her message of going about it may not be so great but as far as her daughter is concerned, she has nothing but good intentions." And while she adores her onscreen daughter, Liza Huber (Gwen) there is one performer on the show that Evans would love to share more scenes with. "Juliet Mills," she says, enthusiastically, "She's a wonderful lady." Yes, someone in Harmony should wreak havoc besides Rebecca. "I'm almost kind of the cheap bad guy at the moment, besides Alistair," Evans laughs.

There is no question that Evans is wild about Rebecca. "She is the one female character on the show, and perhaps one of the few female characters on soaps, that is not romance driven," Evans shares, "She is totally driven by money!" After witnessing other women on the show rely heavily on the men in their lives, the root of all evil is a refreshing change of pace for the Emmy-nominated actress, and the fact that Rebecca married Julian for his money. "She's very honest about that. There is no pretense about her, she's quite honest." What kind of future does Evans want to see for her role? "I would like to see her go after Alistair and take over Crane Industries!"

Portraying one of soaps' most outlandish characters is nothing new to this daytime veteran. I questioned Evans about her previous daytime roles, including the one that made her famous: One Life to Live's Tina. Would she ever consider reprising the role? "I always consider it," she admits, but adds "To be quite honest, there are a few problems. Number one, I really enjoy my role on Passions and I love it there. And the other problem is that my life is out in Los Angeles so it's a bit of a long commute." After joking about how many frequent flyer miles her daughter would rack up making this commute the content mother reflects, "It's a role that will always be brought up to me, I'm sure. I'm sure Tina will always be there and they would absolutely love to reprise the role, because so much of One Life to Live feels like home. I mean, I still watch it, you know, it does feel like home. But again, it's a bit of a commute!"

On her other soap roles the lovely actress says, "I've always considered all of those (referring to a possible Tawny-redux on The Bold and the Beautiful). I've even considered The Young and the Restless (where she portrayed Patty). As long as they're writing me great stuff, because I've been a long-time fan of James Reilly and his work. I think his style of what he likes suits me very well. It's really a lot of fun. But I always consider the other roles, and I'm very close to the people involved with all those shows. You never say never, but right now, I'm happy where I am."

When she first arrived in Harmony the actress admits that the association was only supposed to be short-term. But a funny thing happened... "It grew, and there was a moment when Rebecca really became her own character, when she started redecorating the Crane Mansion." The actress cites the scenes shared with Ivy (Kim Johnston-Ulrich) as some of her favorites. "I very much enjoy the relationship between Rebecca and Ivy because it's such a....it reminds me of the film 'Death Becomes Her' and that relationship because it's kind of a love/hate thing. Rebecca fell into her own character when she started redecorating the mansion." As for Rebecca's future, Evans is not talking, no matter how much I plead. "You know I couldn't tell you," she laughs and adds, "I believe there will be lots of good things!"

Evans encourages her fans to visit her web site for updates about her career. She recently appeared onstage in The Vagina Monologues, saying, "I like to do other things because it gives me a little creative boost." I inquire about an official fan club and the generous actress admits, "I don't like to take money from my fans. But I have my web site and they go there." Would she ever consider having an official club? "People are always asking me to have fan clubs, but they do require money and I don't like to do that," she says, matter-of-factly. "So I just ask them (the fans) to come to my web site and see what's going on."

A giving heart, a generous spirit, a talented performer, a loving daughter and a devoted mother. All of these traits fit Andrea Evans perfectly and make her one of daytime's most beloved performers.

Visit Andrea on the net at www.andreaevans.com to learn more about the City of Hope's Walk for Hope to Cure Breast Cancer.

Soaptown would like to thank Andrea Evans for taking the time out of her busy schedule to talk with us.

"Passions" screen captures courtesy of the author. Andrea Evans photos courtesy of NBC and andreaevans.com except for "Tina" courtesy of ABC Daytime Press.