The day after the Emmy's one of GH"s hottest couples "Max and Diane", better known as Carolyn Hennesy and  Derk Cheetwood held their first joint fan event at the Sportsman's Lodge. The packed room eagerly awaited their arrival with much anticipation and were not disappointed.
     
To a huge round of applause both stars entered the room and Carolyn opened up the event by talking about the previous night's Red Carpet specifically the heat and how touched she was by the fans supporting her. Derk wasn't able to attend the Emmy's so he didn't know GH or Tony G had won until 10 minutes before he showed up at this event.

They talked about how the chemistry between them started in a scene at a card game in Sonny's office and Bob Guza saw the spark and they took off from there. Opposites attract and it's good to bring some comic relief to the storylines.

Carolyn talked about how she got started in the business her father was a motion picture production designer he worked on Fantastic Voyage (for which he won an Oscar) Dirty Harry and many others - she first walked out on a sound stage when she was 4 and went to the studio all the time and she knew she wanted to be involved in the business but didn't know how if it was going to be theater or movies but she knew. She started studying and studying, then got a scholarship to Cal State at Northridge, then went to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts then at the American Conservatory Theater then started pounding the pavement. She's done tons of theater, commercials, sitcoms, dramas, movies from Reba to Dawson's Creek to Legally Blonde 2, in fact her Aunt is actress Barbara Rush. She also did 1 day on GH like 20 years ago with Tony G and she also forgot that she had played a lawyer on GH 6 years ago. Derk chimed in that he remembered every job he's had plus the ones he didn't get.

Derk became a Dad this year and someone asked how he's enjoying parenthood and of course he said how great it is, how every week the baby changes a little bit she's laughing and recognizing him and how everything in your life becomes more focused.
One of the fans then mentioned that Kevin Costner is Derk's wife Cari's uncle, which Carolyn didn't know and she was shocked and he spoke a bit about how he was in the movie "The  Postman" in 1997 many years ago and that was when he first met his wife. Kevin's family had come to visit the set and Derk was introduced to Cari very briefly  years later he was set up on a blind date and it turned out to be Cari and he knew on that night that she would be his wife.

I asked when they were going to put both actors on contract and believe it or not, both said they were ok with not being contract players. Derk has been on 7 years and Carolyn for a year and a half and they like it because contract players can be fired after any 13 week cycle and being non-contract gives them the freedom to do other 
things. Carolyn is an author her first book "Pandora Gets Jealous" is already in stores and she has a second book coming out and she will be going on book tours and being on contract she wouldn't have the time or freedom to do that. Both Derk & Carolyn work more than some of the other contract actors (have you seen any Quartermaine's lately?) 

You can see these two really love working together and hope to continue to do so in the future. This was a treat for the fans to meet and spend some time these with these terrific and charming actors. I hope GH keeps them around for many years to come!