what
little café it took place in, whose upscale digs did the writer get to
visit for the interview or what juicy gossip was he/she able to bring
back from their visit to the studio. While those interviews can be
both fun and nerve-wracking, they can be done from just about any
location.
“I
am soooo sorry about all of the noise in the background,” says the
soft voice with a laugh which became a permanent fixture throughout
the interview. “I’m at a Kinko’s getting some copies made,” the
voice continued. So yes my dears, these interviews can happen just
about anywhere even at Kinkos.
Rest assured the
noise from Kinkos did not get in the way of my conversation with
daytime and All My Children newcomer, Denise Vasi. “I’m
having an absolutely wonderful time being on the show,” says Vasi
who joined the show in the role of the hooker with a heart of gold,
Randi Morgan.
“Until I became a
part of the show, I didn’t realize just how much work and time went
into the daytime genre,” she shares. “We shoot so much material in
such a short amount of time…..I go into every scene hoping to give
it my best and 100%.
Many of us had
our first introduction to Vasi when she debuted on the show, but for
those viewers with a keen eye Vasi is no stranger to being in front
of the camera. She has an extensive career in modeling working for
such companies as Bobbi Brown Cosmetics, Target, Nexxus, American
Eagle and Oil of Olay, where she was the 2009 face of Olay in
campaign ads. It was her modeling career and being featured in
fashion magazines such as ELLE, Marie Claire, and GQ Italy that made
someone in Hollywood sit up and take notice.
“A lot of people
TRY to enter this business and end up bartending, waiting tables or
doing some other type of odd job to make ends meet…waiting for that
one big break to come along,” Vasi shares. “I feel VERY blessed and
fortunate that modeling was available and there while the doors
opened….acting has always been my goal.”
Well the doors
opened and Vasi found herself quickly being cast in roles in
primetime’s Law and Order: Criminal Intent and in the feature film
Disney’s When in Rome. That’s when daytime came a knocking’
on her door.
“The role of
Randi came along at a very important time in my life,” she shares.
“I’ve learned a lot about this genre and have broadened my acting
skills.” She continues, “I certainly understand when I hear
newcomers talking about the frustrations that are associated with
working in daytime. I mean, it is VERY fast paced, and you are
shooting SO MUCH material in such a short amount of time…so you have
to be on your game and you have to know what you’re doing when you
walk into the studios that day. It is definitely a challenge and my
first week was very, very nerve wracking, but I did it and I’ve
learned so much by doing it.”
And Vasi confided
in me that she had some wonderful teachers to help her with this
transition along the way. “Everyone in the cast has been amazing,”
she shares. While she is quick to brag on everyone in the cast,
they’re a few in particular that she definitely points out.
“Chrishell (Stause,
Amanda) is one of my best friends off the show,” she says. “We have
a GREAT time together, she is always good at offering direction and
advice when it comes to scenes and listening to my frustrations when
I need someone to listen to me,” she shares with a laugh.
And Stause is not
the only one, Vasi turns too. “Oh my Gosh, I cannot say enough great
things about Debbi Morgan, Darnell Williams and Cornelius Smith,”
she says enthusiastically. “If you’re going to be part of a daytime
family, they are ones who definitely want to be part of the family,”
she continues with a laugh.
“I’m like a
sponge around the three of them, constantly soaking in what ever
advice and direction they can give. I can remember not long after I
debuted on the show, after I finished one of my scenes, Debbi came
over to me, took my arm and told me not to be afraid of getting in
touch with my emotions when it comes to scenes. She, Darnell and
Cornelius have all given me such GREAT advice, I don’t know how or
if I will ever be able to thank them enough.”
Therefore, in the
meantime Vasi will simply continue being Denise and enjoying her
time as a member of the Hubbard family. “I love the interactions
and dynamics of this family,” she says. But the one thing she loves
even more is the love story that continues to unfold between Frankie
and Randi.
“Cornelius is a
cutie,” she says with a laugh. “Seriously though, he is the
consummate professional and very, very fun to work with.” I
happened to mention to her that viewers have noticed some
similarities between Smith and his onscreen pop, Darnell Williams. “Oh their definitely there,” she says. “I see what the viewers see
and I see a lot more similarities when the cameras are turned off. I
definitely think these similarities make Cornelius much more
believable as the son of Jesse and Angie.”
And since she is
married to their onscreen son, and Jesse and Angie had such a
poignant, romantic pairing I’m sure that Frankie and Randi are in
for smooth sailing as Mr. and Mrs. Correct? “Randi and Frankie
have had certainly had their up’s and downs since they first met,”
she says. “Frankie convinced and helped Randi leave prostitution,
they’ve been torn apart when he re-enlisted, have dealt with the
injuries to his hands and most recently have dealt with one of
Randi’s former lovers coming to town…..they’ve been through a lot.”
“I don’t know
what will happen with this couple long term, but I do know that
Randi truly loves Frankie and the Hubbard family,” she says. “Being
part a Hubbard and part of this family is fulfilling something that Randi has been missing in her own life.”
Viewers had the
opportunity to catch some glimpses into Randi’s life, when she first
crossed paths with Erica’s new BFF, Carmen. It was quickly
established what Randi and Carmen’s connection was and then it was
quickly dropped, never to be mentioned again.
“You know, I
would enjoy seeing the writers revisit the friendship between Randi
and Carmen,” she says. “Elizabeth(Rodriguez, Carmen) was a lot of
fun to work with and exploring the Randi/Carmen friendship with them
as adults this time, would’ve been interesting and could have
provided the opportunities for future storylines while giving both
characters back-story on the show.”
As this interview
came to a close, Vasi wanted to share the following with viewers. “Thank you guys so much for giving me the chance to be part of your
family. I hope you will continue to watch, as their some great
things on the horizon for Randi and you definitely don’t want to
miss what happens next.
I’d like to thank
Denise for taking time out of her busy schedule (and trip to
Kinko’s) to do this interview with us here at SoapTown.
Additionally, a big thank you goes out to her manager Tamar Juda for
setting up this interview for everyone to enjoy. If you would like
to learn more information about Vasi or learn how you could join her
fan club, please visit her official site at
