TVSquad Talks To GH's Dominic Zamprogna and Julie Berman on Romance

[JamesG]

Dante and Lulu's "General Hospital" Romance: The Stars Dish
by Michael Maloney
posted May 5th 2010


Julie Berman and Dominic Zamprogna are a great reminder that soaps are about romance and couples.

If you're a fan of "General Hospital", you know why, but for those out there who are in the dark, Lulu and Dante have been through a lot together, in a very star-crossed lovers kind of way only "General Hospital" can do.

But their relationship finally took the next step: Dante and Lulu consummated their love for each other. Berman and Zamprogna sat down for a chat with TV Squad to talk about their fan-favorite on-screen romance.




The momentous occasion, the Vanilla Bake Shop in Santa Monica, Calif. created a special cupcake in honor of the duo, the "Lante." The cupcake is made of dark chocolate with a whipped mascarpone center.

In addition to the creation of the cupcake, Vanilla Bake Shop gave away free Lante cupcakes to the first 200 customers on May 5 to commemorate the couple's love and highlight the duo's upcoming summer storyline.







Lulu and Dante fans call you guys "Lante."
Did you hear any other nicknames bandied about?

Zamprogna: We've heard "Dulu."

Berman: I don't think there's much you can do with Lulu and Dante. You could do more with Julie and Dominic. [Laughs] We'd be Jomonic.









Julie, you've been paired with a few guys on the show.
Why is Dante your most successful on-screen match?

Berman: [Laughs] Well, he's sitting right here so I have to say nice things. No, just kidding. I don't know. I think honestly that the biggest thing is our relationship off screen.

We're friends and we have a similar sense of humor. That comfort makes everything else fun and easy. We play a lot more in our scenes. It's just fun.









Lulu and Dante seem like the moral center of the show these days.

She's supporting him as he's brought Michael to justice for Claudia's killing.

But how did Dante reconcile not turning Sonny, his father, in to the police for shooting him?

Zamprogna: That's a huge sticking point with people right now. It looks like he's picking and choosing when he wants to follow the law. I think in his heart of hearts he felt that the case against Sonny [for killing Claudia] was going to work out.

He made a huge mistake. He's owned that and is trying to make up for it by trying to save his brother Michael [from going to jail].









Had Michael's parents told the truth from the beginning -- that he killed Claudia as she was trying to kidnap his newborn sister -- none of this would have happened.

Zamprogna: Of course. But if they told the truth we wouldn't have ...

Berman: ... a show with conflict.

Zamprogna: People think they're doing things for the right reasons. They have a point of view. They think that they're right. That's what makes the world go round.









Do you see Dante and Michael as brothers even though there are no blood ties between them?

Zamprogna: I do. Totally. Dante's been looking after Michael like he's a younger brother.



Could you ever see Dante forming any kind of familial relationship with Sonny?

Zamprogna: Yeah, I think so. But just not now. It's a little too ripe. The whole bullet thing is still there.









Lulu and Dante make love today. Is this too early or overdue?

Berman: It's really late in the soap opera world. They should have done it, honestly, back in November.

But I think it's perfect timing. It's great. I like the way it's been written.



What has Lulu done that has caused Carly to hurl such anger at her?

Berman: She's supported the police officer that helped put her son in jail. It's valid for Carly to see it that way. Lulu's point of view is that this is the law.

Michael wanted to confess. I think both points of view are valid.









The soaps used to be morality plays where the bad guys would really pay in the end for doing bad things.

Berman: You need to have a way to keep some of the bad boys on the canvas. Even the good characters do something bad. It'd be a prison show if everyone paid for what they did.

Zamprogna: You're getting to see both ends of the spectrum. You see why the mob and the cops make the decisions they do. I think now we might see a wave where these guys will have to start paying for these things.

These things take years to resolve in real life. I think change is coming, but it takes time to facilitate that stuff.









Julie, there continues to be buzz that your TV mom Genie Francis will return as Laura. Is that something you'd like to see?

Berman: I would always love her to come back. But I think that's a rumor that's always going around. Right now, it's still not true.



Your character's real name is "Lesley Lu." "Lulu's" an adorable name -- for an infant. Do you like it as a young woman?

Berman: I love it. I don't judge the name. It's the character I play so I love it. It's different. It's weird. It could be a dog's name, but, hey, whatever. I dig it.



Would you like to see conflict from a third party like a romantic rival or perhaps a conflict from within the relationship?

Berman: I'd love to have some conflict within the relationship. These external factors are great. They bring us closer together.









Maybe one of your characters wants to have children and the other doesn't?

Zamprogna: I think that's a little more long-term.

Berman: They did just have sex for the first time. That's a little ways in the future.









Hmm ... sounds like you're both on the same page there!
Who has the more dysfunctional family of the two characters?

Berman: Who doesn't have a dysfunctional family? And who isn't family? Everyone is related to everyone [on "GH"].

Zamprogna: It's one big dysfunction. Although I think the fact that my father shot me trumps any other family problem.

http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/05/05/da...nce-interview/