Michael Nouri TV Guide Interview

[adamchandler]

http://tvguidemagazine.com/soaps/mee...-man-4987.html

Meet Erica Kane's New Man


After a not-so-successful stint as a cougar, All My Children’s Erica Kane (Susan Lucci) is about to find some age-appropriate love. But first she’s gotta get the guy to stop hating her. Veteran actor http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0636694/ (Damages, Army Wives, NCIS) joins the ABC soap May 24 as Caleb McGraw, a cranky recluse whose wilderness home is destroyed when La Kane’s private plane crashes into it. The high-maintenance glamour puss tries to hike back to civilization but, naturally, she hurts her ankle. Caleb has no way to contact the outside world for help, so basically he’s stuck with her. Cue the romance. What brings Nouri —one of the great go-to guys for primetime drama—to daytime soaps? TV Guide Magazine spoke with the actor and got an honest answer. He’s earning a living!

Why are we such suckers for these hate-at-first-sight romances?
Susan and I feel the same way. It’s really classic Hollywood, isn’t it? It’s a very Capra-esque set-up. Caleb is a guy who left civilization to live alone on a mountain with his dog, his guitar and his books. Erica represents everything he loathes and he’ll do anything he can to get rid of her, including trying to gross her out. The challenge is to keep the tension going for as long as possible because as soon as there’s a resolution, as soon as we deliver what the audience is expecting, it’s not as fun anymore. I think it’ll also take a while to find out what drove Caleb to be a recluse. The writers haven’t shared it with me yet.

Any guesses? Do you sense it was something heavy?
I think it had to be something really dramatic for this guy to pull up stakes and live in the woods and be able to make peace with it. Very few people could do that. I’m guessing he wasn’t always a loner. Maybe he’s dealing with a broken heart. Maybe he’s disillusioned with the government and opposed to paying taxes. Maybe he’s had it with society in general. There’s a scene where Erica says “I hate you!” and Caleb says: “I just want to thank you for reminding me why I love living alone.” He’s a monosyllabic guy. And he thinks she’s got a voice like a police siren.

So are you going all Grizzly Adams and growing a beard?
[Laughs] Does a bear s--t in the woods? I’m going on three weeks growth already. And I haven’t bathed since I got the job. I’m Method all the way!

This is a contract role for you, so clearly Caleb and Erica aren’t going to remain on the mountain forever. What will bring this hermit to Pine Valley?
Rather than have Caleb make that concession, I think he should stay on the mountain and de-civilize Erica. We could put her in a bearskin and have Susan Lucci stop shaving.

Good luck with that.
[Laughs] Well, she is half Italian! We could just be two hairy people out in the middle of nowhere. Me Caleb. You Erica.

You got an early career break on Search for Tomorrow [1975-78]. Are you shocked at how soaps have changed?
It’s so much more intense. There’s no rehearsal time any more. When I started out they used TelePrompTers, which were a huge distraction. Now, you show up on the set and are expected to know all your material and to deliver it right away. There’s an enormous amount of pressure to do your scenes as quickly as possible, and the casualty can be that your character doesn’t stay truthful. That can happen when you’re shooting 100 pages a day.

You also did a 2004-05 stint on The Young and the Restless. Ever take crap for doing daytime?
Not at all. There’s absolutely no shame in doing daytime and anyone who thinks differently has a very screwed-up notion of the way things work. It’s a whole new day in show business. Way back when I started in the studio system, I was under contract to Universal and guaranteed income whether I worked or not. That’s gone. Then came the idea that if you wanted to be a movie star you didn’t do television. That’s gone. Now movie stars are aching to do TV! The bottom line is that we’re all just people who have to provide for our families. The notion of a hierarchy in the business has pretty much evaporated and the economy has played a big part in that.

It’s like the middle class of the acting profession has disappeared.
Exactly. It’s very difficult making a living in this business. You can be a snob or you can take care of your financial responsibilities. [Laughs] My reality is determined by the price of gas! I’m very grateful for the career I’ve had and the opportunities that have come my way, and I’m delighted to be on AMC playing a wonderful character and working with terrific people. Susan is such a sweetheart. A great example of grace and professionalism and bonhomie. And I’m so glad I have her as my partner in this job. I’m a very happy camper.

[catlover79]

Great interview!! Thanks for posting it!!

[catlover79]

Here's a pic of Mr. Nouri back in the 70s when he played the ill-fated Steve Kaslo on Search For Tomorrow. Also pictured is his on-screen wife, Meg Bennett (Liza), who went on to act and write on several other soaps. She's now the real-life wife of GH Headwrite Bob Guza.