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Sitting Pretty Soap Opera Digest |
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Homewrecker
by Day, If
my mother had known Blair,
 she would have sent her off to finishing school --- or a convent," Kassie Wesley quips. Fortunately for her Mom, Wesley is nothing like the happy homewrecker she plays on One Life To Live. I don't think I could have played Blair five years ago, admits the easy going actress, who got her daytime start as Guiding Light good girl Chelsea Reardon. "For the first time, I am playing a girl everybody hates." When Wesley breezes into a bust New York restaurant sporting jeans, a crisp white blouse, and a winning smile, heads turn in admiration, not loathing. She's clearly worlds apart from Blair --- especially when she starts talking. The Kentucky-born actress has retained her Southern drawl and uses expressions like, "That scared the fire out of me!" The accent appears when she appears in front of the camera. [Former OLTL Executive Producer] Linda Gottlieb wanted me to drop the accent, because it made me sound too much like Luna: she explains. But it is so hard. When I'm talking like Blair, I feel like I am being such a fake. I can just hear my brothers saying, "Give us a break, Kassie.
Born
in a tight-knit, religious family, Wesley always
dreamed of being an entertainer. And her parents -- an attorney and a housewife -- supported that dream. "My Mom and Dad are my heroes," praises Wesley, who has two older brothers and a younger sister. Her big break came early. When she was a freshman at Indiana University, Wesley made her singing debut at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry. "It was so exciting," she enthuses. I thought to myself," you mean, you get paid for this?" "Singing gave Wesley both cash and confidence. She transferred to UCLA, but didn't graduate; Her four-part harmony group, Newport, was asked to take a tour with the USO. She then became a back-up singer for R&B star Bobby Womack. But when she moved back to LA in 1986, Wesley experienced a strange sensation; unemployment. Undaunted, she snagged a role in the cult horror flick Evil Dead II and embarked on a relationship with the film's director, Sam Raimi. When she signed on GL's Chelsea, Raimi and Wesley moved to New York and lived together for four months. "It didn't work out, but we keep in touch," she says. "I still think he's a doll." Meanwhile, Chelsea hopped from one heartbreak to the next. Some of her leading men were easier to work with than others. Wesley admits: "Jamie Goodwin [ex-Johnny] was a dream. But Grant Aleksande [ex-Phillip; now All My Children's and I were very different. I love Grant now, but I think because I was so 'in your face,' and he was so reserved. I caught him off guard. I always felt like I was invading his space. Unlike Chelsea, Wesley steered clear of serious relationships -- until she met her future husband, production designer Richard Hankins. "he was [GL's] art director," she recalls. "I remember thinking, 'He's cute,' but I didn't know anything about his situation" After a few casual conversations with the very available Hankins, Wesley decided to take the initiative. "I called him up and asked him out," she grins. "I said, 'You pick the restaurant. I'm paying for everything." We had a really good time. We've been 'dating' every since." Wesley and Hankins got married and she left GL in 1990. "if I didn't leave, they probably would have let me go," she concedes. "[Chelsea] was never really a clear character. That isn't true with Blair. She's very clear. When Wesley auditioned for the OLTL role, she was doing episodic work in LA. She loved the conniving Blair, but didn't think she had a chance; "Someone told me [Mia Korf] used to play Blair. Here I was. Miss All-American. I thought, 'Why are they auditioning me?'" She snagged the part just before Thanksgiving. "I had a week to pack and get ready to do three episodes," she sighs. What was Hankin's reaction? "Panic, Wesley laughs. "he said, "That's really good, Kassie. Now I've got to make some calls and get my life together.'" Being a soap actress is even better the second time around. "On [GL], everything was so new. I was nervous all the time," she explains. "but now, I am in a different place emotionally. "I was talking to my mother the other day, and she said, "Are you happy?" Wesley continued. "I said, 'Mother, I am probably the happiest I have ever been.'" JUST
THE FACTS
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