Donna Svennevik/ABC

Trevor St. John‘s first acting gig was courtesy of the 1993 film “Benny & Joon.” Although he was only a stand-in for Aidan Quinn‘s character, Benjamin “Benny” Pearl,” the actor credits the experience for giving him that certain bug. “The energy and pace of the movie set really caught my interest and was the reason I chose Los Angeles over New York. I’ve wanted to relive that feeling ever since.”

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Donna Svennevik/ABC

Last week, Soap Opera Network featured a CENTER STAGE interview with “One Life to Live’s” legendary veteran, Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord). She opened up about the future of “OLTL,” working with the fresh, young faces on the show, and what it’s been like to have show creator Agnes Nixon back at the helm. And this week, we’re revealing how she feels about Robin Strasser (Dorian Lord), what it’s like working with Roger Howarth (Todd Manning) versus working with Trevor St. John (Victor Lord), and who she’d like to see return to Llanview!

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People Magazine

With six Outstanding Lead Actress Daytime Emmy Awards under her belt — or rather, on her shelf — “One Life to Live’s” Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord) is one woman to be respected. So when she says TOLN’s version of the iconic show she’s been a part of for more than 40 years is going to be stellar, you’d damn well better believe her!

“I think we’re in great shape. I really do,” the actress reveals. “I have ultimate faith in [co-headwriter] Susan Horgan. She emailed me a few weeks ago, and she said, ‘You’re going to love this. This is so exciting.” I had lunch with her right after she took the job, and we talked for like three hours just about where the show was when it ended, and she already had so many crazy, wonderful ideas, and I thought, ‘This is going to be great.’”

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File Photo

“Days of our Lives’” Meredith Scott Lynn (Anne Milbauer) has had an impressive 25-year acting career, appearing in popular shows like “Weeds,” “American Horror Story,” and “Desperate Housewives,” as well as in the film “Legally Blonde.” But Anne is perhaps one of the most fun characters she’s ever played, simply because, as the actress puts it: “She’s such an extreme bitch!”

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Chapman Baehler/TOLN

There are lots of questions surrounding the Monday, April 29 launch of “All My Children” on The OnLine Network (TOLN), the main one being, “What can we expect?” Debbi Morgan (Angie Hubbard), Darnell Williams (Jesse Hubbard) and David Canary (Adam Chandler) took that question by storm during the show’s first official photo shoot in February, and while they couldn’t reveal storyline details, the three stars did open up about the high number of new and young faces on the show, how the shorter 30-minute time slot will affect their acting and how they feel about the women who hold Pine Valley’s future in their hands.

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JPI Studios

If you were already smitten with “The Young and the Restless” star Ignacio Serricchio (Alex Chavez), you’re about to love him even more. Soap Opera Network recently caught up with the busy actor, who spilled about the dangerous way he spends his free time, how he feels about representing Latinos in the media and his thoughts on a possible family member popping up in Genoa City!

First things first, Serricchio loves the thrill of adventure. Not only does the Argentinian-born actor love to rock climb and go camping, he also dives for lobsters! “During lobster season, I’m in the water almost every night,” he boasts, adding that even though you’re only allowed to catch the lobsters by hand, the occasional pinches are worth it. “They’re delicious! In the oven, ceviche style, on the grill, everything.”

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(left) Adam Bouska; (right) David Todd Model Management

There’s no doubt that “The Young and the Restless” has one of the hottest casts on daytime television — strike that, all of television — and as the show gears up for its 40th Anniversary, things are about to get even spicier! The show’s execs recently gathered some of the soap’s hot new faces together for a special event, and Soap Opera Network went along for the ride. Warning: What we found out about sexy stars Robert Adamson (Noah Newman), Lamon Archey (Mason Wilder) and Marco Dapper (Carmine Basco) just may surprise you!

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Justin Lubin/NBC

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — It was March of this year that word broke out that “Days of our Lives” was planning to have a major character come out of the closet. Almost immediately after the news broke out reports were flying that Will Horton, portrayed by Chandler Massey, would be the one to come out. Eight months since the news first leaked, the NBC Daytime soap has finally revealed that Will will in fact come to the realization that he is gay, but what does Massey think about portraying such a character and how has he managed to keep it such a secret for so long?

“I’m thrilled and honored,” said an energetic Massey on getting the chance to tackle such a topical issue as a teen coming out. “I was told about it in February and now I’m officially allowed to talk about it. I’m thrilled on two levels. It’s an honor and a privilege to be a part of a storyline that is so relevant like this storyline, which is underrepresented in daytime and I think in TV in general. It is a story that needs to be told. It is very powerful and I’m super honored to be a part of that,” the actor stated. “On a personal level it creates a creative challenge. As an actor, I couldn’t be happier with the stuff that I’ve been given and the writing for me just because I get to stretch. I get to grow. I get to really sink my teeth into something.”

In recent months, some of the most shocking headlines in newspapers and television news programming have surrounded teenagers committing suicide because they could no longer handle the pressure and taunting from peers who had constantly teased them and in some cases threatened their lives all because they happened to be different. With soap operas always known as being the most current form of scripted programming when it comes to social issues would it be too much of a stretch to expect “Days of our Lives” to deal with the the issue head on? “It is such a real and tragic issue in the world today. Personally, I would love for them to address that. The wonderful thing about today is there are so many programs like the Trevor Project and It Get’s Better, NOH8…all those programs that are reaching out to those kids who aren’t comfortable with who they are or maybe they are and other people aren’t comfortable or are imposing their hate on them. I think it is terrible. Life is too short for that kind of nonsense,” said Massey. “I personally would love it if they go in that direction. It’s so powerful and such a real problem today that if ‘DAYS’ can do that and do it really well and powerfully it could help people. In the end that’s what we want to do. We want to move people.”

On the web:

• It Get’s Better
• NOH8
• The Trevor Project

Chris Haston/NBC

Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes are two of the longest running current cast members left on NBC’s “Days of our Lives,” but you wouldn’t know it because they are barely on! Thankfully the network hosts its annual “A Day of Days” fan event where fans far and wide can come and meet their favorite stars and catch the rarest of glimpses of those not seen enough on screen at Universal Studios CityWalk in Hollywood, California. Considered one of “DAYS’” premiere couples with their portrayal of Doug and Julie Williams on the drama series, Seaforth Hayes and her husband sat down with Soap Opera Network to discuss fans, what has kept the show going for all these years and where they see things headed in the future and even a whopper surrounding the Horton clan’s near demise from the canvas.

“The amount of time we have with the fans is kind of limited because it’s a line for the autographs. The Q&A out in the open there at the end of the day is always hysterical. People saying ‘take your shirt off’ and the guys taking their shirts off, so everybody is happy but it’s not a profoundly intimate experience for the actors with the fans,” said Seaforth Hayes of the “Day of Days” festivities. “Oh, I think it is wonderful that we get to see the people that are that devoted that they will give up a Saturday morning or Saturday afternoon and come [here] to see us and talk to us and be with us. I think that is wonderful. Soap audiences are just different from any other audience. They are very involved, they are loyal and they are devoted. They just want to talk and it’s wonderful,” countered Hayes.

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Thomas A. Montalto/MontaltoPhotos.com

(SoapOperaNetwork.com) — On Friday, September 30, Prospect Park officially announced actors Melissa Archer (Natalie Buchanan Banks), Kelley Missal (Danielle Rayburn), Sean Ringgold (Shaun Evans),Andrew Trischitta (Jack Manning) and Jerry VerDorn (Clint Buchanan) will be joining already signed Ted King (Thomas Delgado), Michael Easton (John McBain), Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer) and Erika Slezak (Viki Banks) when “One Life to Live” is transitioned over from ABC to the web beginning in January 2012. Since the announcement, Soap Opera Network has reached out to a number of the signed stars and today Missal explains why she signed on.

“I felt very blessed to be asked in the first place,” said Missal earlier this month when Soap Opera Network caught up with the actress outside of the “7th Annual Rock Show for Charity” event held at the Soho Playhouse theater in New York City. On making the decision to continue with the soap online, “Obviously you have to go through a bunch of decisions and a lot of factors come in, but ultimately I love ‘One Life to Live’. I love the people that I work with and I really wanted to be part of this new project going into this new era of TV on the internet. I was just really excited that I was asked and I’m really excited to be part of it now.”

With only nine actors signed on so far for the online version of “One Life to Live,” and some stars coming forward with news that they do not plan on staying with the show when it is transitioned to the web, Missal wishes everyone well. “I wish the best of luck to everyone who is staying on and everyone who is going. I just want to say that I’m very blessed and very thankful.”