In Parts One and Two of our interview with Christian LeBlanc, the Emmy-winning outspoken talent discussed his hosting and participating in both the upcoming exciting Soap Star Spectacular and Soap Cruise Fourth Voyage, as well as keeping Jeannie Cooper out of jail, his take on the Indie Soap Revolution, and his expression through his art work. In Part Three below he discusses lessons learned from playing Michael Baldwin, his take on actors taking "shortcuts," as well as what he really thought of the Y&R doppelganger story this past year. WE LOVE SOAPS TV: After all these years of portraying Michael, do you still have fears?
Christian LeBlanc: Yes. Because I’m in a show where they put with me people where I have to up my game. The extent of my interactions with the producers is saying, “I want to work with Maura!” and then I slam the door and run away. Or, “Please give me a story line with Tricia Cast!” then slam and run away.
But truly, I don’t want to get that involved. If you get involved with where you want your character to go, it might not be as creative as some of the red herrings coming down the chute. I remember one script said, “Michael does an Inspector Clouseau imitation.” I said, “Hey, that’s disrespectful. Who the hell knows if he has a french accent?” Then I thought, “Wouldn’t that be interesting if evil Michael Baldwin loved the Pink Panther?” That’s what they gave me. What a quirk!
When you say "yes" to these things it’s so much more interesting than when you say "no." I understand that in acting there is typically a beginning, middle, and end, and you have to get there. But in soaps I’m in real time. Any of us are capable of anything given the right situation. Anything. As dark as it gets given the right situation. That’s something to learn. I was very careful about being an actor on a soap. I thought, “If I become one of the walking wounded, that is, a person who just takes the time to walk the walk and just go though the paces, then I have to get out.” I could see getting bored, I could imagine that. What’s stunning is that every time I hit the front door of that studio, everything else going on in life drops away. I am still amazed that that happens.
But to get back to an example: the doppelganger storyline. Tracey Bregman was doing degrees of difficulty times one thousand. It was right on top of another doppelganger storyline, which was not very popular with many people. But what I got out of that was that there hadn’t been many bumps in Michael and Lauren’s marriage. Michael got to have those scenes where a woman he loves comes up to him and tells him she slept with someone else. I didn’t play it as a doppelganger, it was Lauren for all he knew. I had never had that scene like that as Michael. I got a phone call from Lauren, as Sara, and played how horrible that feels. In any relationship that happens sometimes. I got those scenes, and all I had to play was a man and a woman he loved. I didn’t have to play a doppelganger or a twin. It wasn’t like I went to Maria [Arena Bell] and said, “I want to play triplets! And I want one to be Cajun and one to be a pirate...” What I got instead were these iconic scenes that you don’t get all the time. I haven’t played those as Michael. The woman you trust you life calls you up and tells you she betrayed you. Oh my God! That was so hard. The producers and directors, to their credit, came down and helped me to do it. They helped me to figure out what Michael would do. It was so exciting. But scary. I still scared because I work with people better than me. WE LOVE SOAPS TV: You still think that?
Christian LeBlanc: We’re all capable of our best work, and not doing our best work. But the depth of talent works for me. I’ve got three Emmys because I’m not afraid to glom on to talented people. I will submit scenes where other people are stunningly good and make me look great. The last time I won I had Michelle Stafford [Phyllis] got to be this bluesy barfly prostitute. Emily [O'Brien] got to be Jana as this bitter goth chick. And Tracey got to be the Lauren before Michael knew her. I wasn’t on the show when she was a real bitch. I got to walk in there as Michael into this whole new scenario, and it makes you bump up your game. The writing was wonderful. I got an award for basically being surrounded by people that are incredibly good. And I have no bones about using them to get an award.
WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What surprises me is that after nearly 20 years of playing Michael, and three Emmys, that you still have fears and doubts about your performances.
Christian LeBlanc: I think if you lose that...you lose a certain craft. I’m with these kids sometimes like Brandon Beemer [Owen, B&B], Nadia Bjorlin [Chloe, DAYS], Billy Miller [Billy, Y&R], Michael Muhney [Adam, Y&R]. These are people who are coming up. Brandon and I audited an acting class. I was terrified to be in that acting class because you have to dig in there and grow again. You have to break out of old habits.
A soap will bring out your worst and your best. After 14 years, 15 years, 35 years, you’ll get some tricks. You’ll get some shortcuts. You have to get those to stay sane. But you don’t want to want them. Your goal is like the holy grail. There are maybe ten minutes of my career where I felt I transcended the words and became the character and forgot who I was. If it were easy we would all be doing it. I was sitting in that class with Brandon and I was stealing their excitement. With Michael Muhney there is endless possibilities. I am always starting out. There are endless possibilities out there, always something I don’t know. And I need to know it to be better.
That’s the only power we have as an artist. And that implies anybody who treats their profession with passion. That includes a housewife, or a mother, those jobs are raised to art form by your attitude, not your credit. It is the passion you approach things with, and the love you approach things with. Not anything else but that. If you’re alone on stage with five people in the audience, that is an artist, as long as you feel a certain way about it.
The whole thing in life consists of you falling in love with it again, just like a relationship. Ten years, twenty years, you’ve got to find something new, you’ve got to rediscover things. It is work. I heard a saying that innocence isn’t something that comes naturally after you have been born. You have to work for it. You have to crawl and scratch and bleed to keep it. This kind of innocence only implies being open to what is new, and being trusting. Trusting that you can grow, that there is space to grow, and the acknowledgment that you are not done.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Come back for the fourth and final part of our interview in which LeBlanc discusses breaking new ground doing sketch comedy work in Los Angeles, and what fuels his constant drive to take new risks.
Damon L. Jacobs is a Licensed Therapist now accepting new clients in New York City. He is also the author of the popular book "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve." He is especially excited about hosting The Third Annual Give Up Your "Shoulds" Day on November 1st.
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