Michael Zaslow On The Life and Times of Roger Thorpe

mz94sidtribrxz.jpg (17493 bytes) Guiding Light's Michael Zaslow
On The Life and Times of Roger Thorpe

An Inside Look By Joanna Coons
Soap Opera NOW!, May 23, 1994.

Roger Thorpe. Citizen of the universe. Avenging angel. Villain extraordinaire. Part Superman, part Mephistopheles. Let's face it, this is not the guy you would want to meet up with in some dark alley on a lonely night. On a good day, he gives you the chills. On a bad day, don't even think about it. Yet, in spite of all that, he's managed to last for nearly a quarter of a century as Springfield's most irksome, most urbane and unquestionably most tantalizing omnipresence. Even when he was "dead", he had more kick than the sum total of the rest of the population. What has made him so enduring?

Michael Zaslow, who created the infamous Mr. T and continues to play him with flawless perfection, thinks it has something to do with a kind of "everyman" quality the character seems to possess. "I think he's got a lot of identifiable traits. He's not purely evil. I don't think many people are, since the second world war, anyway. Yes, there are purely evil people, but Roger isn't one of them. He has a lot of love."

Unfortunately, Roger's love has often been clouded by his ambition, coupled with his plain and simple need for total control. When he first arrived in Springfield, he set his sights on lovely young Holly Norris (Maureen Garrett), the daughter of his wealthy boss. But while Holly fell head-over-heels for him, Roger's roving eye found Holly's sister-in-law, Janet. But Holly and Roger would continue their danse macabre around each other, twisting emotions, turning them inside out for years to come, right up to the present day. By Zaslow's own admission their relationship has been a complicated one which defies definition and operates more on an instinctual level. "I think he loves her very much," the actor says thoughtfully. "It's like your first true love. The soldier and the queen. You can't analyze it. It's deeper than that. She's the princess. I don't really know how else to describe it. She reflects that part of himself that he cherishes, that he wants to live."

While it may sound profound, Holly and Roger's relationship has been anything but what passes for true soap opera romance in the accepted sense. Years ago, when Holly found out about her man's affair with Janet, she ran to Ed Bauer (Peter Simon) for comfort--a move which would forever pit these two strong male characters against each other. It's an antagonism which remains alive today, though just barely under the surface. Holly got Ed to marry her, but Roger exerted such a powerful influence over his ex-love that she took up with him again and got pregnant. When Ed found out, he divorced her. Roger then married Holly but later raped Ed's new wife, Rita, with whom he'd had an affair years before. He also ended up raping Holly when she refused to sleep with him. She pressed charges, but during the trial, tempers got out of hand and she accidentally shot Roger. Believing Roger was dead, Holly thought she and her baby Christina (now called Blake) were free of his evil clutches. But Roger made one of his many dramatic recoveries and came back to Springfield and ended up kidnapping Rita Bauer. Ed tracked him down, and in a life and death struggle, Rog took a dive off a cliff to yet another "death."

What can you say? The guy was resilient, because years later, he turned up on some deserted island where, miracle of miracles, he just happened to be in the right place at the right time and rescued the fabulously wealthy Alexandra Spaulding from a plane crash. What a guy! Of course, once he figured out who she was, the wheels started turning, and before you could say "Rumplestilskin" Roger was bedded down nice and legal-like with the head of Spaulding Enterprises. Did we say the man was also enterprising? But Zaslow doesn't feel his alter ego married the boss lady just for the bucks. "I don't think anything is ever that simple with him. Even if he sells himself a bill of goods, he sells it so well, he doesn't know it himself. One of Roger's great flaws is that he isn't very good at analyzing his own behavior or the motives for his behavior. He's an action now, think about it later kind of guy." But after so many mistakes wouldn't you think he'd have had the smarts to wise up by now? Zaslow laughs in agreement: "Yeah, especially after all that meditation. Maybe when he came back to Springfield he stopped meditating!"

Could be, because Rog has been pretty bad since his last "resurrection," and that's probably why he's always such fun to watch. Zaslow is particularly fond of the fun and frolic he's had with all of his leading ladies, especially some of the most recent ones. "The relationship with Jenna (Fiona Hutchinson) was great fun," he enthuses. "He identified very strongly with her--with that waif-ness and her having the father who went to prison. He identified with her feeling of abandonment. He felt like a kindred spirit with her."

Of his explosive relationship with the nubile Mindy Lewis (then Kimberley Simms) he says: "I think it was very sexual, to the point of obsession. He is an obsessive character with great appetites, absolutely fulfilled, but never completely satisfied." If that sounds just a bit scary, Michael Zaslow is the first to admit that it is indeed. "He's not a comfortable character and I really think that may be one of the keys to his appeal--his lack of comfort with himself. It's something I guess a lot of people can identify with if they're honest with themselves."

Even Michael Zaslow? Absolutely, the actor insists, adding that Roger is like the wild and raucous "id" in his own personality. "I get a lot of that anti-social behavior out of my system with him," he teases. Anyway, he laughs, it sure beats therapy and it's cheaper! One of the things the actor most identifies with in his character is Roger's passion for his children, though Zaslow points out, like everything else, Roger stretches it to the limit. "His salvation seems to be in his feelings for his children. That's definitely where we see it most. He's probably not a very good father. He's a father who loves not wisely but too well." His desperation to have baby Peter, says Zaslow, is nothing more than an attempt "to do it better this time around being that he's stronger and wiser."

In real life, the actor's two daughters, Marika, 12, and Helena, 9, are the apples of his eye. Not only do they enjoy watching daddy play mean and rotten Roger Thorpe, but they often offer keen observations on his characterization. "They love it, but they certainly can differentiate between Roger and daddy!" Even though he's played the character off and on for such a long while, Michael Zaslow admits that he isn't as attached to Roger as he used to be. Now he sees him as simply a fabulous role--one which very well may end one day. "I don't look very far ahead in terms of the business. Who knows? As an actor, I'm still an employee."

But for however long it lasts, Zaslow notes with great relish that it's been and continues to be a great ride, even though he thinks one can get too comfortable working in daytime. That's why he frequently fine tunes his instrument by taking acting classes. "I keep Uta Hagen's latest book by my bedside. I find studying invaluable in terms of thinking about it (the craft) and in terms of keeping other things honed. Just working on Guiding Light can be a very good laboratory, but you have to keep up and not get into bad habits. You've got to be constantly on the alert. You've got to be vigilant." Zaslow, who is revered and held in awe by many of his peers, is probably the consummate performer. Whether he's wreaking havoc on the streets of Springfield, writing music in his study or accompanying his violinist daughters on the piano in a more quiet moment, he's always doing something. An urge, perhaps. An intrinsic need, most definitely, because like Roger Thorpe, Michael Zaslow is also somewhat obsessive. When he's not creating, he's not quite alive. "I love the theatre, that's my first love as an actor," Zaslow admits. "But I also work with a singing teacher. I work on a lot of music. I guess I'm constantly working," he smiles. And loving every minute of it.

But like the man said, that's what it's all about. Even Roger Thorpe, in his own convoluted way, figured that out. Michael Zaslow knew it all along, which tells you something about the guy and why he just keeps on getting better.