Robin on Soap Talk

Robin on "Soap Talk"
Original Airdate: March 24, 2003 on Soapnet

TY TREADWAY: Not everyone can call themselves a diva, but our next guest earned the title by playing one of daytime's most devilish femme fatales. Take a look.

A clip of a vintage Dorian and Viki confrontation on "ONE LIFE TO LIVE":

DORIAN: Put the blame where it really belongs: on the man who built this secret room for his secret pleasures, the man that didn't even tell you that you'd given birth to a little baby daughter named Megan. The man who seduced your college roommate, Irene Manning, and fathered Tina, the man that tried to stop you from marrying Joe Riley. But, no, no! Not even now, when you finally know all the sordid details of Victor Lord's past can you find fault with dear, darling Daddy!

LISA RINNA: Woo.

TY: Please welcome Emmy award winner, Robin Strasser.

Audience cheers and applauds.

ROBIN STRASSER: Thank you.

LISA: Welcome, welcome.

ROBIN: Oooh.

TY: Welcome.

ROBIN: Thank you all.

LISA: Robin Strasser.

ROBIN: Wow, that was vintage tape.

TY: I know.

LISA: So great.

ROBIN: You got some classics.

TY: We dig deep here on "Soap Talk".

LISA: We do, don't we? How is it being back?

ROBIN: I've only known for about ten days that it was a definite go-ahead and I went from shock to denial to how am I going to get everything done. And, uh, but I am.

TY: Because you built a life herein L.A. Now how long's it been?

ROBIN: I've built many lives actually.

LISA: Twenty-two.

TY: But technically you only have...?

ROBIN: One life to live.

TY: Thank you. (Cheers)

ROBIN: Oh, nicely done.

TY: That's all right. I just toss them out for you.

LISA: Leave it to Ty for that.

TY: But you, know, you know, it's funny I know as corny as that is, I know Robin Straser, your heart ...you've been on ALL MY CHILDREN. You've been on ANOTHER WORLD. You were "Hecuba" on PASSIONS. But your heart is in Llanview, and I know from talking to people at work and people at "ONE LIFE".

ROBIN: Yes and thanks to the fans it's been a part that has really stuck to me. I put my fingerprints all over her, and in return the audience really, really identifies me with the part. And I don't have a problem with that. You know, actors who complain, "I'm pigeonholed" That part is all people think of me as. It's not a problem. It's not a problem when they say "oh I hate you!"

TY: That means you're doing a good job.

ROBIN: Thanks, yeah.

TY: Now you actually started off as a scholarship earner, full scholarship at Yale, right? Yale Drama School, which is where Harry went.

LISA: That's right. That's right

TY: What made you want to go into the whole acting thing to being with?

ROBIN: Oh, my mother made a fatal mistake. She took me to see Peter Pan when I was three and a half, and I wanted to fly and I didn't ever want to ever have to grow up. So there you go.

TY: Now, you're obviously very close with your mom as well. You do vacation with your mom?

ROBIN: Yes. Oh, sure and, uh... Oh, I guess about four years ago she moved from New Mexico to California and I was going to live near her and was about an hour and half out of Los Angeles and I was going to sit under trees and maybe teach yoga, you know, have a simpler life and then I found out that I run on a very high frequency and a part of me always missed the show and missed that kind of 'take away the net and just fly' and there we go.

LISA: So, when will you move back to New York? Are you there now? Have you found a place?

ROBIN: I am in the process of that. I just moved into my new California house, the one I'm currently in, four weeks ago.

LISA: Really?

TY: Oh really?

ROBIN: So my life is cartons. I know. Thank you for that audience. These are nice people. You know.

LISA: They know how... They know that. Now you have redone homes? A kind of hobby?

ROBIN: I have redone... It's...

LISA: A career in a way?

ROBIN: It became kind of a lucrative side of my investment program. But each time I said to myself: "This is home, I'm going to live here forever and ever." And then, sure enough, two to three years later I'm moving on to the next project.

TY: 22 times you've kidded yourself.

ROBIN: 22 yeah.

LISA:. Yes

TY: That's a lot of kidding.

ROBIN: Some are for mom and you know, other friends, and but, yes it's 22 houses or apartments that I've redone.

LISA: So what is this apartment like? What is your vision for your new venture?

ROBIN: You know, the synchronicity is incredible because I have a pied-à-terre, a little apartment-- I lived in France for eight months while I was gone during the three years. So I'm going to sprinkle the conversation-- I hope not too pretentiously with occasional French expressions, so...

LISA: Okay.

ROBIN: In pied-à-terre, hello hello. So, uh, I have that but my ...

TY: Robin, a little French turns me on, that's all I got to say, but go ahead.

ROBIN: You know something?

TY: Just a warning.

ROBIN: Oh, I've seen your performances.

TY: I'm sorry to hear that but, that's all right.

ROBIN: He was talking English and it worked. Be still my heart. But my home in Manhattan has been rented out to other people and two months ago, when I didn't know I was coming back to One Life to Live, they said, "oh my goodness, we've been transferred back to London."

LISA: See, meant to be, meant to be. Wow.

ROBIN: Meant to be in so many ways.

TY: And you know what? You get your old dressing room back too!

ROBIN: I hear!

TY: You left some stuff in there. I think there was still some stuff when you left, or something. I saved it for you.

ROBIN: Tears, handkerchiefs stained with.

TY: What is it about daytime that you love so much?

ROBIN: I love daytime. You know I'm a fan of old movies, so I am watching films that I adore that were made during the studio system. There is no studio system anymore. And daytime provides a venue where you get to act consistently every day for an audience that really appreciates you and have certain expectations, and they're really happy when your character does your characters' thing. And I love that. I love the pace of it. I love a the material that comes in fresh every single day and the chance that tomorrow you get to do it again.

LISA: Well said. That's well said.

ROBIN: Thank you. Coming from you.

TY: We also know that you're a gourmet cook.

LISA: So, when we come back we'd like you to cook with us , or show us your specialty.

ROBIN: I will show you Birdie's Birdie. When I told people I was moving back to New York they said, "oh, good, will you cook your chicken for us?"

TY: Really? All right when we come back, Robin Strasser in the kitchen. Don't you go away.

BIRDIE'S BIRDIE
1 whole roasting chicken
2 lemons
3 red onions
30 cloves of garlic - not peeled
6 cloves of garlic - minced
1/2 cup olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary
fresh oregano - to taste
fresh basil - to taste
thyme - to taste
sage - to taste
1 cup white wine (optional) or apple juice
lemon pepper salt

DIRECTIONS:
Thoroughly wash the chicken and then rub lemon inside and out on the chicken. Pre-heat the oven to 510 degrees. Cut lemon and onions into wedges, and add them to the inside of the chicken. Add the sprig of fresh rosemary to the inside of the chicken. Rub the olive oil into outside of the chicken. Rub the outside with lemon pepper, oregano, basil, thyme and sage. Add some apple juice or wine to the inside of the chicken. Place chicken in the oven for 7 - 10 minutes at 510 degrees. Then lower oven temp to 350-375, and baste with apple juice or wine - inside chicken and out. Continue checking and basting. Cook until golden brown.

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Memories of Jenny and David Renaldi