| Can Santa Barbara Survive Without Eden?
Marcy Walker Talks Openly About Her Future
Soap Opera Update - April 8, 1991
By Rosemary Rossi
Marcy Walker carries a very big stick. You
know, just like those trapeze artists do. The wire is thin, the ground is a long way down,
the crowd gasps. But thankfully that stick helps with the balance. And balance is one
thing that Marcy certainly knows how to do.
1990. A big year for Marcy. Lots of
changes. Things to adapt to. Perfecting motherhood. Excuse me, "adjusting" to
motherhood. Contemplating the mortality of her role as Eden Castillo, princess of heroines
on SANTA BARBARA. Exploring other acting ventures to the dismay of others. Yet all the
while not missing a step on the balancing wire.
She's not the same Marcy Walker. Her
vision is clearer, the focus is sharper. "I think that I've become more sure about
what I want and what I need. I've gotten my finger closer to knowing what it is that I
want for my future. Before, I had an idea of what I would like to do or what would make me
happy, but it was very general. And now I seem to be able to zone in on exactly what it is
that I need as a person to make me happy."
Balance. Having priorities. Knowing that
there are certain things that you must do to create an even balance in your life. Her
family is one of them. They've given her a sense of peace. Having son Taylor and husband
Stephen. "We have a good-natured, really pleasant existence. Working, as an
individual, also has been very beneficial to me. It's given me a lot of perspective."
But with the return of old friends comes
new challenges. The one definite thing that Marcy can see right away is that now that the
Dobsons are back, almost everybody on the show has a story. "They're all motivated --
the characters are motivated towards the end. Which is interesting because I haven't
really felt that in a while. That's really positive."
No matter what the writers have to say
about it, the future of Eden and Cruz depends on the future of Marcy Walker and A
Martinez. And vice versa. A's contract is up in June; Marcy's in August. While both
performers have sent out strong signals about leaving, no one will know for sure until the
last minute.
Last year Marcy was in a CBS pilot called
BAR GIRLS. She never expected that it would be picked up, though of course it would have
been nice. But in terms of nighttime television and getting out there, the networks
develop 52 or 55 hours of television and they only buy five. It's always a gamble.
"You can take it under your wing and realize that yours may not be one of them. Who
knows what it's going to look like? Who knows what it's going to be like? Indeed, my
particular project was riddled with problems. It was unfortunate that it didn't turn out
as well as it could have. Things happen."
Unfortunately lots of things happened.
Before she left to do the pilot, a storyline centering on Eden and Cruz was developed.
With her absence, there was a void. "Things" had to be changed. Word has it that
this caused some major rifts. What the audience doesn't know is that this option to do
outside projects was in her contract all along (as with A Martinez's). Producers knew it.
Writers knew it. No ill-intention was meant on her part. Only her contractual right to
stretch her wings every now and then.
"I'm trying to be as honest as I can
with you about this whole 'deal' thing. I know it's a real tough thing. I think sometimes
that if my pilot had gotten picked up last year, I wouldn't have gotten kicked in the
teeth as much -- only because it would have been so quick. It would have been like ripping
a band-aid off. But because that didn't happen, it all turned weird. It's like, 'You think
you can leave! Look what you've done!' Hopefully this year when I go away to do a project,
it won't be met with such trepidation as it was last year. What's funny is that the
audience has been so supportive."
While Marcy's deal for outside projects is
with CBS, A's got a development deal with NBC. "It's because of the opportunities
that we've had here that we were granted these other opportunities. NBC, New World, CBS,
everybody is very well aware that SANTA BARBARA is in the business of keeping people who
give them a great deal on the air. So it was to their benefit to keep us here. I had a
different situation than A in a way, because I had two networks that sort of allied
together to keep me working for both of them for a year. That, to me, means there's
interest. It's wonderful to be wanted. Yet at the same time there are a lot of biased
people who are in the business of the soap opera media who feel, God forbid somebody
should go off and do a movie of the week or a pilot, that they're being a traitor to their
show. In terms of doing another project, it's like buying a new dress. It's not like
you're going away for a year. I believe that you can keep everybody happy. They're
businesspeople; they enter into these contracts very aware of what the windows are with
opportunities."
Going away to do another project doesn't
mean that Marcy Walker is not happy, because she's been very happy. She states and
reinstates that she has been treated by the show of the past six years with generosity and
that she has benefited greatly from the support of the audience. "The viewers have
made me feel appreciated and that what I do is something special. It's merely me going off
and seeing if I can could do other things, carving out a new pathway to see if perhaps, in
time, I'll get to spend a little more time with my son. Prepare in the future in some way.
This show has been a real spiritual experience. I got to meet people I feel I've known my
whole life. I got to work with A, who is one of the greatest people I've known in my life.
I think we've benefited, both of us, from getting to know each other as the years have
gone by. I wouldn't trade it for anything."
But Marcy Walker doesn't just think about
right now. She dreams much further down the line. She wants to do several things in her
lifetime. Of course any actress would love to be in the position where she could go from
project to project and do some interesting roles. But Marcy's dreams don't stop there. She
thinks about having another baby someday when Taylor gets older. Maybe a beach in Tahiti
without the pressures of returning phone calls or the stress of a Los Angeles freeway.
With so much happening to and around her
right now, Marcy keeps that even head. The balance. "I'm as happy as a clam now. I
don't expect anything more than what I have. If anything else comes, it'll be a nice
treat."
Might I add that why is it that sometimes
Marcy & A seemed to get kicked in the butt by this show? Like in this instance here
and the way C&E ended? They both owe so much to SB - it put them on the map and made
them huge stars. But the same can be said the other way around - C&E and Marcy and A
made SB the wildly popular and successful show that it was. They definitely deserved to be
treated better than they were at times. |
