Super Couple Memory Lane
With Stephen Nichols &
Mary Beth Evans
From 1986-90, Kayla Brady and Steve "Patch" Johnson ran the supercouple gamut,
from murderers and miracles to mysterious Civil War soul mates, while their
portrayers, Mary Beth Evans and Stephen Nichols, became one of the most
recognizable duos of the decade. The actors rekindled that spark as Katherine
and Stefan on GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1996, but it didn't hold a candle to the
good old DAYS - and thanks to a last-minute coffin switch, there's still
hope.
Here, they reminisce about their legendary connection... and whether they'll
ever head
home to Salem again.
~ What were your first impressions of each
other?
Mary Beth Evans: It was funny because the character that I was reading
for was pretty wholesome, and he comes in to read with me in full costume.
I had never actually seen the show before, so he had the patch and the scar
and the leather jacket, like this super-tough guy, but he was incredibly
sweet and giving and made me feel very comfortable from the start.
Stephen Nichols: It was the first day of the camera test. When the
scene was over, Mary Beth walked away, and said, "Well, that was sh--."
Evans: He always says that.
Nichols: I was impressed by her honesty. She wasn't afraid to say
how she felt about her work at that moment and didn't feel the need to edit
herself. She was real. I liked her immediately.
~ Did you click instantly?
Evans: We did, and we're still great friends. We see each other and
talk all the time. We also had the same work ethic.
Nichols: We got along from the start. We had a great working relationship
and that turned into a great friendship. Because of that friendship, we were
able to put ego aside when we worked. We weren't afraid to tell each other
if something wasn't working.
Evans: Neither of us ever cared if the other person said, "If you
said it like that, maybe that would help out," and we both wanted to run
lines a million times and rework the scenes and try to figure out something
new and different so that when we got out there, we could let it all go and
really look at each other and be honest. I think that's why those characters
worked so well.
~ Why do you think Patch and Kayla became so
popular?
Nichols: It was one part luck, one part timing. 98 parts energy and
commitment. And that includes everyone - writers, producers. There was a
very positive energy. [Executive Producer] Ken Corday saw the potential and
rallied the troops. Writers Sheri Anderson and Thom Racina; Producers Al
Rabin, Shelley Curtis, and Steve Wyman. Our success can't be attributed to
one element. It was a collaborative effort, and in my experience, I believe
that's what it takes to generate that kind of success.
Evans: We had such a camraderie, and from all that rehearsing, I learned
a lot. I carry it with me now, even though people don't rehearse as much
anymore. I find now, the longer I've done daytime, nobody ever wants to run
lines. Everybody just learns them and then you go out there and you wing
it, and I like to have the rhythm and everything down already. But you learn
to do whatever the groove is, what other people do. I always joke that it's
what keeps you from being brilliant, almost, because it's so quick. All the
odds are against you.
Nichols: I think a major part of their success was the chemistry that
Mary Beth and I had. When we looked into each other's eyes, there was trust.
We connected on a deep level, and that translated. When people see that
connection on their television screens, they relate to it as something they
have or long for.
~ What's the greatest thing you learned from working
together?
Nichols: Not to take it too seriously. We could be in the middle of
a heavy scene, and something would strike her funny, and she would go off
on a laughing jag. I would try not to break, but she could always get me.
The two of us would be there, tears streaming down our faces from laughter,
and the crew would get started. Mary Beth inspires that kind of glee in people.
I've always had a tendency to be too serious. Mary Beth cured me of that.
Well, almost.
Evans: That's an ongoing struggle for him in every aspect [laughs].
That's why I liked him as Patch, because he had a soft side and a sweet side.
I like that character better than [GH's] Stefan Cassadine, because that character
was so rigid. Stephen actually was in a play that I took my kids to see eight
months ago or something like that. He was so awesome; he was hilarious! I
think it's fun to see him do something funny because that's not really his
nature. He has a very funny side, but he tends to be more serious.
~ Any favorite moments on-screen?
Nichols: The time that Kayla was nursing Patch back to health after
he was beaten up on the docks. It was pretty early, maybe the first or second
year. And she removed the patch to nurse his wounds. I'll never forget the
exchange between the two of us in those moments. I'm not referring to the
end result, rather to the experience of being in those scenes with Mary Beth
on that day.
Evans: I remember some fun moments, like when they were gonna make
love the first time and I was eight months pregnant, and the director said,
"Okay, you'll drop your clothes and you'll be nude." I had a half slip pulled
up under my armpits, and he had to take me to the bed and roll over to the
side at the last second.
Nichols: They gave us tall, icy drinks so Kayla could play with the
ice and rub it on Patch's chest - "Oooh, hot, hot, hot!" Mary Beth was hysterical
with laughter because she was pregnant, so they had to have a body double
for her. She was getting such a kick out of the whole day. It was one of
those times where we had so much fun, we couldn't believe we were getting
paid to do it.
Evans: I really loved the Emily and Gideon storyline that we did.
I love hearfelt stories, and that's what we did most of the time. I could
live without all the blowing up of things, all that stuff on daytime. That's
why AS THE WORLD TURNS [where she recurs as Sierra] is fun for me now. It's
kind of how DAYS was back then, at least the part I'm doing; it's about
relationships.
~ And your least favorite moments?
Nichols: We were in South Carolina shooting the Emily/Gideon story.
I'll never forget running through that swamp at 6 in the morning. I was slogging
through mud up to my ass. The sludge was so thick, I could barely lift my
legs. By the end of the first take, I was entangled in swamp weed and breathing
like I'd just finished running a marathon. I begged them not to make me do
another. Al Rabin said something about how I redefined the art of sprinting.
We had a good laugh and did another take.
~ Was there pressure in being a
supercouple?
Evans: I don't think we ever really got that. We used to get all these
awards, and they would say that, but I never understood it. I think, in
retrospect, for both of us, it was a great time, and it was home for both
of us, being so close and having such a great story for a long time. The
older we get, and the more far removed we are from it, we always long to
be back. And when I went to GENERAL HOSPITAL, I always wanted to be back
on DAYS, because to me, that was home. I never thought I'd be a "hopper"
and go to all these different shows. That was never what I wanted, that was
just how it went. I don't know, there was sort of a magic that we had that
I don't know if you get that many times in your life.
~ Would you ever consider going back to
DAYS?
Evans: Sure, I think it would be fun.
Nichols: The day after I left GENERAL HOSPITAL, Ken Corday called
to inquire about my interest in returning and I said, "Sure." It was one
of the most satisfying and creative times of my life. Most of the people
I worked with are still there: Peter [Reckell, Bo], Kristian [Alfonso, Hope],
Deidre [Hall, Marlena], Drake [Hogestyn, John], Matthew [Ashford, Jack],
Missy [Reeves, Jennifer], John [Clarke, Mickey], and Frances [Reid, Alice].
Also [Co-Executive Producer] Steve Wyman, one of the sweetest guys and best
producers of daytime, is running the show. I'd love to work with Steve and
the whole gang again. The fans should know that both Mary Beth and I are
willing to explore the possibility of a return.
~ It's surprising that they haven't brough you back
for the holidays, at least.
Evans: Well, they've asked me to do that, and they asked me to come
back [last] spring for something with Bo and Hope and the baby. But I don't
want to do that. I feel like we should come back and do something fun, and,
if there is such a thing, meaningful. But to come back and hang a Horton
[ornament], I'm not that interested. I'd rather do [ATWT] and have a character.
But you never know, it might happen.
