~Charles R. Brown
Next month, most countries — liberated or not — will be celebrating Gay Pride.
The international parade and party recognizing our historic, present and future fight for equal rights only got more joyous —and that’s because one of our most passionate allies, Crystal Chappell, is back on television (where she belongs) and is once again playing a friend of Melissa Etheridge’s.
With four — count ‘em four — gay parts to her credit (GUIDING LIGHT, VENICE, THE GROVE, and now B&B), it appears Chappell was born to play a striking and unforgettable rainbow of complex, beautiful yet disenfranchised human beings on the fringe of society.
Which is why when B&B showrunner Bradley Bell had to cast a “hot lesbian wife” for Joanna Johnson in a new lesbian storyline that has everyone buzzing, only one name popped up on his speed dial.
After all, THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL is Chappell’s nickname.
“It’s flattering,” the soap superstar quietly shares when I mention that Brad Bell instantly thought of her for this history-making role on B&B.
No stranger to gay (and womanly) parts, the international gay icon and eternal sex symbol jumped at the chance to help tell B&B’s first gay storyline. “I’m proud to be here,” she enthuses.
Almost a year to the date that DAYS OF OUR LIVES controversially let the Emmy winner go as Dr. Carly Manning, things have come full circle for the widely popular fan favourite and critical darling on many fronts.
Not only did she already inspire thousands of fans to tune into B&B to see her latest daytime reinvention as Karen’s partner, Dani, but Chappell also recently earned her first Lead Actress Emmy nomination as Carly this past month (She won an Emmy as Best Supporting Actress as Olivia on GL, and has been nominated multiple times since then in the Lead category for the same role; as well as winning an Emmy for producing hit web soap, VENICE, last year).
In part one of our UNCENSORED interview, Chappell weighs in on the ever-evolving gay debate, Johnson’s brave decision to come out of the closet; what makes her latest soap opera reincarnation, Dani, tick; realizing her dream of working for the Bell dynasty; and whether or not CBS will allow Dani and Karen to be physically intimate.
[Joking] Hello, Mrs. Chappell. It’s nice to finally meet you!
[Laughs] It’s nice to meet you, too!
It’s nice to have you on the boob tube again. Without your boobs, TV was less boobilicious! Seriously, we’ve all missed you. Also, congrats on becoming the new spokeswoman for THE SECRET: You put it out into the universe that you wanted to work with Bradley Bell, and here we are!
[Laughs] See, all you have to do if put some good intentions out there.
I keep telling the universe that I will sleep with the Brad Pitt one day…
You really underestimate yourself, Nelson!
Are you happily surprised how this all worked out? I read in SOAPS IN DEPTH that you said “yes” to the part before you even began negotiating.
Yeah. I spoke with Brad and he told me what the role was about and it’s something I really believe very strongly about. I’m very happy B&B is telling this story between these two women. People are very excited about it. I jumped on it. Everything else fell into place.
[Joking] You’re not scared about being typecast, are you?
You know, a lot of people are asking me that question. Listen, I’m an actress. I spent the majority of my career playing the straight leading lady or the straight supporting actress.
And no one asked you then if you minded being typecast as an actor who plays straight roles. Gay characters are not a type — we come in all different sizes, colours, and cup sizes!
This is something that happened as a result of [GUIDING LIGHT super-couple] Otalia. That storyline was very important to a lot of people, especially the LGBT community. In particular, for gay women to be represented on TV somewhere. That’s the original compass for me. I’m the [celebrity] ambassador for the Hetrick-Martin Institute, [an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth], so I want to be something familiar to them on their screens. Typecasting? No. Listen, I have a media company… I could write myself a slew of straight parts if I wanted.
Years after GL was cancelled, Otalia continues to be the gift that keeps on giving… They live on in all your other roles in a way. What an homage and a legacy! What I love is how different Gina and Olivia are… and I can already tell Dani is her own person. Has Brad told you anything about her back story yet, or is he leaving it up to you to fill in the blanks?
I’ve got some information. She’s a writer. She’s like any writer… she has her own neuroses. Wouldn’t you say, Nelson?
[Laughs] I have no idea what you’re talking about!
[Laughs] Well, I know who I am as a writer. She’s insecure and she’s passionate and very protective of the people she loves. She’s very passionate. The passion is Olivia and the insecurity is a little of Gina, so she’s a little bit of a combination of the two.
She’s a hybrid; I love it. I like the character name, Danielle, too because you look like a Danielle.
That’s what my husband [Michael Sabatino] said, too. Maybe he’ll start calling me Danielle.
Why did you decide to keep your hair short for this role? Was it because you wanted to separate yourself physically from the other parts you’ve played?
I cut it because I wanted to. I cut it right after I left DAYS. It’s been short for about a year. I wanted something different. I’m a Leo… this is what I do.
I like it a lot, by the way. You must be proud of Joanna for coming out of the closet as a lesbian the week before the storyline debuted on B&B. Perfect timing.
I think it’s extremely brave. It’s not something she had to do. I knew she was for it but there has to be some kind of fear — even for someone like her. She’s such an honest person. I think putting herself out there is going to help a lot of people. I happen to like her a lot. She’s a very smart and funny person. I was very lucky to work with the talented and gorgeous Jessica Leccia… so lucky me that I get to work with a second talented and gorgeous lady in Joanna Johnson!
Is Jessica jealous?
Yes, she is. I saw her in New York City not too long ago and she was like, “You know I don’t see you for a hot minute and now you’re with someone else. I may have to get the fans on this.” [Laughs]
Well, Jessica got Nadia Bjorlin as a leading lady so this is just karma. Suck it up, Jess!
Right.
Do you think Joanna’s coming out will inspire others in daytime to do the same?
I don’t know. I’m just a straight girl lobbying for LGBT causes. I’ve told Joanna this: I can’t possibly understand what it took for her to do that. She’s had her own journey to take. She’s shared her own personal fears and insecurities with everyone. Coming out is a very personal thing. I don’t know… Hopefully, her coming out will help non-celebrities feel more comfortable with who they are and live their own truth.
Amen. Do you think President Obama’s recent statement that gay couples should be allowed to legally wed will carry some weight on a federal level and impact the divisive gay rights movement?
Well, I would hope so; he is the president! I admire him for doing that. I’m sorry it took so long, but I’m admiring him for finally doing it. I really hope so… but I don’t know. I hope we can all work together…
Were you familiar with Joanna’s work? She was B&B’s biggest star at one point when she played Caroline in the first two years of the show. Heck, several countries re-named the show CAROLINE after Johnson.
You know what? I didn’t. But my husband was on B&B for a couple of years, from 1994-96 [when he played fashion designer, Anthony Armando]. She was on the show at that time playing Karen. I would run into Joanna at soap events. Daytime is such a small community. I knew her but not very well.
You’re giving Michael -- one of daytime’s best soap hoppers -- a run for his money now that you’
re on your fifth major soap opera. You and Joanna have a lot in common. You’re both producers. She created HOPE & FAITH and she’s been a producer on several shows. Do you guys talk shop in between kissing scenes?
We do. I pick her brain and vice versa. It’s been fun. One thing we both agree on is that it’s nice to put all that [show-runner] stuff aside and go into a studio and act. We don’t have to deal with making certain decisions and dealing with scripts and talent. It’s a nice breather to just be the talent.
And talent you are! Can viewers expect Dani and Karen to kiss? The last time you played gay on CBS… [Nervous laugh] [Sarcastically] Will there be some tongue action?
First of all, when do you ever see tongue action on daytime? What show are you watching?
The show in my head!
[Laughs] That’s right! That’s where it is. [Diplomatically] I can tell you that the storyline is beautifully written. It’s very honest and there’s great tenderness. You can tell these women love each other and have been together for a very long time and raised a beautiful child together. When I heard about this story, well, that aspect was very appealing to me. People are going to see Dani, Karen and Caroline as a family. People are going to be very, very happy with the story. I know I am. You know, this is a family