Jackie Zeman Interview

Sari N. Kent: General Hospital was not the first soap that you were on. You were on ABC’s The Edge of Night in 1976 and ABC’s One Life to Live from 1976 to 1977. How did those come about for you?

Jackie Zeman: Actually, The Edge of Night was the first one I ever did. I really didn’t have any professional experience. I had my high school plays and I had a few theatre productions, so I’d been on stage and of course, a lot of dance stuff. And I was a tomato in a commercial once where I had to tap dance around this huge ketchup bottle. *laughs* I was an extra in a Woody Allen movie then The Edge of Night came along. I only worked a couple of days but it was exciting. I got to work with Dixie Carter. I was like my first professional gig and I’m working with Dixie Carter, OH MY GOD! I can’t believe I’m here. *laughs* Well, they really did anything with my character. But, it was SO much fun so I said, ‘I have to do this.’ Then, when One Life to Live came along, I was cast as an ‘Under 5,’ which means you have the part but you have five lines or less. So, I played a waitress. I don’t remember, I know that was my Lana McClain role but I think the first time I was on I didn’t even had a name. I think I was just ‘waitress.’ *laughs* it was just a few lines and it with Gerald Anthony [who played Marco Dane] and I remember thinking, ‘I’m standing with Erika Slezak [who plays Victoria ‘Viki’ Lord Banks] and Michael Storm [who played Dr. Larry Wolek.] I was like ‘Oh, my God, I’ve watched these people and I couldn’t believe I was standing next to them. *laughs*

Then, Doris Quinlan, who was the producer of One Life to Live at the time, wonderful lady, called me into her office and told me they were going to offer me a contract. I was so excited. I was jumping up and down. But, then she said, ‘I have to tell you something.’ She said that they usually don’t give away story lines, but because I was young and inexperienced and this was my first contract offer. “That the people at the network liked what you did and we’re going to give you a full part. They’re going to ask you to sign a three-year contract, but your character is just being brought in for about six months. We’re going to an arc, a storyline and then the character is going to be gone.’ She said, ‘I can’t tell you what’s going to happen, I’m telling you because they’re going to offer you a contract and I don’t want you to really think it’s for three years. It’s going to be less. Don’t tell anybody. I don’t want it to shake your confidence, I don’t want you to feel when I have to call you in here to tell you that your time here has passed that you’ve done anything wrong.’

Sari N. Kent: That was an incredibly wonderful thing for her to have done.

Jackie Zeman: I know. I never met anyone who was so kind and generous. So, I did the show. Then, she calls me back into her office. I mean I did scenes in a negligee with Jameson Parker [who played Brad Vernon] Oh my God! *laughs* I was crazy I was SO nervous. You know with love scenes on soap operas, you don’t get a lot of time to rehearse. In those days, you did your scene and then you stopped. They didn’t edit. Then there were the two commercial breaks and you’d have to change and be back on your mark and if you weren’t there. It’s not like nowadays where they do it out of order and set by set. I mean we had to finish then the news came on next live so they took our cameras and we were done. There was no editing. So, Doris called me back into her office. I said, ‘Okay, this is it. I’m getting my walking papers today.’ But, then she said, ‘Guess what? We’ve decided to extend the storyline and you’re going to be here for a while.’ *laughs* It was amazing and I was on the show for two and a half years before they finally said, ‘Okay, we’ve stretched this out as far as we can. Time to go.’

But, now I’m on an Internet soap, The Bay. It’s great! It’s online, we can them webisodes or indie soaps because it’s done more like film. It’s thebaytheseries.com. I’m playing Sophie Madison, the mayor’s wife. Oh, gosh, this is fun. *laughs* I play an event planner and my husband is the mayor [Jack Madison] played by Nicolas Coster, who is absolutely fabulous. It’s a great great group of people. I feel so fortunate to be working with them. The fan response has been amazing. So many people, we do fan events. We’re taping a Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa special on Monday. This Internet thing is good because it’s the wave of the future. You’ve got to stay current. I want to stay in the game.

Sari N. Kent: You’ve just been named as the national spokesperson for Zestra Essential Arousal Oils, the first clinically proven OTC sexual enhancement product for women. How did that happen?