Soap Opera Weekly Articles
Whodunit?
From November 26, 1996
KEVIN: "From the police's point of view, Kevin is unaccounted for, because he's lying about where he was. He looks suspicious to the police, and certainly he's threatened Carlo several times, in from of witnesses," says co-head writer Jean Passanante.
from the article on page 2 of the same issue
...While guests are practically lining up to have it out with Hesser, Kevin-who's covering the fund-raiser for the Banner-convinces Cassie to poke around in Todd and Blair's stateroom. "They know that Todd financed Alex for her story, which was supposed to expose Carlo as Posiden. "They are hoping that they can find evidence in Todd's room that Alex may have given him." (Earlier in the party Alex gave Cassie and Kevin a co-called scool that didn't amount to much.) "Kevin tells Cassie to go ahead to the room while he makes sure that Todd isn't around," explains Kevin Stapleton (Kevin). "In the interim the lights on the ship go out. During the blackout Kevin and Cassie are in the stateroom, where they start to make out."
Kevin, Take 4
Soap Opera Weekly, May 7, 1996
OLTL's Kevin Stapleton
Character: Kevin Buchanan, Viki and Clint's eldest son (he was adopted by Clint when his biological father, Joe Riley, died); he is a rookie reporter for the Banner.
Birthday: Dec 7.
Birthplace: Bayonne, NJ. "I lived there until I was about 17." One Life to Relive: "My very first {television} job was here at One Life to Live eight years ago. I worked as an extra at Wanda's birthday party, and then was a character on "Fraternity Row", OLTL's soap-within-a-soap, which was my first speaking role. Nobody here remembered me. Then I moved out to Californa. I did some extra work on The Young and the Restless whenever I needed a little extra money."
Corporate Maneuver: " I went to the University of Colorado in Boulder where I got my business degree. I figured I might as well get it in commerical receration, which seemed like themost fun and easiest thing to do. I worked doing that for a year-and-a-half. I was sitting in my cubicle one day and decided that my life would really be atrocious if I could wound up here five years later, so I applied to acting schools and three months later I was going to the Neighborhood Playhouse. It was a total release, a new way of thinking and a shock in some ways. I was employed. I had a salary. It did not prepare me for the years of constant rejection and waiting tables."
Opposites Detract: " I tested with Gina (Tognoni, who plays Kelly). I know whenever they do tests, they try to team you up with someone who you're going to be playing opposite, but that wasn't the case here. I think at the time of the test, which was in early November, that's may be where thay had Kevin going. I mean,me and Kelly? I doubt it. She's my brother's girl. You've got to remember that even though he's on the prowl, Kevin's still an upright guy. And if Andy says she loves someone else, I have enough respect to adhere by that, but at the same point, I'm not going to totally stop worrying about her. Friends can still stay in people's lives even though their respective mates might not like that, which is unfortunately the case here."
Getting the Goods on Kevin: " I hear all the gossip and I know I'm the fourth Kevin, and I've got a bull's eye on my head. I watched old shows to get caught up with the storyline. I did my background research just so I would know who's who and how they're related to me and what they might have on me or what I might have on them! It's so funny. You see a different Kevin in every one! Actually, we were shooting Asa's wedding, and during the scene they were showing clips from Asa's wedding in Central Park. All of a sudden the old Kevin pops up, and I said, I don't think you should be using that clip!"
I'm Ok, You're Ok: "Working with Erika (SLezak, who plays Viki) is great. It's not intimidating at all. Everyone came to me after our first scenes together and said,"Are you ok?" I was a little nervous because I respect her so much that you tend to want to do your best work, even though it was my third day. She is incredibly easy to work with. It's sort of likong working with my mother. She is very nurturing and supportive.
A Switch in Time: "I was talking with Wendee (Pratt, who plays Andy) the other day and she said,"Yeah, we have this whole stabbing storyline coming up." I said, "Oh, really? Who gets stabbed? And she said, You do." I said,"Excuse me? For a minute I thought they were going to send me the way of the other Kevins."
-Jeffery Lucia
Rating the Replacements
Kevin Stapleton
Kevin Buchanan, OLTL
Predecessor: Jack Armstrong
Grade given: A-
Character Profile: The elder of Viki's two sons by the late Joe Riley, Kevin was adopted by Clint Buchanan as a child. For the past couple of years Kevin has been a reporter at the family-owned newspaper, the Banner prior to that he was a college student. Although only in his early 20s, Kevin has already been married and divorced, and he is the father of a son who lives in Texas with his mother. Kevin has been romatically involved with Rachel (now his stepcousin by marriage) and rival journalist Cassie, the Rev. Andrew Carpenter's wife.
Critique: Kevin Stapleton has the unenviable task of portraying a character who has become daytime's equivalent to Murphy Brown's secretary: There seems to be a new one every week.
It is admittedly difficult to review an actor's work when one is already prejudiced by the role itself: With the exception of Kirk Geiger, adult Kevin No. 3 (the character was aged from a pre-teen in '90) all the other actors who've attempted this role have bombed big time (Stapleton's actual predecessor was Ken Kenitzer, but he was on too briefly to compare). The actors' collective failure has been projected onto the character, turning him into a joke.
What I can say about Stapleton (Kevin No. 6) without hesitation is that he has a playful quality and works well in his scenes with Cassie (Laura Koffman). Unlike some of his predecessors, Stapleton exudes an air of confidence and is direct in his delivery. More importantly, he acts as if he's a member of the Buchanan clan and not some dazed messenger who wandered onto the wrong soundstage.
If Stapleton is allowed to stay on this track, perhaps he won't become yet another Kevin Buchanan du jour. --Irene S. Keene
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