Saturday, August 15, 2009

Should-less Inspiration: Louise Sorel


Louise Sorel is a wonderful and spirited actress who is known best by soap fans for her memorable roles as Augusta Lockridge on Santa Barbara, and the irrepressible Vivian Alamain on Days Of Our Lives. Fans of primetime television may remember her notable appearances on Charlie's Angels, Kojak, and even the original incarnation of Star Trek.

I had the chance to sit down and interview Ms. Sorel in Manhattan two weeks ago. The woman I met was not only an articulate and hysterically funny entertainer, but also a profoundly deep and soul-filled artist. She is struggling to find the balance in her life between staying true to her own voice, and conforming to other's expectations. She is trying to act up and fight for animal rights while not becoming overwhelmed and consumed with tragedy and outrage. She is on this journey, like most of us, to live an authentic and meaningful existence, while frequently clashing with outside forces.

As someone who is also trying to find his voice in this world, I found her hopeful and inspiring. I gave her a copy of Absolutely Should-less, hoping that the ideas about "shoulds" may help her to find more peace and grounding within herself as she carries forward with her passions and her struggles. Will it help? We'll see. But I was reminded during this interview just how much a connection with another soul can renew my momentum and energy. And this has helped me to make some important decisions coming up in my own life.

Please check out my interview with Louise Sorel here.

4 comments:

John said...

Very cool. I enjoyed the interview a lot. It was fascinating reading about what was going through her mind while she was trying to make that crazy buried alive story work. It must have been very scary for her in terms of job security...she had to think they were writing her character into a corner. (Didn't Vivian actually kill someone or even several people in the course of that story? My memory is hazy.) At the time, I was a kid, but even I knew enough about soaps that if you'd told me a year later Carly would be gone and Vivian would still be on the show and somewhat redeemed, you could have knocked me over with a feather. And yet LS just did her job and invested her all in making the scenes/character work, and look what happened...the genre could definitely use as many performers with that fearless commitment to excellence right now, when its future looks kind of bleak.

And now, incredibly, Vivian and Carly are both going to be back on the show, and in the past 15 years CC has grown in her range as an actress and gone on to win an Emmy in another role, making her even more formidable as a scene partner for LS. I for one will definitely be watching, for the first time in a very long time.

Thanks, Damon, and best of luck with your decision.

Damon L. Jacobs said...

Thank you John! I enjoyed that Vivian was never actually "redeemed", yet we rooted for her anyway. That is the mark of a talented actor, IMO. Life decisions can be hard, but I really think I'm doing the right thing. Stay tuned!

Anonymous said...

If you are going to be an author ---that is a real author--- and post vis a vis a blog, you need to be more timely in posting. You have not posted in over 45 days. If you cannot find time for us, why should we find time for you and buy your books? Fair question? right?

Damon L. Jacobs said...

Yes, Anon, that is an excellent question! Although I don't believe anyone "should" buy my book about "shoulds", I get your drift loud and clear.