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Shades
of Shame: My “Love Affair” with Rick Hearst When it comes to my admiration for Rick Hearst, I am shameless. The funny thing is, the first time I saw him was on General Hospital - and I’ll shamefully admit it - lightning bolts did not fly off the screen and hit me squarely between the eyes. Sure, I loved the longhaired, guitar-playing man first introduced in the South American jail cell but that goes back to my early 20’s musician fetish. I mean, didn’t we all date at least one? Ahem… When he cut his hair and slithered into Port Charles hell bent on revenge, I shrugged. Another whack job entering Sonny’s world. Been there, done that. Soon he hooked up with Elizabeth and my response was still lukewarm. An entire fan base was swooning and all I could think of was the ever so virtuous Liz dreaming of her prince dressed in Jerry Seinfeld’s white puffy shirt striking a Harlequin romance pose, not what I imagined the character being. Yawn. Then Ric Lansing surprised me. He didn’t jump directly into he role of white knight but sunk to lows even I couldn’t imagine. Kidnapping a pregnant woman and chaining her to a wall in a panic room? Drugging his wife with birth control pills and then contemplating smothering her with a pillow in the hospital? Sick Ric - really sick. But Rick Hearst sold it. He was able to take material that would send most actors running for the hills - or at least to an over priced Beverly Hills therapist - and made it his own. Now he had my attention. Shame on me for not noticing how incredibly talented the man was. (At least I get brownie points for noticing he was HOT, but that’s easy!) It takes a lot more than that for me to become a fan of this caliber. As with any new interest, I made a point of researching my subject. What other things had he done? When did he start is career? Married? Family? I was pleased to learn that Rick had all of the aforementioned: a diverse body of work, a loving family and many faithful, long-term fans who were more than willing to indoctrinate me on all things Hearst. So, he was talented and a good guy. But then again, there are a lot of good guys out there. The eye opener for me was seeing the breadth of his work. There were a string of daytime characters: Scotty Banning (Days of Our Lives), Matt Carter/Clark (The Young and The Restless), Alan-Michael Spaulding (Guiding Light), Whip Jones (Bold and The Beautiful) and, of course, Ric Lansing (General Hospital). Each character was different than the other and all were very multidimensional. *** Note to GH: It’s amazing what this man can deliver when written for. There were also several film roles including the cult classic Brain Damage, which is the perfect Friday night B (okay maybe C+) science fiction flick. Crossing The Line has a Days of Thunder feel except the sport is motor cross. (Check out Rick’s thick curly hair in this movie. Eat your heart out Tom Cruise!) Then there was Warlock III: End of Innocence…I dare say it is a different role than you’ve ever seen him in before. Did I say he was a “good” guy? Color me corrected. Last year, Rick played the lead character of Joel in Corbin Bernsen’s film Carpool Guy, which humorously explored the life of an up and coming LA advertising exec trying to balance career and family. The movie gives viewers an opportunity to laugh and engage in a little self-reflection, not to mention a galaxy of daytime’s brightest stars to enjoy. Among the TV guest spots I saw was a stint on Jenny McCarthy’s show. I’ll refrain from commenting on that because sitcoms are a tough sell for me. However, I was excited to see Rick guest star on one of my favorite little indulgences, Charmed (or as my husband calls it, “Desperate Housewitches”). The injustice of it all was that his character was invisible! However, when he was on screen, Troxa, was delicious until he was vanquished in a blaze of agonizing glory. Sigh. He’s also done Beverly Hills 90210 and Pacific Blue. I haven’t caught those yet. Hearst’s work has not gone unnoticed. He’s earned five Daytime Emmy nominations and taken home the trophy twice. No wonder he was able to sell psycho Ric. The man has chops. The more work I viewed, the more fascinating it was to watch Rick mature both as a man as an actor. The mark of excellence for me is how a performance literally makes me feel when I watch and I was amazed at my reaction to rapist Matt Carter. I admit to having an affinity for bad boys but this guy was vile. (Did I really say that Rick was a good guy earlier? That cannot be confused with some of the characters he’s played). What a guilty pleasure to enjoy a performance so much, not to mention, a bit unsettling. Perhaps his most complete role to date has been that of Alan-Michael Spaulding. During his six-year tenure on The Guiding Light we saw the total evolution of his character. He went from a self-entitled rich boy and power monger to a sexy, optimistic romantic and finally a grown man realizing his priorities and celebrating the discovery of real love. Alan-Michael hit all the bases and, after watching Rick’s final scene in the role, I was aware that I’d been on one incredible ride. It’s a rare treat to see a daytime character so well written and developed. The comedy Rick’s played is more complex. It’s not slapstick or raunchy but mature humor. He’s had many amusing scenes on General Hospital opposite co-star Nancy Lee Grahn including the memorable trapped in an elevator, the drunken dinner date (where he played straight to her mounting inebriation) and the classic Christmas tree hunt. Psycho turned funny? Just another color from Hearst’s acting palette. What I would give to see General Hospital flesh out Ric Lansing the way Guiding Light did Alan Michael Spaulding! Ric Lansing must have one hell of a back-story to explain the panic room, his alliance with Faith, the failed marriages and connection to Liz, his obsession with Sonny, his feelings of abandonment, the unconventional union to Alexis, relationship with his father and finally becoming a father himself. These are all a part of what makes Ric Lansing who he is. Something drove him to these actions. Something made him cross a moral line to pull the trigger on Manny Ruiz. This character is a massive puzzle with vital pieces still missing. Don’t simply say he’s sick or twisted but show us why! (Soap box safely stowed). I’ve been fortunate to see Rick on several occasions over the last year and, thanks to the generosity of a few close friends, last summer I got to tag along on a studio tour and see where it all happens. We spent quality time talking with Rick about his various roles and where he’d like to take Ric Lansing. I was struck by the conviction he has for his craft regardless of what character he is portraying at the time. Rick is not passive but passionate. If a line or scripted story is out of character or context he has no qualms about pointing it out. He goes to battle for stories and sometimes he wins, other times he doesn’t. The point is that Rick cares enough about his work to take a stand and fight for his character’s integrity and, in the end, that makes viewers the winners. We’re intelligent people. As the consumers of storytelling we know the elements that make a story work and entertain. He realizes that. He respects that. How refreshing! Another outstanding quality I see in Rick is his ability to make each and every person he meets feel appreciated. Often his events include family and those attending are welcomed as an extension of that family rather than minions paying homage to a pretty face. I admit that I entered my first fan event mortified and by the time I left I was invigorated. If I ever thought that being a “fan” was silly or stupid, one Sunday afternoon in July 2005 changed my mind. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. In fact, I am going to attend this year. As I said, when it comes to Rick Hearst I am shameless. The opposite of shame is respect and honor. I can honestly say that I respect his work and am honored to call myself his supporter. Like so many others, I anxiously look forward to everything this actor has to offer for years to come. |
