Like most soap opera actors,
Bradford Anderson is already used to attending fan events and making public appearances. His
General Hospital character Damian Spinelli, on the other hand, has already retired from public appearances for good.
As Damian Spinelli, Anderson tries to emulate a speaking style like that of Spicoli, a character played by Sean Penn in
Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Spinelli's dialogue, a rapid-fire mix of surfer lingo and Internet slang, has offered comic relief, and an unusual "tech-savvy" character to the show, that has been called "one of the quirkiest characters daytime has ever seen."
On the other hand, Anderson reveals that his character is something that he puts on when he comes to work and takes off when he leaves. This explains his most memorable and embarrassing fan event experience.
“Once, when we were taking questions from the audience [during a 2007 Fun in the Sun event at the University of Florida], someone asked me to ‘speak Spinelli,' and the strangest thing happened: I couldn't do it! I made kind of an a** of myself. I couldn't find a way into it. It was so weird. I realized that when I come to work and I put on these clothes and mess up my hair, it's something I get into — and something I'm very happy to leave at work. After that, I decided I'm not doing it. Spinelli does not make public appearances. Bradford does. Since then, I've never spoken in character at a public appearance,” the
General Hospital actor told
Soap Opera Digest.
Despite the embarrassing experience, Anderson considers it as an achievement, seeing that he successfully created a character that lives on his own.
“It means I was successful in building something from the ground up. As an actor, that is satisfying to hear. It's fun for me to be a chameleon, for people to look at me and realize that those things I do at work are not things I do on a daily basis,” the
General Hospital actor added.
-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
Source:
Soap Opera Digest
(Image courtesy of Soap Opera Digest)