Sometimes you
just have the best luck when the unexpected happens. My cell phone
started ringing at about 5:30am and jumping to my feet I grabbed it to
answer. Leigh Taylor Young! Asking her to please give me a moment I
grabbed everything I needed... but it took a while for my brain to perk
up... I was just an honor to speak with her. I would've gotten up in
the middle of the night... GLADLY!
Leigh
Taylor-Young's answers are in gold.
"Now the thing you need
to know is that it's so long ago for me. It was just one week, so I'll
just have to do my best."
Casting Process... do you remember the process?
They just offered me the
role.
At the time of the filming, where were you living?
I was living in Los
Angeles.
I flew out to the set,
'cause when you're filming an episodic they move very quickly. So I was
cast and flew, then I think there was a day of wardrobe, settling in,
then immediately to the shooting.
When did you get your script?
I got the script before I
accepted it. I had a script. Then, of course they change stuff. When I
got there I got a new script. They do that all the time, they make this
change or that change, so they put in different colored pages. How many
changes I can't really remember.
Impressions of the cast?
Well a couple of things
occurred. My Make-up artist, whose name was Nanette Moore... No No
More... became a life long friend. She's one of my best friend to this
day. From the very first day when she made me up and I remember Stephen
Baldwin because he was.. [laughter] so mischievous... so welcoming...
so funny.
He's funny... he's
outrageous! He knows no fear and in that context, immediately, he made
me feel welcome, very flirtatious, but in a way that made me laugh.
I remember the young man
that played the Indian. He was very sweet and he and I ended up talking
at great lengths about environmental matters which I've always been
very involved in.
And Anthony Zerbe?
You know, he and I,
being... well just very professional, very mutually respectful... it's
like when we got together to do our part it was fun because... we could
really let our own professionalism and our characters have a little
fun. It was just like we had a lot of history behind both of our
careers... and when veterans get together, its fun to act. And he's a
marvelous marvelous actor. It's just like falling into a vat of honey
when you get to work with somebody who's that good! Because, always
when you get to work with somebody really good it brings you up and you
bring them up and you really get to have fun.
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Had you seen the show before you filmed?
Not really, very
honestly, I judiciously watch T.V. based on... time. I'm a busy
person.. I always have been busy so I don't make a point of watching a
lot of T.V. unless it's something like this morning. I was up to see
Howard Dean on Meet the Press because it was important to me. If it's
important to me, I'll watch it, but just generic... it isn't a
judgment, I'm just interested in other things. So I don't think I had
seen it... I think I'd seen it as I surfed through, and I love that
time of history.
I come from a rural-,
both my grandparents were farmers in Kansas and Iowa, so that whole
flavor of the world.. I have a sensitivity to it. It wasn't difficult
to get into it quickly, because I didn't come from city roots. I came
from those kinds of people, really Western, Heart-of-America type
people. So, that town... and also as an actor, the minute you arrive in
a place with that much colorfulness to it. Like the town was all
created. It's not difficult to get into the spirit of it pretty
quickly. The wardrobe does it, the language does it, the story.
Then *Teacup* had such a
great character... all of that helped me to kind of flow into the story
very easily. And Quickly. In television we learn to do it all very
quickly. I remember that it was a time, on the set, when it was cold. Really cold. I don't remember
which season it was, I don't really remember when.. but I think fall,
but Oh My God it was cold... and there were days that were great,
thankfully enough, but it was cold. Made me think of what it was
like back then, when you didn't have a lot of things to keep you warm
and clean.. 'cause the streets got kind of muddy. It was very cool...
cause it was probably like it was.
Well, I loved Tucson, Oh
My God; I just fell in love with it. It was so beautiful and that town
was amazing, what they did with that and I liked everybody very much...
so it was a very good experience... and then meeting this wonderful
woman who took care of all of us. A lady who went on to become the top
make-up artist for 90210, now she does Charmed....and did Walker,
Texas-Ranger. She has a long, long history.
Again, one of the most
memorable people was Stephen Baldwin. In his absolute, sort of 'joie de
vive' and mischief... made me feel so welcome.
Any other cast members that you remember?
Well the character of
*Teacup* was a piece of bliss.
 Was this your first Western?
I think so, I've worked
so long.. I don't look back at all. I do a project and it's complete
for me... so I don't think about it much.
What are you doing these days?
Like everyone in
Hollywood, we're all looking for work these days... there's a terrible
paucity of roles because of reality programming taking up a lot of
space... the business is going through a lot of change.. and no one
knows where it will settle. Doing a small movie next month. "The A
list".
Do you have any pictures from the set?
No.. I really don't take
those... but you know, that's a good idea... to take a few photos
during the process. You know, I would love to get a copy of the episode
that I was in. I would love to see it again... a few years ago, it had
occurred to me to get a copy of my work... so much of my work I've
gotten by going back and ... you know, it's kind of amazing. Some fans
in Canada for Peyton Place, just wonderful people, just sent me all the
episodes of Peyton Place that I was in, and there are about 80. And
that was from 1966. You can imagine how much work went into it.
She does
have an
email listed for contact, but things are so hectic that Ms.Taylor
Young wanted
me to alert the fans that it may take some time to hear back
from
her and due
to the overwhelming requests for pictures she is unable to
offer those at the
moment.
Thanks also to Cindy
for the use of her screencaps. www.rainechief.com
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