Zimmer joins Santa Barbara cast
Soap Opera Digest, 1992	Home   Cette page en Français

When Pam Long signed on as Santa Barbara's new head writer in Jan., she knew who she wanted to bring on board - soap queen Kim Zimmer. In the mid-80's, Long had created Guiding Light's Reva Shayne, a role that garnered Zimmer three Emmy's, legions of fans and the writer's undying respect. "She's wonderful, and she's a daytime star," Long explains. "She won those three Emmys for a reason. She's inexhaustible, in terms of being able to write for her emotionally."

Well, it looks like Long will be doing some emotional writing. Kim Zimmer will make her first Santa Barbara appearance on 27 March as Cruz's old flame Jodie Walker. Unlike Reva, who still had two young children at home, along with older son Dylan, Jodie has two grown children. Actually, the only thing the two characters have in common is a forceful personality, according to Santa Barbara Executive Producer Paul Rauch. "They're both strong women with big hearts," Rauch explains. "The similarities end there. Reva led a checkered life. Jodie has been married to the same man since she was eighteen. She has two children with her only husband. She's a working woman. These aspects are very different from Reva, and this will be a wonderful challenge for Kim."

While Rauch previously worked on One Life to Live, he says he missed Zimmer's two tenures as Bonnie and Echo on that show (she left to take the part of Reva in 1983). "I had the opportunity to meet her when she came on the Santa Barbara set to have lunch with some of the cast," he remarks. "I told her I had hoped to work with her some day." Rauch says that Pam Long had first pitched the idea of casting Zimmer, and, for his part, he's "thrilled" she took the part. "She's full of energy and ideas," Rauch enthuses.

For Zimmer, Long won't be the only familiar face at Santa Barbara. Eric Close, who plays Jodie's son Sawyer, worked with Zimmer in the TV movie Keeping Secrets, starring Suzanne Somers. "Kim played my older sister," Close explains. "It was my first professional job, and she made me feel comfortable on the set and took time to talk to me." Now that he's playing her son, Close laughs, "I guess I got younger looking." The actor says he's glad he already knows his TV mom. "The ice that would regularly have to be broken already is," he explains.

Through most people don't know it, Zimmer's old friend Nancy Grahn (Julia) is another former co-star. The two actresses appeared in a Chicago industrial film together in their early days. "I've known Kim since I was seventeen. She's a little older than me," Grahn jokes.

Grahn says she helped Zimmer decide to come back to daytime. "I told her, "It's a mean, nasty world out there,"" she relates. While Guiding Light had a full canvas, the failing Santa Barbara seemed ripe for Zimmer's talents. Why did Zimmer join Santa Barbara ? She was needed there. Grahn admits, "She was concerned about going back to a show other than Guiding Light. I told her "It's business". Kim will be only an asset to Santa Barbara. The show is in danger."

Like Close, Grahn is happy to work with Zimmer again. But there is one condition: "I told her she's not allowed to win anymore Emmys - unless there spread around more evenly." Zimmer was unreachable at press time.