10 most wanted : Louise Sorel
By Tonya Lensch, Soap Opera Weekly, 2000	Home   Cette page en Français

Sorel is a talented, vivacious actress who can do just about anything a show throws her way, from comedy to serious drama. And the fans love her. Sorel has been a woman on the go, literally, since departing daytime last spring. She's traveled to France, England and Greece, where she was often recognized by fans. "It happens quite a bit in Europe. It's always so amazing, because you don't think about it, and somebody starts squeaking and pointing and jumping up and down. The soaps that are over there reach far and wide, so they do see you.

"I don't think that anybody can discount going to work - wherever it happens to be - under the right circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances are right, and then they change. There have been little comments about certain things, but nothing has happened. I don't know where it would be or when, but I wouldn't say I'll never do that again, because we all love to work." While she may always be Madame to Days of our Lives fans, other soaps would prove wise to scoop her up pronto. She could give Craig Montgomery a run for his money and microchips on As the World Turns. Maybe she could get Victor Newman to loosen up a bit and forget about Nikki, Ashley and Diane on The Young and the Restless. Or, she could make her way to General Hospital's Port Charles, where she finds herself drawn by Roy DiLucca (the character played by A Martinez)... and keeps calling him Cruz for some strange reason. "I had a very short but sweet time on Port Charles. I had just come off of some really bad feelings (on Days of our Lives), and found myself on a set where there was such kindness. That was just golden."

What has daytime meant to you and your career ?

Daytime is a hard form of work because it's day in and day out, and you are with the same character for so long, or for so short, and you have to be comfortable with that - at least I do. I can't go to work just to go to work. I've been lucky. I always got the wonderful, out-there characters who were funny and bold. I don't think I could do anything else; if I had to play someone long-suffering, I wouldn't be able to stand it. On Days of our Lives, it got a little bit stupid, frankly. Always entertaining, hopefully, but she lost her brains, and I never understood why they did that. I felt that I had to do a lot of things that I didn't think were connected to my character. They were just for the sake of doing them.

What do you miss most about daytimes ?

The check ! It's honest. I also like the consistency of going to work. I like having the discipline and structure of a work schedule, and on occasion, doing what I thought was fairly decent work. I haven't been out of work in 15 to 20 years, so it's really a shocker.

What's your favorite memory from working in daytime ?

Oddly enough, it's the crew. There is something about going in and seeing those people you feel a certain respect from, and I have a great camaraderie with the crew. I loved going in in the morning and seeing those guys in wardrobe and makeup, the people who work their little buns off. That was the best part of it for me.

What did you like least about it ?

Personally, I need some time off, although I managed to take it. I did have vacation time, but sometimes when you are on a show for a long time, you start to wish - like everybody does in their regular, 9-to-5 jobs, which is what it is - that you have more time to go away and clear your head. But I did manage to do a couple of plays in the middle of it, which was really good for me. I also didn't like that I couldn't solve certain frustrations, but given the circumstances, it's very hard and fast work and you can't fix everything. But there wasn't that much that I didn't like. I just like it more when everybody is really concerned about doing the best you can possibly do.

What are your thoughts on the state of daytime ?

There is a lot that can be done on daytime that isn't happening. Storytelling is the essence of it, and it has to have some reality to it. When I see these Survivor shows (which are more related to reality-shows) and stuff like that, I just throw my hands up. I think that great stories can be told - without being boring or hitting people over the head or lecturing them - that have some morality and have some thought process and have an entertainment aspect to them. I don't think it has to be how over-the-top you can go with stuff that nobody can relate to. I loved doing comedy and a lot of the crazy things I did, but I also like to know that something is coming from the heart.