One foot out the door : Will Santa Barbara's Julia call it quits ?
Soap Opera Digest, 1992	Home   Cette page en Français

When A Martinez (Cruz) leaves Santa Barbara this fall, Nancy Lee Grahn (Julia) may be on his heels. After seven years, Grahn says she'll ready to call it quits. "I've already got one foot out the door," she confides.

Santa Barbara's fate will be decided in September, and Grahn's contract ends in October. And, if the show‘s picked up for another season, it's likely she won't renew. "I want to spread wings," she explains. "I am ready to close this door and see if something else happens." While Grahn says, "I love (Julia) and feel that there's myriad things she can do," Julia hasn't been doing much lately. Shortly after Pam Long took over as head writer in January, she introduced the Walker family, who've since supplanted familiar faces Mason (Gordon Thomson) and Julia on the front burner. Grahn says she understands the need to develop new characters, but adds, "There's room for everybody. What I didn't foresee happening was that (Santa Barbara) would become lopsided. It‘s not for me to judge as good or bad; but I can still have my opinion."

Julia and Mason's last major storyline involved moving in to a haunted house. Grahn enjoyed it at first but began to question her character's motivations. "It was really funny the first month," she recalls. "But as it progressed, I just didn't get it. I didn't understand why (Julia) would stay in a house where her husband and daughter were getting hurt." Since then, Julia's presence has been scarce. "I am not happy with what‘s going on with my character," Grahn says. "I can breathe life into her, but if the picture that has been drawn has different appendages, it's difficult to continue."

Despite her probable departure and the show‘s ailing ratings, Grahn still hopes Santa Barbara will stay on the air. "I have friends that I made over seven years, and I want them to have their jobs. I also feel a connection to the people who watch (Santa Barbara). They may be a small audience, but they're very loyal."

After she leaves Santa Barbara, Grahn says she'd like to "take it easy for a while." But she says she'd definitely consider other soap work after the respite. Would she possibly join Guiding Light, a soap she particularly loves ? "I'd love to work again with Jill Farren Phelps (Guiding Light‘s executive producer, who used to be her boss at Santa Barbara)," she says. "But I'd rather not relocate to New York."