To the Mason born
By Janet Di Lauro, Soap Opera Weekly, 1990	Home   Cette page en Français

After seven years on Dynasty starring as the powerful Adam Carrington, actor Gordon Thomson admits he had second thoughts about returning to daytime television - specifically, NBC's Santa Barbara.

"I went through the sort of usual nonsense of, "But it's not prime time" admits Thomson. "Then, I had a long think and said, "Now just a second Gordon. Somebody's offering you a major character on an Emmy Award winning drama where the writing is very good, and they're going to pay you very nicely. What is your problem? You've been in Hollywood too damned long you twit !""

Thomson laughs loudly recalling the incident, then adds that once he "got that out of the way," he proceeded to seriously consider the fabulous offer the Santa Barbara brass were dangling before his eyes. "I got home from work - I was doing a guest spot on Murder She Wrote at the time – and there was a message from my agent, Sam Gores, "Urgent ! Santa Barbara wants you to play Mason Capwell," he explains.

That meant nothing to Thomson who'd never watched the show, let alone had any idea who this Mason was. So he phoned his agent, who quickly briefed him on the basic. Terry Lester, Thomson's predecessor in the role, was departing very suddenly. Mason was central to the show and scripts were already written, so Santa Barbara had to find somebody to step - no make that run - into Lester's shoes pronto.

Thomson was their choice, though it's still a mystery as to who picked him. "I suspect it was John Conboy (Santa Barbara's executive producer), " he says. "It happened very quickly. So there couldn't have been that much of a committee." The very next day, in fact, Thomson was meeting Conboy for lunch to discuss the part. "(John) was talking at great length about the character and about me and how pleased they all were... and I hadn't even said yes," he laughs. One week later, Thomson was working. "I wound up doing the equivalent of four shows in two days. It was an enormous amount of work, and I loved it, " he says. "The writing is good. It's far better than I have been accustomed to."

Although Thomson never worked with Conboy before, he suspects Conboy might have been familiar with his work on Dynasty. "I'm guessing," he admits. "But from what I've gathered, there's a similarity between Mason Capwell and Adam Carrington. They're both dark. They're both well-educated. They're both rich. They're both lawyers. Mason has a sense of humor, which nobody on Dynasty, with the exception of Alexis, ever had. We weren't allowed to."

Though Thomson is often cast as one of the rich and sophisticated, he'd love a chance to play how the other half lives. "I was actually offered a role as a blue collar guy on an HBO series called The Hitchhiker once," he continues, "but at the last minute I couldn't do it for some technical reason. I was supposed to play somebody who worked on cars. Now, I don't know what makes a car go except the gas pedal. I'm hopeless," he laughs. "This guy worked under cars, had a blousy, blond stripper girlfriend, a whiny wife and three hungry, scrawny kids. He drank a lot of beer and was a Fred Flintstone with no humor. I was terrified of the guy, but I would have loved to have done it."

Thomson does understand why those kind of roles are few and far between and why characters like Mason Capwell keep falling into his lap. "I sound like who I am," he explains. "I've been to a university, and I'm an actor who loves the language I use. I've done a lot of theater, and I'm of the belief that unless you're specifically asked to play someone who is not educated and not articulate, then please let (the audience) understand what you saying. They've paid their $25 or $35 to come and listen to the play. What's that lovely quotation from Henry V ? "Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.""

The Canadian-born Thomson's been articulating for American audiences, since he first began working in the United States. It all started with his role as Aristotle Benedict White on Ryan's Hope in 1981. "He was an archaeologist and was again very smart, charming, well-educated, driven..." notes Thomson. In 1982, the actor hit the big time as Adam Carrington. "Dynasty was a treat, " says Thomson. "The act of going to the studio to work with such nice people. They were an honest, funny group. Not every combination worked in nine years, obviously, but for the most part we all got along very well."

The series helped propel its actors to fame. "Dynasty was certainly my break into American television," admits Thomson. "It was for most of us on the show. John James, Jack Coleman and Michael Nader had all done one soap opera. Linda Evans hadn't done very much since Big Valley. Joan Collins was a grade B-movie star, who was really hungry to work. John Forsythe had always been this sort of presence, but never a great big star. Heather Locklear was out from (California) at 19. And nobody knew from me. All of us owed an enormous amount to Dynasty in terms of public recognition and certainly money... because fame is a silly thing, it really is. But if you're famous, you get paid as a famous person, which eventually does good for your pocketbook."

For Thomson, the wealth, the work and the recognition came after 17 long years of struggling to make it in the business. He began back in 1965 working as an apprentice at Stratford Theater in Ontario, Canada. From there, he went on to "weekly repertory reviews, musicals, industrial shows, radio drama, TV drama, a little Shakespeare, various regional theater and a little film," he notes, "everything every actor does to keep the wolf from the door. In Canada (acting) is not a great, big, active industry... not even now. A career is impossible, or at least it was then. I've just gotten used to the idea that I have one now."

While it may have taken Thomson a while to adjust to success, he admits he adapted to the steady flow of income in record time. Yet, Thomson insists that he didn't go wild. "I knew what I wanted, and what I didn't want. I lived very simply. I didn't have a house the first two years (on Dynasty). I lives in an apartment that cost under $500 a month. I spent my money on wine, candles and flowers. I was finally able to afford good red wine and find out what I really did like. And I traveled when I could."

Thomson continues to live fairly modestly in the Hollywood Hills home he's owned since 1984. "I spent a lot of time here," he says. "Where I live has always been an oasis for me. It's important to close the door - your own door - whether it be an apartment or a room in a house. It's your place. I like to be quiet. When the evenings are cold I use the fireplace a lot. To order wood and have it stacked in the garage is terrific. It's a real treat up here at night," he adds, pointing to the mile plus view of Los Angeles outside his window. "When it's clear and crisp outside and there's a Moon, it's gorgeous. I like to cook, too. So I have friends over to dinner sometimes."

Thomson has an equally modest attitude toward his work and his success. "Most of us can act. I think talent is the cheapest thing in the business. Most of us are just bloody lucky," he says. So, perhaps, Thomson's only wish for the future is that his "luck" hold out, especially when it comes to his current stint on Santa Barbara. "I sign a two-year contract," he says, "which is lovely. It gives them time and me time... if I survive the two years. I hope I do. I'm having the best time. I really am."

"You know the moments in your life when you do know at the time how happy you really are?" he asks. "They're rare... when you can sit back and you've got the sense, the objectivity and the peace to realize how truly happy you are. I love my work. It's the purist thing in my life. For want of a better similie, it's like my religion. It's the closest thing. I have to a church. I'm working with people who I like and who seem to like me. We share a mutual respect. And I love being challenged... going into work. It's a treat. I'm not worried about money. I have friends. I live in a pleasant house with animals that I care about. It's a very happy existence right now," smiles Thomson.