Quotes About Laura
Anyone who dismisses Francis' Laura simply as Luke's little woman is selling the actress and the character short. Very short. Her gentle look and manner notwithstanding, Francis is a powerhouse. Her take on Laura as a woman of strength and true grit is flawless, and every bit as effective as the teen-age Laura whose vulnerability and painful transition into womanhood made her America's sweetheart as well as Luke's. One need only look at the actress's face -- a canvas on which she paints Laura's innermost truth -- to see the depth of commitment to her character.
Who should Tony turn to, now that his marriage to Bobbie is on the rocks? Brad Maule responds:
"Laura [Genie Francis]. It would be natural for him to be drawn to her after she has her child. And since Laura and Bobbie love to hate each other, Bobbie would freak out."
How different would Laura's life have been if she had stayed married to Scotty (Kin Shriner)? Genie Francis responds:
"I don't know. I can't even imagine that Laura. I might have been like one of the Quartermaines with fancy clothes and fancy hair -- because he's rich!"
Were you surprised when Laura was arrested for Damian's murder? Genie Francis replies:
"I was happy. It brings back some of the harder edges of her past that make her richer, more emotional and less sure of herself. I wanted all those things back."
Genie Francis, who plays the plot's jailbird focus,
says that she is thrilled that her character is
finally front and center after spending two years in a
storyline abyss. "For a while, I was concerned that
Laura was a little too good... a little too on high
moral ground," says the actress. "What I loved about
Laura the first time around was that she was so human.
She always wanted to do the right thing, but
sometimes she couldn't. Lately, she's been just too
much in control." All that seems to be changing since
the show named as it's new headwriter Guza, who cut
his teeth on Luke and Laura's early days. Preparing
for her trial, Laura is concerned that her past will
come back and haunt her. In the late 1970s,
16-year-old Laura's name was dragged through the
tabloids for having had an affair with and then
killing her mother's lover David Hamilton. "That
really did drive the character and made her who she
was," recalls Francis. "She was really freaked out
about looking good to the rest of the world because
she was in the scandal sheets as a slut."
In the Hamilton homicide, Laura repressed the fact
that she did it. Could she have done it again...
killed Damian and then "forgotten" it? "That's what I'm hoping for," says Francis with a
laugh. "She did it and then went upstairs and sat
down with the kids and sang lullabies. She's lost it
before. And that's okay with me. What I don't like
to play is this perfect person who is beyond human
error."
Not all arguments are over serious character issues. Many involve the look of the character. "I had a real nightmare with my hair on All My Children," recalls Genie Francis. "I have a thing about hair. I happen to love long hair. I know that there are all these other styles that are fashionable, but I'm partial to long hair. I just think it looks lovely on a woman. It's very feminine." Francis cut her hair for Ceara, but she's didn't like it and grew it back. "There have been times where I've felt that styles have been pushed on me," she allows. "It's rare in a career that you get a character that fits you perfectly, and Laura does. On other shows, I was sometimes uncomfortable with the way they would dress me. Like I knew no part of me would wear this. But Laura fits me. I was born to play her."
Thanks to Nancy for all these quotes!