Soaps In Depth April 25-May 9
"Patched In" by Kelli M. Larson Stephen Nichols is the kind of man who doean't do anything halfway. Soap fans saw that for themselves when he won their hearts as DOOL's Patch and again when he played complicated Stefan Cassadine on GH. On a break from daytime since 2003, Nichols has now found two new passions to occupy his time: launching a soap ring-tones business and his debut as writer/director for films!
Much like the proverbial artist who becomes so wrapped up in his craft that he loses track of time, so too has Nichols become quite the night owl in an effort to get his company, Idyll Pie Pictures Group, LLP, up and running. "I got into the business of making video content for cell phones," he reveals of the reason for his attendance at a technical conference last year. "I met a guy there who told me about his ring-tone site with all these hip-hop stars, and it dawned on me: I have all these contacts in the soap world--how great would that be to have Austin Peck wake you up in the morning, or Drake encouraging you to go to the gym and work out, or Connie Towers saying something funny like 'This is your psycho granny calling?'" After reaching out to some of daytime's brightest stars on both coasts, Nichols personally recorded their greetings, edited them and added music, some of which was composed by his son, Aaron (DJ A Dogg). "I've been basically a one man operation," he chuckles. Now available at www.soapfone.com, the ring tones, along with similarly themed wallpapers, have become the industry's hottest new ticket. Although understandably excited about his "baby," Nichols has been making time to tour rhe film festival circuit to promote "Get the Dime", the short film that he wrote, directed and co-produced with his wife, Lisa. "The film is loosely based on an experience that I had as a young actor preparing for a role," he offers of an occasion when he entered a drag club in costume. "I was threatened by a person who claimed that they knew me. They pulled a knife, and I barely got out of there alive." Citing the experience as an eye-opener that revealed the other side of the male/female dynamic, Nichols says that the movie relates what he learned about what it's like for a woman to be hit on and to feel physically and psychologically vulnerable to the threat of physical violence. "It's very dark in tone, and it doesn't pull any punches--it's the real deal," Nichols offers of the film, whose trailer can be viewed at www.getthedime.com. "It's very gritty [but also] uplifting, ultimately. I believe that sometimes you have to go to the dark side to get to the light, and that was my intention with this film."
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While he has no specific plans to distribute the short, Nichols is pleased that it's opened some doors for him as a director. "I really wanted to make Get the Dime as a calling card so that when I go and pitch my ideas for the features that I want to make, I have a piece to show," he explains, adding, "I got an offer to direct two other films that we're now talking about--and that was just because of this film."
Has daytime seen the last of the actor long considered it's own? While Nichols would never say never, he's definitely got new ideas for his future. "The longer I'm out and off the daytime canvas, the more I'm getting done in other areas. I think if somebody called me and said, 'We've got this soap job for you,' it would be very hard for me to get away and divide my attention--bit if it was something interesting, I wouldn't turn it down."
Captions: Under a picture of him with his daughter Dylan: Why did Nichols get started in soaps? "I had two small children and wanted to give them a good life," offers Nichols, with daughter Dylan last year. Now he has three children ranging in age from 14 to 27!
Under a picture of im as Steve, with Mary Beth: "I've learned that [filmmaking] is so much more work than any acting job I've ever had. It's just overwhelming!" laughs Nichols, with Mary Beth Evans.
Under a picture of Stefan and Helena:"Connie Towers is the sweetest, most wonderful, most elegant woman," Nichols gushes, "and I miss working with her terribly."
Under a picture of Stefan and Nikolas: "I miss working with Tyler. He and I had some great stuff with Tony Geary and Genie Francis in the beginning. I liked it when everybody was on fire and all part of the whole Cassadine arc in the beginning--it was just a lot of fun." |