Julianne Moore is a great actress. Boogie Nights, Magnolia, Safe, Far From Heaven, The Prizewinner of Defiance Ohio, I'm Not There. And do not get me started on The Hours; she was robbed of an Oscar by a prosthetic nose and, as my friend Robert points out, Hollywood's desire to stick it to Tom Cruise. But let's put it out there: in a world where Meryl Streep is as close to thespian perfection as it gets, Julianne Moore owned The Hours and outdid even Meryl Streep. Poor, old Nicole Kidman was far, far out of her league.
Soap fans know, however, that before the Oscar-nominated performances and the Tom Ford dresses and ad campaigns for cosmetics and flawless skin, Julianne Moore played dual roles on As The World Turns: Frannie and Sabrina Hughes. Cousins, identical cousins. And half sisters, because that's how soap operas roll, baby.
Another thing about Julianne Moore: she's a class act who, unlike some actors who hit it big and play down their time on soaps, has always spoken fondly of her days on ATWT, and referred to that time with love and respect for the show and the people who make it happen. It was confirmed today that Moore will be making a final appearance on ATWT, as the show wraps, after more than 50 years on the air.
I'm sure Moore's appearance will be brief, and will add nothing to the drama at hand, but it means a lot. To people like myself, who used to be avid fans of ATWT, Moore represents a time when the show was truly worth watching, when soap actors were chosen for their talent, when production values were high, when core families mattered and story was EVERYTHING. Julianne Moore's return may be nothing more than a cameo, but I, for one, will tune in for it.
3 comments:
Thank you for your commentary on Julianne Moore. I couldn't agree more with your assessment of her role in The Hours--devastatingly brilliant portrayal of depression, repression--she was miles beyond the ex-Mrs. Cruise.
Woo-hoo, thanks for the shout-out! I love Julianne Moore and adored her as Frannie/Sabrina. She was there at the height of ATWT's creative powers: the Doug Cummings stalker story, the Sabrina story that brilliantly used the show's history to recreate the present (and which other shows have tried to ape and failed, plus ATWT actually used footage of John Dixon and Kim Reynolds from the time she "lost" Bob's baby). Julianne Moore might only be there for a tiny cameo, but it will bring a smile to be my face to see her with Kim, Bob, and hopefully Nancy, too.
I first got to LOVE Julianne Moore on ATWT. It was my favorite show in HS, back when all my friends were watching Luke and Laura (no one actually called it General Hospital back then...though they did say GH sometimes). I was a small time fan until after college. I think it was about then that Ms. Moore first started appearing on the show. She sure made up for missing Meg Ryan...heh.
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