LUCKY LADY
Soap Opera Digest, exact date unknown, 1987
ALL MY CHILDREN'S Robin Christopher Seems to Have Given the Starving Actress Syndrome the Slip....
"I thank my lucky stars, believe me," Robin Christopher says, referring to her current position as Skye Cudahy on ALL MY CHILDREN. "It took me two years to get here, and I still can't believe I have this role. I remember my agent telling me I got it. I started crying and she started crying and I called my mother and she started crying. Me, excited?" You would think Christopher, who assumed the part of Adam Chandler's devilish daughter last March, would be getting used to things going her way by now. There was the day a few years back when a photographer spotted her in a Boston department-store elevator and suggested she model. Christopher was a teenager at the time, living with her parents and brother in Revere, Massachusetts, attending an all-girl Catholic high school, undergoing what she calls a "sheltered upbringing," and concentrating on maintaining her straight-A average. Although she's only 5'6"--on the short side for modeling--the offer turned out to be legit, and in quick fashion she was headed for a three-month stint in Japan. Unchaperoned. "Let me tell you, it was difficult for my father because he's very strict," she notes. "My mother was really behind me, and we're a very close family. But when I came back home I was undecided about what I wanted to do, so I went back to Europe. I went to London and stayed there for about a month, and then went to Germany for about a month, modelling all the time. But then it was time to come home." Once again, she didn't know what she wanted to do. In describing this predicament, Christopher manages to reveal rather major news casually. For example, "Well, it came time to go to college, and I had gotten two scholarships--one to Boston University and one to Boston College--for art, to study painting," she says, at the same time she's talking about her desire to act. In Christopher's case, she headed for New York and, again, things came her way. She hooked up almost immediately with Elite, one of the city's top modelling agencies. But for the eager, bright young woman, posing wasn't enough. "Financially it was wonderful, but I felt I couldn't be creative and that every time I went out on a shoot, the model was sort of at the bottom of the totem pole. There would be the photographer, the art director, the photographer's assistant, and on and on. People say that about actors, too, what with producers and directors, but I feel more creative as an actor and it makes me happy. I went through a few years when I was really unhappy because I didn't know what I was going to do with my life." In an attempt to describe herself during this first interview, Christopher reveals, "I'm very sensitive, sometimes too sensitive, quiet, meditative--the type who sort of sits back and observes people. Then there's the other side of me, very nervous, jumpy, restless. And I think I'm imaginative. I'm a very genuine person--which is why I have so few friends in my life. I'm not superficial, and if there's somebody I really care about they are friends for life. What I'm very bad at is schmoozing and parties. But then, I also know sometimes this business requires that." In Christopher's case, the business also requires donning some skin-tight costumes--costumes which, poetically enough, seems spray-painted on. So every other day she hits the weight machines at a gym, supplementing the workout with aerobics. "Those clothes are something else. I had stopped going to the gym when I first started with the show, but when I took a good look at those clothes, well, it was back to the gym! I guess I better get used to it." Indeed. For starters, she has a two-year contract and her storyline is steamrolling ahead. And, considering her recent on-screen marriage, there are those up-close love scenes. In fact, her second day on the set found her cuddling in bed with Brian Fitzpatrick (Mitch). "Talk about a welcome to Pine Valley! I was very insecure when I came to the show because when you come to ALL MY CHILDREN, it's sort of like a family. I was very insecure. And those love scenes are tough. There is a part of me that wishes I could really be there (mentally) for every single moment (of the love scene), but I just can't help it. I think about what I had for lunch, or how work is going. I mean, with my Catholic upbringing, well, sometimes there's some guilt. My dad growls over the love scenes." In fatherly fashion, he's also immensely proud of his only daughter and her career. Christopher admits her fellow cast members still tease her about her overnight success since her only previous professional acting experience was as an extra on ANOTHER WORLD, and a day player on SEARCH FOR TOMORROW. However, she quickly points out that she invested studying at the famed Stella Adler studio, and her classes with William Esper--a man not known for accepting actors at such a young age. Christopher hopes to one day parlay her talent to theatre and possibly film roles. A movie buff who favours James Stewart, Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn, she remembers James Dean's performance in EAST OF EDEN sparking her interest in acting. "The screen just sort of sizzled, you know? And, well, I decided I wanted to do that. But James Stewart is the best. I've seen IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE about sixty-four times. My mother bought me the movie for Christmas, but it was the colorized version and I told her to get rid of it. I wouldn't watch it in colour. Those are the great actors to me, along with Anne Bancroft, and I love Mickey Rourke. Acting is very important to me. I want to stretch and expand, which to me means portraying somebody who I would never have really understood with the background I have." To supplement, she made a commitment to read voraciously during the summer, covering everything from religion ("I'm at a crossroad right now, so I'm reading the Zen books") to history to painting in the hope of absorbing characters and cultures. And just what about that painting she mentioned earlier? "I've put so much of my attention into acting that I feel lucky if I have time to go home and go to sleep. Even my social life...well, I'm involved in a relationship. But, I've never had enough room to do any painting in the apartments I've lived in New York." William de Kooning and Julian Schnabel, in other words, have nothing to worry about. But maybe there's that little chance of allowing Robin to paint by having Skye give her Uncle Stuart, also a painter, a run for the brushes? For now, Christopher is doing her best memorizing scenes, studying, and just getting used to all those autograph seekers and male admirers belting, "Yo, Skye!" as she winds through the city streets. She understands the importance of fans and their loyalties--after all, she used to be one of the masses who gathered to watch ALL MY CHILDREN. "I'd like to think that getting this soap hasn't really changed me at all," asserts Robin Christopher, "On the other hand, it is so different from what I was used to. I think the writers have some interesting plans for Skye and Tom. I think it's going to be open territory for those two. My only hope is that Skye always has a certain edge. I, for one, can't wait to see what happens."
SKYE HIGH
by Irene Vitale
ABC Soaps in Depth, November 2, 1999
On her first day on the set of OLTL, Robin Christopher felt a sense of deja vu. "It was strange, to say the least," admits the actress, who played Skye Chandler from 1987 to 1991 on All My Children before relocating the troublemaker to Llanview. "On the one hand, it felt really comfortable. But since the last time I played her, the character has been through a lot." And so had the actress. For three years, she appeared as another hell-raiser, Lorna Devon, on Another World. There she got to know executive producer Jill Farren Phelps, who now is OLTL's boss; she became very close to her screen mom, Linda Dano, who played Felicia and now is OLTL's Rae; and most significantly, she met her life partner, fiancé Matt Crane, who was Lorna's ex-lover, Matt Cory. "I remember saying to him prior to reporting to work at OLTL, 'Am I going to be able to do this? Can I play this character?" she recalls. "But it was like jumping right back in." Thankfully, there were quite a few familiar faces around the OLTL set to ease Christopher's transition. In addition to Phelps, Christopher had worked at AW with four of the show's leading men- including John Bolger (Sykes), who had been Gabe, Lorna's ill-fated boyfriend. And of course, there was Dano. "it was just such a comfort having her here," Christopher says, adding that she has considered the possibility that Rae and Skye are related. "I think we're both hoping for it because we loved playing mother and daughter so much." If reclaiming Skye and reconnecting with old pals weren't treats enough for Christopher, then acting opposite five-time Emmy winner Erika Slezak (Viki) has been icing on the cake. "Working with Erika in the early weeks really helped me," she says. "I felt a confidence from her, which eased me into it. It's a good mix because the plays the classy grande dame that can really snipe at you," she adds, "and Skye resorts to the lower end of that." To those who knew Skye back in Pine Valley, it's clear that the bad girl hasn't changed much. "Basically she isn't a happy person," explains her portrayer. "I don't think she's ever had real love, but I do think that she thinks she's in love with Ben. It's the closest thing she's had." However, Skye's rivalry with Viki may be coming from an even darker place. "Part of Skye's wanting him back is just for the sake of winning," the actress allows. "She's the kind of person who wants to be the one pulling the strings." To that end, she adds, "Skye will undermine Ben and Viki's relationship in a way that makes her question if she's right for him. A woman with a younger man might worry about the age issue, and Skye will take advantage of that." Clearly there's a long road ahead before Skye will be able to redeem herself. "She needs major therapy!" Christopher laughs. "Whenever she can make trouble and be the centre of it, it makes her feel like she's worth something. She always wants to be where it's at." While Skye always has to be where it's at, at least Christopher is content to be right where she is. "I'm so happy in my personal life," she says, referring to her engagement to Crane, "that I never feel like there's a place I have to be or something else I should be doing." After making a life and buying a home in LA, following AW'S cancellation, the couple once again have returned to New York where that show taped and where OLTL still tapes. The tricky part: They rented out their New York place when they moved West, so now they are "bopping around" Manhattan, as Christopher puts it. "That's been hard, because for Matt and me, our home is our sanctuary, and we haven't been able to settle in." While the pair are figuring out living arrangements, they also are mulling over a time and place for their nuptials. But for two people obviously smitten with each other, a marriage license just seems like a formality. "We already feel married," says the bride-to-be. "I just hate all the planning. The whole pressure thing, I can't get into it. We're probably going to try to go away somewhere, possibly Italy or Bermuda." As Christopher and Crane look forward to a wedding in an exotic locale, and a postnuptial dinner party for East Coast-based family and friends upon their return, they are sentimental about their past and bursting with anticipation for the future. Case in point: the demise of AW. "It was bittersweet for us," she reveals. "The irony is that we closed on our home the day the show was cancelled. But we both have healthy views about the future. Having each other really lets us face it fearlessly together."
RHAPSODY IN BLOOM by Lara DeLosh
Soap Opera Weekly, Dec. 14, 1999
Firmly rooted once again in daytime's fertile fields, OLTL's Robin Christopher continues to flourish both personally and professionally.... While the rest of the patrons pour into the Upper West Side Cafe looking like drowned rats-compliments of Hurricane Floyd- One Life to Live's Robin Christopher (Skye Chandler) sits serenely in a corner booth looking fresh as a daisy. Appropriate, considering several minutes into the conversation it is more than obvious this elegant beauty's life is in full bloom. One reason is because she is back on daytime after a two-year absence, playing a character she created in 1987 and played through '91 on All My Children. The other-and most significant-is her relationship with fiancé Matt Crane (ex-Matthew Cory, Another World), which, she says, "keeps getting better and better with each passing day. It is hard to put in words, but Matt is really the best friend I've ever had- and it has always been hard for me to find a best friend in life. We're the best of everything for each other. He's the best of everything." When Christopher talks about Crane, her eyes sparkle and a softness comes over her flawless countenance. "Matt is the sweetest, purest soul to me," she notes. "He is amazing, and I have learned so much from him. As women we tend to be people pleasers. We are taught that as little girls. And I fell into that, especially in this business, which would be my undoing at times. Matt is just the opposite of that. He does things only because he wants to, not because he has to, and that is a gift. He's taught me about figuring out what I want and don't want, and basically doing what is best for me. And what is really surprising is that although from a distance we seem different, we are very much alike." Christopher and Crane started dating while they were both appearing on AW (she played Lorna Devon from 1994-'97). "I had a little crush on him, but I never entertained the thought that I was his type at all," she says with a laugh and a slight shrug of her shoulders. "What's funny is that he thought that about me, as well. I do remember being afraid to accept his invitation to go out. Linda Dano (ex-Felicia Gallant, AW; now Rae on AMC) and Jill Farren Phelps (then AW's executive producer, now OLTL's) both encouraged me to say yes, and I am forever truly indebted to both of them." The cliché about actors not dating other actors obviously doesn't apply here. "Matt an I aren't typical actors," she says with a laugh. "Matt has his sculpture, I have other things going on in my life. And we are not competitive people, therefore we've never been competitive with each other. Seeing us together you would never know we were two actors." Christopher admits that "there was never any question that Matt was the man I would spend the rest of my life with," she says. "I think it was probably the surest thing I ever felt in my life. I am a thinker- my mind is always going, and for me not to have any doubts about that is pretty amazing. And it is funny, because when I was alone I never really worried about not meeting someone; I always knew it would come along when the time was right. But, when it happened, I never realized how much I was missing. When I think about life without him now it's unimaginable." While Christopher and Crane have the commitment, the ring, not to mention the house, the only thing missing is the exchanging of the vows. "The wedding...oh, god," she moans. "It's so weird because we already feel like we're married. I guess maybe the time and place isn't right. We wanted to do it in our house in L.A. because it would be the perfect place to have a wedding, but that isn't going to happen any time soon. And then we were thinking about going to the Bahamas for a long weekend, but you need to be on the island for two days to get the license or something. And now we're thinking about going to Italy again. I don't respond well to pressure, and the pressure of planning a wedding freaks me out. I don't want a big wedding. I don't want to have to plan anything. I also think doing what we do for a living, you get sick of getting dressed up and being the centre of attention. Getting married is more laid back for us. Elopement-that's probably what's going to happen. I am sure that won't sit too well with the families, though." Because of the L.A. roots they've laid down, the couple is currently dividing their time between both coasts. "It is great to be working, but it's very hard being back in New York and away from our home, " she says. "We get back as much as we can, though. It's our own private little retreat. We never had any intention of moving to L.A. We had this great apartment here, so it really was the furthest thing from our minds. Maybe it was the timing. I was out there for pilot season, living in this adorable little guest house in this great part of town. These smells were enveloping us-orange trees, lemon trees, azaleas. It was like: Wow this is nice. you could really have a life out here. We had lived in New York for so long and after a while it's almost like you're ready to move on to the next phase of your life. We do that so well together, Matt and me; we're such a team. We both know when we're ready to move on to the next step, and we both felt it at the same time about L.A. We found the right house and the day we put our bid in was the day AW was cancelled. Funny, huh?" Christopher exudes a knowledge, confidence and serenity that seem to surpass her 30-something age. The last few years, though, "was the time in my life I have grown the most, " she says. "Getting fired from Another World- I had never been fired before, and it was such an emotional experience. It chips at your self-esteem, and forces you to question where you go next. That was a real soul-searching time for me, questioning: Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? Should I go back to school? I realized that yes, acting is what I want to do, and it gave me a renewed passion. Being fired turned out to be one of the best things that could have happened. I know every actor says that, but it is true. It's like when I first came to New York from Massachusetts, and being terrified, not knowing what was coming next. As human beings we crave security. When you don't know what is coming you tend to question everything about yourself, and I am proud to say I came through with flying colours." And that is just the way she is handling her return as Skye. "It was weird though at first, bringing this character on," she relates almost reticently. "But everyone has been really nice, and it feels so wonderful to be working with Jill again. Seeing her face every day at the studio and having her support has just been great. Also, since I played Skye before, the transition back into the role wasn't as jarring because in a small way the role was a part of me." That is not to say the character was just as she remembered. "When I played Skye, (AMC) had her go through a lot of emotional stuff," Christopher says. "She was an alcoholic, never had her father around...Then they brought the character back with another actress and Skye had all these bad experiences, which hardened her up quite a bit. Now Skye sees everything in life as a little problem to be solved, and there has to be a plan for everything instead of just letting it happen." Most importantly, "Skye is not a victim anymore-expect of her own shenanigans. She is a great character because she never sits back. She's always on to the next thing. It is fun to play someone who's always in action like that." Action is something Christopher enjoys in her own life, whether it be working out or running in the park with her fiancé, painting, doing yoga, or playing with their cats. "I never thought I was a cat person," she says with a laugh, but a few of the cats came as part of the Crane package. "But Sasha, Bonu and Tiger Lily are so sweet and they really feel like they're our ideal family right now. It is hard for me at times to unwind and relax because I'm always going in my head, so sitting there playing with the cats is a great stress reliever for me- and, to be honest, is the time where I do my best thinking." Though the cats may complete the family right now, they don't preclude children. "Someday I would love to have children-one or two- but I don't feel the urge yet," Christopher says candidly, adding with a laugh, "I should be thinking about it soon, though, because I am getting old. There is still stuff I'm figuring out about myself-that we're figuring out about each other- and I don't feel we're ready for it. But I'll know when it is right. No pressure, please." SOAP OPERA WEEKLY: 50 MOST BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE SOW, Volume 11 Issue 13 March 28, 2000 SOW: When do you feel your most beautiful? When I'm at home with my hair pulled up, and Matt and I have just finished doing yoga, and I'm really relaxed and living in the moment. That's when I feel really vital and alive, and I think it shows in my face. (continuation from 50 MBP section) The Beauty Shop~Top tips from soap opera's 50 Most Beautiful People Robin Christopher (Skye,OLTL) Products: Framesi Bigenol hair products, Bumble and bumble Styling Was, Origins Constant Comforter, Prescriptives Px Comfort Cream, Nars Honolulu Honey lipstick, Chanel Glase blush Diet: "Everything in moderation." Exercise: Yoga. Tip: "Don't drink red wine the night before a day when you need to look your best; it'll make your eyes look puffy."LOVIN' LIFE by Irene Vitale
ABC Soaps in Depth, November 28, 2000
After just over a year in Llanview, transplanted Pine Valley vixen Skye Chandler has made quite a name for herself- a five-letter one that rhymes with witch! First she moved heaven and earth to give ex-husband Ben and fiancee Viki hell, then she targeted Blair's marriage to Max. And now that the rascally redhead has teamed up with Blair's ex, Todd the best-that is, her worst!-may be yet to come. "Skye is still emotionally immature," explains Robin Christopher, who first played Adam Chandler's daughter on All My Children in 1987, then relocated her to One Life to Live in August 1999. "To her, life is very much like high school. She wants things she can't have, and she wants the other girl's guy." Despite Skye's misbehaviour, her portrayer has sympathy for the she-devil. "There's a lot of history that will be revealed," she explains. "Her mother got pregnant with her to lure her father back. So she always had the sense that her mother never really wanted her, and her father never was around. She never had the grasp of a real relationship." Thankfully, Christopher's own upbringing was far more stable. "My parents were, and still are, very loving and concerned," says the native of suburban Boston. "I went to an all-girls school, and was actually even a little sheltered. The fact that I left home at 18 to become an actress in New York was shocking, considering the way I grew up," adds the daytime vet, who turned down an art scholarship at Boston U. to move to the Big Apple. "It was a great growing experience for me, because when I first came to New York, I didn't know a soul." Though Christopher may have been a stranger in a strange town when she arrived in Gotham, she soon made friends. And in 1994, upon replacing Alicia Coppola as the daughter of Linda Dano (now OLTL's Rae) on Another World, she even met her future husband, Matt Crane (who played Matthew Cory). While sparks flew immediately, their relationship began later-after an evening of hand holding at the show's Christmas party. "We both knew just a couple of months into the relationship that this was it," she recalls. When not working in New York, the couple, who wed on April 11, 2000, spend down time at their LA home and dream of owning a small villa in Italy. "The great thing about our marriage is that our careers are our careers, but they can't compare to our life," she marvels. "If there are any changes we want to make, we feel strong because we'll be there for each other. I feel like I'm the luckiest woman in the world."HERE'S LOOKING AT YOU: Soaps' Prettiest Faces Reveal How They Stay Ready for Their Close-Ups
Soaps In Depth, Feb. 20, 2001
ROBIN CHRISTOPHER (Skye, One Life to Live)
*What is the key to inner beauty? RC: Trying to live as honestly and simply as you possibly can-and to be happy. *When do you feel most beautiful? RC: When I don't have a stitch of make-up on, and I've spent the whole day with Matt (Crane, her husband and former Another World co-star). I have a little glass of red wine, and I'm feeling really good. *What are your best and worst features? RC: Call my mother! *If you can change anything about yourself, what would it be? RC: When I was a kid, I used to wish that I had darker skin because people used to tease me about how pale I was-but now I like it. Now, I wish my hair was straight naturally because there's a lot of time wasted straightening it! *Do you have a specific diet and exercise regime? RC: Matt and I try to do yoga together at least four times a week. I try not to eat a lot of processed food, and have a lot of fruits and veggies. I really believe in moderation as far as diet. *What is your skin-care routine? RC: I never go to bed without moisturizer, and I drink a lot of water. I'm big on sunscreen, too. *Would you ever consider plastic surgery? RC: I would actually. In this business, it's no secret that it's based on your looks.