Florencia Lozano In the Press
Articles & Interviews
AOL Chat Transcript, 7/23/98

Florencia Lozano

OnlineHost: Welcome! We're talking with Florencia Lozano, who plays Tea Delgado Manning on OLTL. Tea got more than she bargained for with her marriage of convenience to Todd Manning and is now struggling with her own conflicted feelings as Todd battles the demons from his past. Welcome Florencia!


Florencia Lozano:"Good evening everyone!"

This is ABCTim. Florencia has joined me and we'll take the first question.....From now on, all the words will be Florencia's.


Question: Do you and Kassie DePaiva get along in real life?
Florencia Lozano: "Absolutely! Besides the time I once tried to burn down her house, things between us couldn't be better. But, it's also fun to fight with her as Blair. We wish we had more catfight stuff."


Question: Florencia, who is your best buddy on the set?
Florencia Lozano: "Sandra P. Grant (Rachel) is someone I love. We share the same dressing room and are friends."


Question: What is your favorite Todd and Tea scene?
Florencia Lozano: "That's a good question. There's so many. For some reason, the silly ones are the ones that stand out in my mind. Like the scene where Todd and Tea named the parrot Moose. It was just so fun being in a scene with the parrot and Roger."


Question: As an actor, is your first love the theater? Do you want to go back to theater after the soaps?
Florencia Lozano: "Yes to both.


Question: Hi! I wanted to know what is it like kissing Roger Howarth?
Florencia Lozano: "That is a secret I'll never tell!"


Question: I heard Roger Howarth is a hilarious actor who is fun to work with. What is the funniest thing he has done when you were rehearsing together?
Florencia Lozano: "There's a lot. Let me think for a second."


Question: Hello Florencia, I am a big fan of yours and I was wondering if you are going to this years Super Soap weekend? If you are is Roger going with you?
Florencia Lozano: "No, we won't be attending. I would love to go, but I can't make it this year."


Question: So is there any new insight about where your character might be headed?
Florencia Lozano: "A lot is up in the air and yet, I have faith that Tea is going to be all right. I have no idea where she is headed and I like it that way."


Question: Do you feel there is any similarities between you and Tea -- the character you play?
Florencia Lozano: "Yes. We are both very ambitious people. And I feel that is connected to having parents who are not from this country."


Question: Hello Ms. Lozano! I love your portrayal of Tea and especially enjoy your scenes with Roger Howarth. Some of the lines they write for both of you are so funny---is it ever hard for either of you to keep a straight face when performing these scenes? Thanks!
Florencia Lozano: "Absolutely. It's very hard for me to keep a straight face sometimes. When I start to laugh, I think, 'Well, maybe it would be okay for Tea to laugh here'."


Question: I'd like to know what REALLY happened to that parrot! :-) Keep up the wonderful work on OLTL!
Florencia Lozano: "So would I, gosh darn it! Let's team up and look for him."


Question: Who do you hang out with off screen?
Florencia Lozano: "I hang out with Sandra P. Grant (Rachel), Patricia Mauceri (Carlotta), Timothy Stickney (RJ). Lots of people."


Question: Do you watch any other soaps?
Florencia Lozano: "Sometimes I catch some of All My Children when I'm waiting for OLTL to come on and then I catch some of General Hospital afterwards. I'm very impressed by the work I see the actors doing on those shows."


Question: What is the biggest challenge in making the transition from the stage to the small screen?
Florencia Lozano: "Very good question. The challenge is trusting that I don't need to project myself out. The camera is right there and I just have to think the thoughts and have the feelings without "sending them out" and trusting that the camera will do that."


Question: If you weren't in a story with Todd, which other character would you like to be involved with?
Florencia Lozano: "I would love to act with Bob Woods (Bo). All us women joke about how much we want to work with Bob. Just today I was joking with Hillary B. Smith (Nora) that we were going to become Stepford wives to Bo. He is so much fun to be around. He's a great actor."


Question: Flo, how did you get cast for the part?
Florencia Lozano: "I knew the casting director for five years before getting the role. She had seen my work on stage while I was in graduate school at NYU. She knew my work and called me in when the part came along."


Question: Do you ever read the message boards? Do you ever participate in the chats? What are your or your castmates reactions to the message boards?
Florencia Lozano: "This is my first online experience."


Question: When did you first realize that Todd and Tea were going to become one of the hottest soap couples in daytime?
Florencia Lozano: "It happened kind of recently. There was a turning point when Andrew got involved with the story that I realized, 'Wow, people are really invested in Todd and Tea as a couple'."


What is your greatest ambition for the future?
Florencia Lozano: "I want to blow things up and change the world!"


Question: Has it been a challenge to act the role of an abused woman?
Florencia Lozano: "No, it hasn't. That's the scary part! Making yourself "small" -- abuse is all degrees of that. Taken to a greater extent it becomes abuse."


Question: Welcome to AOL Florencia! Besides being a great role model on daytime TV, do you get involved in the community by mentoring young people, etc?
Florencia Lozano: "No, but I really want to. Lately, I've been thinking about how I can do that. I'm looking for something like that. I live in NYC for goodness sakes -- there's got to be things I can do."


Question: How do you feel about Todd and Tea's relationship?
Florencia Lozano: "I don't stand outside it and judge it. People ask me and I say that my job is to go in and give truth to Tea. Being as truthful as I can, that is my greatest aspiration. I can't view it as being an unhealthy relationship. Human beings have flaws and failures. I'm interested in the contradiction. On the other hand, a lot of the reason I don't judge it is because it is not my job. I'm not the writer or producer. As an actor, I do wish our stories were more complex sometimes, but that is not my job."


Question: Ms. L, you have had to cry on numerous occasions and/or get very emotional. How did you prepare for this?
Florencia Lozano: "I was thinking about this the other day. The answer is, I have a lot of sadness in me. At the same time, I'm very joyful and excitable but also have sadness that I don't find hard to access."


Question: Do you think Tea has past issues such as alluded to by her brother Del which have affected her relationship with Todd and caused her to perpetuate her victim-like position with him?
Florencia Lozano: "Yes. I have made up for myself why Tea is the way she is. I don't know if that will come into play. She stays in a victimized role because of the kind of love she got from her father. That is what I came up with for myself. She does what feels like love for her and she relates it to the kind of love she got from her father."


Question: What kind of scene do you consider the most difficult to do? Such as a love scene, crying scene or an angry scene?
Florencia Lozano: "The hardest scenes for me are the ones where I have one or two lines, like in a party scene where I don't have much to do and am just standing there. I feel outside of it and can't get the emotional reality of it. Also, it's hard for me to do sad scenes on Fridays. I love Fridays and it's hard for me to be sad on Friday!"


Question: Roger plays a very complex part. Is he very hard to work with?
Florencia Lozano: "No. He has taught me a lot. He is honest, which can sometimes be uncomfortable but in the long run, I trust him and that is the most important part."


Question: Regarding the outcome for Todd and Tea -- if it were up to you, what would you like to see happen for these characters. A happy ending or not?
Florencia Lozano: "Oh come on! A happy ending for these two? I doubt it. If they were to ever unite, they would explode in a flash of light. But, of course I want a happy ending."


Question: What is the funniest thing (blooper) that has happened? Florencia Lozano: "The parrot did a lot of funny stuff. He would sometimes "attack" Roger. There were two parrots -- one male and one female. The female one could get jealous easily."


Question: Why do you think the character of Tea has been so well received and was a good choice to be the second Mrs. Manning?
Florencia Lozano: "Because I'm brilliant! LOL!!! I really have no idea. I think people just work well together."


Question: Have you ever disagreed with the writers?
Florencia Lozano: "Yes, but again, that can't be my focus. If I questioned them at every turn, I wouldn't get my work done. There are times, especially with medical stuff, that I think this is just impossible and no one will ever believe it. But, there I go."


Question: Tea & John Sykes have amazing chemistry! Do you think there is any chance for romance for these two?
Florencia Lozano: "I thought there was but I'm not sure now. I really don't know."


Question: Hi. I was wondering if you have ever worked on any other TV show, soap, or movie?
Florencia Lozano: "I did an episode of FEDS. That was the extent of my TV experience. I did some student films. That was it."


Question: Do you feel your role as Tea has transitioned since you first started OLTL? There seems to be less emphasis on ethnicity. The entire Angel Square story seems to have disappeared.
Florencia Lozano: "Certainly. Tell me about it. I was sad to see us fade as well. I too wish there was more ethnicity all around. I miss Angel Square a lot."


Question: Are you married and have any children?
Florencia Lozano: "Not married and don't have any children. I have, however, found the love of my life."


Question: Where did you study dance?
Florencia Lozano: "Mostly when I was growing up in Boston in High School. The Boston Ballet, the Boston Rep and a small dance studio in Boston. My first dance teacher passed away while I was studying with her and she took on mythic proportions to me. Her name was Pamela Ferri."


Question: Hi, I love Tea and I think you are wonderful! How long do you plan to stick around on OLTL? You are loved by many. I hope you'll be here for a while!
Florencia Lozano: "That's very sweet. I feel so welcome in Llanview by the fans and the other actors. It's real honor."


Question: Where will Tea live, now that she has been dislodged from the Penthouse?
Florencia Lozano: "I'm living at the Palace Hotel like every other swinging female in Llanview!"


Question: Hey Florencia! I just want to say that I am a HUGE fan of yours. I was wondering, how did you break into the business? ~Alicia~
Florencia Lozano: "I went to college and after college, I came to New York. I just started auditioning. I got an agent through a play I did. Then I went to graduate school and that was a springboard to making other connections. I continued to do plays. Then OLTL came along."


Question: Do you like the direction your character is going in?
Florencia Lozano: "Yes and no. Sometimes I feel I little stuck in the rut, playing the same thing over and over. I want her to do something."


Question: Was your character originally brought on as a love interest for Todd?
Florencia Lozano: "No, I don't think so. Although my boyfriend said they named me Tea because it goes with Todd -- TNT. I think he's wrong."


Question: Florencia, what has been the most challenging aspect of playing the role of Tea Delgado Manning? Thanks for taking my question! Heather
Florencia Lozano: "It's always a challenge just to breath. Seriously, if I breath, I find that all the answers lie therein."


Host: "This is ABCTim again." Florencia says "Thank you for being here.Buenas noches."





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