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Just when things seemed to be settling down in little Eric's life, his biological dad, Deacon Sharp, blew into town. CBS.com caught up with The Bold and the Beautiful's newest bad boy, SEAN KANAN, at his first CBS photo shoot.
CBS.com: How is it going at The Bold and the Beautiful so far?
SEAN KANAN: I'm having a really great time. I've been having a blast.
CBS.com: Tell me what your first day was like.
SEAN KANAN: My first day was really easy because I didn't have any dialogue. [Laughs] I really just turned around [and looked] into the camera. [I was] in and out. It kind of lulled me into a false sense of security and then I got thrown to the wolves and had five scenes a day...but it's been good.
CBS.com: How is it to be back on daytime?
SEAN KANAN: This is a vastly different experience for me. General Hospital was a very large cast. I was very much a supporting player. I never had the opportunity to run with the ball, so to speak. From the get go, this character is really intermixed in all of the storylines, which is great. I feel very wanted here...if that makes sense. When I was doing Sunset Beach, it was [at] the bottom of the ratings and it was no secret that it was probably going to be a very finite job and that it was going to end relatively quickly. God willing, there's very little chance of that happening here. It's great working as often as I can [here at B&B], in sort of a driving storyline. This character is a great character. It's a lot of fun to play because so far he's got no redeeming qualities. The guy is a real [jerk] and that's a lot of fun to play because I'd like to think that we have few qualities in common. It's going to be fun once everybody hates him to really see why he is that way and, hopefully, uncover some shred of vulnerability.
CBS.com: Tell me more about him, other than the fact that he is the "bad boy."
SEAN KANAN: To the best of my knowledge - and I'm putting this together through conversations with [B&B Executive Producer/Head Writer] Brad Bell and scripts - I guess I came from a pretty lousy background. I got myself out of Las Vegas and came to Los Angeles with Carmen, who had aspirations of being an actress. I was the guy who looked out for her and protected her. I think Deacon is a guy who's a survivor and, as such, would do anything and everything he has to be that. He's a guy who lives by his wits and is probably not the product of a whole lot of education. He's gone to the school of life. He's not a dumb guy. It's funny, I've come to see the Forresters and the Spectras do whatever it is they need to do, and he's no different. He just doesn't have the pedigree that they do, but in a lot of ways [he's a] similar animal.
CBS.com: It sounds like you enjoy being the bad guy.
SEAN KANAN: Absolutely. Without a doubt. I get to exercise all sorts of dark personality traits on TV that I would be very leery of exercising in my real life. It's fun. I get to come here and really play.
CBS.com: Do you see any of yourself in the character?
SEAN KANAN: Sure there is. I'd like to think I've got a quick wit and that I've got some sort of charisma, which as an actor you have to have. I think this guy is very charismatic. So, there are some similarities. The difference is, I try to channel mine in as positive a way as I can. This guy is purely self-motivated. So, I think that's where the similarities stop.
CBS.com: Do you think that Deacon would want to be a part of his son's life?
SEAN KANAN: I would imagine that's what is going to happen on some level. I don't know how involved he's going to be. Do I see Deacon driving a carpool and being a soccer dad? Nah! That's not going to happen.
CBS.com: What is it like to work with Gladis Jimenez [Carmen]?
SEAN KANAN: She's wonderful to work with. She's very much, so far, relegated to the position of being the put upon girlfriend. She's beautiful and I find her very intriguing. I'm hoping we see why it is that she would stay with a guy like this. There has to be something that compels her to stay with Deacon. It's evident what I would see in her!
CBS.com: What would you hope for your character in the future?
SEAN KANAN: So far, I've been very happy with what has been coming down the pike for me. I'd like to deal with what some of this guy's insecurities and frailties are because all of the bravado that is Deacon is armor and defense to protect against something. I'd like to see what that something is.
CBS.com: At some point, fans tend to develop some compassion for the bad guy. Do you hope we'll see a softer side to Deacon?
SEAN KANAN: I do, but I hope it doesn't happen in a cookie-cutter, formulated, saccharine type way. When I first got this part I was like, "Okay, well he's going to be sort of this bad guy with a heart of gold." Then, I got some subsequent scripts and I thought, "This guy's not only bad, but he's getting worse!" I like that. I think it's something you've seen before if all of a sudden he's this great, wonderful guy. I like the fact that he's a morally challenged, relatively reprehensible individual. Somewhere down the line, yeah, it would be nice to see why he is that way, but not in an overnight turnaround where suddenly I'm paling around with Rick Forrester and running errands for Sally Spectra. That, to me, would impinge upon the integrity of who this character has been established as so far.
CBS.com: Would you say he's a loner in the sense that he will never form friendships with other characters?
SEAN KANAN: No. If I had to use my amateur psychology background, I would say that this is a guy who has deep, deep feelings of not being good enough. He's probably incredibly self-conscious about the fact that he comes from a lower income family, no education, from a trashy background. I was talking to Justin Torkildsen [Rick] and I was saying that we should try to bring to our scenes the layer that, in a weird way, Rick is everything Deacon would ever want to be. He's legitimate. He's wealthy and he's set. That's probably, from Deacon's perception, everything there is in life. Deacon represents a walk on the wild side and is everything Rick can't be because of his position and who he is. I think, sometimes, circumstance makes strange bedfellows and friends. I was talking to Susan Flannery [Stephanie] today because we have some scenes coming up where she starts to get into my psyche. I said, "Your character has incredible strength and complexity to it that I would imagine Deacon would admire in a woman and would have hoped for in his own mother." It would be interesting if these two people, from divergent backgrounds, would somehow form some bizarre, mutual respect.
CBS.com: How did your casting come about?
SEAN KANAN: I had gotten a call from my manager to come in and meet with, I thought it was just, Brad Bell. When I got there it was Brad and Rhonda [Friedman, Supervising Producer] and a couple other people. They brought Adrienne [Frantz, Amber] up to read with me and I got the feeling that this was more than just a perfunctory thing. What interests me is that I read [the role of] Rick or C.J. for the audition, which couldn't be further from who Deacon is. They took a leap of faith to cast me in this part. I was going to leave to go to New York to do a film and when [I found out] there would be no screen test and it was a straight offer [I thought], "What am I going to do? I can do a film and be out of work in three weeks, or I can have a job for a few years and have the time out to do films." It's the best of both worlds. I have a production company that my partner, Jessica Hammerschlag, and I started about eight months ago. [Doing B&B] allows me to do both things that I love, which is, work all the time and to continue to build on my film career.
CBS.com: Let's talk a bit about the movie you just produced.
SEAN KANAN: The film's called March. I produced it and played the lead character, Julian March. It stars Cynda Williams, who was in One False Move and Mo' Better Blues, Rena Sofer, who was on General Hospital, and Michelle Phillips. It's somewhere in the vein of American Beauty. It's a suburban family that, from the outside, has this Rockwell-ian veneer to it, where everything is okay. You learn very quickly that everything is not okay. My character's life unravels very quickly. The thing I like about it is [that] it's a film that is a little disturbing. It's unnerving. It provokes questions that at every point in some people's lives you've asked, but are afraid to ask out loud. I have a Web site for the movie at Marchthemovie.com. The director, who's been one of my best friends since the fourth grade, is James Mercurio. The writer is from my hometown also, Dean [Morini]. [I've] known him since sixth grade. The three of us used to hang out on a stoop at a gas station in Pennsylvania talking about how we were all going to move out to Hollywood someday and make a movie. This just all seems to feel very right. I feel like I'm in a good space here.
CBS.com: Where are you originally from?
SEAN KANAN: I'm from a little town in Pennsylvania called Newcastle, outside of Pittsburgh.
CBS.com: When did you move out and decide to become an actor?
SEAN KANAN: May 20, 1987...a year that will live in infamy. [Laughs] I was going to school at Boston University. I always knew I wanted to act. I was doing stand-up comedy. Actually, just before this past Christmas, I was in Bosnia and Kosovo with the Secretary of Defense doing the USO. [We performed] a variety show for all the troops in Macedonia, Bosnia and Kosovo. It was amazing.
CBS.com: Is producing what you ultimately want to do?
SEAN KANAN: I really don't want to limit myself to that or to acting. I love acting. Acting is playing for me. I love to just get out there and play. Producing, I like for a lot of reasons. It appeals to the control freak in me. It allows me to be involved on every level. I write also. I've written a film that Lion's Gate [Films] is going to be distributing. I would like to be one of those hyphenate hybrids. If I had to really say what is it that I would want to do, if not on the same level, then in the same vein as a Michael Douglas. The guy who has a production company, his film career and occasional step-ins as a writer, to tweak scripts here and there to suit what he and his production company are trying to do. Eventually, I would like to direct. I do think that with the amount of time I can get out of B&B, it wouldn't allow me enough preparation time to direct, produce and act. That's a little too ambitious.
CBS.com: What do you do in your spare time?
SEAN KANAN: I kickbox. I cook. I don't have a lot of spare time. I love my work. I love the producing stuff and putting time into my new business is a lot of fun. This is new for me, so it's still a lot of fun and I hope it continues to be a lot of fun!
SEAN KANAN (Deacon) gets the Performer of the Week award from Soap Opera Weekly for his work on B&B during the week of Dec 4. Writer David Johnson is impressed with how Kanan's sharply defined features, piercing eyes and swaggering, take-no-prisoners attitude combine to create a face of pure evil. Johnson in particular was impressed with how Kanan handled Deacon's encounter with Stephanie (played by the always splendid Susan Flannery) in which Deacon relived his abusive past.
SEAN KANAN is joining the cast of B&B as Deacon Sharp, a nightclub impresario with a very intimate tie to the Forresters, et. al.: he is the biological father of Little Eric. Kanan, who got his daytime start playing A.J. Quartermaine on General Hospital and later starred on Sunset Beach as Jude Cavanaugh, will debut on November 1.Kanan has kept busy since Beach went off the air in December 1999; he recently completed filming the movie March, which he wrote and co-produced and in which he has a starring role. "It was never my intention to go back to daytime at this point in my career," he tells Soap Opera Digest (10/24 issue). But after meeting with B&B's Executive Producer/Head Writer BRADLEY BELL, and being offered a contract that provided generous time off to do films, Kanan reconsidered. Of his new alter ego -- whose arrival will throw a formidable wrench into Rick and CJ's separate quests for custody of Eric III -- he smiles, "I've got a feeling I'm not going to be such a good guy."Another familiar face -- GLADIS JIMINEZ (ex-Ramona, Y&R) -- will appear opposite Kanan as Deacon's troubled (and potentially troublesome) lover.
•When he was let go from GENERAL HOSPITAL in 1997, "personal reasons" were cited as the reason, but rumors of alcohol problems were confirmed when he was arrested for driving while intoxicated.
•Sean sees his arrest as a turning point and has gone public with his problem in the hopes he can help others by example.
•He had a lot of fun playing Jude on SUNSET BEACH, although he admits the way his character kept changing made it difficult to get a handle on the role.
•His B&B contract allows him outs to work on outside work, such as the film MARCH from his independent production company, set to be released in the near future.
•Aside from MARCH, he is also working on a film called CHRISTMAS WITH J.D., which he will both produce and co-star in.
•Playing Deacon has been a lot of fun and he sees himself as truly happy right now in both his life and career.
SEAN KANAN (Deacon) tells SOD about an incident that proved what kind of personal fortitude he has. During a break in filming of a movie in 1992, Sean went to the hospital to deal with some internal bleeding. The doctors said he had to have surgery or he might die, so Sean went under the knife. Afterwards, he got a call from the studio telling him he was fired if he was not back at work... and sure enough, a mere four days later, Sean was back on the set, doing his own stunts yet!
...On SEAN KANAN (ex-AJ, GENERAL HOSPITAL, ex-Jude, SUNSET BEACH) and his role on B&B as Deacon Sharpe, the father of Eric Forrester III. As reported earlier, Deacon first appears on November 1. The character is described as a bad boy manager of a Hollywood night club who is also the father of little Eric. Kanan admits that he almost turned down the part to do a film when he got the call from Brad Bell. Out of courtesy to Bell, he agreed to meet with him, and based on good vibes from that meeting and his reading with Adrienne Frantz (Amber), Sean accepted the role. Sean is looking forward to playing a "really evil low life" and is sporting a darker hair color and black and red clothing to fit the part. His contract with the show is for two years, although it allows him for time off to work on films.
•He was surprised to see how nasty his character was--he says he has yet to find any redeeming qualities in Deacon--but is enjoying playing the dangerously charming Deacon.
•After being in daytime on GENERAL HOSPITAL (as AJ) and SUNSET BEACH (as Jude), he was not going to return to daytime, but he met with Brad Bell when the B&B offer came up and was impressed by the B&B Executive Producer/Head Writer.
•Sean's B&B contract allows him time off to work on film projects like MARCH, a film he just finished under his own production company.
•Playing such a bad boy, Sean feels compelled to be extra nice to his co-stars, especially Gladis Jimenez (Carmen), given how nasty he is to them on camera.
A.J. Quartermaine on General Hospital
Heir to his family's multi-national holdings, and multi-leveled domestic squabbles, young A.J. Quartermaine has his hands full balancing between the man his parents want him to become and the adult that he desires to be. Actor Sean Kanan, on the other hand, is busy creating his own career dynasty with studied care.
"A.J. is tortured. A vulnerable guy who covers his pain with bravado. But his temper and his alcoholism are where he frequently stumbles," Kanan explains. But in his own life, he adds, "You can only get so far on the sheer force of personality. If you don't have the substance and technique, you don't get the work."
Mr. Kanan has asserted his personal determination and skills into an impressive career as an actor, writer and producer. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Kanan grew up in Newcastle, Pennsylvania, where he was encouraged by his parents to follow his varied interests. At 13 he began the disciplined practice of karate and kick-boxing -- skills that have served him well into adulthood. As a political science undergraduate at UCLA, Mr. Kanan answered an open call for director John Avildsen's feature film, "Karate Kid III," and landed the co-starring role opposite Ralph Macchio. Mr. Kanan was also seen in the independent feature, "Rich Girl."
Recently, Mr. Kanan joined fellow "General Hospital" cast members Stuart Damon and Genie Francis co-starring in the upcoming Perry Mason television movie, "The Case of the Killer Kiss." His additional television credits include starring in "The Outsiders," "Wild Palms," "Who's the Boss?," and an earlier Perry Mason, "The Case of the Maligned Mobster," among others. Theatrically, Sean produced and co-starred in a Los Angeles production of Sam Shepard's "True West."
In addition to his writing and fitness pursuits, Mr. Kanan enjoys traveling, horseback riding and is a gourmet cook. He is single and lives in Beverly Hills, California.
VITAL STATISTICS
BIRTHPLACE: Cleveland, OHIO
BIRTHDATE: Nov. 2
HEIGHT: 6' = 183 cm
HAIR: Dark blond
EYES: Blue
Deacon Sharp, The Bold and the Beautiful
Sean Kanan hadn't planned on returning to daytime as deliciously devilish rebel Deacon Sharp on The Bold and the Beautiful, but he's pleased that he did. Thrust into a front-burning storyline since day one, Kanan taps into his comedic background to toss off some of the sharpest one-liners in daytime. And now that Deacon's discovering his softer side, Kanan has the opportunity to bring multidimensional layers to this intriguing character.
But the daytime scene is only half of Kanan's recent screen successes. He is currently shopping an independent feature on the international market. March, which Kanan produced and stars in, explores the life an average man whose everyday world begins to unravel when his wife discovers his extramarital affair. And Kanan is about to start production on another project, Christmas with JD, in which he serves as writer and actor. TV Guide Online caught up with up with Kanan to discuss his foray into films, his creative writing style, and the unexpected similarities between him and his on-screen daytime persona. — Delaina Dixon
So, how did you wind up back on the soap screen?
I was literally two days away from getting on a plane to Rochester, N.Y., to start a romantic comedy called Checkout. My manager called and said, "[B&B's executive producer] Brad Bell wants to meet with you." I'd just finished an independent feature and was very into going from one film to the next. I really wasn't looking to get back into daytime. But I went to meet with Brad and [supervising producer] Rhonda Friedman, and I was just very impressed with who they were — on a creative level and as people.
What was your audition like?
Adrienne Frantz, who plays Amber, came up and read with me. I read sides that were for Mick Cain's character, C.J., which is interesting because he's such a nice guy on the show, and Deacon is nothing like that. Afterwards, more or less, they offered me the job. I was faced with working on a film for two weeks, then being unemployed again, as opposed to doing a two-year job and still having the flexibility to do the other projects that I'm involved with. It just seemed to be a pretty good fit.
Are you enjoying your first few months?
I'm having a blast. It's been such a different experience from other daytime shows for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is that it's a very small cast. I get the opportunity to work a lot. This is the first time that I have, what I would consider, a strong front-burner storyline. And Deacon is one of the most fun characters I've ever gotten to play. And now the character's really starting to show a lot of layers. Anytime you get to play a character that's really multi-dimensional, especially on daytime, you can have a lot of fun.
You got thrust into that front-burner storyline very quickly. What did you have to do to get yourself up to speed?
It was kind of like getting back on a bike. I already had the ability to learn a lot of dialogue in a short period of time. As an actor in daytime, you don't stop working out that muscle; it's just what is expected of you, and you do it. And it's just such a great character; I slid into him very easily. Nothing about this has been difficult.
What makes it so easy?
At B&B they are very open to script changes, and they give me a lot of latitude with giving my input of who the character is. Using the great scripts that Brad writes as a template, they give me the flexibility to bring my own thing to it, and that's a lot of fun. I like to push the envelope as much as I can with the dialogue. Sometimes I cross the line, and we won't be able to say it in daytime. But other times, it works — and when it does, it's a little bit shocking because you're not used to hearing [that in] daytime.
Speaking of Deacon, are his feelings for his son, little Eric, genuine?
Yes, and I think it comes from the fact that Deacon had a really lousy upbringing. We've seen what a monster his step-father is, and there was a scene with Stephanie where she said you're basically turning into a mirror image of this guy you hate. Deacon has had a bit of a catharsis. Carmen's death really brought to light the need for him to make some changes in who he is. Fundamentally, he's the same guy: He's a hustler and a bit of a tough guy — I don't think that necessarily goes away — but people grow.
So we're going to see the "softer side" of Deacon?
I think we are seeing more of a commitment of Deacon trying to be a good father. However, Deacon's way of constructing a relationship with his son is by manipulating the situation with Amber. Obviously he has the ulterior motive of trying to win her over. So even when this guy tries to do the right thing, he uses a lot of subterfuge.
What is going on between Deacon and Amber?
I think he has some genuine feelings for her. Watching her with Eric has had a profound effect on Deacon; it's not lost on him what a good mother she is to his son. Deacon and Amber come from a very similar upbringing. She definitely came up from the wrong side of town the hard way, and I think he feels a kindred sprit with her.
This character probably doesn't reflect your personality at all.
I wouldn't say that. I think that I've got an edginess to my personality that most of my friends would attest to. I try to temper it with being as good a guy as I can be. If it was allowed to run rampant, it would probably lean more towards Deacon. (Chuckles) I'd like to think I've got more scruples than this guy.
You enjoy playing the bad boy?
I love it. I think it lets me exercise some of those tendencies everyone experiences in their normal everyday life. I get to bring them to [the] screen and be done with them.
And how have the fans reacted to your character?
They love him. For the best from what I can tell, people like him. He's bad, but he's funny.
Working on B&B reunites you with your former Sunset Beach colleague Sarah Buxton (Morgan, B&B; ex-Annie, Sunset Beach).
Yes. We haven't worked together yet, but I adore Sarah. I actually screen-tested against Steve Burton (Jason, GH) 10 years ago for a part on The Bold and the Beautiful, so I actually knew John McCook (Eric) in passing and Darlene Conley (Sally). When you do a daytime show, you go to events and meet other people. It's been a very comfortable situation.
Who have you bonded with on the set?
I really respect and adore Susan Flannery (Stephanie). I get so excited when I find out I have scenes with her. I think Deacon has developed this weird kind of misplaced mother thing that he feels for her. I certainly have a tremendous amount of respect for her as an actress and a director. And I've really bonded with [supervising producer] Rhonda Friedman; I think she's just a phenomenal woman. I really like everyone on the show. I look forward to going to work.
When you landed B&B, weren't you finishing up a film called March?
It's a script that a friend of mine wrote. The writer, director, and I have all know each other since about the sixth grade. We're all from the same hometown. It really had been a dream of ours to work together on a project for quite some time. The film has a Rockwell-ian vibe to it. Very kind of middle America. The veneer looks very much like a normal suburban dream. Then when you uncover the layers, you find out it's anything but.
You play a father in this film as well as on B&B. Do you feel any type of paternal tug?
I love children. I think, partially as an actor, you have to give yourself over to feeling some affection for children when you're working with them, and they're playing your children in a production, and I think naturally I do. So I would have to say, "Yeah."
Rena Sofer (ex-Lois, GH) is also in the film. You two are involved in a pretty intense scene. How did you get through it?
My way of dealing with it was to be left alone all day. Because Rena and I are close friends, I wanted her to feel safe with me at all times to do this scene, which is very aggressive and sexual in nature. Rena's way of dealing with it was to smoke a lot and tell a lot of jokes. (Chuckles) I think it came out really well. It's one of the strongest scenes in the movie. It's really powerful.
Where or when is March being released?
We just signed a deal with a company called Devin International. They acquired the foreign rights to the film, and they'll be taking it to American Films International, where they'll have the world premiere at the end of the month. It will be screened by potential buyers there and then will go to Milan and Cannes. We'll then start to have an idea of where it's going to be released.
And your next film, Christmas with J.D., you wrote?
I wrote it, I'm acting in it, and I'm one of the producers. The film started as a short story I wrote while I was in boarding school. It's the story of a troubled young kid who goes on an odyssey to find J.D. Salinger. And that's kind of been my baby. It's been a lot of work, a lot of blood and sweat. And after two years it's finally going into production in mid-March.
You also have your own production company.
Yes, Kanan/Hammerschlag with my partner Jessica Hammerschlag. We've been working together for a while, but March was really the catalyst for us hanging out our shingle.
Which hat do you prefer to wear: Actor, producer, or writer?
They all kind of satisfy different things. But I really think that acting is my first love and always will be.
You must really enjoy the writing process. What's your writing style?
I love to write. It's therapeutic for me. I'm not one of these guys who's a monastic writer, who basically sits in a room for 10 or 12 hours a day and pours over a computer. I get spurts of creativity, and that's when I'll start a new screenplay. Right now, I'm coming into a heavy time of writing for me; we're retooling a script that I wrote that we're going to be shooting for Lion's Gate. I start with an outline, about a 15-20 pages, and then I utilize that to write the first draft. The new script that I'm writing I feel very passionate about, so I need to get it out. Out of my head and onto the page. My ideas are mostly created in my head, and I bring aspects of my life to them.
You've got a pretty busy schedule. What help keeps you on track?
I've made arrangements to get back into martial arts; [I] set some time with a kickboxing teacher to get back into it. And keeping good friends around me — people who know me and love me. I love to hang out with them. I don't have a lot of free time, but I love my work, and my work makes me happy. Freud said you need love and work, and I have them both.
