Dear Cady,
Has Dixie ever done anything you would never do in real life?
Sharika |
Dear Sharika,
I don't think I'd be befriending Billy Clyde Tuggle any time in my life. I think she's much more forgiving. I'm pretty forgiving and open to all kinds of people. But, that Billy Clyde thing... that was dumb. |
Dear Cady,
What made you get into the acting business?
Keema |
Dear Keema,
I liked how happy the children were on television commercials. I thought, "They look like they're having fun. I want to be one of them." I think that's why I wanted to do commercials. When I wanted to do more acting is when I started to see all the actors from the Royal Shakespeare Company [like] Derek Jacobi in I, Claudius and all those wonderful British actors. Those people were my heroes, and still are my acting heroes. Those bloody Brits! They're so good! |
Dear Cady,
Is your hair naturally curly?
Maren |
Dear Maren,
No, it is wavy. It's like beach hair. |
Dear Cady,
What are your feelings about the way women are portrayed on soaps?
J A |
Dear J,
I think nine times out of 10, they're either victims or bitches. They are a response to this 1950's mythology that was forced down women's throats in America, and I don't think that it's very modern. It doesn't reflect women as they are. I think it reflects an emotional, psychological struggle that women have. The bitchy women are like bad children that do not accept any kind of consequences to their actions. The women that are victims — my character belongs in that category — allow themselves to be hurt and taken advantage of and are rarely portrayed as learning their lessons. They usually go crazy, and that's sad. We have some strong women, like Brooke, on the show. But even she falls into the victim category in her relationships. I would really like to see a maturation of some of these women. It's high time that we have a good storyline. Bianca should have a girlfriend. It's what's going on and has been for a long time. Some of the ways that some of the characters have been written to react to [homosexuality] is archaic and small-town. I feel bad saying that about women because I do think that there are women on soaps that do really strive to break through those stereotypes that they're confronted with. I think everybody on the show — even the men with the roles they get stuck into — are, as actors, challenged to break through their stereotypes and make them human. I don't necessarily blame the writers. It could very well be [that they are writing what they feel is appropriate for this medium]. But, as an actor, I have to take a responsibility to make those characters richer than that. I think the issues of love and relationships are done very well. When it comes to portraying the individuals, however, I think soaps have some work to do.
|
Dear Cady,
In high school, what sports did you play? Did you ever make the cheerleading squad?
Cindy Thompson |
Dear Cindy,
I was a cheerleader in a McDonald's commercial. (She laughs.) I didn't really play any sports. I played a little bit of tennis. I was mostly working. |
Dear Cady,
If you had a chance to be on another soap opera, which one would it be and which actors would you like to interact with?
Katelyn |
Dear Katelyn,
I'd be on AS THE WORLD TURNS, and then I'd work with Michael Park (Jack) and [although she's off the show now] Annie Parisse (ex-Julia) — I think she's great. I'd definitely be on ATWT. Its a great show with so many good actors… Larry Bryggman (John) and Benjamin Hendrickson (Hal). I would like to be Benjamin Hendrickson's girlfriend on the show. But who wouldn't? |
Dear Cady,
You are so beautiful and in such wonderful shape. What is your diet and exercise regimen?
Rex |
Dear Rex,
Work out and eat right and live a healthy lifestyle. I work out with a trainer a couple times a week. I try not to eat too much crap, and I drink water. |
Dear Cady,
Your hair always looks so healthy and shiny. What shampoo and conditioner do you use?
Melissa L. |
Dear Melissa,
I use a lot of different ones. The ones that I like the best are Origins and Terax, which has a good conditioner. |
Dear Cady,
Many years ago, your portrayal of Dixie giving birth to JR was wonderful. I have always wondered how you felt about doing that scene.
Kim Golding |
Dear Kim,
I felt way in over my head. I had to call a woman from my acting class who had given birth, and I just begged her to tell me what it was like, and I just faked it as best I could. |
Dear Cady,
What's your least favorite thing about Dixie?
Yolissa |
Dear Yolissa,
She gives up too easily. |
Dear Cady,
What is your favorite food and drink?
Catherine |
Dear Catherine,
My favorite food is peanut butter and jelly. I like smooth [peanut butter] on toasted, whole wheat bread. I like natural peanut butter, but I don't like it too chunky. I'm not crazy about Skippy. My favorite drink is beer. (She laughs.) |
Dear Cady,
Do you have your own Web site that you're personally affiliated with?
Lauren |
Dear Lauren,
No, but I will eventually. I'm working on it. |
Dear Cady,
Are you married? In magazines, we hear a lot about real-life marriages, but we don't hear much of your own life.
Chloe Jafarieh |
Dear Chloe,
I'm not married. |
Dear Cady,
When you sign autographs, do you sign them yourself or does your secretary or someone else do them?
Carissa |
Dear Carissa,
I sign them myself, of course! |
Dear Cady,
I wondered if you'd ever record an album and what kind of music you would sing.
Amanda Brooks |
Dear Amanda,
I thought about that. I started to get my songs out again recently, which is really nice. I used to gig around a lot and play music. That was going to be something that I was going to go off and do after I left the show. Then, I dated a couple of musicians and I don't know why... they kind of intimidated me. It's my fault, but I let myself be intimidated. But I'm not intimidated anymore, and I'm getting out my guitar and playing some music again. What kind of music? It's mostly what they call modern folk music. It sort of goes into storytelling... a poetry to music kind of thing. |
Dear Cady,
I've always wondered if your hair is naturally curly or if they curl it before each show.
Kelley |
Dear Kelley,
They curl it before each show. I'm doing it straight now because I got tired of the curly business. |
Dear Cady,
Do you ever find that fans expect Cady, the actress, to have the same personality as Dixie, the character?
Ally |
Dear Ally,
My character is a character. She's a nice girl from West Virginia who's married and lives in a small town and has two kids. My name is Cady and I live in NYC. It's a different world. I'm an actor and I've had a very interesting life. I'm really happy that they love Dixie. I love Dixie, too. But I'm not Dixie. There's a lot of me in Dixie... an enormous amount of me in the character. But I think it's an actor thing to reserve the right to be in a bad mood. I think everybody has to have that. As actors, we have to preserve the right to have our lives. We're not really there for the public all the time. We provide the service of being actors and allowing you to see into our psychology with a very thin veil of somebody else's words for either entertainment for storytelling, or for helping other people understand more about themselves sometimes. That's the best part of being an actor. But it is a service. |
Dear Cady,
Test question
Test name |
Dear Test,
Test answer |
