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Former General Hospital star Finola Hughes hates interviews- but loves her new job at All My Children so much, she's willing to Fin and Bear It
by Elaine G. Flores, SOD 1/25/2000

"'Twas the night before Christmas. Well, actually it was four days before Christmas, and while the rest of the world was dashing about like crazed lunatics, Finola Hughes's dressing room was deceptively tranquil. Over steaming cups of Earl Grey tea, the actress took time out of her jam-packed holiday schedule to chat about what life's been like since she returned to daytime as All My Children's increasingly neurotic neurologist, Alexandra Devane.

Digest: 'What's the question that everyone asks you in interviews?'

Finola Hughes: 'What was it like working with John Travolta?' [Ed. note: They appeared together in the 1983 dance movie Staying Alive.]

Digest: 'I wasn't going to ask that- but what do you say?'

Hughes: 'It was great. He was wonderful.'

Digest: 'What question do you hate answering in interviews?'

Hughes: 'Well, not it's, "Why didn't you go back to General Hospital [to play Anna, her 1985-92 role]?" But nothing really irritates me.'

Digest: 'What's the biggest misconception about you?'

Hughes: 'That I'm very proper. I think it's because I used to copy people when I was younger. I went to a convent and I went to good schools. I grew up pretending to be more proper than I am.'

Digest: 'Who was the first person you copied?'

Hughes: 'A girl called Vivian Reynolds. She was very beautiful and very proper.'

Digest: 'Do you still copy people?'

Hughes: 'Uh huh.'

Digest: 'Anybody you care to name?'

Hughes: 'No, but I get into it. I think all actors do it. I think it's why they never really have personalities of their own [laughs].'

Digest: 'Did you miss soaps when you left GH?'

Hughes: 'I was doing other things.'

Digest: 'What was the most fun thing that you did while you were away?'

Hughes: 'I did a little, low-budget film called Dark Side of Genius, which is a very pretentious, arty name. In fact, it was quite a pretentious, arty movie.'

Digest: 'What kind of pretentious, arty role did you play?'

Hughes: 'I played an art critic. I couldn't have been more pretentious if I tried. It was right around the time [of] the whole grunge movement. The guy who was playing the artist had long hair and both of us were trying to stoop further than the other. We were both grunging each other out. But I'm British, and he's American, so he did it better than me. I really enjoyed the film because the director was very visual and had lovely ideas. And so it was all a big, congratulatory, arty moment. Nobody saw it, but I enjoyed making that.'

Digest: 'Can anybody see it? Is it on video?'

Hughes: 'Yes, it is. It's somewhere out there in the ether.'

Digest: 'What's the one thing you're still burning to do, career-wise?'

Hughes: 'Well, you know Ian [Buchanan, ex-Duke, GH; ex-James, Bold and Beautiful] and I have always talked about doing Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? We always used to say, 'When we're older, when we're older.' And now Ian says, 'We're old enough.' We always talk about that, but it terrifies me- like everything. But I'd love to play that drunken woman, Martha.'

Digest: 'What moment in you career makes you cringe?'

Hughes: 'Wearing thigh-high, silver boots and a silver bustier when I was playing Emma Frost, she was a superhero, in [the 1996 TV movie] Generation X. I really wanted to do it, but I didn't realize what the costume would look like. The costume lady did a wonderful job; it wasn't her. It was the fact that it was... inelegant in a way. But it's sort of fun playing outrageous characters.'

Digest: 'What are you burning to do in your personal life?'

Hughes: 'Ring the bell at Wall Street.'

Digest: 'What are your cringe-worthy real-life moments?'

Hughes: 'It's invariably when parts of my costume fell off in different productions onstage. What else? I think I've said stupid things on television like on Regis and Kathie Lee. I spend weeks going, "Oh, no, I shouldn't have said that." But then nobody remembers.'

Digest: 'When you first got to AMC, there was some scandal with the Dimitri fans who thought you took Michael Nader's salary. How did you react to that?'

Hughes: 'I didn't go to the fan club luncheon [laughs]. But it was a mistake on my part, I got the dates screwed up. It's just as well, maybe.'

Digest: 'Some fan thought you also "took" the money that would have lured Eva LaRue Callahan (ex-Maria) back.'

Hughes: 'I didn't realize that. Like I have so much power. When I started on General Hospital, I was blamed for Emma Samms [ex-Holly] leaving. But she was going to The Colbys [to play Fallon] and she was very happy. My brother used to burn all the mail to protect me.'

Digest: 'After people got over the Nader idea, they realized that you two have terrific chemistry. They loved the Alex/Dimitri scenes.'

Hughes: 'I haven't seen them. I should.'

Digest: 'Can you tell that you have great chemistry with someone just by doing a scene with them or do you have to see it on-screen?'

Hughes: 'Ian and I used to have this thing about chemistry. We used to say, "What are they talking about?" Really, I think what you see working is two actors that just get each other. With [Nader] from the get-go, we were just on the same page. You slip into a rhythm and you do it. People call that chemistry.'

Digest: 'What kind of fan feedback on the show do you get at your Web site?'

Hughes: 'All kinds of stuff. "I like this. This scene was good. This scene sucks."'

Digest: 'What scene sucked?'

Hughes: 'It's always related to story, it's not really related to acting. One of them said, "Why aren't you more concerned about Gillian? You jeopardized her life by [trying to stop David from operating on her]".'

Digest: 'How do fans fell about you and Edmund?'

Hughes: 'I suppose it's hard because he's Dimitri's brother. Luckily, now I'm beginning to see on my Web site that people are saying, "Oh I'm really liking the scenes with you and Edmund." And, "You guys are looking good together."'

Digest: 'How much did the writers tell you when you came to AMC. Did they say, 'We're saying you're Alex Devane, but really...'

Hughes: 'Oh, I can't tell you that [laughs]. They were very up-front. It was really nice. I had lots of information. It's hard to build a character unless you have all the information. Now, it's getting complicated.'

Digest: 'Memory lapses, confusion, clocks.'

Hughes: 'Clocks. We all hate clocks.'

Digest: 'Can you specualte?'

Hughes: 'As it's laid out, I'm Alex. That's what I know. And that's what I play. But I think it's going to be a bumpy ride, which is exciting. I don't even know. I really don't know what they have in store.'

Digest: 'Do you ever come up with story ideas?'

Hughes: 'Yes, and I go and bore Angela [Shapiro, president of ABC Daytime] and Jeannine [Dadario Burke, AMC's executive producer] to death. I sit them down and I say, "and this and this and this." And they just nod and they say, "Yes, thank you very much. We'll get right back to you."'

Digest: 'What would you like to see happen with Alex?'

Hughes: 'It didn't happen, but one thing I thought would have been fun was to have [GH's] Faison come to Pine Valley. I really thought that would have been interesting. And just have Alex meet him because he would have freaked out.'

Digest: 'If Alex turns out to be Anna, do AMC fans have to worry about you leaving Pine Valley?'

Hughes: 'No. I'm here.'

Digest: 'Is there anything I didn't ask you that you want to talk about?'

Hughes: 'How great it is to work here. It's a great company of actors. I'm a terrible interview, aren't I? I read these interviews sometimes and I go, "Oh, that so clever." Ian gives great interviews. I read his stuff and go, "That's so witty." I call him up and I say, "Did you plan to say that? Did you rehearseit?" When I read Kin's [Shriner, Port Charles's Scott] stuff, he's so funny.'

Digest: 'Do you like giving inteviews?'

Hughes: 'They make me panic. And I don't read the interviews because I always think I sound like an idiot.'

Digest: 'So then I can say anything I want, and you won't know.'

Hughes: 'Sometimes, I read them.'

Just the Facts:
Birthday- 'October 29.'
Fans Always Say- 'You look so much better in person.' And I always say, 'So do you.'
Pet Peeves- 'I'm sensitive when people say, "You're really short in person," or "You're so skinny," or "You look so much better in person."'
Crowning Achievement: 'Getting married.' Hughes's husband of seven years is Russell Young.
If she could live anywhere it would be: 'French Polynesia... it's amazing.'
What about her native England: 'Why? I moved here. Are you kidding me?'
Official web site: http://www.friendsoffinola.simplenet.com

Alex VS. Anna:  Alex may really be Anna, but her portrayer, Finola Hughes, isn't talking. Here's some speculation.
Pro: 'The women share the same maiden name and are dead ringers for each other.'
Con: 'In 1992, word came down that Anna and husband Robert Scorpio were killed in a boat explosion along with Faison, who was obsessed with Anna.'
Pro: 'No bodies were ever found, and more importantly, Faison turned up alive.'
Con: 'The Scorpios' daughter, Robin, was visited by their ghosts.'
Pro: 'Maybe it was grief.'
Con: 'Alex is an esteemed neurologist. When did she have time to cram in medical school?'
Pro: 'Anna did lead a mysterious life before hitting Port Charles...'"