joie lenz

one day at a time

 

 cbs.com (april 22, 2000)

 

It's a Friday afternoon at the Guiding Light set, and Joie Lenz (Michelle) is curled up on a sofa in the green room. She looks ready to take a nap, which is totally understandable considering all of the hours she's been putting in with her character's front-burner status. It doesn't look like Michelle and Danny's story is going to slow down any time soon, but many GL fans are already looking to the future, fearful that Joie may vacate her popular role when her contract is up this October. A sleepy Joie briefly discussed the situation with CBS.com, and insisted that for now, she is simply trying to live in the moment.

CBS.com: You're not a blonde anymore!
JOIE LENZ: I was going for red, but it turned kind of dark brown.

CBS.com: What made you decide to dye your hair?
JOIE LENZ: I just needed a change, you know. I've been blonde for so long. I thought it might be fun to go dark. This is the color of my mom's hair, so...

CBS.com: What have you been up to besides working at Guiding Light? I know you starred in the Mary & Rhoda movie as Mary Tyler Moore's daughter. What was that like?
JOIE LENZ: It was a blast. We had so much fun. I haven't heard anything about a series. Other than that, I've just been chilling out, working on my music, auditioning, writing...

CBS.com: I'm sure you've heard quite a bit from fans and everybody else about your quote in the New York Post, which said that you were planning to leave GL when your contract ends in October.
JOIE LENZ: I think my quote was slightly taken out of context. At this point, it's something I don't really have anything to comment on. October is a while away. I'm kind of enjoying my time here.

CBS.com: That should be easy, since Michelle and Danny have definitely been front and center.
JOIE LENZ: You're telling me! I need a vacation, huh? I'm thinking about taking one and going back to Greece.

CBS.com: You went there last year for a school trip, didn't you?
JOIE LENZ: Yeah, I would love to go back.

CBS.com: Have you been happy with the way Michelle's story has been going?
JOIE LENZ: I'm actually looking forward to the upcoming storyline. I think it's going to be really fun. I like the material that I've been given.

CBS.com: Danny and Michelle aren't going to split up, are they?
JOIE LENZ: I don't see anything in the upcoming storyline that has to do with anything coming in between them.

CBS.com: You and Paul Anthony Stewart [Danny] were nominated for a Soap Opera Award for favorite couple. Did you have a good time at the show in Los Angeles?
JOIE LENZ: We had a great time. I got these amazing silver shoes. Spent a lot of money on them… well, wardrobe spent a lot of money on them. [The] wardrobe [department] FedExed me my outfit [to Los Angeles]. Well, I opened the box and shook out all the stuff on my bed in the hotel. I'm looking through it and I'm like, "Oh, my gosh. They didn't send my shoes!" So I go to the Beverly Center to get new shoes. Meanwhile, I've got to be in hair and makeup, and I've got to be at rehearsal. I was trying on everything! So I got back and I went to the awards and I wore these black leather shoes I bought at Bloomingdales. They were pretty cool. When I got back to my hotel that night, I sat on the corner of my bed and I looked down and there is this little, blue bag and I'm like, "What is this?" I opened it up and there were my [original] shoes. They had rolled under the bed! Hey, at least I've still got the shoes. Maybe I'll wear them to the Emmys.

CBS.com: It sounds like you had you had a lot of fun in spite of the shoe fiasco.
JOIE LENZ: Yeah, we had a lot of fun. My best friend, Eric, who I grew up with came with me. So for all those Mannyacs who were trying to figure out who that guy was sitting next to me, it wasn't the ex-Joey from One Life To Live. It was my best friend Eric and we had a blast. We had so much fun in L.A.. We went to Ed Debevic's, which is like the best restaurant in L.A. It's in Beverly Hills. It's this fifties diner.

CBS.com: There's one in Chicago, too. The servers are really rude to you on purpose, right?
JOIE LENZ: Yeah, I love it! They sit by you and eat your food. It's a blast. We had so much fun. I'd like to go back again next year.

CBS.com: Maybe you will get nominated again. Thanks for talking with me. I'll keep an eye out for you at the Emmys.
JOIE LENZ: Thank you.