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mary & rhoda |
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soap opera update (feb. 15, 2000) |
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GL's Joie Lenz (Michelle) is part of one of the most anticipated reunions in TV history! Millions of television viewers laughed with and loved friends and neighbors Mary Richards and Rhoda Morgenstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. More than 25 years after Rhoda went back to her native New York City, the pals run into each other in the Big Apple and renew their fun-loving relationship. Rhoda returns to New York after divorcing her husband Jean Pierre, leaving Paris behind and embarking on a career in photography. Mary also had been living in Europe with her husband, who was a congressman, until his death five months before. Mary is still in the news business and is trying to solve everyone else's problems. Both ladies have become mothers during their years apart. Rhoda's daughter Meredith, played by New York Undercover's Marisa Ryan, is a pre-med student in Columbia University. Mary's little girl Rose, a student at New York University, is portrayed by Guiding Light's Joie Lenz (Michelle). Lenz encountered several differences while taking on this new persona in the ABC TV-movie. "My character Rose basically lives with every single person she dates," reveals Lenz. That's quite a switch from Michelle, the nice, middle class pre-med student from the suburbs. That's not the only difference! "Rose dresses like—oh my gosh—Michelle would think it was a nightmare for her. It's basically what used to be Drew's wardrobe, because Drew is taming down a bit. If you took what Drew's wardrobe used to be like and multiply the weird factor by about ten, that's probably what it is," explains Lenz. "We're talking about mismatching every vintage thing you would find in SoHo. She has crazy hair and her style is a cross between Gothic and really bizarre." Aside from outward appearances, Lenz finds that her alter egos are really at opposite ends of the spectrum. "Rose is a lot more independent than Michelle is. She doesn't really rely on anyone else. Toward the end of the film," previews the actress, "Rose goes through some stuff with her mom—her mother learning that she has to let go and Rose learning that she still needs her mom sometimes. That's an experience Michelle doesn't really have. She's got her brother Rick and Abby, but she doesn't have her parents in her life. It was nice to portray that relationship." Lenz also had to deal with working on the movie while still tackling her day job. That's pretty amazing, considering that Michelle is on the frontburner on trial for Ben's murder. "the schedule was pretty hectic with GL and the movie," she confesses. "Paul [Rauch, GL executive producer] is friends with the director, so he worked it out for me. I would work one job in the day and the other in the evening. Then the days I had off at GL, I would work on the film." Lenz didn't land the part through the regular process. "I auditioned for a different movie," recalls Lenz, "and as I was leaving, the casting director said, 'Wait. I want to give you a script for Mary & Rhoda. I had no idea what the movie was about," states the petite performer. "I knew it was Mary Tyler Moore and Valerie Harper. I thought, 'Oh, that's kind of cool. They're getting back together again.' I had been playing Mary Tyler Moore in the musical revue Foxy Ladies Love/Boogie '70s Explosion." Lenz didn't realize how big a deal the film was until shooting began. "I thought it would be a great opportunity and was definitely anticipating it," she states. "But, if I was constantly thinking, 'I can't believe I'm doing a scene with Mary Tyler Moore,' then I would not be focusing on my work. How can you do it well if you're worried about what everyone is going to bethinking or if people will be sending you scripts?" Mary & Rhoda airs on ABC Monday, February 7 at 8pm. If it does well, it may become a series, which Lenz wouldn't mind. She states, "Everyone was a joy to work with." — Robyn Anne Nelson |
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