After months of hypothesis, Erika Slezak‘s character on Normal Hospital has been revealed. She’s enjoying Veronica Bard – a.ok.a. Ronnie — Monica’s (Leslie Charleson) never-before-mentioned youthful sister.
Although greatest often known as One Life to Reside‘s Victoria Lord Buchanan, a job she performed for 42 years, Slezak welcomed the possibility to create one thing fully new together with her GH debut. “As a result of she’s a brand-new character with no point out of her ever previously, it was sort of as much as the writers to inform me her background,” explains the six-time Daytime Emmy winner.
To make that transition smoother, govt producer Frank Valentini bought her up to the mark about Ronnie earlier than she arrived on set. “Frank was very sort and despatched me the primary 5 unedited scripts, simply in order that I’d have an thought of what I used to be doing,” she explains. “He despatched them to me [in advance], so I used to be in a position to learn them and be taught them. So, I used to be fairly snug with the primary 5 scripts, and I used to be in a position to, in my thoughts, determine precisely who Ronnie is, how she behaves.”
Disney/Bahareh Ritter
The story of two sisters is stuffed with emotion and depth. “Ronnie and Monica had been orphaned as kids and positioned in an orphanage shortly after their mother and father died,” Slezak recounts. Dr. Gail Adamson Baldwin (Susan Brown) grew to become a foster mom to Monica, however Ronnie was put into a distinct foster house. Whereas Monica flourished, Ronnie wasn’t as lucky.
“It was simply horrible, and he or she hated it, and it was terrible, and the folks had been imply, and solely did it for the cash,” Slezak particulars. “So, when Ronnie turned 16 and was in a position to get out of the foster care system, she discovered Monica the place she lived as a result of they’d kind of misplaced contact. She confirmed up on her doorstep, hoping that Monica would say, ‘Oh, my God, sure, come reside with me.’ Monica did the precise reverse. She stated, ‘Sorry, there’s no room for you right here,’ as a result of she didn’t actually need any embarrassing reminders of her previous. Ronnie sort of stated, ‘OK, if that’s the best way you’re feeling, I’ll see you.’”
The rejection didn’t break her, nonetheless. Ronnie returned to Durham, North Carolina, the place she had been raised and labored as a waitress. “She loved it. She met folks. She was good,” provides Slezak. “She realized that her upbringing had been very meager within the sense of schooling, so she determined to show herself. She went to neighborhood faculty, she began studying, she educated herself. She’s handled loads of difficulties. She’s nonetheless a really good individual, however when threatened, she’s robust.”
That may grow to be evident within the weeks forward. Her showdown with Tracy Quartermaine (Jane Elliot) within the Quartermaine crypt solely marked the start of a heated storyline between the 2. “When Ronnie arrives in Port Charles and he or she goes to the crypt to pay her respects to Monica, Tracy walks in, and is so appallingly terrible to her,” says Slezak. “Jane Elliott stated, ‘That’s the one cause you’re right here, so I could be imply to you for 3 weeks.’”
Disney/Bahareh Ritter
For Slezak, working reverse Elliot has been a thrill. “Jane is a grasp class in appearing,” Slezak praises. “She is fabulous about operating traces and rehearsing. Each time she steps on the set, she is exceptional. I work together with her lots, and boy, you actually need to convey your ‘A’ sport for that. When Frank stated, ‘You’re going to be working lots with Jane Elliot,’ I went, ‘Sure, I’ll do it, sure, as a result of that might be such a deal with, to work with such a proficient, terrific woman.”
Followers can count on loads of fireworks as the story unfolds. “Ronnie is continually confronted by Tracy, who simply gained’t let it go,” teases Slezak, whose alter ego is sort of a fish out of water among the many rich Qs. “She’s a poor child who’s labored all her life and needed to educate herself every little thing, and he or she’s very unused to all this cash and every little thing that’s occurring.”
For Slezak, that’s a part of what made Ronnie such a compelling function. “If I had been enjoying Viki, it will be fairly completely different, as a result of Viki was assured and powerful,” notes Slezak. “However Ronnie is so out of her depth and doesn’t know what the hell’s occurring when she steps into this city. It’s all she will do to kind of maintain on and never let Tracy bully her round. It’s a distinct character fully and pleasant to play. She has loads of ranges.”
Normal Hospital, ABC, Weekdays