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Kate Mansi on Abigail... And Austin
Topic Started: Jan 27 2012, 12:59 AM (3,309 Views)
Angie79
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Royal Reporter

Kate Mansi on Abigail... And Austin

Abigail has been having a bit of a tough time lately. She thought she was in love with Chad � she had even worked past the fact that he is a DiMera. Unfortunately, that love was not meant to be. On New Year's Eve (bad timing?), they called it quits. "I think it was sort of a long time coming," Kate told us. "They both were so committed to each other that they weren't sure how to handle it. I think that he was starting to have feelings for Melanie but was sort of pushing them down. And she was starting to have feelings for Austin and was pushing them down. They were so committed to each other then they finally had this epiphany, separately but together. And on New Year's they finally had that honest conversation where they said we shouldn't stay with each other out of obligation. I think a lot of relationships happen that way. Sometimes the most painful way to break up is when it's so mutual and you just realize that you care about each other so deeply but there's no real love there to speak of anymore."

Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as simple as all that. For Abigail, it was mutual and there were no outside influences, at least none that she was truly aware of. For Chad, at least from Abigail's point of view, he was influenced. A lot. "For Abigail, they have this mutual break up, then what she feels like is two seconds later, she sees him with Melanie and questions his intentions with this 'mutual' break up," Kate confirmed. "That's what's so hurtful and feels like a major betrayal which sends her into this complete tizzy."

A tizzy, indeed. Melanie and Chad have both tried, time and time again, to explain the situation but Abigail is having none of it. She and Melanie might have been close (accent on the past tense), but now Abigail feels like her trust has been betrayed, both by her friend and by Chad. She is just not buying their explanations. "I think she's listening," Kate mused, "but she can't hear it yet. I'm so glad the writers wrote it this way, because, in a perfect world and from the audience's perspective, yes, Melanie is standing in front of her saying 'I care more about you. I didn't want to hurt you.' She's doing all the right things to sort of absolve herself in the situation, but it never works that way in real life. You can only see what's in front of you. When you are so incredibly hurt by what you just saw with your own eyes, whatever someone is telling you, it doesn't matter... She just can't possibly get to that place yet. She really has to go through this journey of being angry and being hurt and mourning her and Chad's relationship and the possible betrayal in order to see Melanie's side."

Abigail's reaction is natural, and it also stems from her past, and her difficult relationship with her father. She loves Jack very much, but he hasn't been the most reliable of parents, which has helped her to develop some serious trust issues. When she does allow herself to trust, boy, can she ever feel betrayed when that trust is broken. "I think what she thinks and what she says, if I can quote her, is 'don't think I don't know when this started,'" Kate said. ""It was on Halloween, when you guys kissed.' That is how she really feels. She feels like the laughing stock. She trusted him, which took so much for Abigail because she doesn't trust people easily, especially men. Because of her relationship with her father, always leaving . And she trusted him. Whole-heartedly. When he looked her in the eyes and said 'I thought it was you.' And it meant nothing. She says, 'I have these suspicions, I have all these feelings, I�' going to ruin my relationship if I keep beating a dead horse, I'm just going to believe him.' Then, after the fact, realizing that they have this attraction for each other when she sees them together after she and Chad broke up. It just makes her feel like a complete fool."

And no one likes to feel like a fool, even when you have a jester for a father! Kate told us that, as far as Abigail's relationship with her father goes, she thinks that "it's difficult for them. She wants to have the relationship that every little girl wants. But he still sees her as a little girl and she feels so much like she's an adult. She's trying so hard to assert herself as an adult with Austin so that he can fall in love with her and realize that she's a woman and not just 'little Abby.' So when her dad is still thinking of her as a little girl, it's very frustrating for her because it just reinforces further that he hasn't been there for so many of those huge transitional moments in her life ... I think for their relationship, they're just trying to find sort of this middle ground that they can stand on. They both realize that the important thing is that neither one of them gives up. They have that incredible father-daughter bond that when they drive each other crazy they can laugh and say 'I still love you and we're going to work at this.'"

Abigail wants Austin to think of her as a woman and to fall in love with her, and for Kate, she can see where her character is coming from. "I can't say enough how people think it's this obsession, but for her it really makes sense because Austin is the one guy ... Everyone knows that Jack can be such a jokester and such a little jester and he comes in and out and he makes excuses and it's all forgiven. And Chad let her down. But Austin, because of his relationship with Carrie, is what really makes her have this desire that turns into an envy for have what they have."

"For Abby, love has always meant loss," Kate continued. "She had this great love with her father and he left her time and time again. She saw him do that to her mother, too. Then she falls in love with Chad, lets all of her walls down, time and time again trusts him, and he lets her down and falls for her best friend. She feels like, I'm going to claim my own life back, I'm going to be this crusader of love. I'm not going to be the one who's abandoned again. I won't let it happen. What can I do to make sure that I don't get left? Well, I'll fall in love and find this guy who is the epitome of civility and consistency and loyalty. And that really is Austin. He is a man who is so committed to his marriage with Carrie... Family is so important to him. He's just this good guy. For her, she thinks that this is the key to this love that means a new language for her."

Will Abigail find this new language of love? Only time will tell, and it will also tell whether or not she learns that new language with Austin's help. One thing is for sure, though; Abigail is determined. "I think that the lines of fantasy and reality are so blurred at this point, actually, that in order to not get hurt again, she has to make Austin fall in love with her," Kate confirmed. "That is what she wants and she won't stop until she gets it."

http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/daysofourlives/specials/interviews_detail_5669.html
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Twilightsucks
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so everything is Jack's fault. Good to know.
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Dreamer
Gone, But Not Forgotten!

This writing of this article is brutal. It is hard to follow, is repetitive and confusing. IMO, this is not a positive piece, I think I'd rather subject myself to another MR interview and write-up instead. :thumbsdown:
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ChampagneRiver
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Again with the Jack is "not reliable", he's "always leaving", "he hasn't been there for so many of those huge transitional moments in her life". WTF is this crap? Yeah, everything is Jack's fault again. Jennifer is the perfect role model, right? STOP REWRITING HISTORY, you :censored: ! So sick of it :frustration:
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happy
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I don't think I will ever buy KM as Abigail. She's not a bad actress, but mis-cast, IMHO.
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Carly
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So, Abigail has trust issues because Jack is always leaving? WTF?! If Abigail has trust issues, then those issues should be at least partly because of Jennifer. I love how the show conveniently forgets all the crap that Jennifer has pulled....hooking up with the totally shady Peter Blake....walking out on Jack in order to follow Colin Murphy around the globe like a pathetic puppy dog....shipping J.J. off to Hogwarts and barely ever mentioning his existence....not even bothering to be the least bit curious about Jack's mysterious disappearance and out-of-character blog posts....constantly vilifying torture victim Jack while prostrating herself at the feet of Lord Glitter Dick and his Oh! So! Tragic! Shaking! Hand!....But I digress.

No matter how MarDar try to rewrite history, I will never see Jack as the terrible father that MarDar are desperate to portray him as in order to prop up Jennifer and Dr. Molester.
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niki51586


I actually liked this interview, bare with me here. I think KM is doing a good job of not trying to make Abby's action OK or forgivable. She can obviously see that her character is crossing the line but rather than giving Abby an excuse (cough cough Jennifer/MR) she gives an explanation. I too hate that everything is always Jack's fault but I get what KM is saying. Think about all the times Jack was away. When Jennifer left Africa for Ireland I'm sure she didn't explain that mommy was chasing after some man, she was a little kid all Abby knew is that her dad wasn't with her. Then he "died" she was supposed to be in her pre-teen years but that is when the SOARSed her to what 15? Anyway that was at least 1 almost 2 years without him. He comes back only to be diagnosed with an illness and then "dies" again in a car accident. Again she doesn't see him for almost a year and when he came back he was “dying” so for the third time in her life she got to experience going through the motions and emotions of watching her father “die”. Then after all that Jack and Jenn leave her for London. I know there weren’t any hard feelings there but you can argue they didn't deal with the past 3 years of deaths and dying. They finally get back to equilibrium in London and Jack leaves with a not so great explanation and she is forced to believe that her dad just left her again.

I know it wasn't always Jack's choice to be away and Abby is 20 and should understand that but she is still a kid. I doubt the past issues were ever really dealt with (we know how Jack and Jennifer work avoid until you can forget). I can follow KM and the writer's on this as long as after the Austin fiasco, Jack and Abby have a serious discussion about Jack's past and Abby voices her heartbreak over the many times she lost her dad. Even if he didn't leave her on purpose he was gone and for a kid at any age that’s what you know and it hurts. Don't forget we got to see the whole story Abby only gets what her parents allow her to see.
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LuvingLumi
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Come on Ron, We are counting on YOU !!

I am refusing to call her Abigail....she's ABBY, Kate...get it right.
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lastDays
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Don't care
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pspcindy
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I don't like Kate Mansi in this part. The first wrong thing is this Abigail thing. Yeah, Kate, Jack and Jennifer's daughter was always Abby. Too bad the previous writer introduced Gabi into the canvas. But that in no way means longtime viewers wish to see Abby renamed Abigail.

Secondly, this Abby has been a bitch on wheels. She treated Chad like something the dog left on the lawn simply because his last name is DiMera. He is not Stefano nor is he EJ. He only found out he was a DiMera five minutes ago. He is not a criminal. He was raised by a judge and the D.A. for pete's sake. But this bitch reamed him out over and over until he dumped the only family he has.Now he is evil incarnate because he moved on after they broke up. Boo hoo bitch get over it. Then this twit falls for Austin's stupid hat. Miss High and Mighty knows he is married yet here she goes. "Good" girls don't chase married men.

Thirdly she treats Jack worse than dog poop. She blames everything on him and I'm not having it. Abby adored Jack despite his flaws. This fake named Abigail who does not even look like she could be Jack and Jennifer's daughter is hateful and I ff all her scenes. From her fake dyed blonde hair to her brown eyes, this actress does not fit Abby.

Finally I have hated every story she has been in. Ugh!!

Edited by pspcindy, Jan 27 2012, 11:09 AM.
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Ellie


pspcindy
Jan 27 2012, 11:07 AM
I don't like Kate Mansi in this part. The first wrong thing is this Abigail thing. Yeah, Kate, Jack and Jennifer's daughter was always Abby. Too bad the previous writer introduced Gabi into the canvas. But that in no way means longtime viewers wish to see Abby renamed Abigail.

Secondly, this Abby has been a bitch on wheels. She treated Chad like something the dog left on the lawn simply because his last name is DiMera. He is not Stefano nor is he EJ. He only found out he was a DiMera five minutes ago. He is not a criminal. He was raised by a judge and the D.A. for pete's sake. But this bitch reamed him out over and over until he dumped the only family he has.Now he is evil incarnate because he moved on after they broke up. Boo hoo bitch get over it. Then this twit falls for Austin's stupid hat. Miss High and Mighty knows he is married yet here she goes. "Good" girls don't chase married men.

Thirdly she treats Jack worse than dog poop. She blames everything on him and I'm not having it. Abby adored Jack despite his flaws. This fake named Abigail who does not even look like she could be Jack and Jennifer's daughter is hateful and I ff all her scenes. From her fake dyed blonde hair to her brown eyes, this actress does not fit Abby.

Finally I have hated every story she has been in. Ugh!!

I'm having a lot of the same reaction to her that I had to Martha Madison. I think Kate Mansi is a great actress, and imo she's definitely an asset to the show. But I'm not positive she's right for Abby Deveraux. Same with Martha - she's a great actress and she added a lot to her scenes. But I didn't see her as 100% Belle Black. It even extends to the fact that some are saying Mansi could be Reeves & Ashford's daughter, and many said Martha resembles Deidre. But... they're more like long-lost kids that should have turned up on canvas rather than these characters we've known for years.
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Luvmydays
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I didn't dislike her until MarDar got a hold of her. Now she has turned into a judgemental, obsessive, insecure bitch. This crap with Austin is stupid. Just another character ruined. :shame:
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AHM


Yeah, Martha Madison may actually be the better actress, but she just wasn't Belle to me. I'm trying to accept Mansi, but I wish they'd tried for more continuity moving from Benson's Abby to Mansi's. Yet I did like Jillian Clare's pre-teen Abby, and Mansi is a bit more like her. Though Jillian Clare's Abby was still certainly daddy's girl. All of the Abby's had more of a connection to Jack than to Jennifer. Jack even spent more screen time with Baby Abby than Jennifer did. However, it kind of works that Abby was closer to Jack. Jack's the parent with whom she had the deeper connection, but he kept being pulled out of her life, whether by his own choice or not. So the very closeness exacerbates the impact.

As to Mansi looking like she could be Reeves and Ashford's, I don't think two blue eyed people can have a brown eyed kid, but I guess MR and MA are actually green eyed, so maybe that could beget brown? I know it doesn't actually matter, but Cindy's mention of the brown eyes made me think about it, and it kinda bugs me that Abby's got brown eyes.
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Mitchapalooza
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^ My face watching DAYS

SICK AND FUCKING TIRED OF THE RE-WRITTEN HISTORY!!

Jack WAS FUCKING THERE you IDIOT!

And when he WASN'T THERE...he was fucking kidnapped (1st by Tony DiMera and 2nd by Terrorists who TORTURED HIM for a FUCKING year while you pranced around Salem), or you were kidnapped by your mother as she went galivanting to Ireland chasing some cock!

So please FUCK off Abigail!

Why is it that this show is doing a PTSD because of Jack's year of torture...yet Abby and Jennifer are still treating the situation like Jack took off for a year on his own freewill....does MarDar really think we are THAT STUPID to not pick up on this bullshit

TIME TO FIRE MARADAR!

Oh and unlike MarDar...WE ACTUALLY KNOW Jack's REAL history on this show!
Edited by Mitchapalooza, Jan 27 2012, 12:56 PM.
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JamesScott_19
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Don't get up. So how are you? What happened, eh? Let me guess, Stefano told you that you could fly,and you jumped off a building. HeHe It's funny right, no I'm sorry Bad EJ, I should'nt be that cruel!

I think Abby is going the obsessive crazy lunatic route, not interested. :shame:
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Dreamer
Gone, But Not Forgotten!

Enough of this Jack bashing! KM doesn't seem to have a clue as to what her mother has done to Jack over the years. I remember the old Abby (Benson), she was fiesty and gave Jennifer a hard time, calling her out on all her shit, she never gave up on her father. Yes, Jack and Abby had a very special relationship. Where the hell did that girl go? KM is a wonderful actress, but not Jen's Abby or Jack's Abigail. Sorry, not buying it!
Edited by Dreamer, Jan 27 2012, 01:16 PM.
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annie21


niki51586
Jan 27 2012, 04:03 AM
I actually liked this interview, bare with me here. I think KM is doing a good job of not trying to make Abby's action OK or forgivable. She can obviously see that her character is crossing the line but rather than giving Abby an excuse (cough cough Jennifer/MR) she gives an explanation. I too hate that everything is always Jack's fault but I get what KM is saying. Think about all the times Jack was away. When Jennifer left Africa for Ireland I'm sure she didn't explain that mommy was chasing after some man, she was a little kid all Abby knew is that her dad wasn't with her. Then he "died" she was supposed to be in her pre-teen years but that is when the SOARSed her to what 15? Anyway that was at least 1 almost 2 years without him. He comes back only to be diagnosed with an illness and then "dies" again in a car accident. Again she doesn't see him for almost a year and when he came back he was “dying” so for the third time in her life she got to experience going through the motions and emotions of watching her father “die”. Then after all that Jack and Jenn leave her for London. I know there weren’t any hard feelings there but you can argue they didn't deal with the past 3 years of deaths and dying. They finally get back to equilibrium in London and Jack leaves with a not so great explanation and she is forced to believe that her dad just left her again.

I know it wasn't always Jack's choice to be away and Abby is 20 and should understand that but she is still a kid. I doubt the past issues were ever really dealt with (we know how Jack and Jennifer work avoid until you can forget). I can follow KM and the writer's on this as long as after the Austin fiasco, Jack and Abby have a serious discussion about Jack's past and Abby voices her heartbreak over the many times she lost her dad. Even if he didn't leave her on purpose he was gone and for a kid at any age that’s what you know and it hurts. Don't forget we got to see the whole story Abby only gets what her parents allow her to see.
While I understand what you're saying, and can agree with much of it, the article still feels wrong to me in its tone and slant. It's nice to know that KM is putting some thought into her character portrayal, but much of it feels like whatever the actor's version of fanwanking is. (Actor-wanking?) Anyway, she and the writers are having to, if not actually re-write the Jack-Abigail history, then paint it with such broad strokes that it becomes a pretty serious distortion of the facts.

It doesn't help to know that they're basically trying to push their plot -- and defend their decision to put Abby with Austin. With the recent photo shoot showing an older, "vampy-er" Abigail, it's clear they're trying to catapult her out of the teen/younger set and into more adult storylines. To me, it's just sad that they're sacrificing what has always been to me one of the best onscreen father-daughter relationships I've seen in order to do it.

Also, they seem to be taking away some of Abigail's best qualities and turning her into someone I don't like. The character had potential to be a young heroine/ingenue in the tradition of young Marlena and young Jennifer. She was, to my mind, in every way, Alice's great-grand-daughter -- strong, smart, and morally centered. I don't mind having Abigail tested and dealing with issues, but I hope they don't take that core away from her character.

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Keith
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niki51586
Jan 27 2012, 04:03 AM
I actually liked this interview, bare with me here. I think KM is doing a good job of not trying to make Abby's action OK or forgivable. She can obviously see that her character is crossing the line but rather than giving Abby an excuse (cough cough Jennifer/MR) she gives an explanation. I too hate that everything is always Jack's fault but I get what KM is saying. Think about all the times Jack was away. When Jennifer left Africa for Ireland I'm sure she didn't explain that mommy was chasing after some man, she was a little kid all Abby knew is that her dad wasn't with her. Then he "died" she was supposed to be in her pre-teen years but that is when the SOARSed her to what 15? Anyway that was at least 1 almost 2 years without him. He comes back only to be diagnosed with an illness and then "dies" again in a car accident. Again she doesn't see him for almost a year and when he came back he was “dying” so for the third time in her life she got to experience going through the motions and emotions of watching her father “die”. Then after all that Jack and Jenn leave her for London. I know there weren’t any hard feelings there but you can argue they didn't deal with the past 3 years of deaths and dying. They finally get back to equilibrium in London and Jack leaves with a not so great explanation and she is forced to believe that her dad just left her again.

I know it wasn't always Jack's choice to be away and Abby is 20 and should understand that but she is still a kid. I doubt the past issues were ever really dealt with (we know how Jack and Jennifer work avoid until you can forget). I can follow KM and the writer's on this as long as after the Austin fiasco, Jack and Abby have a serious discussion about Jack's past and Abby voices her heartbreak over the many times she lost her dad. Even if he didn't leave her on purpose he was gone and for a kid at any age that’s what you know and it hurts. Don't forget we got to see the whole story Abby only gets what her parents allow her to see.
Thank you for this well though-out post. I found this interview really refreshing. The audience knows Jack was around more than the writers ever make it sound, but through the eyes of a child? That's completely different. I hate that they keep saying he left. But its easy to just get huffy at the writer's for not doing their research. Number one, Mardar are dealing with recent history and what Higley erroneously handed them. We can only guess what happened in London. Perhaps Jack became so super involved with the Spectator that he was distant before he even left. And like you said, a lot of what she knows about her dad is through Jennifer's skewed perspective. Jennifer doesn't accept responsibility for her part. She never has. Perhaps the writing will never let her, but that skewed perspective effects Abby's view. Jack left and divorced her mother when she was a baby. She doesn't know why. Her parents reunited after years apart and Jack spending time in jail. Then, they went to Africa. Again, Africa is all conjecture until Jennifer came back. She left Jack, yes, but she left Jack because he wasn't around. Jack's obsession with rebuilding the Deveraux fortune has been a constant and there's no reason to believe there weren't times that made him less there for his family. His heart is always in the right place. By the time Jack and Jennifer are both back in Salem, Abby is played old enough to know better than anything Jennifer might tell her. This is when the bond between Jack and Abby was formed on-screen. He was taken from her several times before they went off to London. And again, London is conjecture. I think the way they framed Jack and Jennifer's separation was beyond inane, but that doesn't make Jack's absence, whether it was physical or emotional, having an effect on Abby is not that far fetched. I do wish they would be a little more even handed with the history, though.
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Helpless Romantic


:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: Why do they INSIST on doing this to my Jack? :soapbox: :soapbox: :soapbox: :shame:
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CarlD2
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Mansi has some talent but is another person I tend to see "acting", and not see a character. Unfortunately they are twisting Abby into knots to suit the story - I don't quite get why. I also don't understand the need for a slate of mixed-up, emotionally damaged "bad girls". If it's because of Melanie, I don't think it works, because Melanie isn't all that sympathetic.
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