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Daytime Royalty Interview with Matthew Ashford
Topic Started: Jun 26 2012, 11:04 PM (17,920 Views)
JDeveraux_91
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Great interview DR! MA is such a classy guy. Nice of him to stick up for MR, but it still doesn't change my negative impression of her. I get the feeling that Jack will once again be "dead" or at least presumed dead. I hate this show ...
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PhoenixRising05
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Great interview! Matt Ashford continues to show how much of a class act he is, even when he's treated like garbage.

This also further proves how chaotic it's been behind the scenes and why everyone is quiet. There are too many parties involved in deciding the vision of the show and none of them can get on the same page. They are simply compromising just to get by. I think there has always been a push-pull behind the scenes but I think this last year has been the worst. Corday never sounded sold on the reboot last year and he made it clear he had to sell the network on it. He seemed hesitant about making such a cast overhaul happen so quickly and he admitted NBC had reservations too. Ever since then, I felt there was some conflict and I think when ratings failed to move before December, NBC stepped up and decided to start dictated more story. MarDar got frustrated and, eventually, NBC forced Corday's hand because they wanted writers in place who agreed with their direction so they went and got Tomlin and Whitesell.

People wonder why actors and actresses who get treated horribly return to Days and this shows why. It's never Corday who wants these people gone. It's the higher-ups. That is why you see Matt Ashford and others who were treated like him continue to praise Corday. He's never badmouthed by anyone in the cast, past or present, and I think that is because they know he's in their corner and is only doing what he's forced to do.

I have a feeling he will be back but I think he will be back when the smoke clears and Corday is able to wrestle away more control from others. That always happens. The show goes through periods where Sony or NBC has more pull and then Corday gets more pull back and brings back vets.

Edited by PhoenixRising05, Jun 27 2012, 10:30 AM.
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jwsel
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Phenomenal interview. I was never really a big Jack fan, but I respect Matt Ashford immensely.

I loved him calling out the writers in two respects. The speed with which they try to "tell" stories is ridiculous. Giving just a few episodes for something like PTSD demonstrates that the writers don't understand pacing. They think their audience has the attention span of newts, but it results in horrible storytelling. Gives us beats, emotional ups and downs, within a story and we will respond.

Second, I absolutely love him raising the "deaths" from the safehouse. He said something that I pointed out when people wanted the safehouse six to stay dead for a time: Nobody in the audience would believe those six characters were dead. So the explosion was a silly stunt with no real repercussions. I took his point about Sami to be focused on the reaction in Salem to the supposed deaths. That was all about Sami -- she got to emote about her dead family and how sorry she was for being so horrible to them and then, two days later, got to be angry at the deception. Of course, none of that had lasting repercussions because the writers had everyone in Salem learn the six were alive.

What the writers should have done was reveal that the six were alive, but keep that secret from the characters in Salem for weeks, if not months. The characters in Salem could have grieved and actually had their lives impacted by the "deaths" -- Sami could have pledged to be better to her family, Brady could have actually done things to live up to John's standards, Will could have struggled with coming out without having Marlena there, Austin could have mourned losing Carrie. Meanwhile, the "dead" six could have had a parallel storyline where they go after Stefano, struggle with being apart from their loved ones, and debate whether they are right to continue the deception. Then, when the six return, the responses could run the gamut from relief and joy at their return to anger at the deception. Instead, we got a pointless stunt that made no logical sense.
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Mitchapalooza
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^ My face watching DAYS

I will always miss Matt...he is my favorite male actor on DAYS. I really feel he is getting totally disrespected by the show in this instant.

It really looks like Jack is going to be killed off or at least presumed dead, that much is obvious. I really hope he comes back....I just HATE that the show is clearly going to take Jennifer into ANOTHER new romance...I certainly will not be watching that or supporting Jennifer in anyway shape or form.

As for the MR thing, yes I was very harsh towards her, but her actions spoke MUCH louder than words and MUCH louder than what Matt is saying here. I do like that he is standing up for her in this interview, that only plays to what a wonderful person he is...but Missy is not 100% innoncent, and not even Matt will convince me of that.

And WOOO for MA confirming the ED returns to DAYS news.

Oh and to the DR - WOW amazing interview...seriously ALL the questions I myself would have asked him.
Edited by Mitchapalooza, Jun 27 2012, 10:55 AM.
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Harcourt
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Quote:
 
Who chose Jack’s wardrobe?
The wardrobe department. I don’t really have a say. At that point, I was just appreciative of anything I got. There’s been big budget changes, and I think we’re all pretty appreciative just to get what we can get. I know a lot of people would prefer if Jack wore suits, but you know, EJ wore suits. I think in their minds, EJ was the suit wearing guy and Jack was now a professor guy and not a suit guy.



This pretty much sums up the last 20+ years of Jack Deveraux.

He can't wear suits because EJ wears suits. Which, also, means:

He can't be an investigative reporter, and work at The Spectator, because investigating things is what Bo, Hope, Rafe, and Roman do. And sometimes John Black.

He can't be a leading man, because that's what Bo, John, Rafe, Daniel, Brady, EJ, etc. are suppose to be. The choices left to Jack are doofus, loser, clown, runaway dad, runaway husband, and the like.

He can't turn away from & reject Jennifer the way Jennifer is constantly turning away from & rejecting him, because, he just can't -- Jennifer is a Horton. Plus, that would make him a man on par with the other men on the show. And since Bo, John, Rafe, Daniel, Brady, EJ, etc. already fill those slots, supposedly, Jack must be written as the opposite of that. He'd outshine them otherwise. He has before.

They took everything about Jack Deveraux that made Jack Deveraux who he was, and tried to create five to ten different versions of him in others using different aspects of his personality.

They destroyed the one and only original Jack Deveraux in an attempt to make several different versions of him, and what terrible watered down copies they are.

IMO, the real, original, take no prisoners, Jack Deveraux is such a threat in their minds that they've got to dismantle him completely for fear that he will overshadow their pimped out and propped up pets.

If Jack is allowed to be anything like what he used to be, half of the men on the show would be useless and pointless. Jack Deveraux, as he was originally written and portrayed, is smarter than any man or woman in Salem, and TPTB can't have that.
Edited by Harcourt, Jun 29 2012, 07:28 AM.
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AHM


jwsel
Jun 27 2012, 10:40 AM
The speed with which they try to "tell" stories is ridiculous. Giving just a few episodes for something like PTSD demonstrates that the writers don't understand pacing. They think their audience has the attention span of newts, but it results in horrible storytelling. Gives us beats, emotional ups and downs, within a story and we will respond.

Absolutely! This is their attempt to compete with prime time, and it's foolish. Soap opera is a different format. Soap opera has different strengths. Soaps can play all those beats that prime time can't. They have to hit all those wonderful beats and make long arcs with shorter arcs building the long arcs to keep people tuning in for an hour five days a week. The missed beats with Jack's PTSD and JnJ's reconciliation were tragic.
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The Room Stops
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Matt is such a classy guy. Great mind and class all the way!
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starwatcher2


Great interview DR! You definitely asked all the right questions.. Thank you!

I love how candid Matt is in this interview.. He is a class act. I'm disappointed that Jack is going to die or be presumed dead once again. This show just doesn't get it. There is so much story left to tell with Jack, and it's shame that talented Matthew Ashford & his fans are never rewarded.
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jackandjennfan
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What a great interview! Thanks for posting! Matt's such a class act!
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Harcourt
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I love Matt, and this is a great interview, but I still don't trust Corday. He did the same thing to Matt for the first time in '93. If Corday hasn't grown a spine in nearly 20 years, he never will. Corday and Co. can go fly a kite for all I care. And as far as MR is concerned, I didn't spend much of my time criticizing her, personally. It was her performances that I didn't like. Her performance on Christmas day with the Dannifer kiss, and the awkward attempt at holding Jack's hand was the final straw for me. I love that Matt and Missy are still great friends, but she didn't deliver on screen when it counted, and that left us Jack fans & Jack and Jennifer fans out in the cold. We never got our payoff, and we deserved one, several, in fact.

I agree, that some of it was the awful, awful writing, but some of it was not. In any case, it doesn't really matter. Matt's gone again, and I will only watch his last scenes, and then I'm gone, too. Jennfier will move on, but I won't be around to watch it. I'll write my own happy ending for Jack Deveraux, and when I'm in a really good mood, I'll write one for Jack and Jennifer. We all know that the current Jennifer is not the girl Jack fell in love with. None of us would have, or could have fallen in love with this Jennifer 20+ years ago.
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angie37
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It has already been said several times but can't be said enough--very good interview. And it shows that MA is a class act--always has been and always will be.

I'll never forget you MA or your infamous alter ego Jack D.
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supercool74
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AHM
Jun 27 2012, 11:10 AM
jwsel
Jun 27 2012, 10:40 AM
The speed with which they try to "tell" stories is ridiculous. Giving just a few episodes for something like PTSD demonstrates that the writers don't understand pacing. They think their audience has the attention span of newts, but it results in horrible storytelling. Gives us beats, emotional ups and downs, within a story and we will respond.

Absolutely! This is their attempt to compete with prime time, and it's foolish. Soap opera is a different format. Soap opera has different strengths. Soaps can play all those beats that prime time can't. They have to hit all those wonderful beats and make long arcs with shorter arcs building the long arcs to keep people tuning in for an hour five days a week. The missed beats with Jack's PTSD and JnJ's reconciliation were tragic.
I'm not sure why they don't get that. The primetime shows can be great, but they are on once a week. Things don't have to be as stretched out. Days has to have enough to put out 5 days a week and I just don't get why they are missing so many beats. It really makes no sense. The timing is so off. They do try to pack in a lot and it all seems to happen in one seemingly long soap day. I hope all of that gets fixed with the new regime.
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AHM


Speaking of missed beats, what the heck is up with Jack and Jennifer not getting a love scene? MA's bare chest sure isn't a problem.
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Ally
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The Royal Princess

My avatar is another reason why I truly love Matt Ashford.

Sigh.

I need my Jack!
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ProphecyGirl


A great interview. Love Matt's honesty when answering the questions.

And this interview certainly clarifies some things. The show is a mess with way too many cooks. Clearly, Sony/NBC are currently calling the shots which I'm sure means non-stop Sami/EJ for the forseeable future.

Matt expresses some of my frustrations with this show - the Dimeras are too important on the canvas, everything is about Samantha (including that awful safe house story), certain actors are being wasted, and potential connections like Jack/Madison are never explored because the showrunners only care about the same overused characters.

Glad he defended Missy Reeves.
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spartan
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annie21
Jun 27 2012, 10:01 AM
spartan
Jun 27 2012, 09:58 AM
brazen
Jun 27 2012, 08:38 AM
It's obvious the team at DAYS isn't in charge. EP's or Head writers can change on a daily basis and it means
nothing as long as the people higher up are still there dictating down.

I fast forwarded most if not all of the safe house scenes, but I don't see how it was for Sami. What did she even had to do with it?
There was more Austin/Carrie/Rafe business than Sami. I presume that character is an easy target to blame since it's one of the airtime higher ups.
I agree. I was confused also on how the safehouse stuff was about Sami which is why at first read I assumed he was talking about the Olympic cliffhanger explosion and giving away a spoiler of sorts.
I took the reference to the safehouse to be the scene he was in. Everyone, including Jack and Jennifer, was at the pub when the news arrived that those in the safehouse were killed. There was chaos and then the scene honed in on Sami's reaction. It did become about Sami. And he, as an actor standing there in that scene, saw that. Anyway, that's my take.

Ah. That's true. That would make sense.
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Dreamer
Gone, But Not Forgotten!

AHM
Jun 27 2012, 12:07 AM
Dreamer
Jun 26 2012, 11:45 PM
I liked that he wished Dannifer would prevail, so Jack could persue other woman. An interesting thought that so many of us posters wanted it to happen.

I didn't get that from what he said. I got that he wished Jack hadn't hung around pussy whipped but had kept his eye on Jennifer.
AHM, I guess this statement from MA is a little open for interpretation. MA says, "I would have preferred if he had maybe accepted Jennifer at word and then said, ‘I’ll go look for my list of girls, too, and maybe start seeing some other people.’ Maybe pursue some other avenues all while keeping an eye on her."

IMO, if Jack accepted Jennifer at word, he would have accepted Dannifer and Dannifer would have been the rooting & winning couple, while Jack moving on with some other people will keeping his eye on her. (A totally believable SL from how it was being showcased on screen)
Edited by Dreamer, Jun 27 2012, 12:54 PM.
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Dreamer
Gone, But Not Forgotten!

I don't think Jack will die, just be presumed dead, right?
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annie21


supercool74
Jun 27 2012, 12:22 PM
AHM
Jun 27 2012, 11:10 AM
jwsel
Jun 27 2012, 10:40 AM
The speed with which they try to "tell" stories is ridiculous. Giving just a few episodes for something like PTSD demonstrates that the writers don't understand pacing. They think their audience has the attention span of newts, but it results in horrible storytelling. Gives us beats, emotional ups and downs, within a story and we will respond.

Absolutely! This is their attempt to compete with prime time, and it's foolish. Soap opera is a different format. Soap opera has different strengths. Soaps can play all those beats that prime time can't. They have to hit all those wonderful beats and make long arcs with shorter arcs building the long arcs to keep people tuning in for an hour five days a week. The missed beats with Jack's PTSD and JnJ's reconciliation were tragic.
I'm not sure why they don't get that. The primetime shows can be great, but they are on once a week. Things don't have to be as stretched out. Days has to have enough to put out 5 days a week and I just don't get why they are missing so many beats. It really makes no sense. The timing is so off. They do try to pack in a lot and it all seems to happen in one seemingly long soap day. I hope all of that gets fixed with the new regime.
These are good points. I wonder if the tendency to try to force the soap to be more like a primetime show has something to do with the fact that the NBC execs come from primetime and really don't have an affinity for daytime or the soap genre.

When I tried to google Bruce Evans, Sr VP at NBC, I didn't find out much. But his bio says he came from elsewhere within the network, so he doesn't really have much background with soaps. Yet, he's the one who, by several accounts, is now dictating storyline along with Rebecca McGill.

Interestingly, my search turned up a blog entry from MBE back in 2008. She wrote that BE approached her with an idea for her to make a guest appearance on Law & Order. Evidently, he was looking for ways to cross promote the soap with their night-time lineup. Anyway, he orchestrated the whole thing, urging L&O to write a part/episode for her and sending her to NYC for the taping. She was flattered and grateful.

Maybe it's not relevant, but it made me wonder whether BE was really clued into the show itself or just more about promotion and hype. I still wonder what kinds of actual storyline decisions he's making -- overriding Corday and Co. And maybe he's the one who axed Maxam? :shrug:

To bring this back on topic, I thought it was interesting that, unlike Bill and Susan Hayes, MA never mentioned the network or its execs by name. I wonder if, like MBE, he ever had any actual interaction with them.

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AHM


Dreamer
Jun 27 2012, 12:53 PM
AHM
Jun 27 2012, 12:07 AM
Dreamer
Jun 26 2012, 11:45 PM
I liked that he wished Dannifer would prevail, so Jack could persue other woman. An interesting thought that so many of us posters wanted it to happen.

I didn't get that from what he said. I got that he wished Jack hadn't hung around pussy whipped but had kept his eye on Jennifer.
AHM, I guess this statement from MA is a little open for interpretation. MA says, "I would have preferred if he had maybe accepted Jennifer at word and then said, ‘I’ll go look for my list of girls, too, and maybe start seeing some other people.’ Maybe pursue some other avenues all while keeping an eye on her."

IMO, if Jack accepted Jennifer at word, he would have accepted Dannifer and Dannifer would have been the rooting & winning couple, while Jack moving on with some other people will keeping his eye on her. (A totally believable SL from how it was being showcased on screen)
I think that would have done the opposite of make Dannifer the rooting couple. Dannifer would have been left without story to be the bore fest they are. If Jack had taken Jennifer at her word, the tension would have been between Jack and Jennifer.

If they do (gag) revisit Dannifer, Jack will still likely be what feeds their story, as he always was, even before he returned.
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