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Matt Ashford's Diva of DOOL Interview
Topic Started: Jul 19 2012, 09:17 AM (8,914 Views)
Lucky
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Matt did an interview with Diva of DOOL last night. It is a little over two hours. Some good stuff. I really liked what he had to say starting around 53:00 minutes in. Here's the link:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/diva-of-dool/2012/07/19/diva-interviews-matthew-ashford.mp3
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JoeBucs32


Any highlights?
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Vicky4Mimi
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Thanks so much! I love Matt--I'm listening now!
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DesignatedShelley
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I think what Matt says about Missy is very close to what I had been thinking about whole the situation. I think Missy wanted to make Dannifer work because she would rather Jennifer be in love than stay away from Jack just for a casual fling, she wanted to make the conflict real and compelling because it gave her character the deepest motivation. I think she was trying to make the best of a poor writing choice. I do not ever think she was anti-J&J and I don't think anything she did on twitter ever signaled that; I think she has just become gunshy about the J&J fanbase because she knows she will get loads of hate whenever a story like this comes up (and it's not her fault that they do). She saw the writing on the wall and now she's shier than ever about interacting with fans about any topic that concerns Jack, since that's the corner she gets so much flack from. I don't think her silence on Twitter was some calculated move to let her personal stock recover, I think she had just become shy. I think the idea that Missy started tweeting Matt as some calculated move to be seen as supportive of him by fans is hogwash, I think she just felt reassured by the interview he had just given and was momentarily less shy about interacting publicly with Matt/about Jack again.

I think over time Missy has shown that she really cares about Horton integrity and that she is a very shy and sensitive, tender-hearted person, and that she has always adored Matt and been a bigger J&J fan than he has been to be quite honest. I think she has gotten flack from Jack fans since 1993 and it is totally understandable why she has become shy about it over the years; it extends so far beyond the Dannifer era. I don't blame her for just wanting to work and be happy at work, and I don't think it's shameful if she dares to smile or laugh at work even though Matt isn't there. I don't think Matt would ever want that for her either, I think he would think that anyone who expects that is being ridiculous.

There is a lot of great stuff in this interview about Matt and his own character and thoughts and career but I had to get this Missy stuff off my chest. I feel bad for people who were hurt by her blocking them on Twitter but I think at this point Missy has had much worse to deal with than being blocked on Twitter. I am still amazed at all the intentions that were ascribed to her that went against 20 years of all evidence we had about her real personality. I'm amazed how quick people were to abandon what we knew of who she was (and ironically complain at the same time about Jennifer doing a similar thing to Jack). And I could never understand how people could say things like "Missy just wants to be Salem's perfect princess", what a baseless conclusion.

I for one hope both Missy and Matt can be happy despite all the shenanigans and drama surrounding this show. I am personally so over all the fan drama and I just want them to be happy. I wish Matt could be happy in a way that let me stay "in touch" with him more easily (in other words, I wish he was still on the show despite it being worse than the Titanic) but it at least helps to have him stay in touch with interviews like these. I love it when he tells it like it is because he so often has such a great perspective and analytical assessment of situations. I'm going to miss him so much.
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DiMera87
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So much to listen to. I'll have to do it at another time. I'm sure there are some highlights after 2 hours of talking, lol.
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DiMera87
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DesignatedShelley
Jul 19 2012, 10:30 AM
I think what Matt says about Missy is very close to what I had been thinking about whole the situation. I think Missy wanted to make Dannifer work because she would rather Jennifer be in love than stay away from Jack just for a casual fling, she wanted to make the conflict real and compelling because it gave her character the deepest motivation. I think she was trying to make the best of a poor writing choice. I do not ever think she was anti-J&J and I don't think anything she did on twitter ever signaled that; I think she has just become gunshy about the J&J fanbase because she knows she will get loads of hate whenever a story like this comes up (and it's not her fault that they do). She saw the writing on the wall and now she's shier than ever about interacting with fans about any topic that concerns Jack, since that's the corner she gets so much flack from. I don't think her silence on Twitter was some calculated move to let her personal stock recover, I think she had just become shy. I think the idea that Missy started tweeting Matt as some calculated move to be seen as supportive of him by fans is hogwash, I think she just felt reassured by the interview he had just given and was momentarily less shy about interacting publicly with Matt/about Jack again.

I think over time Missy has shown that she really cares about Horton integrity and that she is a very shy and sensitive, tender-hearted person, and that she has always adored Matt and been a bigger J&J fan than he has been to be quite honest. I think she has gotten flack from Jack fans since 1993 and it is totally understandable why she has become shy about it over the years; it extends so far beyond the Dannifer era. I don't blame her for just wanting to work and be happy at work, and I don't think it's shameful if she dares to smile or laugh at work even though Matt isn't there. I don't think Matt would ever want that for her either, I think he would think that anyone who expects that is being ridiculous.

There is a lot of great stuff in this interview about Matt and his own character and thoughts and career but I had to get this Missy stuff off my chest. I feel bad for people who were hurt by her blocking them on Twitter but I think at this point Missy has had much worse to deal with than being blocked on Twitter. I am still amazed at all the intentions that were ascribed to her that went against 20 years of all evidence we had about her real personality. I'm amazed how quick people were to abandon what we knew of who she was (and ironically complain at the same time about Jennifer doing a similar thing to Jack). And I could never understand how people could say things like "Missy just wants to be Salem's perfect princess", what a baseless conclusion.

I for one hope both Missy and Matt can be happy despite all the shenanigans and drama surrounding this show. I am personally so over all the fan drama and I just want them to be happy. I wish Matt could be happy in a way that let me stay "in touch" with him more easily (in other words, I wish he was still on the show despite it being worse than the Titanic) but it at least helps to have him stay in touch with interviews like these. I love it when he tells it like it is because he so often has such a great perspective and analytical assessment of situations. I'm going to miss him so much.
I completely agree with this entire post.
Edited by DiMera87, Jul 19 2012, 10:47 AM.
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denise13
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Great interview! I love the way Matt loves his craft. He is always a class act.
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supercool74
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I know I've acted bitter towards Missy in the past and I guess I need to quit that. He really does have very good things to say about her and it does make me feel better. BUT...I still feel bitter. Even when she is all smiles in her twitter pictures I am bitter. But I'm going to push those bitter feelings more towards the writers and TPTB than towards her. It really isn't her fault that Matt was fired. I still won't watch Dannifer though. :puke:
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denise13
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supercool74
Jul 19 2012, 11:33 AM
But I'm going to push those bitter feelings more towards the writers and TPTB than towards her. It really isn't her fault that Matt was fired. I still won't watch Dannifer though. :puke:
Well, after listening to the interview, I'm still bitter. While I don't blame Missy for Matt's firing, I still think her actions speaks louder than words. I can't forget Missy's actions, and especially her pimping of Dannifer. I respect Matt's take on things, but I don't buy it, and I will never support Missy as Jennifer again.
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Romancer66


Haven't listened yet, but it sounds like a worthwhile interview. MA always has interesting things to say about his craft, his character, and the show in general.

He also seems like the kind of guy who'd have a co-star's back, and MR is lucky to have his support throughout the many years of their on-again, off-again working relationship. As much as I have disliked third-run Jennifer, I've tried to avoid bashing MR herself, beyond observing that her performances this time around haven't impressed me (she did a very unconvincing job of portraying Jennifer as "torn," for example) and that she doesn't seem to handle interviews or social media that adroitly. That said, I'm not sure even Meryl Streep could have sympathetically pulled off a woman screaming at her PTSD-afflicted ex-husband that she didn't want him anymore because he wasn't "a happy man."

I also can't help wondering why an apparently shy and sensitive soul like MR is in the acting profession, if adverse criticism has such a damaging effect on her. After this long in the business, wouldn't most performers have developed a thicker skin? I do think she's accustomed to being liked and having her character liked, so I'm sure it was difficult for her to hear/learn that this incarnation of Jennifer wasn't going over well at all.

Oh, well. I can hope against hope that better writing is ahead for Jennifer and maybe even Jack if MA returns someday. I just have my doubts that T&W 2 will provide any.
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supercool74
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After listening to his views on the Daniel/Jennifer/Jack triangle I understand his point in that as soon as they got all the negative feedback they dropped it. He says he was excited about it and that they were all working. That as soon as they got that negative feedback they dropped it and then J&J were not on anymore. I get where he is coming from but I still think that there were so many other directions they could have gone instead of just dropping it all. I don't think many had a problem with Jennifer just choosing Daniel to begin with and then Jack and Jen finding their way back to each other. It could have worked...the whole triangle thing. They just did a horrible job with it. I was not opposed to a triangle. But having Jen not able to make a decision was just terrible and ruined her character. He said that they would have worked it out and was hoping that Jack might have moved on for a while...I would have loved that..but that is NOT where the writers were going. If it was they were taking too damn long.
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NicGil


I listened to this interview last night and enjoyed hearing MA's insight into a variety of topics. He was definitely open and very gracious to the interviewers and callers. However, some of the things he said about Jack & Jennifer fans and fans of couples in general rubbed me the wrong way. I don't by any means think he was intentionally putting them down, but it still left me with a bad feeling. I remember him saying something along the lines of if J&J fans hadn't been so vocal about their dislike for dannifer then they would have continued with the storyline and he, therefore, would have had more airtime. I understand it must have been very frustrating for MA not to get the airtime but it was frustrating for fans too. Although fans were vocal about not liking Dannifer, I saw them being vocal about MA/Jack getting his own storyline. I understand that his message was "support the actor" but it still left me feeling back like, "oh no, I guess I shouldn't have been rooting for Jack & Jenn." I still think, overall, that it was a great interview and still love MA, just wanted to express my opinions...and of course I still want MA back on the show.
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Romancer66


supercool74
Jul 19 2012, 11:54 AM
After listening to his views on the Daniel/Jennifer/Jack triangle I understand his point in that as soon as they got all the negative feedback they dropped it. He says he was excited about it and that they were all working. That as soon as they got that negative feedback they dropped it and then J&J were not on anymore. I get where he is coming from but I still think that there were so many other directions they could have gone instead of just dropping it all. I don't think many had a problem with Jennifer just choosing Daniel to begin with and then Jack and Jen finding their way back to each other. It could have worked...the whole triangle thing. They just did a horrible job with it. I was not opposed to a triangle. But having Jen not able to make a decision was just terrible and ruined her character. He said that they would have worked it out and was hoping that Jack might have moved on for a while...I would have loved that..but that is NOT where the writers were going. If it was they were taking too damn long.
Not to mention the fact that Jack, Jennifer, + Jennifer's Latest Himbo has been Done To Death over the years. MA really should be putting the responsibility for the triangle's failure and the characters' backburnering on the writers, who clearly lacked the ability/inclination to come up with anything better, rather than the viewers who hated the storyline for whatever reasons and weren't afraid to say so. When the kitchen serves up shit, it's the cook who deserves the blame, not the customer who complains about it.
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denise13
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I don't think J, J & D triangle was ended based on fans negative feedback. I think it's because of the age of the characters involved in the triangle. I've seen a lot of negative feedback for safe & Ejami, and neither pairings was dropped because of it. If the writers wanted to write for Jack and Jennifer with or without a triangle, they would have. NBC/Days wanting to go younger and thinking Jack/Jen wouldn't appeal to that younger audience that they are trying so hard to reach is the reason the triangle was dropped imo.
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esp13
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I have a hunch that trying to explain this is going to come out as a muddled mush, but here goes anyway. I think there is a line between not supporting a story because it's dreck, and viewing a story as dreck because it involves keeping a couple apart. Granted, that line is a lot more blurry these days because so much of what is written is dreck, but the line still exists and I think that was likely what Matt was getting at. I don't think actors get as frustrated when fans are criticizing/protesting a lousy story as they do when they feel like the fans aren't giving a story a chance and/or are viewing a story as lousy because it involves the separation/break up of their favorite couple.

It's often hard to discern where that line is. I know people have, and still do, argue that the Dannifer story was just dreck, no matter what. Yet, there were many, many posts and tweets that certainly implied that the biggest problem with the story was that Jennifer was torn, period. I get that, but I also get why that would be frustrating for Matt and Missy.

I'm not saying they are right and fans are wrong because that's way too simplistic. But I do think that actors aren't necessarily asking for unconditional support of any storyline they are involved in, no matter how bad it is. I just also think that 20 years of supercoupledom probably jades their views slightly when it comes to fan reactions.
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Liz<3Days
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IA that sometimes as a fan of a couple, we can do some harm, but overall, its the writing that makes one accept the other pairing.

If you watch soaps long enough you know the formula...man, woman meet, flirt, date...become GF/BF...move in together/get married...has obstacle to overcome...reunites...gets married a second time/baby on the way...etc. In the past fans were willing to ride out the wave, because we knew there was payoff (usually a great one too.)

Nowadays, everything's a crapshoot, so fans will cling on to their couple because there are no payoffs on DAYS. I could see fans not wanting to ride the roller coaster if it keeps breaking down. They rather just stick with the chemistry of their couple and some scenes that rock, then waste their viewing time on taking that ride. The "trust" in DAYS is broken, and I dont know how you get it back. Well, one way, is by WRITING A COMPLETE STORY. Once TomSell does that, then fans are willing to let go of their couple and trust that the story will be satisfying.
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DrewHamilton
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LOL at everyone taking back what they said about Reeves just because Ashford finally set the record straight. Can't believe Reeves was ever accused of such things in the first place. Nothing she ever said made me think she was anti-Jack and Jennifer. She had a story to sell, and that's what she was doing.
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px780
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Streetcorner Philosopher

denise13
Jul 19 2012, 12:29 PM
I don't think J, J & D triangle was ended based on fans negative feedback. I think it's because of the age of the characters involved in the triangle. I've seen a lot of negative feedback for safe & Ejami, and neither pairings was dropped because of it. If the writers wanted to write for Jack and Jennifer with or without a triangle, they would have. NBC/Days wanting to go younger and thinking Jack/Jen wouldn't appeal to that younger audience that they are trying so hard to reach is the reason the triangle was dropped imo.
Word.

Besides, isn't Days run by people who think all talk is good talk because it means people are engaged? Why in this case would they then let negative feedback stop them?

As far as Reeves goes- If she was trying to sell us something, she did a poor job, imho. She had a huge obstacle to overcome (fan allegiance to Jack/Jennifer as a couple), but it seems to me like she tried to do that through interviews and not just acting. So I won't conclude anything about her personally, but as an actress...she's just not compelling to me, in this kind of role. Which doesn't even make her a bad actress, imho. Not every actor can do everything.
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AHM


esp13
Jul 19 2012, 12:38 PM
I have a hunch that trying to explain this is going to come out as a muddled mush, but here goes anyway. I think there is a line between not supporting a story because it's dreck, and viewing a story as dreck because it involves keeping a couple apart. Granted, that line is a lot more blurry these days because so much of what is written is dreck, but the line still exists and I think that was likely what Matt was getting at. I don't think actors get as frustrated when fans are criticizing/protesting a lousy story as they do when they feel like the fans aren't giving a story a chance and/or are viewing a story as lousy because it involves the separation/break up of their favorite couple.

It's often hard to discern where that line is. I know people have, and still do, argue that the Dannifer story was just dreck, no matter what. Yet, there were many, many posts and tweets that certainly implied that the biggest problem with the story was that Jennifer was torn, period. I get that, but I also get why that would be frustrating for Matt and Missy.

I'm not saying they are right and fans are wrong because that's way too simplistic. But I do think that actors aren't necessarily asking for unconditional support of any storyline they are involved in, no matter how bad it is. I just also think that 20 years of supercoupledom probably jades their views slightly when it comes to fan reactions.
I see the point you are making (I think), and I think it's a good one. I am a die hard JnJ fan, so grain of salt, but the story was dreck. I don't think Ashford quite realizes what dreck it was, not having seen the sorry excuse for a love story Dannifer had gotten. I mean, Jennifer learned Jack never meant to leave her and had actually been being tortured for the past year. Also, Jennifer was clearly still happy with Jack at Alice's funeral before the "walkabout," yet we were to believe that when the truth of Jack's whereabouts came out, she'd really be "torn" between Jack and Daniel? She'd been on a couple of dates with Daniel and had loved Jack for twenty years! It was just ridiculous. The first mistake with that triangle was making it all about Jennifer choosing. I think if we'd been able to see that Jennifer still loved and was drawn to Jack but was afraid of opening herself up to the pain that comes with loving Jack, and so stayed with Daniel, or if Jack had come back and been hurt and walked away himself, not giving Jennifer a choice, the triangle could have worked, and the angst really could have started flowing from there. It also wouldn't have been the same overplayed Jennifer dangling guys thing if Jack had refused to be dangled. See, if it had played as Ashford mentions he would have liked, with Jack saying, "Okay, then I'll look another direction," it could have been good. But the show wasn't doing that. He talks about fans complaining about the triangle killing it and thus killing his and MR's air time because the show was really listening. But the show must have only been half listening, because most of those complaining about the triangle were also talking about how it should have been played and what they would like to see (which was almost never just tossing JnJ back together with no story or build to that), but it seems TPTB weren't listening to anything constructive.

I appreciate MA defending MR. It's classy. That being said, I find it interesting that he's out there defending her, talking about the awful things said about her. It's not like awful things aren't said about him too. I've seen some truly idiotic and rotten things on the Days Facebook page directed his way. I think he must just have a thicker skin about it. Certainly, he had to learn about being hated right off the bat with the rape story. I am sorry that MR is being personally attacked, when it is mainly out of her hands, but I wasn't pleased with her acting, and I think that's fair. Also, it's nothing personal, but I hate seeing her smiley tweets now just because it bothers me that the show just would not tell what could have been a great Jack and Jennifer story, yet they seem to be willing to use her now. I can't help being bothered by that, but it's not hating on her; it's hating the way the show has handled Jennifer/JnJ and the way the show refused to use the good story potential that was there, and yet they'll come up with some crap Guy #10 or Dannifer revisited thing instead, so now she gets air time.
Edited by AHM, Jul 19 2012, 01:37 PM.
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Romancer66


px780
Jul 19 2012, 01:00 PM
denise13
Jul 19 2012, 12:29 PM
I don't think J, J & D triangle was ended based on fans negative feedback. I think it's because of the age of the characters involved in the triangle. I've seen a lot of negative feedback for safe & Ejami, and neither pairings was dropped because of it. If the writers wanted to write for Jack and Jennifer with or without a triangle, they would have. NBC/Days wanting to go younger and thinking Jack/Jen wouldn't appeal to that younger audience that they are trying so hard to reach is the reason the triangle was dropped imo.
Word.

Besides, isn't Days run by people who think all talk is good talk because it means people are engaged? Why in this case would they then let negative feedback stop them?

As far as Reeves goes- If she was trying to sell us something, she did a poor job, imho. She had a huge obstacle to overcome (fan allegiance to Jack/Jennifer as a couple), but it seems to me like she tried to do that through interviews and not just acting. So I won't conclude anything about her personally, but as an actress...she's just not compelling to me, in this kind of role. Which doesn't even make her a bad actress, imho. Not every actor can do everything.
I remember far too many interviews in which MR claimed Jennifer was "really, really torn" over whom to choose and a few in which she said that "Jennifer and Daniel love each other sooo much they just want the other to be happy." Unfortunately, what came across onscreen failed to convey any of that. There was Jennifer jumping down Jack's throat at the least excuse and fawning like a silly schoolgirl over Daniel's every syllable. And there was Daniel dumping Jennifer six times when he saw he wasn't going to enjoy an easy victory over Jack, after all, and basically acting like he just wasn't that into her the last time they met.

MR has done some very good work in the past. But this time around, it just wasn't there--not the writing, nor the acting. And as long as Jennifer is written/portrayed as the Eternal Ingenue--a role for which she's increasingly ill-suited--who must always have two men fighting over her, the character isn't going to engage me. And MR's wide-eyed, open-mouthed "Oh My Gosh" mannerisms in the part have likewise worn thin.
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