Acclaimed actress Lindsay Hartley (“Passions” and “Days of Our Lives”) chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her upcoming film “Sinister Society,” which she directed, and she collaborated with such actors as Sean Kanan and Jonathan Stoddard.
‘Sinister Society’
On directing “Sinister Society,” she said, “It was so much fun, and it was in Los Angeles. As far as the project goes, I love the script and the actors were incredible.”
She praised the entire cast, which included such actors as Emmy winner Sean Kanan and Jonathan Stoddard. “Sean was incredible. He is a team player and he goes above and beyond. Sean is very kind and caring. It was a pretty awesome experience,” she said.
“I also brought Jonathan Stoddard on this project, he is a big ray of positive energy. Jonathan is also so talented,” she added.
‘General Hospital’ experience
Hartley spoke about stepping into the role of Sam McCall for 10 episodes, where she substituted for Kelly Monaco while she was sick. “That was crazy,” she said. “When I was asked to fill in, I was literally on the set in less than 24 hours.”
“I had the most dialogue in the first two days (it was a Thursday and a Friday) and I am glad I was able to do it. I had so much fun. It felt very natural being back on a sound stage, and the cast and the crew were so great. Overall, I had a wonderful time,” she said.
Throughout her acting career, she is known for her roles in three iconic daytime dramas: Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald on “Passions,” Cara Castillo on “All My Children,” and Arianna Hernandez on “Days of Our Lives.”
When asked how she handled being dialogue-heavy on all of those soap operas, she responded, “I think there was a lot of pressure that came with the schedule and you just figure it out. It’s on and you need to go and there is no stopping. You don’t a choice, that’s your job and you need to figure it out. Over time, you start knowing the character more, and you get a better sense of what needs to be done.”
She had great words about her former Passions” scene partner, Eric Martsolf, who played the role of Ethan Winthrop. “Eric is so great, he is so funny,” she said and praised him for being the ultimate showman.
The digital age
On being an actress and filmmaker in the digital age, she said, “It’s great, there are more opportunities and constant opportunities. These days, the content itself is more diverse, and it’s more entertaining. There is more entertainment across the board. It’s incredible how much the industry changed these days, it’s amazing.”
In addition, she also played the role of Sammie Sullivan in the hit digital drama series “The Bay,” created by Gregori J. Martin. “That was fun, that was a long time ago,” she said. “Everybody has been in it, it’s awesome. It’s a great avenue for a bunch of soap actors to get together and make more content.”
She revealed that she has five directing gigs coming out on Lifetime and LMN.
Heritage
Hartley shared that her Greek heritage is from her mother’s side of the family. “I did the DNA testing because I was also curious and it turns out that I am part Armenian, Spanish, and every ethnicity on the planet. I am kind of everything, which is nice. I was very excited about that,” she said.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, she said, “Things are looking good.” “I am a hard worker so I am always trying to move forward in everything that I do,” she said. “I feel that directing is my favorite thing in the world. Acting is also amazing because you can play so many different characters. While I love acting, directing is on a whole new level for me.”
“I love being on set with multiple people, talking about how to make a production amazing and that’s a good feeling and I love it,” she exclaimed.
Success
Hartley defined the word success as “happiness” in life. “Success has nothing to do with money,” she said. “It has to do with my child having a great day and feeling super connected to me, and me feeling very connected to her since my whole life is about her.”
For her dedicated fans, she said, “I am grateful to the fans and I love them. I wish ‘Passions’ could come back in some way, shape, or form, and that we could do some episodes or some sort of reunion to show how much everybody really wants it.”
To learn more about Lindsay Hartley, follow her on Instagram.
