On her recent heart scare, Lucci said, “I got very lucky. Listen to your symptoms. That is very important. A lot of times, we as women, put ourselves on the back burner. I want to pass this on to other women.”
She shared that while she was at a restaurant she had felt a tightness in her chest that was radiating around to her back on her ribcage. “It was very slight, and because I have always been really healthy, I’ve never had any health issues,” she said.
The daytime queen continued, “A week later, I was in a boutique shopping for a birthday present for a friend. I suddenly felt a big pressure on my chest. It felt like an elephant pressing on the chest, and that’s what I was feeling. I sat down for a moment and the manager asked if I was all right. I told her about my symptoms and the manager drove me to the hospital.”
She revealed that she had a CAT scan and the doctor informed her that she had a 90 percent blockage in her main artery, as well as a 75 percent blockage in an adjacent area. “We were all really surprised since I didn’t have any health issues,” he said. “My blockage was calcium blockage.”
When asked about her prevention tips, Lucci acknowledged that the “scans” that are available these days are very helpful. “Your DNA is your DNA and you need to do the best that you can,” she said.
Lucci is in the process of doing a new series of movies with Hallmark that she is starring in, as well as serving as executive producer. “We are in the pre-production phase for the first of the series for Hallmark,” she said. “This is the first time that I am an executive producer. It’s always a collaboration in film or television.”
She continued, “As executive producer, I am having the best time since I am involved from the very beginning of the creative process: meeting with the writers, speaking with the networks, and all of the creative input that goes into storytelling and character development. It’s a very exciting time for me.”
2019 marks the 20th anniversary of Lucci’s historic Emmy win for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Daytime Drama Series” for her portrayal of Erica Kane on All My Children.
On being dialogue-heavy (where she had to memorize anywhere from 30 to 80 pages of script a day) while on All My Children, she said, “Erica was a very busy character. I loved the character so much, and I loved what I was doing and I was happy doing it.”
Lucci noted that she was in “good hands” with Agnes Nixon, the creator of All My Children. “I felt so lucky to get this dialogue. That helped me memorize,” she said. “The brain is a muscle and it got a ton of exercise when I was doing All My Children,” she added.
Her advice for young and aspiring actors is as follows: “Study with the best people you can. Live your authentic life. That way, you have things to draw on, and it’s not all about make believe. I am kind of old school. Live the most authentic way you can. Live the most human experiences and bring them to your work.”
On the best advice that she was ever given, she said, “If I was in it for the long run, remember that with each decision that I made along the way.” “For me, that was really good advice. When I was a little girl, I made up stories and I acted out all the parts. I knew I was in it for the long run. That was good advice,” she explained.
Digital transformation of the entertainment industry
On the impact of technology and streaming on the entertainment business (with Hulu, Amazon, and Netflix being so popular), Lucci said, “Time marches on. Technology marches on. The audience has more and more choices. The content is really great and people love it. I love The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Amazon, and I think it’s fantastic. I applaud all of the creativity that is going on.”
Regarding her definition of the word success, Lucci said, “Success is not what you have, it’s who you are.” “Being able to put your head on your pillow at night and feeling happy, grateful, joyous, excited and all of those good things in your life,” she said.
To learn more about Susan Lucci, check out her official website and her official Facebook page.
