Soaps In Depth
April 4, 2000
Up-Close & Personal

When Catherine Hickland (Lindsay) was still an aspiring actress, she had an interesting day job. "I was an answering-service operator in Hollywood," she says. This was before the days of answering machines, when phone-dependent people hired services to pick up their calls when they weren't home. Among the most frequent users of these services? Actors--who always are waiting for their agents to call with job offers. Hickland says the best part of her job was getting to pass along career-changing messages. "I told Sharon Gless that she got the part on CAGNEY AND LACEY." While that was a kick, Hickland also admits she enjoyed teasing her clients. "I used to torture people. Someone would call for their messages, and I would drag it out. I'd say, 'Your agent called--wait, I can't read it--You...got the part!'" Hickland enjoyed the gig so much that she kept it even after she started making money as an actress. "It was the only stable thing in my life at that time," she concludes. "I loved that job!"