Soap Opera Weekly
April 13, 2004
Generation Sex

Their age gap doesn’t stop OLTL’s Catherine Hickland and John-Paul Lavoisier from steaming up Llanview

They’re blond, beautiful, they’re more than 20 years apart in age and they used to be related. One of the hottest duos on One Life to Live is also one of the most unlikely: Rex and his former mother-in-law, Lindsay. But against all odds this odd couple has survived, in large part due to the chemistry between Catherine Hickland and the young man she calls “Kid,” John-Paul Lavoisier. SOAP OPERA WEEKLY got together with the dynamic duo for a late lunch/early dinner where Hickland sipped ice water (she’s watching her weight) and Lavoisier chowed down (he’s trying to bulk up).

Soap Opera Weekly: John-Paul, the first time we spoke you’d been on the show a couple of weeks and you said, “I don’t know who they’re going to put me with because Rex is in high school. Who is age-appropriate for me?” Did you ever imagine…

John-Paul Lavoisier: No! I hoped for it. But I never imagined it.

Catherine Hickland: You never imagined what?

Lavoisier: That they would put us together. That they would do such a thing.

Hickland: That they would put you with a woman who’s (opens and closes her fists).

Weekly: Excuse me?

Hickland: Who is five consecutive presidential terms older than him.

Weekly: Who came up with that one?

Lavoisier: I did. I figured out the age difference between us and divided by four.

Weekly: How did you break that to Catherine?

Lavoisier: I just said it.

Hickland: (laughs) He doesn’t worry about how things are going to affect me.

Lavoisier: I say what comes to my mind.

Weekly: Catherine, I read in another interview that the age difference didn’t bother you until you realized that he’s the same age as your nephew.

Hickland: I was standing on the porch in Florida with my nephew, who to me is a baby, and I said, “Rob, how old are you?” He said, “I’m 23.” I said, “Oh, my God! I’m making out with my nephew.” Except that the kids that are on the show are more sophisticated than the kids that you meet out in the real world. They’re already in the work force. They have to be very responsible: show up on time, know their lines, be professional, be in the spotlight…it takes more maturity to do all this. So, although he’s five consecutive presidential terms away from me, he doesn’t seem it to me, whereas my nephew does.

Weekly: How did you feel when you had the first love scene?

Hickland: I was severely traumatized.

Lavoisier: (looks shocked) Were you really?

Hickland: Yeah. And don’t even begin to say you weren’t nervous, because I thought that you were.

Lavoisier: I definitely wasn’t traumatized. I might have been a little nervous.

Hickland: You weren’t your usual smart-ass self that day, as I recall.

Lavoisier: Because it was the first time.

Hickland: And it was a lot of making out. They did three shows in one day. That’s all we did.

Lavoisier: The blocking was uncomfortable. It was an obstacle course. It was “Take off the coat, now take off her shirt, up against the wall…” For the first time, it was a lot.

Hickland: And that’s not like real life. It’s not like you bring a lot of experience to the table, unless you do that at home with your girlfriend. That’s not how my life works.

Weekly: But those scenes came a whole after you had been working together.

Hickland: There’s talking to somebody and then having to do the groping and kissing. It’s nerve-racking even if you’re with somebody your own age. Quite frankly, when people talk to me about the storyline, they don’t mention the age as much as they mention that he’s my daughter’s ex-husband.

Lavoisier: Same here. The ex-mother-in-law is definitely what’s making it the “Wow!”

Weekly: What does your girlfriend think of this?

Lavoisier: She loves it. When I told her they were doing it, she said, “Duh. They should.” She’s very happy.

Weekly: She doesn’t mind watching you make out with somebody?

Lavoisier: Actually, she doesn’t watch. She has a 9-5 and doesn’t have cable. She can’t watch.

Hickland: I’m glad, because I don’t know how much she’d love this. Who wants to watch their significant other kissing another person? It’s bizarre. It’s not normal.

Weekly: So does it bother you to watch Michael (husband Michael E. Knight, All My Children’s Tad) with other women?

Hickland: That stuff doesn’t bother me. I’m the least jealous person on the face of the planet. I don’t have that in me. I got jealous in high school and it made me shake. And I went, “Oh, this doesn’t feel good.” And I decided at that moment that would be the last time I allowed myself to have that feeling.

Weekly:What does your mom think of the story, John-Paul?

Lavoisier: I never got a reason behind her reaction, but she was all smiles [when I told her]. All she kept saying was, “I can’t believe you’re kissing Catherine Hickland! Oh, my God!” She seemed excited about it, so I’m just assuming she’s happy. My Dad just gives me a little smile. And a handshake.

Weekly: How are the love scenes now?

Hickland: I’m not nervous anymore. It’s very comfortable. Like I felt comfortable with Ty (Treadway, ex-Troy); it’s that same comfort zone. If you’re uncomfortable you’re not going to have that magic. That energy. That’s all chemistry is, it’s energy. I’m very happy with this story. I love it because I thought he hit the ground running when he came to work. The Kid’s brought so much energy to his work and I’ve always admired that. I never saw you have to go through growing pains. I feel lucky because I’m also very energetic.

Weekly: How do you prepare for love scenes? Breath mints? Push-ups?

Lavoisier: I smoke a cigarette. No, wait, that’s how I prepare for everything, even sleeping at night.

Hickland: He doesn’t worry about those trivial things. I try not to eat a clove of garlic the night before. I try to be somewhat respectful. There was an actor I worked with who would reek of garlic. It was absolutely disgusting. I think that he lived on garlic and never gave a hoot about what it was going to smell like the next day. That taught me to have some respect for the person that’s going to be in the scene.

Lavoisier: If you ever don’t want me to smell like cigarettes, just tell me.

Hickland: You actually don’t smell like them.

Lavoisier: Great. Because I always smoke a cigarette before I come on to the floor.

Weekly: Does Lindsay think Rex would be good for Jen?

Hickland: Lindsay would like to see Jen with somebody stable who can tame her. Or who can help her, because she’s said so many times she doesn’t want her daughter to be like her. To make the mistakes she’s made. (pauses) She definitely doesn’t think that they would be good for each other.

Weekly: How about Rex; does he genuinely care about Lindsay or is he using her? (the food arrives)

Hickland: I’m not going to cut your meat.

Lavoisier: That’s funny.

Hickland: Put your napkin in your lap. That’s right (she pours his coffee).

Lavoisier: Rex would rather have Jen than Lindsay. But Jen’s not letting him have her. And Rex is all about what’s cool in the moment. He’s in his prime so he wants to get laid. He doesn’t have many friends and she’s been a friend to him. He’s learning a lot.

Hickland: Al and Marcie were great to watch because it was a story of the heart. This is also a story of the heart because she has needs, he has needs. Both of them are finding themselves strangely attracted to each other. And that’s something they didn’t count on. They connect on a very interesting level.

Weekly: Have you been a mentor to John-Paul like Lindsay has been to Rex?

Hickland: I don’t know, have I mentored you, Kid? I don’t think so. Other than a little good lighting.

Lavoisier: She’s taught me how to find moments in scenes. We’ll run scenes and she’ll say, “That’s it right there. Here’s where we’re going to, here.” She also taught me to leave the tongue at the deli during kissing scenes (laughs). I’d never heard that before in my life!