Where are they now?

Soap Opera Digest, November 2002

Catch up with a former daytimer who found success after soaps

by Jennifer Lenhart

William Fichtner (ex-Rod/Josh, AS THE WORLD TURNS, 1987-89)

William Fichtner as Dr. Kellerman

"I don't think I have a big name where people know how they know me," agrees Fichtner. "I get a lot of 'Where did you go to school?' For a long time, no matter what I worked on, more people would recognize me for the soap than anything else."

Indeed, ATWT fans embraced the tortured character who raped Iva and fathered Lily, but it was a part Fichtner almost didn't get. He auditioned several times and was told he was too young for the part, but Martha Byrne (Lily/Rose) finally helped seal the deal. "I believe Cal [former Executive Producer Robert Calhoun] had shown the test to Martha, and she said, 'That's my dad.' She's the sweetest. I had the most wonderful time working with her," says the actor who also has fond memories of Don Hastings (Bob) and Larry Bryggman (John). "When my character changed his name from Rod to Josh, Larry Bryggman used to come up to me in large wedding and funeral scenes, with all cameras rolling, and say, 'Hey Rod... Josh!'" he recalls. "The whole group at the Snyder farm at that time was an awful lot of fun. Everybody showed up for work really positive and into making the show great. I'm sure it's that way now, but I can only speak about when I was there. I remember that being a very special time on the show. I remember getting beaten up by Holden and Seth once a week. That was always fun!"

It was also a learning experience for the actor, who continued to make guest appearances on ATWT until 1993. "The first seven months that I was there, I was quite sure that the boom was picking up my heartbeat," he laughs. "I remember the very first day I worked, I had to change a tire and flirt with Lindsay Frost, who was playing Betsy at the time. Well, that was like asking somebody to walk and talk for the first time. I was incredibly nervous. Oh, my God, my heart was jumping out of my chest. But now, I'm probably more comfortable having a camera right in front of my face with a hundred people around [because of] the day-in and day-out of a couple of years on AS THE WORLD TURNS."

Today, Fichtner is enjoying his foray back into TV, though that wasn't exactly part of his plan, nor was moving his family from their home base in New York to L.A., where MDS tapes. But a meeting with the production team changed his mind. "I thought the world of them -- obviously, I'm doing [the show]. It's one of those things where all of a sudden you add it all up, and it just seems like the thing to do," he says. "People compare it to the rhythms and tone of M*A*S*H, and I think that's cool. It is a drama, but as in all dramas, especially in our own lives, sometimes when things get heavy and crazy, if we don't find any humor, we're gonna die. It's a really good time; the schedule's a bit intense. Also, to commit to a series like this, I have to take a step back from working on film right now. And it's worth it. With the schedule, could I do a movie at the same time? I don't think so. At least not if I plan on seeing my kids and my wife. Right now, my focus is on the show and my family [wife Kymberly, son Sam and now baby boy Van], and I'm gonna leave well enough alone."

Which leaves little time for catching ATWT -- or anything else. "Even now, people ask me what I think of ER, and I say, 'I've never seen it.' They look at me like I'm from Mars," he chuckles.

Nah -- they probably just think he looks familiar.

William Fichtner & Jay Mohr in

 2002 © Soap Opera Digest
Thanks Patti!