David Chisum
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David Chisum joined the cast of One Life to Live last year. Before that, daytime television wasn't exactly on his schedule.

“I never watched soap operas,” the actor said to eyeonsoaps.com. “Probably because I wasn't home during the days and no one in my family watched the soaps. I began to study them when I started auditioning for the soaps.”

Chisum took on the role of Miles Laurence last February and become a valuable member of the show's core since then, playing major roles in story lines such as the death of Marty Saybrooke (Christina Chambers).

“After Marty's death any hope of impressing Marty and perhaps having some kind of understanding between them has gone,” Chisum said. “I believe Miles really loved Marty and wanted to be a good husband to her but was terribly ill equipped. I think Miles has been slowly redeemed and needs to shed the guilt while moving forward with his life.”

Moving forward, Chisum is interested in what One Life to Live fans have to say about where they want his character to go.

“Miles is a unique character in that he is limitless in the potential storylines,” he said. “The beauty in playing the character is that he can be unpredictable and naïve. I would like to know what Miles fans and [One Life to Live viewers] want from Miles. I'm interested to know what fans are interested in seeing Miles experience.”

You heard the star, fans: What do you want to become of Miles?

David Chisum recently spoke with Eye on Soaps. Here's what the One Life to Live star had to say:

What has surprised you (good and bad) about working on soaps?
David Chisum: There have been a few surprises. The first surprise was during the screen test when they gave us one good take. Of course I didn’t get through the first takes and nearly lost out on the opportunity. I put a lot of pressure on myself during auditions, which can really get in my way and not allow me to perform at my best.

The surprise was that they were testing our ability to deal with nerves and perform well in relatively short period of time. The soaps can’t afford to get off schedule with actors that are unprepared or unable to rise to the occasion. The commitment to make these shows daily is a constant battle against time. The solution is to be prepared and relax. The other surprises are the pacing in storylines.

In order to present a good show daily the story is told at a different pace. In a prime time one-hour show there will be a beginning, middle and an end to each story each and every week. The next week we will tell a different story. Soaps will, at times, tell the same story over the course of three months. I was also surprised that during my heavy storyline I was performing thirty to forty pages of dialogue a day, four or five days a week.

At first it was WOW and later I developed the ability to digest all that information rather quickly. That definitely surprised me.

How do you feel about your co-stars?
Chisum: I have had a lot of fun acting with Michael Easton, Christina Chambers and Brandon during our blackmail storyline. We leaned on one another and embraced one another despite seeing each other daily, all day long. It was a blast!

Ilene is a hoot and Trevor can be hilarious unintentionally. He can be an interesting character. I really enjoy playing with Melissa Archer as well.

Read the full interview with Chisum now.

David Chisum is relatively new to the cast of One Life to Live.

So we figuered he was a good topic for our latest soap opera star spotlight, similar to cast mate Brandon Buddy.

Here are a few fun facts you may not have known about Chisum:

• Has screen-tested with One Life to Live co-star Christina Chambers (Marty) twice: once for the part of Miles, and once for a part on Sunset Beach when she played Maria.

• While attending New Mexico State University on a football scholarship, Chisum broke the record for the most sacks of a quarterback in Division I.

• Has broken his nose six times on the basketball court.

• Long before Chisum and Melissa Archer (Natalie) became co-stars, his wife, Aishah, worked with Archer at a M.A.C counter in the Glendale Galleria in California.

• The actor's father and sister both have retinitis pigmentosa, a degeneration of the rods and cones in the retina. The disease has no cure, but Chisum hopes to raise money for research of it.