Lesli Kay News

Lesli Kay, of The Bold and the Beautful, and Blake Berris, of Days of Our Lives, were two of the soap opera stars that took part in a recent Andrew Christian photo shoot.

The actors spoke about their reasons for participating in the quasi Barack Obama fundraiser:

What made you decide to participate in an “Obama” underwear shoot?

Lesli Kay
It has nothing to do with my body, and has everything to do with my political beliefs. I got an email saying it was, “Daytime for Obama” and I am there. My brother works on the Obama campaign in West Virginia, which is kind of an oxymoron. I am from West Virginia. Forever, I have been trying to organize something like that, thinking about those states.

Pennsylvania, Ohio…. that we could have some sort of soap event for Obama. There are a lot of soap fans in those states. If they thought for a second it was OK for us to vote for Obama, this could help somebody who is on the fence who wasn’t planning to vote, but now they would. We are on vacation from “B&B” right now…. a three week hiatus. I changed all of my vacation plans around this shoot. This is very important to me that Obama is our next president.

Blake Berris
I wanted to take off my clothes any chance I get. I will do it! (He laughs) No. I am a huge Barack Obama supporter, and I really believe his candidacy and election will be a great departure from the last 8 years with George Bush and Dick Cheney and that administration. I am trying to do whatever I can to help him get elected.

With her role on The Bold and the Beautiful lacking direction these days, Lesli Kay will be crossing over to sister soap opera The Young and the Restless in April

The move may even become semi-permanent, as Bradley Bell (executive producer of The Bold and the Beautiful) is willing to loan the actress to The Young and the Restless until he finds a way to reintroduce her on his series.

"Of course this is all still dependent on whether or not the crossover sparks with (the) audience. The Young and the Restless, which boasts more hunks than they know what to do with, needs her sex appeal, and her talent will fit right in," an insider says.

Kay began taping at The Young and the Restless on February 28.

A veteran of the soap opera world, Lesli Kay has been entertaining fans for years.

But does that mean you know everything about this star from The Bold and the Beautiful? Probably not. Take a look at these fun facts:

• She was born Lesli Kay Pushkin.

• She appeared as a contestant on Wheel of Fortunate in 1991 - and actually won $28,000.

• Has been working on a book about her battle with bulimia, titled Suicide from the Inside Out.

• She had the first bat mitzvah in the state of West Virginia. Ever.

Other soap opera roles have included:

• General Hospital (Lois, 2004-2005)
• As the World Turns (Molly, 1997-2004)

Here are a pair of The Bold and the Beautiful actress appearances:

• City of Hope volunteer, Ashley Jones, will be making an appearance at the POZ Love Out Loud Event. Fans can meet this star at the Abbey Food and Bar in West Hollywood, CA on Thursday, October 18.

• Lesli Kay, meanwhile, is planning a luncheon on October 28 to raise money for a new charity she is starting this year. We'll have more information on this as it develops.

Lesli Kay ventured away from the world of daytime drama earlier this summer when she starred in the independent movie, Shadow People.

It helped that the role was written especially for her - and that her husband, Keith Coulouris, wrote, directed, and co-starred in the movie.

As Soap Opera Digest reports, the film centers around a couple with a secretive past whose relationship is on the rocks. They rent a guest house from a wealthy pair and things take some surprising twists along the way.

"It's a very risquè movie; it's not a family film," Kay said of the flick that opened in June. "Most people loved it. That makes me feel good."

It's true: the film bowed to a robust turnout at its Los Angeles premiere.

"It was phenomenal — around 250 people. Alley Mills (Pam, The Bold and the Beautiful) and [her husband] Orson Bean came," Kay said. "We had a lot of good people there to give good feedback — big actors who could be jaded. We're thrilled. Keith is thrilled. He had total creative control on this."

The movie actually came about during a seemingly down period for Kay and her husband. She had been let go from General Hospital and was pregnant, unable to work.

"Keith said, 'I've got to write us out of this hole,'" Lesli explained. "Between the kitchen and the living room was a little nook, and we stuck a little desk, a computer and a headset in there for him, and he wrote it. Then I got The Bold and the Beautiful, but I'd already committed to doing this. There was no one else. The role was written for me and you're not going to get anyone to play this type of role for no money. I was cheap.

"I was given something my husband knew I could do. If anyone else was casting this movie, they'd cast Angelina Jolie or whoever. Because it was a low-budget, indie movie, I was able to do it.

Of course, the role did not come without pressure.

"I had a 6-month-old baby, I had just started at The Bold and the Beautiful and was heavy into that storyline. [The show] was supposed to be three months and should have been over before we started shooting, but it wasn't. We were hot into the next part of the story, and thank God they were willing to work it out. I said, 'I'll get divorced if you don't let me do this movie!'

I shot the movie six days a week and my one day off, I shot four or five episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful. It was nuts. When that month started, I said, 'I'm going to take a deep breath and go.' Luckily the [film] location was near home. I was running back and forth at lunchtime and then came home and learned lines for the movie and The Bold and the Beautiful."

A few months ago, The Bold and the Beautiful fans were afraid they may never see Lesli Kay again.

After all, her character, Felicia, had cancer. Now, though, she's in remission and on the show to stay. Kay recently talked to Soap Opera Digest about these up and downs...

STAND BY YOUR CO-STAR
Last fall, Kay knew full well she was signing up for a death sentence, but by winter, she was hooked on life at The Bold and the Beautiful and ready to go to any (hair) length to see Felicia endure. And she wasn’t alone.

"The whole cast was fighting for me, and that's why this is different than other shows," Kay said. "On most shows, there's vying for position and, 'Why does she get the huge storyline?' I haven't seen that here. Certainly I'm a supporting player, not a lead player, so it's given everyone something to play. Felicia's fight united the family."

STEPHANIE AND BROOKE: THE NEXT GENERATION
However, thanks to Stephanie's life-saving machinations, Kay is an integral part of the show's future, with her character set to challenge little sister Bridget (Ashley Jones).

"Think of it this way: Bridget is Brooke's daughter; I am Stephanie's daughter," Kay said. "This second part of Felicia is going to be juicy, because the cancer's always looming. I've talked to people - there are a lot of cancer survivors in my life, and I've gotten huge response from survivors everywhere I go - it can always come back, so you live life differently. You say it like it is."

One of Kay's favorite things about the show is its strong focus on female energy.

"Female relationships are very important," she insists. "I think As the World Turns missed the boat with Carly and Molly. That was one of my favorite all-time relationships in daytime, but it should have been fleshed out more. Maura (West, Carly) and I used to laugh all the time, because we wouldn't work together for a month and then we'd have three 10-page scenes to catch up. When we finally got to 'break up,' it was great. It was the first feud they'd had."

Overall, Kay hopes Felicia also will be getting into more than family drama.

"I don't think it should be either you're in a family or you're in a love triangle. It can all be together, and Brad does a great job of that," she said. "Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) is amazing, and I haven't worked with her yet. I would like to work more with my brothers (Ridge and Thorne), just to be there for each other. And I'm still thrilled to have parents!

I have worked with Hunter Tylo (Taylor), whom I love," Kay continued. "She's a doll, so sweet. I don't think people get how funny she is. This cast is just unbelievably talented. I don't know that a lot of them have gotten their due. They've been playing [their characters] for 19 year and they keep them alive and fresh."