SOD July 7, 1998 The Strong

PC's Julie Pinson Shares A Few of her

Just the Facts Birthday: November 7 Next of Kin: “Kin [Shriner, Scotty] and I have a really good time together. The chemistry that you see on-screen, we have off-screen, too.”  Animal Lover: “I have two cats, Mikki and Mishka. They’re my family here in L.A. If I could have a dog, I would have a million of them.” Working Girl: “there was a time when I did want the whole white picket fence thing. But no, the most important this to me is career.” Must Not-See TV: The L.A. freeway suicide. “I hate those televised car chases. Kids were watching cartoons and all of a sudden, they interrupted to show this guy blow his head off? It’s ridiculous. Absolutely unacceptable.”

“Isn’t that Julie Andrews at the next table?” whispers the other famous Julie in the room, PORT CHARLES’s own Julie Pinson (Eve). Sure enough, the legendary, Oscar-winning Sound of Music star is dining a mere 2 feet away with her husband, film Producer Blake Edwards. “It’s really nice to be here, having lunch at the Hotel Bel Air,” declares Pinson. “A few years back, I used to work at the front desk seeing all the stars who would come in. And I remember thinking, ‘Someday I will be here and I will be a working actor,’ and here I am. Someday is today. And I’m celebrating that.”

            “Working actor” is an understatement. Since Dr. Eve Lambert captured the heart (and other parts) of Scotty Baldwin played by fan fave Kin Shriner), the character has moved to the front burner, where she remained. “I know that Scotty’s been involved with some pretty strong women in the past, and I think that Eve is definitely in that category.”

            “Strong woman” aptly describes the actress, too. Friendly, yet slightly guarded, Pinson is appealing down-to-earth. Bypassing all of the tres chic times on the menu – she settles for a hamburger – a very Eve move. In fact, during the interview, it’s hard to tell whether Digest is interviewing Eve or Julie, they’re so alike in some ways. For instance, Pinson’s take on men: “I’m very picky. I make my won money. I have my own place. I’m very independent. Some women are brought up with the idea that you need to be married to be happy, or you need to have a boyfriend at all times. Of course, I date and go out with different people, but if there’s nothing special there, I don’t see the need to waste time and pursue something. Why waste time?” A sentiment that Eve would surely echo.

            Of course, though Pinson is happily single, PC fans know that her alter ego has taken the plunge into couopledom. Eve and Scotty became intimate in a tender, touching sequence – one that looked better than it felt.  “[Te lovemaking scene] was awkward for me in the sense that I’ve never been half-naked in front of more that one person in my life,” Pinson laughs. “But everybody was very helpful. They cleared the set for me. And Kin made it very nice. Normally, Kin is just a big goofball, but he knew I was nervous, so he treated me with the utmost respect and professionalism. Since then, we’ve done about half a dozen love scenes, so I could care less now!”

          Will Eve’s romance soften her up? “No, no, no, no, no,” Pinson assures. “They started writing her a little more sympathetic because of the whole Scotty and Serena thing –which is very nice – but Eve is still Eve. She’s still conniving and cheating and scheming. I can’t ever see Eve losing her identity because of a man. I certainly wouldn’t.”

      Tough words. But Pinson is grateful to the man who helped shepherd her through her early years in show business. “I moved to L.A. about eight years ago and worked in a clothing store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hill,” she explains. “After that, I started doing extra work, until I met a director of photography – a really great guy – who took me under his wing. He did big movies [Sgt. Bilko, Unstrung Heroes] and taught me how to be a stand-in. Through stand-in work, I got some so mall roles [Mambo Kings] and I got my first agent and my manager. I learned all the technical aspects of the business, whereas most actors who get their first job don’t know there is a whole technical side to acting.”         

        Despite the occasional work, Pinson reached the breaking pint and nearly threw in the towel. “It was two years ago,” she recalls. “I still wasn’t being paid to be an actor. I was down and out. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to stay here or move to Ohio, get a regular job, get married and have kids. I was down to my last 50 bucks, so I called my dad. He said, ‘Tell me if I’m wrong, but you’ve been in L.A. for six years now and you’ve always landed on your feet. You’ve never had a steady job, but somehow, you always paid the rent and paid your bill s without relying on your parents.’ Basically he was telling me that I can do anything if I put my mind to it. And that was exactly what I needed to hear.”

            Although Pinson happily declares, “This has been the best year of my life,” she determined not to get swept away by her success. She proudly admits still driving her “piece of s--- car” (her description), and, aside from moving to a larger apartment, hasn’t altered her lifestyle. “I’ve watched actor friends who have gotten a series. They buy the new car and move right away then their series is cancelled after six weeks. Then, they’re stuck with exorbitant car and mortgage payments. I don’t want to be there. I’m very practical about this business. Nothing lasts forever. If for any reason, know wood, I found myself without a job, I have money saved up – and I’ve got money invested.”

            Pinson inherited her practicality from Mom. “She hates it when I say that,” The actress laughs, “but it’s true. My best friends are not in the business. And when I go home, back up to the Bay Area [in San Francisco], to see them, they don’t car what I do. It brings me back down to earth. There is a real world out there. When people in Hollywood refer to entertainment as the business,’ they just assume that everyone knows what they’re talking about. When I go up to San Francisco, ‘the business’ means nothing. They don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.”