Soap Opera Previews, May, 2004
True Romance



David Andrew Macdonald is pleased to report that the most unlikely of love affairs has given bad boy Edmund a new lease on the good life!


The past five years have proven to be one heck of a roller-coaster ride for GUIDING LIGHT's David Andrew Macdonald and his alter ego, Edmund Winslow, the dethroned prince of San Cristobel. But after years of playing a hiss-worthy villain, Macdonald once again has reason to smile, thanks to his alter ego's "Who saw that coming?" romance with Cassie. And despite the pain Edmund put his former sister-in-law through, Macdonald believes their new relationship may be a case of things coming full circle. "Their paths [crossing] made a certain amount of sense," he offers. "It's really one of her biggest pieces of history, and it's my only substantial piece of history."
Macdonald likens the story linking his alter ego with that of leading lady Laura Wright's Cassie as a natural progression for both characters. "It would have been fun to work with [other] people, but another storyline wouldn't begin to approach having the same kind of resonance that this story has," he explains. "This is the only pairing that has a great, great massive resonance for my character."

Somehow, that seems like an understatement given Cassie and Edmund's history: He publicly exposed her past as a stripper, caused her to miscarry a baby, locked her in a tower, and got his kicks by continually attempting to dethrone Richard and claim the crown for himself. Only in the wake of his brother's death was Edmund able to see the monstrous error of his ways. "Holding onto an elitist vision of the world as Edmund did is not a very stable place to be," muses the actor. "That very unstable abstraction is actually going to fall away once all your support is gone. Once the money, the adoration of your underlings, your palace is gone. When all that is pulled away, you're left with this sense of an elitist self that has no support, so that collapses, too. Once Edmund realized how hard it was to make a living and squeeze by, that stuff got whittled away."

Suddenly, Edmund was able to view Cassie through new eyes. "After a while, he could see her as a remarkable person, who's really made a life for herself," says the actor. "Edmund really was a made man. Yes, he had a tough childhood, his father hated him, and he lived in the shadow of Richard. But he never had to work. Then, in looking at Cassie, Edmund sees the things that he wants. He sees this remarkable person, as opposed to the woman who threatened his position and his elitist world view."

ON THE OLD EDMUND:
"Edmund, for many different reasons, had low self-esteem and a sense of inadequacy. His arrogance was compensating for it," says Macdonald.



ON ROMANCING CASSIE:
Macdonald feels the "romantic angle" he and co-star Wright have been working on screen over the past year "has gone on to do very well."

Being in such a vulnerable position, Macdonald adds, is what finally allowed Edmund to not only recognize his own failings, but to find an unexpected love with a woman he not that long ago hated with a fiery vengeance. "Edmund was this sort of crushed little lost boy, who never was loved and never had the opportunity," reflects the actor. "He had all of the gifts and then some, but was never allowed to carry them out, and was always second string. He was trying to prove himself, always, to his brother. Then Richard was gone and there was no [motivation for Edmund anymore]. Once he made that downward spiral--which he'd been in for several years--and hit rock bottom, that's when he was able to accept that someone actually believed in him."

Of course, nothing comes easy in soaps, even to those who've reformed their wicked ways. And with Cassie slowly warming to Jeffrey--the D.A. who happens to look a lot like her much-lamented husband--Macdonald suspects there's trouble ahead. "Edmund has no moral rudder. With Cassie, he has a moral rudder," concludes the actor. "He can't live the decent, good life without her. He can with her." Which could mean trouble for everyone in Springfield!
--Michelle Ann Moro


...ON SIBLING RIVALRY WITH RICHARD:
"The one person Edmund never wanted dead was Richard. He tried to kill other people, but he always protected Richard. The only reason Edmund ever wanted to take over the country was because it's not enough that he should win, but Richard had to lose...and know he'd lost to Edmund in order for Edmund to feel satisified."


ON MARRIAGE TO BETH:
"She saw in him not an evil, awful person, but someone who had challenges in his life," says Macdonald. "Maybe he hadn't dealt with them all too well, but basically, he was a good person." Of course, that was before he locked her in the tower!