Part of the reason I got this job was because this woman right here (pointing to his publicist/manager) was really smart. [She used] something we had - some footage we had from what we call “Super Soap” weekend in Florida where the biggest fans from ABC daytime would go to this big event at Disney World. You go to this thing and every single person there knows you. It's the weirdest thing. Because everybody knows you, you feel like you're Tad Hamilton walking down the boulevard in Disney World. We had footage of walking down the streets there at a Question & Answer thing with all these people watching. She sent this [tape] to them [so they’d think], “Well, maybe he does have an idea of what it feels like.” It was a microcosm of what it's actually like for somebody like that - Tom Cruise or whatever. Nevertheless, I did have a sense of what it would feel like.
Actors who work on soap operas say their audiences are the most possessive.
They're very loyal. But you have to remember it all comes from a good [place]; they mean no harm. They watch the show every day. They feel that they know you. They do sort of know you because this character, a lot of it is you. Especially when you're doing it every day. You can't just be ‘playing a character’ every day, so part of it is you. They just love the show, and they love watching you. It's all very good, and I'm grateful for it.
Is there a stigma in Hollywood towards soap operas?
There is definitely a stigma attached. It ticks me off a lot of times because there's a lot of really good actors in them. And again, there's a lot of really good actors who have come from them and have done really well. Alec Baldwin was on a show for three years.
It's interesting because it's the ones with the biggest egos and insecurities, they thumb their noses. It's the ones who cast me in these things who see beyond that. It's people like [the people at DreamWorks] who see beyond any of that, and they just look at the actor and that's it.
As an actor, what did you get out of working in soaps?
To me, I'll put it up against any acting training school that you want. You're on the job every day, learning. If you use it as a tool to learn, which I told myself early on, “This is a great opportunity to really sort of work on becoming a good actor.” You learn all about how cameras are positioned, lighting, how to manage people and production, all these different things. When I came to LA and started auditioning, and I got the parts on “Las Vegas” and in “Tad Hamilton” - yeah, it's a much bigger playing field, but at the same time it comes down to two people in a scene together. So it helps you to kind of block out anything else. [You] have all the practice on the soap, learning every day doing it, [and] you're able to block all that other stuff out - all the grandeur of being on a big set with all these cameras and lights and everything else.
Don’t soaps also teach you discipline? You always have a script with you in your hip pocket.
You do, and you learn rhythms of scenes and what works. There's a tendency to fall into certain habits, but if you tell yourself not to do that, and if you don't stay there too long… I think if you start staying for too long, you tend to fall into certain bad habits. I tried not to do that [but] sometimes I did. But, to me, it was the best thing that could have happened to me, doing those three years on that show.
Speaking of television, what’s happening with your TV show, “Las Vegas?”
We're happy with it. They won't tell anybody [what the status is] until May 15 or whatever - whenever they do that. We hope so. We know they like the show. We've sort of navigated our way through four or five episodes, and I think we're getting on track now. I think it's funnier. So I'm happy they're happy.
And the final question – do you have any special talents besides acting?
I can fart the Pledge of Allegiance. Just kidding. No, not really. I play sports… I'm 6’3”. I don't know what to answer when it comes to that. I really feel like a regular dude who happens to be incredibly lucky. I love football and beer and have a normal girlfriend. I just happen to drive a big yellow Hummer. Just kidding.
Additional “Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!” Cast Interviews:
Kate Bosworth / Topher Grace / Ginnifer Goodwin
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
"Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" Photo Gallery
"Win a Date With Tad Hamilton!" Credits, Soundtrack and Trailer
