Leigh
McCloskey (Dr. Zach Kelton, 1988-'89; Ethan Asher, 1989-90)
By Travis Kinsey
WEEKLY: You played two characters on the show with
only a six-week break in between. And your first character,
Zach, was Eden's gynecologist who also turned out to be her
rapist. Creepy.
McCloskey: "I was thinking, 'This is going to play
havoc with a whole lot of young people's brains." I thought it
might not be the healthiest thing to put out there, but [people
really responded to it]. Jill (executive producer Jill Farren
Phelps) told me they wanted me to come on for a short-term
character that was going to turn dark. And so when they made
my character the rapist and he started worshipping his sister
in the basement, I had so much fun. Jill gave me permission to
just go for it. That's probably what I remember the most, when
the character went from becoming the rapist to spiraling down
into a type of madness that was just very fun to explore. I
would get letters as Zach and people would say, "I hate you. I
wish you were dead. I hope you stay on the show forever."
That's psychology of really hitting a nerve and people wanting
you at the same time. The dastardly villain turning his
mustache, the audience knows how important it is. I learned a
lot from that.
Then, Jill said, "We want to kill you off, but we want to
bring you back, and since we saw you as Zach and what you did
when he went crazy, you can do anything. Why don't you come
back as our DA and we won't make you related at all. We'll
give you six weeks and then come back.' And that's what I did.
A lot of people would still refer to Zach or they would ask
whether I had something to do with the other character.
WEEKLY: What was your relationship with Marcy
Walker (Eden Capwell Castillo; now All My Children's Liza)?
LM: Marcy I adored. Because I was her doctor we had some nice
scenes together. She was a very present actress. Just very
enjoyable to move in the scenes. Most of our work was her
coming in and it was counseling her. When I did find out my
character was the rapist, it textured the scenes even more
perversely in a sense.
Mehr zu Leigh auf seiner Homepage.
http://www.leighmccloskey.com/Actor/actor_main.htm
In many ways Leigh J. McCloskey is
a modern Renaissance Man. His interest, knowledge and learning
ranges from history, religion, mythology and esotericism to
string theory, quantum physics and the multidimensional nature
of consciousness. He has deeply studied Hermeticism, Alchemy
and Kabbalah and has hosted a twice weekly salon at his home
for over twenty years. He has contributed numerous essays on
topics ranging from William Blake and the Heroic Imagination
to Jacob Boehme and Theosophical Thought. His work reveals
many depths of knowledge and craftsmanship that could only
have emerged from his fidelity to intellectual, creative and
personal excellence.