Laura Wright Reveals How She Landed Her First Soap Opera Role
Laura Wright can legitimately be called a soap opera legend after 30 years of going strong in daytime television. The Maryland native began her soap career on the now-defunct ABC drama "Loving" as Ally Rescott in 1991, and took that character to "The City" when "Loving" morphed into a new show with a new name in 1995. After "The City" was canceled in 1997, Wright, who was known as Laura Sisk at the time, took the role of Cassie Layne on CBS' "Guiding Light," where she remained until 2005 (via IMDb).
The year Wright left the role of Cassie behind, she made the move to Los Angeles to become the fourth actress to portray Carly Roberts Benson Corinthos Alcazar Jacks on "General Hospital," earning her first Daytime Emmy award for Outstanding Lead Actress in 2011 (via Gold Derby). As the one of the most un-self-aware characters on daytime, Carly rules with her mouth and her heart and not with her head, but she's still endeared herself to fans everywhere through the years. But how did Wright get her start on soaps when she never truly ever contemplated becoming an actress?
Laura Wright never planned to be a soap star
Laura Wright was just a young woman in the D.C. suburbs trying to make ends meet with multiple jobs, including modeling gigs, when the opportunity to try for a role on a New York soap opera came along.
"I had, like, four jobs [at the time] and then I would do local modeling things on the side and this woman who had a talent agency in Washington, D.C., asked me to be put on videotape with like 20 other girls to audition for this role on a soap opera," Wright told Soap Opera Digest, reflecting on her three decades on daytime dramas. "And I was really busy; I think I had a date that night. I was like, 'I don't have time for this!' And she really talked me into it and I auditioned on videotape."
When Wright got the chance to go to New York and its ABC soap studios and a screen test, she was absolutely star-struck and wanted to make the most out of the trip, even if she didn't get the gig.
Laura Wright got the trip of a lifetime -- and a job that changed everything
As a soap fan herself, Laura Wright couldn't believe her luck when she was suddenly auditioning for a job in the same studio where "Loving" and "All My Children" taped. She admitted to Soap Opera Digest that she acted like the fan she was.
"I carried around a disposable camera taking pictures with everyone. Even Susan Lucci, I stalked her down the hallways because I was a fan! I watched 'Loving' every day. So I went to the audition, a screen test in New York City, took tons of pictures," Wright said, going on to explain that she learned she got the part when she was at her part-time gas station job.
"I answered the phone, they asked to speak to Ally Rescott, and that was the name of the character. And I was like, 'What?!' And she was like, "Pack your bags right now! You have to be in New York by 5 o'clock tonight, you start work tomorrow morning."