Daytime Emmy Winner Monti Sharp, who took on the role of the very mysterious and complex character David Grant in the popular daytime s...
Daytime Emmy Winner Monti Sharp, who took on the role of the very mysterious and complex character David Grant in the popular daytime soap opera Guiding Light from 1992-1995; is set to star as another uniquely complex character, Thomas Chandler in the digital soap opera Asunder The Series. His Co-Star is fellow Guiding Light Alumnus Kim Brockington who played psychiatrist Felicia Boudreau on the show from 2002-2008; and she will be taking on the role of sassy matriarch Adele Chandler, Thomas Chandler’s wife.
Both Sharp and Brockington are extremely thrilled to take on their respective roles. Sharp says, “I feel excited about collaborating with this new generation of film-makers and storytellers. There are so many possibilities in the digital realm. The digital soap opera exists now in what is still largely uncharted territory, and I am honored to be included in the process of forging new paths to success for the genre. The whole process of making a soap opera has changed so much since I was last on a soap set. It will be interesting and challenging for me to adapt and further expand my own abilities, while getting to know a whole new community of viewers and audience members.” Brockington is looking forward to working with Monti Sharp, who she deems, “a very gifted actor”. “I am so thrilled with this opportunity to portray Adele Chandler. The role seems tailor made for me! Adele is a really well written juicy complicated woman. I can’t wait to bring her to life,” she says.
Also, Soap Opera Digest Awards and Indie Series Award nominated actress Lauren B. Martin, who took on the role of the very loving yet vulnerable Camille Bennett on the popular daytime soap opera As The World Turns from 1997-2000; is set to co-star as antagonist Serena Hanes in the digital soap opera Asunder. In a twist of serial storytelling fate, she will be re-united with Emmy award winning actor Monti Sharp, who played the role of Lewis McCloud, Camille’s overly obsessed ex-boyfriend on the soap from 1997-1998. Indie Series Award nominated actor Tony D. Head will also co-star as the patriarch of the Blair family, Austin Blair. Head had a recurring role on HBO’s hit television series The Wire as Major Bobby Reade.
Ironically, Martin and Head are cast mates in the award winning digital drama Pride The Series, and their respective roles on the show garnered them best supporting actress and guest actor nominations from the 2017 Indie Series Awards respectively. Both Martin and Head are extremely excited to take on their new roles in Asunder. “I am thrilled! The name alone gets me going. It’s going to be fun to play a character with a back story and show all the colors of Serena. If one is an antagonist, there are reasons either manifested or based on truth,” says Martin. On her impending reunions with Monti Sharp and Tony Head she states, “I am going to squeeze Monti so tight I will cry. I’m such a crier. Tony is a class act, and such a gentleman. I always feel great in his presence. They are both tremendous actors.” Head says, “How can you not be excited to work with Lauren B. Martin? She's immensely talented and an extremely compassionate human being. I couldn't be happier to work with her.” On playing Austin Blair he feels, “Austin Blair is a powerful, complicated, and driven individual that will stop at nothing to get what he wants. I'm always drawn to those characters, because it's their weaknesses and frailties that make them interesting. To take a character from the inception of a project and make him my own is always exciting and I look forward to it.”
Asunder The Series is the creation of up and coming writer, director, producer, and actress Landra V. Phillips. Phillips is CEO of Six Feet High Productions LLC, a boutique film and theater production company based in New York City. A drama and theater teacher for 12 years with the New York City Department of Education, Ms. Phillips has always had a passion for soap operas. Phillips says, “In 1981 there were 15 daytime soap operas on the air, and today there are only four. The soap world has been cast as a dying genre, but as a lover of episodic and serial dramatic storytelling, I wanted to create a digital series that pays homage to the traditional soap opera medium, but has the ability to garner a new generation of viewers as independent soap operas have transitioned to the World Wide Web.” Asunder follows the affluent yet dysfunctional Chandler family who owns Chandler Parfums and Cosmetics Corporation in New York City. The Chandlers are always trying to stay one step ahead of their arch enemies the Blair family, who own Blair Natural Fragrances Ltd.
Although Sharp and Brockington are well known for their roles on Guiding Light, they have also worked in a variety of other television and theater projects. Sharp took on the role of Lewis McCloud on As The World Turns from 1997-1998 and Justus Ward on General Hospital from 1998-1999; in addition to a plethora of other roles on television and in film. Brockington played social worker Mrs. Woodrow on One Life to Live in 2007 and epitomized the essence of Zora Neale Hurston on PBS’ documentary The American Master’s. She has also appeared in a host of television shows, film projects and commercials. Martin and Head both firmly believe that the expansion of the digital series online is a good thing. “I feel very strongly that digital web series are the best vehicles to get content into the marketplace. If you have a good story, good production quality, and talent, you can bring a story to market for far less than the money it would normally require. Furthermore, at the Indie Series Awards last year you had Oscar winner Emma Thompson and other well-known actors participating in web series, further emphasizing the creative draw a good story can have regardless of the platform,” states Head. Martin says, “As a writer myself pitching a web series Reality Sets In and someone who has championed others; it’s a new frontier with so much incredible content. Actors are getting a chance to shine, restart careers; and stereotypes are being smashed because we are creating the content.”
Sharp won a Daytime Emmy in 1993 for Outstanding Younger Actor in a Drama Series for his role as David Grant on Guiding Light. In an interview with Phillips Sharp declares, “For me, winning the Soap Opera Digest Award and the Daytime Emmy was an incredible experience, and something I will never forget as long as I live. It was an enchanted time to be sure.” According to Brockington she is most grateful for, “the following of supporters for Guiding Light and that they responded so well to my character Dr. Felicia Boudreau. I am sure they will really love Adele Chandler, because I do already.”
Asunder The Series boasts a cadre of former soap and television stars. Monti Sharp (Guiding Light, As The World Turns, General Hospital, Providence, NYPD Blue, ER, Six Feet Under, 24, Modern Family, Prison Break, Bosch) , Kim Brockington (Guiding Light, One Life to Live, Law & Order, The West Wing), Lauren B. Martin (As The World Turns, Another World, All My Children, Law & Order), and Tony D. Head (The Wire, The Corner, Law & Order, & Veep). Production on Asunder The Series begins at the end of August in New York. For more information about the show please visit www.asunderseries.com.
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