Jason Culp is an actor who is well known for his roles on shows such as General Hospital and the indie films; Skinheads and The Reflec...
It's so much fun to catch up with you - you have been MIA for quite a while, where have you been, what's up with you now?
Jason: Well, M.I.A. is a pretty good way to describe it! I have been living in New York City for over twenty-five years, and aside from some occasional regional theater work and also a few months on "Another World" in 1996 right at the end of their run, have mostly made my living with my voice -- VOs for television spots, documentaries and so forth, and in recent years have enjoyed a nice run of narrating audio-books, which have "kept the wolf away from the door" while I worked on writing and other things for a number of years, which I trust will appear at some point.
The daytime world has been making a lot of casting changes lately, is there any chance you will fall in that mix? A possible return?
Jason: I'm so pleased you're asking, because in fact I am just now gearing back up as an actor and if I have my way, I shall indeed return!
(Jason Culp as Julian Jerome)
In the past you've played Julian Jerome on General Hospital for a while and Jerry Pulaski on 'Days of Our Lives' in 1989 - what was the soap experience like for you?
Jason: Well, it was extremely hard work, and though I was a fairly well-trained actor when I came to the soap world, nothing really prepares you for how "on your toes" and flexible you need to be. There is no other medium where you are learning 15 to 20 pages a day and just getting up and doing it and bringing it off. There is also a big learning curve, if you haven't done it before, in understanding how close the camera is and how it sees every false move you make, and I made plenty! I can't help but wince when I see clips of myself now, but I have a lot of affection for that kid because he was doing his best.
The interesting thing was that I started on GH just as a Day Player, did my little run until the first time Julian was "killed", then came back from the dead to get in the middle of Cheryl and Scorpio's romance, and when that played out I went over to DOOL to play a very different kind of character. The character of Jerry Pulaski was a contract role and I was all set to stay there for a while, but it didn't gel and I was out of there in six months, but then I went back again to GH to do my last run as Julian (who by this time was sort of a crazed psychopath, following his father's death), and wound up staying there until Spring of 1990. So I worked more on GH as a Day Player than I ever did on DOOL as a contract player. And I got better as an actor on GH because of all the crazy stuff they threw at me and by the end was really taking an easier and more improvisational approach to the work.
We now have William deVry playing the role of Julian Jerome on 'GH' and the character as well has a huge fan base, have you been watching? Any
thoughts?
Jason: I have only seen him a little bit (usually on the little TV in front of the elliptical machine while I'm working out at the gym) so I don't know too much about what's been happening on the show. Obviously he's a terrific actor and I think brought his own following to it and has made it his own. I'm just kind of tickled that the character is still ALIVE! Even with a different face! And who knows what intrigue might be drummed up with someone walking in who looks like the OLD Julian?
(Jason Culp as Jerry Pulaski on 'Days')
Tell us a bit more of your character Jerry Pulaski.
Jason: I had a lot of affection for Jerry. I'm not sure too many other people did! He was an alcoholic fireman from Brooklyn who was thrown into the middle of the difficult relationship between Mike Horton (Michael Weiss) and April Ramirez (Lisa Howard). April was fighting a drinking problem and Jerry was a classic "enabler" and she always ended up drinking with him which made things worse for her and Mike. Of course Jerry was in love with her, but there wasn't much hope because it was Mike she loved. So there kind of wasn't much hope for that character, but I don't think I helped it any. I leaned way too hard on the darkness in the character and in hindsight I think he's a little hard to watch, probably belongs in a low-budget film by Jim Jarmusch or something!
'Days' has a new head writer, Ron Carlivati and his material promises to be good. Are you familiar with his work? What are your thoughts on the changes there?
Jason: No, I'm just becoming aware of him and I will be curious to catch up with the show and see what's going on in Salem. I sort of think if Jerry Pulaski were still alive it's probably that he got sober, maybe he became a counselor of some kind. Does anyone in Salem have a substance problem? I bet Jerry could help.
Would you consider a role on The Young and the Restless or The Bold and the Beautiful? What's on the horizon for you? What can fans look forward to?
Jason: Of course a gig on either of those shows would be great. I think it's a testament to the quality of these shows that these last 4 are still standing while the others have all gone off into the ether.
The horizon, in fact, looks great -- and indeed the horizon I'm thinking of is the West Coast. I'm definitely moving back sometime in the next year and what few fans I may have will hopefully be seeing me keeping busy in my chosen profession.
So, there you have it fans! Would you love to see Culp back daytime? Would you like to see him reprise the role of Jerry Pulaski on Days?
Culp is on Facebook be sure to check out his page and add him up, click here!
Culp is on Facebook be sure to check out his page and add him up, click here!
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