SANTA MONICA—Screen and stage star Tanna Frederick is riding high just on the heels of the successful film “Queen of the Lot,” and her next film “Just 45 Minutes From Broadway,” which costars Judd Nelson, David Proval and Diane Salinger, is in post-production. However, after conquering stage and film, TV is the next genre Tanna would love to attain on her resume. Soap star in particular. After Eric Roberts, Sean Young and Golden Globe nominee James Franco have recently appeared on soaps, Frederick is open to the idea of a guest spot and has her eyes on the one she and her family back in Iowa absolutely love.
Q-Have you been amazed by the success of “Queen of the Lot”?
A-“Absolutely. I’ve never experienced such great superlatives used about my work. I’m blown away and humbled. And of course, proud.”
Q-Critics are loving your performance in “Queen of the Lot,” and you won Best Actress at the Wild Rose Film Festival recently. What is it like to receive the acclaim for a performance that meant so much to you?
A-“It feels wonderful. I not only won Best Actress, we, you included Tommy, won the Audience Award at the festival, so we were the choice of the audience and that to me is the most important. That’s who I do it for! I’ve also won Best Actress awards for ”˜Hollywood Dreams’ at the Humboldt Film Festival, Montana Film Fest and Fargo Film Festival. It’s very meaningful to me because these festivals are composed of real people all over the country who aren’t in Hollywood and really go for what moves them beyond the hype of Hollywood. So I appreciate their votes the most!”
Q-You guest starred many years ago on the soap “Days of Our Lives.” Which is your favorite soap and soap heroine?
A-“Of course my favorite is the supreme goddess herself, Susan Lucci! In Iowa, all of my aunts and my family love her. It was my Grandma Chizek’s favorite soap. We all watched it, talked about it at big family gatherings, as if we were a part of their lives and them ours. I even remember as a little kid coming into the living room while my mom was folding laundry and catching her watching ‘AMC.’ It was so cute, she’d switch it off right away and I’d say, ”˜what are you watching?’ and she’d say, nothing! I caught her all the time doing that. I was 4 or something, and she was totally addicted.
“It’s the one thing I know everyone in the Midwest would go crazy for if I landed a role on ”˜All My Children.’ So, Grandma, if you’re up there, use those wings and get me on screen with Susan Lucci! I’ll make you proud!”
Q-You would be so great on a soap. You have accessible emotions and you love high drama and even comedy. I know you are under contract with Rainbow, however, do you have freedom to do other things?
A-“Completely! In fact, Andrea Marcovicci, who played my mother in ”˜Irene in Time’ and is close friends with Henry [Jaglom] and I, recently got a role on ”˜General Hospital.’ Henry and I were green with envy! He really wants me to do a soap. We’ve even made a $100 bet that I’ll get on ”˜AMC.’ He bet that I can’t get on a soap, and I said ”˜watch out you’re about to pay up-I’m going to do it!’ He remembers back when he was dating Andrea going to Disneyland when she was on ”˜Love Is A Many-Splendored Thing’ and he said he was blown away by the amount of people who ran up to her and recognized her, hugged her and loved her, sharing their opinions on her soap character’s life and calling this and that character a bitch! It’s a sort of notoriety Henry didn’t even see with Jack Nicholson. He was shocked, because people on soaps have a place in their audience’s lives, grow with them and have a place in their hearts! It would be the ultimate experience.”
Photographs are Courtesy: Tanna and Noah Wyle and Tanna and Tommy Garrett by Rainbow Films, Susan Lucci by ABC/Disney Studios
