Soap stars dish advice.
Lucas Roberts was a n alcoholic.
Kate Roberts is a villain in pretty clothing, the ultimate control freak in her life and the life of her son.
And John Black? Well, he has a Bourne Identity problem, with 13 different alter-egos, from Roman Brady to Romulus. Black once broke his back, was addicted to painkillers and was even resurrected after a 2007 death.
Phew. Those days of their lives just ain’t healthy.
But the actors who play these characters in the popular daytime soap Days of our Lives — Bryan Dattilo, Lauren Koslow and Drake Hogestyn — want to share the secrets of their reallife health and wellness. They recently visited Edmonton to sign copies of a new book, Better Living, put out by the coexecutive producer of the daytime show, which won the 2013 Outstanding Daytime Drama Emmy. The 309-page coffeetable book brings all the actors of the show into people’s living rooms without the masks of their characters.
“None of them are living a crazy, glamorous, ‘Hollywood’ lifestyle,” reads the book’s introduction.
LAUR E N KOS LOW
“Let the fans into the more private aspects of our lives, what we do, how we find inspiration and balance in our lives,” says Lauren Koslow, who plays Kate Roberts on the show. In real life, she’s married, has two children, has her own organic farm and picks fresh garden vegetables for dinner. Her tip to well-being? “It doesn’t matter what time I get up, I have breakfast.” That’s especially important since the 61-year-old skips lunch. “During the day I don’t like to eat because that brings my energy down.”
Koslow’s diet is now glutenand grain-free, not because she’s a celiac, but because of her food philosophy. She’ll occasionally have a piece of bread and some meat, though she was once a vegetarian.
Here’s some of her advice from the book: “When you’re in the middle of some kind of horrific moment, ask yourself, is it going to matter a year from now — will it be just as bad? In most cases, it probably will not be.”
DRAKE HOGESTYN
Drake Hogestyn remembers the olden days, when there were 12 soap operas on air instead of the current four, and when he and other actors worked from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.
“Years ago, we shot 80-hour weeks,” says Hogestyn, 60, who plays John Black on TV. “That’s no joke. And then there were personal appearances on the weekends. Friday night you’d fly out, Miami on Saturday, Boston on Sunday and back, and that was crazy and that was 10 years in a row.”
That required a healthy life outside work.
“That’s where you really have to find that balance and to keep your nose clean, get as much rest as you could, eat correctly to keep your energy up,” Hogestyn says. He supplies a grilled salmon recipe in the new book (see B2).
“(The industry is) going to grind you and burn you up and you’re gone and there’s 100 guys out their door they’re going to bring in and replace you or recast. That’s the nature of the business, so the ones who can really find that area that they can sustain themselves and stay positive, stay energetic and not play with the candystore that comes all around you with fame and fortune, those are the ones who are sitting here in the chairs now.”
Work schedules are less hectic these days, with budget cuts coming after the downturn in the economy. Hogestyn’s tips for keeping healthy include getting outside — surfing in L.A. and on Malibu Beach is his thing — but also biking, running and paddling, sand or snow.
“I like getting my physical exercise by being out in it,” says Hogestyn, who has raised four children with his wife.
“I love the weather out here. I run in this kind of stuff and I sled and I snowboard and snowshoe.”
A Hogestyn excerpt from the book: “I think I read in OMNI magazine when I was in college that 99 per cent of your worries never materialize. That really made an impact.”
BRYAN DATTILO
Bryan Dattilo, who plays Lucas Roberts and son to Kate Roberts in Days of our Lives, attributes his good health to time spent with his son, Gabe.
“I stay active through my 14-year-old man-child who plays basketball and just being with him and spending time with him and shooting hoops in the back and doing one-on-one drills and hitting him with the pads and coaching him,” Dattilo, 42, says.
To stay fit, Dattilo also has a makeshift gym in his garage. “It’s not glamorous at all, but it gets the job done. If I have a big dinner at night, I don’t have far to go to work it off.”
A Dattilo excerpt from the book: “(I)t’s hard not to put ‘being a dad’ at the top of the list if you’re asking about what I do when I’m not acting. When you’re responsible for other people and there’s a possibility that something could happen to you, you ask yourself, ‘How am I going to take care of them’?”
GRILLED SIZZLING SALMON
Recipe by Drake Hogestyn Serves 4 Ingredients: 4 5-ounce wild salmon fillets lemon pepper as desired garlic powder as desired 1/4 cup (50 mL) soy sauce 1/4 cup (50 mL) natural brown sugar 1/4 cup (50 mL) extra virgin olive oil Freshly squeezed lemon juice as desired Method:
Season salmon fillets with lemon pepper and garlic powder.
In a small bowl, stir together soy sauce, brown sugar and olive oil until sugar is dissolved.
Place fish in a large reusable plastic bag with the mixture from the bowl, seal and turn to coat. Refrigerate for at least two hours.
Preheat grill to medium heat.
Lightly oil grill grate. Place salmon on the preheated grill, and discard marinade. Sprinkle lemon pepper and garlic powder as desired. Cook salmon for 6 to 8 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Sprinkle lemon juice over the fillets when done and serve.