Lesli Kay is One of the Shadow People
Matt Richenthal
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Lesli Kay ventured away from the world of daytime drama earlier this summer when she starred in the independent movie, Shadow People.
It helped that the role was written especially for her - and that her husband, Keith Coulouris, wrote, directed, and co-starred in the movie.
"It's a very risquè movie; it's not a family film," Kay said of the flick that opened in June. "Most people loved it. That makes me feel good."
It's true: the film bowed to a robust turnout at its Los Angeles premiere.
"It was phenomenal — around 250 people. Alley Mills (Pam, The Bold and the Beautiful) and [her husband] Orson Bean came," Kay said. "We had a lot of good people there to give good feedback — big actors who could be jaded. We're thrilled. Keith is thrilled. He had total creative control on this."
The movie actually came about during a seemingly down period for Kay and her husband. She had been let go from General Hospital and was pregnant, unable to work.
"Keith said, 'I've got to write us out of this hole,'" Lesli explained. "Between the kitchen and the living room was a little nook, and we stuck a little desk, a computer and a headset in there for him, and he wrote it. Then I got The Bold and the Beautiful, but I'd already committed to doing this. There was no one else. The role was written for me and you're not going to get anyone to play this type of role for no money. I was cheap.
"I was given something my husband knew I could do. If anyone else was casting this movie, they'd cast Angelina Jolie or whoever. Because it was a low-budget, indie movie, I was able to do it.
Of course, the role did not come without pressure.
"I had a 6-month-old baby, I had just started at The Bold and the Beautiful and was heavy into that storyline. [The show] was supposed to be three months and should have been over before we started shooting, but it wasn't. We were hot into the next part of the story, and thank God they were willing to work it out. I said, 'I'll get divorced if you don't let me do this movie!'
I shot the movie six days a week and my one day off, I shot four or five episodes of The Bold and the Beautiful. It was nuts. When that month started, I said, 'I'm going to take a deep breath and go.' Luckily the [film] location was near home. I was running back and forth at lunchtime and then came home and learned lines for the movie and The Bold and the Beautiful."
Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.
