Recently I had the pleasure to sit down with Guiding Light’s Jessica Leccia to discuss her character Natalia Rivera and the burgeoning same-sex love story energizing daytime TV. The stunning Leccia alongside sexy soap siren Crystal Chappell (Olivia Spencer) are throwing caution to the wind and raising some eyebrows on Guiding Light with their latest angst filled plot twist gradually revealing the unlikely love story between the two friends while trying to raise Olivia’s eight year old daughter Emma (Jacqueline Tsirkin) in a loving, stable home. You wont find any mention of labels or jumping on the bandwagon of what’s hot and controversial. There’s no fanfare or press conference bragging to the audience or mainstream America, “Hey look at us, we’re ground breaking!”
What you will find is the portrayal of a beautiful, loving family who, like most families, make school lunches in the morning and build class projects together at the kitchen table. More importantly there’s a true-to-life story that has been carefully crafted over the course of a year. Yes, I said a year! It’s not contrived or salacious, though the on-screen chemistry between Leccia and Chappell will melt your TV. It’s playful, intense, passionate, sexy and funny and has everybody glued to the edge of their seats, begging for more!
But at its heart, there is a love story in the truest possible sense. Brilliant writing from Ellen Wheeler (executive producer) and Jill Lorie Hurst (co-head writer) paired with two talented actresses, Jessica Leccia and Crystal Chappell, have not only struck a cord with daytime fans but are also paving the way for a positive change.
A very pregnant and incredibly busy Jessica Leccia graciously took some time out of her day to chat with me. Here’s what she had to say:
Eclipsemagainze: The characters are very different from one another. Olivia is definitely the more fly by the seat of her pants type while Natalia is more conservative and tends to think things through. Were you ever concerned that the audience would believe the storyline because they are so different?
Jessica Leccia: I actually was never concerned about that. We’ve actually been two characters that have been swirling around each other for a long time even before there was any speculation that there was going to be this friendship developing. So we started out basically she was my nemesis and I was hers. That kind of dynamic really helped spark the whole thing. So as far as how it works now, I think there was enough of a transition that that was never really a concern that that was an issue. And I actually thought that it worked for the relationship. Made it a bit more believable because of all the steps we took to get there.
EM: From the fans point of view, I’d have to agree with you that it helped to take things slow and really develop Natalia and Olivia’s relationship. I think it has made a big difference.
JL: Oh yeah, this was not some slap dash attempt at getting two opposite characters to kind of live in the same place. They really took the two characters into consideration when writing every exchange that they had.
EM: The characters are really on the verge of verbalizing their true feelings for one another.
JL: Right.
EM: When do you think the light bulb moment was for both of them? To say, wow ok, this is something much deeper than I thought it would be.
JL: It’s kind of hard to tell because the characters are in different places at this moment. As far as my character she’s just got this whole swirl of confusion going on for her. It’s getting harder and harder for her not to say the things that are on her mind but she’s very reticent about it. But you get peeks into that when Natalia’s by herself when she’s talking to God or sometimes it’s a scene with Olivia and she, what I hope, is the audience is getting that it’s kind of on the tip of her tongue and it’s just so hard for her not to say but she does have that barrier up and Olivia is kind of in a different place.
Olivia is just very used to speaking her mind and so she’s a few steps ahead. I don’t know if there was moment when they fell in love with each other or anything like that. It’s been such a gradual thing. I think it was the falling…it was the process. Here’s two women that have always wanted sort of the same thing, as different as they are, and then all of the sudden they have it and then don’t know what to do with it. So it’s been very, very gradual. It’s been a build up of these feelings.
Thank you for such a wonderful interview. It’s such a pleasure to see an actress so excited and engaged with her work. Ms. Leccia is a great addition to the cast of Guiding Light. Her portrayal of Natalia is just amazing- multi-faceted, interesting, powerful, and relatable. I am excited to see where this love story takes not only Olivia and Natalia as a couple, but Natalia individually on her journey. I have full confidence in Ms. Leccia to continue to bring her A-game. Bravo, Ms. Leccia, bravo!
what an inspired interview. thank you so much to eclipse magazine for giving us all the opportunity to get to know jessica leccia a little better. natalia has often felt like an enigma to me. it seems she does so much processing internally while olivia has always been the extroverted vocal one. but jessica has taken a character that once seemed wishy-washy and undefined and has turned her into a powerhouse who has risen to the challenge of acting as the anchor to the blustery olivia.
a lesser actress would not be able to stand in the wake of such a brilliant scene chewer like crystal chapell, but jessica makes it look effortless. i’m surprised their molten hot chemistry hasn’t melted my tv and computer recently. personally, i cannot wait until this time next year when we are all talking about her well-deserved emmy nomination for her amazing work in this storyline. i feel very privileged to have found this show and this story with these actresses. it truly is the best love story i have ever seen developed on television. period.
kudos, jessica! and thank you again eclipse magazine (and OtaliaDCfan for bringing all our Big Purple Dreams fan forum love along) for covering this poignant and timely story. we need more characters like natalia on tv– and brilliant actresses like jess to play them.
This was a brilliant interview, well thought out and delivered. Jessica has grown as an actor over the past year and her chemistry with Crystal is simply mind-blowing. There’s a dynamic there that is very rarely found and Jessica and Crystal nail it every time, whether it’s a dramatic, angst-filled moment, or a tender family moment with Emma and Olivia.
I’ve been an out lesbian for many years, but I so much identify with both characters and the storyline. I’ve been there at times. Falling in love with someone unexpected and not knowing where it’s going to go or if they feel the same is a journey, which Natalia and Olivia are going through, and it’s label-less. I so much enjoy that nature of the story, that it hasn’t been labelled. It draws people in, no matter what their preferences. And because it’s taken place over the course of the year, it’s showed the audience that it is a love story, told with a family. Unconventional, but a family all the same.
So a great cheer out to Jessica Leccia and Crystal Chappell, the writers and producers for having the courage and determination to tell this story the way they have.
Great interview, Tiffany! Loved getting some insight about this wonderful storyline. It brought me back to watching GL, too – hadn’t paid a lick of attention since Roger Thorpe died.
Jessica’s performance is nuanced and controlled; her character is walking a tightrope right now, and she’s splendidly conveying Natalia’s internal conflicts and desires, and the struggle to keep them balanced. She and Crystal are really must-see tv, and I’m telling all my friends to give GL another chance. The shaky camera is under control now! Mostly… 😉
What a wonderful interview. Thank you for the coverage. Wow. Jessica has been a revelation. To hold your own in a scene with a pro like Crystal Chappell can’t be easy, but Jessica has been up to the task. These two marvelous actresses are delivering stunning performances day after day. This storyline isn’t resonating because of some flashy buzz about a lesbian storyline. It resonates because of the quality of the storytelling by the writers, directors, actors and all the creative folks over at Guiding Light. The time they have taken to tell this story has been utilized perfectly and it’s unique. When was the last time anyone saw a couple so carefully and consciously built? That’s the way it used to be and Guiding Light is bringing it back.
Congratulations to Jessica, Crystal and Guiding Light on the great work they’ve done so far. And thank you to CBS for continuing to have faith in this grand old show.
Thank you so much for this interview. Jessica comes across as so down to earth and really aware of what her character means to her fans. I think Jessica and Crystal are truly creating a magic on GL that will be remembered and talked about for a very long time and I really hope that they continue to do so for a very long time from now.
Thank you Eclipse Magazine, for giving us an opportunity
to find out more about Jessica Leccia. I have to say I had never watched Guiding Light until about a month ago (and previously haven’t had a lot of patience for most soaps for all the wacky plot devices that are usually overused and abused), but I’ve been incredibly drawn into her storyline and now watch every day.
Jessica does a simply amazing job of portraying a woman that has so much going on beneath the service. There is so much attention to detail in her protrayal that you forget you’re watching an actor. Her performance is so incredibly layered and nuanced, and sometimes I find myself laughing at just an eye or hand moment. If you read body language, she’s performing not just with her words but really inhabits the moment/character. She deserves to get major props for her work, and I hope that she does. Bravo Jessica and I hope we can continue to see more of this brilliant actress!
Thanks for the interview with Jessica; I loved how open she is and has the candor to admit that the show is purposefully targeting every kind of person out there. Props to you for the exposure and props to her and Crystal and the writers at GL for making it happen!
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Wow that's a beautiful interview. I especially liked the part that they were telling the story to be inclusive, to be recognisable and to be entertaining. I say they score on each one of them.
Great interview. Thank you so much!
Awfully late to say thanks for this interview! Jessica seems so nice and real, just like the storyline she' playing. It's a perfect fit – the writing, the acting, the chemistry between the actresses, the music choices…
The Otalia storyline is just amazingly refreshing! It's so addicting…and I'am so glad to witness this perfect package unfold.
Jessica Leccia's portrait of Natalia is captivating, you can just feel everything Natalia feels without her saying it… it's remarkable.
To stop my ramble, thanks again for the interview it was a joy to read!
Introduzca el texto aquí!Gracias por la entrevista, ha sido muy interesante saber las opiniones de Jessicca Leccia sobre esta hermosa historia y sobre su personaje. Al igual que dice que le hubiera gustado ahondar en el pasado de su personaje, a mí me gustaría que en una próxima entrevista hablara un poco sobre su preparacion y sus comienzos, así como de sus raices latinas. Gracias otra vez.