Christine Champagne
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| Eden Riegel |
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Were soap fans ready for this? Riegel says yes. "I know that on the (Internet) message boards, there is a small but vocal minority that didn't want to see this," the actress reports. "But the vast majority (of fans) were ready, excited and with the story line."
For those of you who haven't dropped into Pine Valley (the town in which "All My Children" is set) lately, Bianca -- who came out about two years ago -- got involved with Lena (Olga Sosnovska), a mysterious European beauty who works at Enchantment, the cosmetics company owned by Erica. Bianca works there, too -- and she couldn't resist flirting with Lena. Neither could Bianca's buddy Boyd (Marc Menard).
But ultimately, it was Bianca who scored a date with Lena. In an episode that aired a week before the kiss, the two women enjoyed a wonderful night out at local hotspot SOS -- with Myrtle (Eileen Herlie) tagging along. Suspicious of Lena's intentions, Boyd persuaded Myrtle to play chaperone.
Boyd had good reason to worry. "Lena has made a lot of mistakes in her past. She has not proven herself a very nice person. Of course, Bianca doesn't know that," Riegel explains. "And now Lena is working with Michael (a bad guy played by William deVry) to try to take down Enchantment."
As part of the secret plot, Lena was told to get close to Bianca so she could be more easily manipulated. The problem is, after their first date, Lena realized her feelings for Bianca were genuine, and that she just couldn't use her. Rather than tell Bianca the truth, however, Lena simply informed her that she could never see her again, quit her job and decided to leave the country.
"For Bianca, this was a huge disappointment," Riegel says. "Every time she opens up to a woman, she gets her heart broken." Bianca was ready to accept the bad news and move on, but Myrtle urged her to follow Lena to the airport and demand an explanation.
On the episode that aired Wednesday, April 23, Bianca did just that. When she first read the tense, romantic scene scripted for Bianca and Lena, Riegel was thrilled. "It's that kind of old romantic airport scene in which the two lovers decide whether they can take the risk and take a chance on love -- only it's two women this time."
After catching up to Lena, "What Bianca basically said is, 'Look, what I felt is real. I think you felt it, too, and I think you're running away from it,'" Riegel reveals. "'And I think that we should risk everything and try.'"
Overcome by her true feelings, Lena realized she couldn't walk away so easily, and the two women kissed.
Riegel had never kissed a woman before. "I was a little nervous because I wanted it to look natural and organic and real and true," Riegel says. "I didn't want it to seem tentative."
She and Sosnovska discussed practicing the kiss. "We thought about maybe trying it out in the dressing room first," Riegel says, laughing. "But then we just thought, 'We are professionals. This will be fine.'"
As the actresses predicted, once they were immersed in the emotion of the scene, the kiss just came naturally. "I think that moment felt really real," Riegel says.
What's next for these two lovebirds? Well, "All My Children" is a soap opera, so we know the road to bliss will be paved with obstacles -- including Michael. "Michael has something on Lena, and he will use it against her if she doesn't comply with his wishes," Riegel says. "Yet if she does comply with his wishes, she'll hurt Bianca, and she'll hurt Erica's company. So it's a very difficult situation for Lena."
Gay.com / PlanetOut.com Network
On April 23, "All My Children" will feature a passionate scene between Bianca Montgomery (played by Eden Riegel), the youngest daughter of Erica Kane (played by the Susan Lucci), and her new friend, Lena (Olga Sosnovska).
Bianca came out as a lesbian in 2000, which stirred controversy among the show's audience. Some fans, who heard the rumor the teen-ager would come out, threatened to stop watching the show and said they didn't agree with homosexuality, while others praised the show for taking a daring step, according to SoapCentral.com, a clearinghouse for all things daytime.
"The fact that 'All My Children' is entertaining is one thing, but it can change viewers' hearts and minds," said Scott Seomin, GLAAD's entertainment media director. "Bianca is a great and important character. Even people who don't watch daytime at all have heard about this because it's a first in many ways -- and it's Erica Kane's daughter."
And now, the upcoming kiss is causing both cheers and jeers from fans of "AMC." SoapCentral is running a poll on its Web site asking: "How do you feel about AMC's rumored lesbian 'romance'?" An overwhelming 41 percent of the respondents said they felt it was a "smart, bold move," while 33 percent said they were disgusted by the idea and wouldn't want to see a gay scene on the show.
"ABC said they were surprised by the 41 percent who said bring it on, but because that 33 percent say they're repulsed, that's why we need to see it," Seomin said. "Daytime dramas are known for their over-the-top storylines and love triangles. Gay and lesbian characters are sorely missing (from daytime TV) and would add a lot to the crazy plots as well as educate viewers and enlighten people to our community."
In other entertainment news, a famous real-life lesbian couple made headlines this week. Melissa Etheridge announced on Tuesday that she and Tammy Lynn Michaels, the singer's partner of two years, will exchange wedding vows in Los Angeles at the end of this year. Michaels first gained prominence playing the bitchy Nicole on the WB series "Popular."