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By Suzanne

Interview Amanda Baker (ex-Babe) 6/15/20

1. Thank you for the interview! What is your all-time favorite "Babe" moment when you were on "All My Children?"

Thanks for having me! My all time favorite “Babe” moment is really hard to narrow down! There were many scenes with Jacob Young that I loved, but I would have to say it was when Babe slapped Richie in the face after he made a very rude and insensitive comment to her. She stood up for herself, and I think the slap was very much warranted! Although, I didn’t really want to slap Billy Miller... but he told me to go for it, so I did, LOL!

2. Was it difficult coming in as a replacement for Alexa Havins?

I think anytime someone comes in as a replacement, it’s a difficult situation because you are taking over someone else’s role that they have originated and put their spin on; so, I believe the bar is set pretty high at that point. All you can do is bring your point of view to the character and give it your all. I also think having good chemistry with your fellow castmates is also super important!

3. Had you watched the show before you started working there? Or any other soaps?

I had never watched "All My Children," so I wasn’t very familiar with the characters outside of Susan Lucci and David Canary. I did grow up watching Y&R and Bold and the Beautiful, so I knew Jacob Young and Bobbie Eakes because of their roles on B&B. So, for me, it was pretty surreal having one as my husband and the other as my mother - haha!

4. Were you sad when they killed off Babe? (I was!)

Oh, of course! I was devastated when I learned that they were going to kill her off. You never quite know when your time will end on a show, but I was sad to learn that she was one that would be taken out in the tornado. I think there was a lot more great stuff that could have taken place between her and JR, with Little A, and with Fusion.

5. What would you have liked to have seen them do with Babe if she had lived?

I think Babe had a lot of ambition inside of her. She wanted to grow as a business woman and really succeed in that type of environment. I think it would have been cool to see her open her own company! I also think it would have been amazing to see her and JR get remarried like they had planned before her death.

6. I remember you playing Nurse Jolene on "GH: Nightshift." Did you have to say any difficult medical jargon?

Yes, haha! There were many times I had to really rehearse the specific terms so I wouldn’t butcher them.

7. Do you still keep in touch with any of the actors from these shows?

I do! I just did an Instagram Live with Jacob Young, and it was so good to catch up with him. I’m also friends with a lot of them on social media, so I stay up-to-date with everything going on in their lives.

8. What is the most valuable thing you learned on soaps that prepared you for later roles?

Definitely to be prepared when coming to set. Everything is fast- paced, and you can have a ton of dialogue in one episode so you want to be on your game!

9. I see that you were in a movie called "Pandemic." When you first heard about COVID-19, did you think, "Uh-oh!"

It definitely took me back to when I was working on the set of that movie! It was almost surreal to think about because you never really think about stuff like that happening in real life. Of course, in the movie, things are much worse, but it’s still an eye opener when life imitates art, so to speak.

10. Did anything in that movie help you deal with the real life?

Not particularly, because things were so different in the movie, especially with my part. I had basically gone insane because I lost my child to the pandemic, and I was virtually all alone, and everyone had died around me. It is scary to think about, though!

11. I read in another interview that you're living in Nashville. Why did you move there, and how do you like it?

Yes, my family and I moved here 3 years ago, and we love it! We were ready to move from LA, closer to our families, and have more space for our kids to grow up. This setting is more of what my husband and I are used to, and we wanted to provide that to our kids as well.

12. What have you been doing while stuck at home?

Well, it’s been challenging -- haha! I was homeschooling my son until he officially got out for the summer. He didn’t particularly like me as a teacher. I can be a little impatient... but we got through it! There has been a lot of good quality time together, so that has been nice. Oh, and home projects have been happening as well.

13. I love "Black Lightning!" Have you heard yet whether you'll be in the next season or when it starts shooting?

It’s a great show! I have not heard anything because they are in between seasons right now. Usually, if I am written into an episode, they call the week before, or even a couple days before. So, I don’t have a lot of notice, but this is the nature of the business. I hope to see Rebecca Larsen back!

14. I was surprised when reading your body of work on IMDB that there were no Lifetime or Hallmark movies. Any particular reason for that, or it just hasn't come up? It seems like most actors who've been on soaps do at least one of those at some point. In fact, I interviewed Alexa Havins and Jacob Young a few years ago for one they were in.

I have auditioned for some in the past. I also took a break from acting for a while, so I’m sure I missed out on some of those opportunities, but now that I’m back at it, I’m hoping that I can get booked on one in the future!

Thank you so much! I really appreciate it.

You're welcome!

Amanda Baker's Bio:

Amanda Baker (born December 22, 1979) Born as Laura Amanda Baker in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina and originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Baker received her degree in business marketing (with a minor in fashion merchandising) at the University of South Carolina before breaking into a television career. She is the daughter of D. F. Keels Baker and Laura Baker.

She is best known for portraying Jolene Crowell on General Hospital: Night Shift in 2007 and Babe Carey Chandler on All My Children from 2007 to 2008. Baker reappeared on June 4 and 29, 2009 as a ghost on All My Children as Babe Chandler.

Page updated 6/17/20