Erika Slezak Interview - One Life to Live - The Story of Soaps
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2020
- In a very special virtual conversation, Michael Fairman chats with six-time Daytime Emmy winner, and soap opera icon, Erika Slezak (Ex-Viki) of One Life to Live, exclusively for the Michael Fairman Channel.
Erika appears on the two-hour ABC primetime special "The Story of Soaps" airing on May 19th, and as a prelude to the television event, Slezak chatted with Fairman to relive some of the high and low points of her time as the leading heroine of the beloved daytime drama.
For over 42 years, Erika played the role of Viki , and through her battles with DID, her nemesis and frenemy, Dorian Cramer Lord (played by Robin Strasser) and her countless on-screen husbansd, and trials and tribulations, Viki wasthe moral center of the town of Llanview, and to this day one of the greatest characters created by Agnes Nixon, and played by one of the greatest actresses ever in the genre .
This interview was conducted during the COVID-19 stay-at-home precautions, so Michael and Erika decided to bring this video to the enduring fans of One Life to Live and the soaps. 
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Erika made that character such a force of nature. Vicki and Dorian is still one of my favorite relationships in television.
Absolutely
Me too..So sad when they cancelled this show!
Viki and Dorian was the duo ever and they never let anyone get over on each other.
Sad that ABC erased or destroyed the video tape episodes of 1975 when Nancy Pinkerton was Dorian - and the rivalry between her and Viki was ferocious.
Me too..loved them both
I watched One life to live since the beginning as a little girl. I'm 58 years young. Loved the Vicky/Nicky character. Thx Erica
Me too & I'm 67. Help me with my memory. Did OLTL take the Dark Shadows times slot?
@@nina2hansen I truly do not remember 🤪😅🤔
@@nina2hansen Yes, it did. I watched Episode #1 of OLTL on Monday, July 15, 1968, and was hooked from the very start. I remember that Episode #5 on Friday, July 19, 1968, ended with a scene at the Llanview Police Department of a slow zoom in on an office door with lettering on the glass, "HOMICIDE."
Hi, jacqueline russell. As someone who watched the show from the very beginning, which husband of Vicki's is your favorite?
There is NO ONE like Erika Slezak! She is TRULY in a class all by herself!! She is a MUCH better actress than a lot of big screen actresses!! Thank you, Erika, for bringing Viki and all of her other personalities into our living rooms (and dorm rooms) LOL
As I said, she's the Meryl Streep for daytime.
@@kornmaze That's funny.
Yet another fun fact: when Victor's other children Tina and Todd came on the show. Vicki showed her multiple personalities. That's funny. She didn't show them when Tony appeared. Nor when victor Jr. appeared. Psst! There's no such thing as Todd Manning! 🤫🤯 see general hospital for more information about THAT!
@@kornmaze more like the bette Davis. Both from Connecticut. Streep is from New Jersey. You know better than that! 🤣🤣
What an absolute Goddess!! I miss her and OLTL so much. ABC did an injustice when they cancelled AMC and OLTL. Vickie and Dorian were my absolute favorites! xxoo
@Dwayne Hogan I have watched ABC Daytime since they got rid of All My Children and One Life To Live
Agreed
This is why I watched this interview in it's entirety because I know that Erika is correct and she'll only get 2-3 minutes tonight. Thank you Michael!
The scenes with Erika and Robin during her DID era was tv gold! An acting masterclass.
Agreed
Yes indeed
Absolutely!!
watched some of the clips here on RUclips recently they still hold up today it was 1995 and it's 2022 now
@@truecrimelover2022 , all the years of OLTL still hold up today. Actually, I think all shows still hold up.
I absolutely love her! She is a class act. How I miss OLTL
I miss her too Jennifer 😁
Great actress!!
Erika was a gift to OLTL and to this very day she is still is amazing as an actress. She owned the role of Viki and when it came to the DID story aspects of Viki, she played Niki Smith, Jean Randolph, Tori, Tommy, Princess, Victor, Erika played such an phenominal job as those split personalities. My favorite of them all was Jean for she was the Bitch that Viki was not. Such Elegance when she had to fight Robin Strasser aka Dorian Lord and they made such great frenemies with many memorable moments between them. Erika you are deeply missed in the soap world, Viki would be a great asset to Port Charles and General Hospital could make great for you to make a return. Thank you for all what you have contributed to Daytime. Hope to see you back in a soap opera sometime soon as your a gift and legend.
So very well said!
GH is packed and yet I'd welcome it. Soap Icon 🎬🎥📺
Nikki Smith was my all time favorite character! The way she had fun with Dorian and layed it on the line with Karen. She was the best. Plus Clint loved her almost as much as he loved Vicki! Love those 2!
@@melanietatco30 I totally agree
I Grew up my entire life Watching Ryan's Hope, All My Children, One Life To Live, and General Hospital, We Want Our Soap Operas Back!
Same here I was mad as hell when they took AMC and oltl off they made a mistake doing that bring the shows back
Lucci, Slezak and Francis are the icons of the 3 longest running ABC soaps.
Another fun fact: Francis was on the Brady bunch! Fyi🤫
Add Robin Strasser to that list or get out.
@@jamesmonroe7751 as who?
@@jamesmonroe7751 as who?
I love you Erika Slezak, miss you as Viki on OLTL. Very classy, sassy lady
Thank you soooo much for making sure she knew how much she is still loved & missed by us all!!!
Thank you Michael for this...Ms. Slezak is one of the most real people in the genre. I wish her nothing but continued happiness and good health :)
And PS What Michael said..."We miss you"!
loved her and tina scenes
Was heartbroken when they canceled. Never watch the cooking shows that a loyalty. And now they’re gone but I guess soaps will never be back. The few that are left probably don’t have much of a chance. Always the best time to relax during the day. Like reading a trashy novel. Always the same characters. Always easy to catch up. Sad to see them go.
Kate Cushing, I did the same thing you did. I showed loyalty to the time slots of One Life To Live and All My Children. I just refused to watch any of the replacement shows. I loved the Soap Opers, so it was my One Woman form of Protest. I hope we are not the only people who silently protested. Thanks for your post.
Y ant and b and b absolutely stink the last years after bill bell died
This is perfect. It’s been 8 years, however I miss seeing her daily. QUEEN VICTORIA Love. Erika looks great too.
Awwww didn't realize how much I missed OLTL until I seen your vid pop up with Ericka's name. Miss my tv families and stories so much. Cannot express how much joy, my daytime characters brought to my life. I laughed, and cried. Always trying to figure out what was going to happen. lol Yes, it's So true Ericka. I rode the lines right along with you all. From my heart to yours Thank you for being apart of my life for over 20yrs. Was so mad when OLTL went off. God Bless!
Her memory is amazing! She remembers days of the week! Incredible and such a treat.
I get nostalgic for One Life To Live every once in a while. Erika Slezak as Vicki is one of the reasons. Thank you for this lovely conversation. What a pleasure...😀
Loved One Life to Live ....Erika Slezak , Robin Strasser and the whole cast
Especially Tommy Lee Jones and Al freeman. Jr! Judith Light and Ryan Phillppe came later. I miss Gerald Anthony (Marco Mario). I like Nathan but Chris McKenna 😍
So lovely to see this Ms. Slezak in this interview. She is an actor’s actor. Met her briefly at JFK more than two decades ago and she was ABSOLUTELY LOVELY!!! I am amazed how well she looks and her mental acuity is unbelievable!!! Thank you for this, and all the best in life, Ms. Slezak!❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Love Erika Slezak!! Miss OLTL Always loved watching her with Roger Howarth. Todd's and Vicki's relationship was the best.
I totally appreciate this being an interview solely for the grande damn Dame herself Erika Slezak❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
I love this woman so much!!!! I watched OLTL since I was a baby. I've never known a life without "Viki". Bring back my show!!
Love Erika so much, I miss seeing her & I miss OLTL.
A Thousands Thankyou's For Vicky Buchanan. I miss her so much. Really really miss her. The whole crew too.
Michael, thank you so much for this interview. Just watched it on my TV and was delighted to see Erika Slezak...Viki...who was a staple on my television set since she stepped into the role. Television has not been the same without One Life to Live.
We miss you so much Mrs Slezak.🌹🌹🌹🌷🌷🌷🌺🌺🌺 You will always be the Meryl Streep of Daytime TV. 6 Emmy Wins!!!! Wow!!! I hope to see you in another project on TV soon.😃😃😃
Erika Slezak is so Iconic...... WORST Move made to get rid of One Life to Live and All My Children....Destroyed decades of History.
Well said
YES!!!
It's a sad fact but true fact. I told UK Soap Fans about her and they were very impressed. Isn't it amazing that Tuc Watkins (David Vickers) was in The Broadway Revival and Film Version of The Boys In The Band. She would have been perfect on a UK Soap. She could play a Relative of a UK Family. Elizabeth Hubbard (Ex Lucinda Walsh) As The World Turns appeared on The German Soap Opera Verboten Liebe. What happened to Erika isn't as uncommon as you think. Sarah Lancashire is a Popular UK Actress who got her big break on the UK Soap Coronation Street as Barmaid Raquel (1991-1996). She's now considered to be The Meryl Streep of The UK who can Morph into so many characters. She's played a Cop of Happy Valley and gained Cult Status as Caroline Dawson on Last Tango In Halifax who helped many Older Women "Come Out".
Also one of the nicest people around, I wrote her a few years back when I was researching a play that her father Walter Slezak did. While I turned out to know more than she I did get a wonderful letter in return thanking me for my interest in her father.
I couldn't agree with you more
Thank you Michael. It's so nice to see our beautiful Erika.
Thank you for giving us a wonderful visit with Erika! I still miss seeing her on OLTL, along with so many others. I have boycotted ABC since the cancellation. The Story of Soaps might have tempted me to tune in to ABC for the first time in almost a decade but I learned of the special after that fact. Erika - thank you for all the joy you brought to us through your stellar work in OLTL. Michael, thank you for providing a wonderful opportunity to see Erika and learn how she is doing.
You look amazing erika l enjoy seeing you. God bless. You are an amazing person a great actor
In 1996, I had the pleasure of casting Ms. Slezak in Danielle Steel's Full Circle ,an NBC Movie for Televison , as Teri Polo's mother. So lovely and so appreciative she was thought of for the role.Schedules were worked out between Full Circle and One Life to Live. Here's a link to the film., Enjoy ruclips.net/video/VUK2_LwhEsM/видео.html
I had moved to LA in 1996 and a week after I arrived...I did background on that movie...and I saw her and said to myself " VICKI IS HERE!!😁😁. Glad you casted her...it made my transition to LA a little more exciting.
Joe161964 Joe, thank you so much for sharing that. Makes my day.
Are you still in LA,? Glad we could help with your transition . Jeff
@@jeffmeshel8181 oh yeah. I'm still here...24 years.
I was so pleased to see this interview! Occasionally, I find myself watching clips from One Life episodes so that I can relive the moments! One favorite that comes to mind is when Vicki testified against Dorian in Victor Lord’s murder trial! Then there was the “Dorian’s mother is alive, and living on the 3rd floor of her childhood home”, story line. That was very sound advice her father gave her when she called him and told him she had gotten the part! I believe she would have done well acting in any situation! However, a soap is a better option than theater for her. Especially considering the fact that she has a husband and children and lives in Connecticut. Other soaps have followed One Life’s lead on the DID story line, but none has come close to the writing, and her portrayals of the Jean, Nikki, Princess, Tommy, and Tori characters! Oh yeah and when Nikki came out, got out of the wheelchair, went up the stairs, and killed Johnny D because he was brutalizing Tina! She mentioned she wished that Vicki would have married Asa! I agree, that would have been very interesting to see! When she mentioned Clint, I remembered that Clint Richie passed away a few years ago. I loved his Clint Buchanan, but I got used to the actor from Guiding Light playing Clint as well. Especially when he proposed to Vicki toward the end of the show!
Don't forget the "Vicki goes to Heaven" story....I thought that was everything when I was younger....Looking back at it now....It's cheesy, But, you got to see some of the older characters....
The scenes with Niki Smith were incredible!!!
How did I miss this interview 2 years ago! Excellent Michael! Erika Slezak deserved every award she received! She was and is the BEST! I would love to see her get a regular part on Blue Bloods with Henry. Let's hear it for us Baby Boomers! 😃😃😃
I love you erika , ive been watching you since i was a kid. Its so wonderful to see you.brings back a lot of memories. Best actress on daytime. If you had left you would have taken the whole of the show with you, im so happy you stayed. A real class act. Thank you Michael for this. I just happened to look up and saw it in my suggestions. A very special treat.
Have adored this woman for decades! It was a blessing to see Vickie and Erika grow through the years!
I was young in junior high when I started watching this now 57 you rock loved the show
Erika Slezak is one of my favorite actresses. Thank you for sharing this conversation.
I actually started crying watching this. I miss OLTL and Viki and Todd so much!! She was like a mom to me growing up, and I loved how comforting she was. I truly enjoyed every scene with her and Roger (Todd was my absolute favorite). She was his moral compass, and they played so well off each other. Hearing her speak about that brought back so many memories and emotions. It's been almost 11 years and I'm still angry at ABC for canceling my shows.
I am so glad this popped up in my RUclips queue out of the blue. How delightful to see Erika again, still the same wondeful person she has always been. Of all the online interviews I've seen during lockdown, this has been the best for simple friendliness, fun, just joy. I smiled through the whole thing. Thank you so much!
The years of entertainment enjoyed from OLTL and AMC was priceless. OLTL was the most underrated show and had arguably the BEST actors!
I love to see Erika! I miss her work on OLTL. I hope they could bring the show back!
Wonderful! Thank you Michael and Erika❤️❤️
I watched OLTL since 1984. I'm still in deep mourning over OLTL ending. It was almost as if my whole family died. Best soap ever! Miss it so much!
Erica was wonderful as Vicki and the others! I miss seeing this show everyday. I’ve found some episodes on RUclips, but I miss my daily dose of wonderful acting and lovely and powerful scripts. Thank you for this lovely interview!
I miss you so much Erika, I love you and God Bless you and your beautiful family ❤
Thanks for bringing her back to us, and thank you Ms. Slezak for an incomparable body of work!
She looks exactly the same as she did when I watched the show in the 70's!!!
Erica so nice to see you I loved you and Clint on One Life to Live it's so good to see your smiling face you haven't changed a bit.
This made me really happy. You are correct in that people not only appreciated her character portrayal of characters on OLTL, but Erika Slezak herself. If there is ever a remake of movies like "On Golden Pond" or "Driving Miss Daisy" for film or TV, hopefully she will be considered for the parts.
I watched One Life to Live went it first aired! Sure do miss it! I will watch episodes on line every once in a while! Erica is one class act! !miss her and the soap!
She should play beverly mckenssey's sister.the two best divas
THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS INTERVIEW, MICHAEL AND ERIKA!
I loved this interview. She has such a way of expressing herself....articulate is the word. I do hope that there could be a joint interview of Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser. It would be an amazing experience.
So nice to see Erika! Viki was my favorite character on OLTL, and it was my favorite soap. So sad it ended. Erika looks good! Glad she is well!
I actually remember the original Victoria Lord who was played by [if I remember correctly] Gillian Spencer. What a show! It was my after school event. My mother died when I was 12 and suddenly I came home to an empty house. But I had OLTL and GEneral Hospital. It made a big difference for me psychologically to watch the trials and tribulations of these people and to think less about my own.
Wow! Great interview! The entire interview was so interesting. I miss seeing Erika Slezak on my TV
Thank you for this wonderful interview! Erika was and still is one of my all time favorite people. It is so good to see her again as she shares memories of her outstanding career.
Oh wow she look great she is one amazing actress i miss seeing her.
I loved all of the scenes with Erika and Clint Ritchie. They had such chemistry.
I agree Rosalie Gunn.
I miss Clint so much and Asa tii!
Erika Slezak is truly ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTRESS OF ALL TIME. Just like Barbara Stanwyck/ Joan Crawford/ Bette Davis. Such incredible depth. She can play both good and evil and everything in between on Daytime anywhere She ranks the top on any category of acting . I'm thankful to know her even if just through interviews and on watching Soaps.
Wonderful video and interview, Michael. Erika looks great. ABC is so greedy. None of the shows which replaced OLTL has lasted the test of time. I will NEVER forgive ABC for this.
I just love this woman! I feel like I know her personally because I've been a fan for so many years! Daytime television isn't the same without One Life to Live!
Erica, I thought my head would explode when I saw this interview opportunity. As Michael F points up, you mean so much to some of us. I could never express my depth of affection in this format so I won't try. I first discovered Viki in maybe 1971 right out of high school as she was making the mistake of marrying Steve Burke in a kind of 10 gallon hat! But I thought you were so beautiful and unique in the princess mode with your long hair pulled back. And that incredible diction. I think when I later read that you were 26 or something at the time it surprised me so that you weren't 40 as you had that grace of someone who had lived and possessed, 'know how'...
On THE STORY OF SOAPS there are some surprising clips not featured on the usual nostalga rolls. One in particular has Vicki approaching a baby crib in a nursery, with Viki crying out, "Where is my baby?!!!" I was thinking, "My goodness, they are pulling from far back!" Then I processed that it was Jessica's kidnapping, not the kidnapping of Kevin from back in the 70s(?) as it was Clint who pulled you back and not Joe. Here's my point: A little magic moment I have always remembered that likely no one would recall, including yourself most definiately, had Viki, in the wake of the lost Kevin, commenting wistfully in her carriage house living room, It's almost Halloween..." It is hard to say why such a simple line so captured my imagination but it was just haunting, speaking of such longing and courage. You had to be there! And actually, you were! Always in my heart...
Quotation mark around the It's of "It's almost Halloween". Rats. Life is never perfect.
ERICA, dispite your FANTASTIC RECALL AND GRASP OF EVERYTHING, you would not remember the line, "It's almost..."
What a wonderful interview!
I always loved how humble and down-to-earth Erika Slezak is
I really miss the Class she brought to my TV 5 days a week. 😥
Erika Slezak is an absolute class act and has always been one of my all time favorite daytime actresses!
To be sure
This made my night. I adore her. She's amazing. #OLTL is still my favorite show.
This woman! Such a legend! And I just love what she has to say about Roger Howarth! Boy, do I miss "One Life to Live" !!! ❤❤❤
What a great story when getting the role and telling her Father.
Erika looks great!
Thank YOU so much for doing this interview Michael with Erika as her time as Viki (& her personalities) will ALWAYS be near the top of my favorite of people in soaps
Love you Erica have watched since you started! Thank you for all the years of Viki. Loved the multiple personalities you played them so well! I so wish One Life to Live would come back! Or all the reruns would be great too! Take care ♥️🙏🏻
You were a gift to us! You and Robin and the whole cast!
Thank you Ms. Slezak for doing this interview. It is so nice to get to know (just a little bit) the wonderful woman behind Viki/Niki and to hear your stories. I started watching OLTL when Meredith was still alive and although I had to stop watching from time to time over the years, it was always so nice to come back to and catch up with all of my favorite characters. I have enjoyed all of your more recent appearances and hope you will continue to show up in something new from time to time. Have you ever considered writing your autobiography or just writing about all of your stories from OLTL? I know many people who would buy that book.
Good seeing Erika. Her character as Victoria in OLTL was legendary. Miss the writers and all the talented players . Had no idea she was not the first Victoria.
I absolutely loved this interview.
The one and the only Queen of Daytime! Class act all the way. I miss her and love her so much!
Watched from the beginning ... I was 7 ... A much loved part of my life ...
So happy to see this! Thank you, so much!
What a talented actress....watched her for decades. So incredibly sad cancelled, OLTL & AMC were about stories. So much needed today.
We love the character of Vicki. Thank you Erika for bringing her to life
❤️❤️❤️What a treat!! I Love her & Miss One Life to Live🥰 I know this is an old video but she looks GREAT 😊
Your character Viki was so sensible and freeing to me and everyone in America! I hope you and your family are doing well!
Fun fact: Erika replaced Gillian Spencer as Victoria lord. Die hard soap opera fans know Spencer as Daisy Cooney (Cortlandt) from all my children. Gillian and Erika have been friends for 60 (!) Years since they were teenagers. The show must go on!
Michael...This was a fantastic treat...This interview has been the BEST part of being quarantined! I live in "La La Land"....I STILL am wondering / hoping / praying that OLTL returns somehow some way....Could this ever really happen?
Yesssss we will & we will have our BELOVED JOHN&NATALIE/JOLIE BACK along with everyone! Miss Michael&Melissa sooooo MUCH & In the MEANTIME I WANT MELISSA on GH REUNITED WITH MICHAEL!!!
Her father Walter Slezak, was a great actor. I own the movie, “Lifeboat” , and Walter played the German captain who came aboard the lifeboat. He was great, he really made the movie. Movie 1944, “Lifeboat”, was directed by Alfred Hitchcock, story by John Steinbeck. Cast members were: Tallulah Bankhead, John Kodiac, William Bendix, Hume Cronyn, (Jessica Tandy’s hubby in real life). I think the movie was filmed in a big tank of water on the set. What’s amazing is all these people on this little boat keeping your interest for 2 hours. That’s Alfred Hitchcock for you!
Erika Slezak is such an amazing talent. She blew me away on a regular basis.
I didn't get too watch OLTL in the 90's since I would of been a young kid but I only got too watch it kinda towards the end of its run until soap central or whatever that station was showed reruns but when I saw Erika play Viki she really felt like a family member for me like a cool grandma since all mine had passed away when I was a little kid. But she did such an amazing job. Such a sweet person. I hope I can meet her one day because she has this light and aura about her that makes you know she's a sweet and kind person.
This Was So Beautiful. Even thought I am watching a Year Later I am very grateful to you & to Erika Michael. Thank You.
She is one the most wonderful actress I ever known !!! 💘 you Erika
So Beautiful! Hello from Memphis! I hope to see you on screen again soon Ms. Slezak! Love you!
Thank you Michael. Erica is just such a beautiful beautiful human being. Such an incredibly talented actress
Erika Slezak is my favorite soap opera actress of all time. The emotions and so many memorable moments as Vicki and Niki and all the others. AMC and GH as 2nd and 3rd then I watched only OLTL! I bought a scarf at It's a Wrap that she wore on the show. BIG FAN ! Thanks for this interview! I love the background how she started and her training made her the actress she is!
Loved how Viki and Dorian use to say each other's name when they argued Lmfaoooo
Well, with all the change to Netflix maybe there could be a revamping of the show. People will always remember how quality this show was!
I remember when I had ability to watch, I liked her character. She was inspiringly kind and strong no matter what.
Erika Slezak and Robin Strasser is my favorite relationship from OLTL 💘 love the soap my favorite .
She was such a wonderful actress! She made that show what it was! I really miss her!
I met her years ago and she is so very nice!
I watched OLTL for a few years and Vicki and Tina were some of the best characters on TV.
Thanks Erika for the brilliant acting you've done with the character Vikki and Nikki😘😊❤