I was the most hated woman in the country—and probably Canada, and a good portion of Europe as well.
Well, that’s not exactly true. My alter-ego, the character I played on the cable series “Kingdom’s Edge” was the most hated woman in the country and beyond—at least with the millions of people who watched the show. Had I know that Lady Trinity Munro would screw up my life so much, I think I might have passed it up and read for the role of sweet Princess Bella. Everyone loved Bella.
Until Lady Trinity pushed her off a cliff last season, that is.
The week following after that episode aired, I got more mail than any other actor on the set (maybe with the exception of Ally Baldwin who played the now deceased princess).
All hate mail, including three honest-to-God death threats. The studio assigned me body guards for two months after that. I swear even they didn’t like me.
I didn’t date after the first season. Going out in public became a bitch, and even though I tended to date other actors who understood that fans often couldn’t separate the actor from the character on the screen, they still couldn’t deal with the complete disdain the public showed me. Even my fiancé, Allen Pollack, who I’d been with since long before I accepted the role of Trinity, couldn’t take the negative attention.
Bravo to the writers of the show who seemed to make me as evil as possible. And I was happy to make my bows—along with three Golden Globe nods and one actual trophy—for making Trinity so believably evil that people actually thought I was that bad in real life.
The booing at public events sucked, so I pleaded with the powers that be to let me off the hook as much as possible, so more often than not I stayed away from the big events. Thank God for their mercy.
Best day ever came in February when I got my script for the season finale. I knew something was up when Brian and Tina glanced at each other, brows furrowed.
“What?” I asked suspiciously, not liking their twin expressions of anxiety. They liked me at least. They weren’t scared of me and I counted on them amongst my small circle of friends.
Tina only cleared her throat and shrugged her shoulders. Brian mumbled something unintelligible and followed a retreating Tina.
My gaze dropped to the script. Lord, who did they have me killing and or torturing this week? The twin infants of the show’s hero? Am I going to torch a damned orphanage? Slaughter some baby ducks?
I flipped through the pages quickly.
And sat down on the floor with a ungraceful thud.
There’d be one death in the show.
Mine.
“About damned time,” I muttered and lay back on the floor, my eyes shut.
“You going to be okay Cassy?”
I peeked up. Peter Willoughby, the hunkiest hunk of them all, and star of the series stood over me, beefy arms crossed across his chest.
“Well, I’d say ‘I’ll live’, but obviously I won’t.”
Peter held out his hand to me. “Get off the floor Cass.”
I took his hand and he pulled me up as if I weighed nothing at all. I flashed him a grin. “So, you going to be nice to me when you, um….” I flipped back to the death scene. “When you chop off my head?”
“I will take great pleasure in your demise, Lady Trinity,” he replied, his voice soaked in a British accent. “After all, you were preparing to sell my children to those Tyrillian slavers.”
“God, I’m a bitch.”
Peter chuckled. “You going to be okay?” He was Peter again.
I gave him another grin. “I’m actually relieved. Maybe people will start liking me again. Maybe I’ll be able to go out for a coffee without worrying that someone will throw something or swear at me. I’m going to get on the phone to my agent. See if he can hook me up with the Disney Channel or something. Anything to redeem myself with the world.”
“Just shows what a fabulous actor you are, Cass.”
Peter leaned in and kissed me, and not for the first time I thought how lucky his wife was. Peter Willoughby was as wonderful and virtuous as the character of King Gregor he played. Damn him.
I wish I could say that finding a new gig was as easy as I’d hoped. At least one that would make people like me. Disney had nothing for me. My agent, Marty, searched high and low for something that would meet my strict and narrow requirements.
“You have nothing at all?” I paced Marty’s office, hands shoved deep in my jean pockets.
Marty leaned back in his big leather chair. “Yeah, I have a role for a new nighttime soap.”
“As a homewrecking money grubbing bitch.”
“A woman pirate for the sequel to ‘Pirate’s Ransom’.”
“Goody. Lady Trinity just on a ship.” I tried to keep the sarcasm out of my voice.
Marty sighed. “Then I won’t bother showing you these.” He picked up the other three scripts on the desk.
“Not unless one of them is for a sweet nanny or a nun running an orphanage.”
He dropped them. “You’re typecast, Cass. There’s not much I can do about that.”
“You’re one of the best agents in the city. You should be able to do something about it.”
Marty picked one of the scripts up again and studied it. “This one is for a horror series. Ghost of a murdered woman. Not completely bad.”
“Except her role is to take revenge on the people staying at the hotel. Even the innocent ones. No. I don’t want to be evil anymore.”
I hated sounding whiny, but already I was plain tired of being bad.
“I’ll keep looking.”
I took a deep breath. “Maybe I need a break. A long break.”
Marty didn’t reply. I don’t think any agent wants to consider one of his better clients talking about walking away.
“Yeah, that’s just what I need.”
“I’ll make calls, Cass. I’ll find what you’re looking for.” There was a thread of panic in Marty’s voice, but I ignored it.
“As soon as I figure out what I’m going to do I’ll let you know.”
As soon as I figured out what I was going to do. I had no clue whatsoever.
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