Ben Masters talks about Julian: It's all about Eve
Jamaica Gleaner
December 31, 2005

 

Does Masters think Julian would eventually miss his old life as Harmony's Casanova and turn his back on Eve?

BEN MASTERS, who plays Julian Crane on NBC's soap Passions, says he's seen some interesting changes in Julian since he started playing him in 1999.

"Back then, he was the thorough libertine: He would try to seduce any woman he desired, and he succeeded more often than not," Master says, noting that he was a man who didn't like to hear the word "no".

Julian was also the man most men think they'd like to be.

"Of course, they would," Masters says. "He's the playboy fantasy figure who has everything - wealth, power and all those beautiful women."

But things began to change.

"They had to. Of course, I loved playing Julian at his raunchiest. But, a character who does the same thing all the time has no surprises to offer, not for the audience, nor for the actor."

Actors like to say that a good role is like an onion with lots of layers that you keep peeling off, and with each new layer that you expose, you learn something new about him, and with each discovery comes change.

When Josh Ryan Evans was alive, Julian and Evans' character, Timmy, shared a story line that some viewers felt was a turning point for Julian when the then hedonistic Crane heir actually showed a hint or two of kindness lurking within.

TIMMY

"I had a lot of fun working with Josh," Masters says. "And how could anyone not be kind to Timmy?"

Timmy, of course, was the doll his maker, Tabitha (Juliet Mills), turned into a real boy. Julian and Tabitha went one step beyond and created a real girl - their daughter, Endora.

"Julian still hasn't been able to figure that out," Master says. "But Endora is his child, and he wants to be as much of a father to her as he can."

If Julian and Timmy's shared story line was Julian's turning point in his life, most fans would say his point of no return occurred when Julian and Eve (Tracey Ross) renewed their romance.

"Working with this beautiful woman is a continuing joy for me," Masters says, "especially when I get to kiss her."

Eve and Julian have been reunited as lovers and then as parents when they found Chad, the son she gave up when she and Julian were forced to separate.