It's nine Ogene Onegine with Jenny Garth and Tory Spelling.
We are talking to Angel Boris, who played.
Emma Bennett.
Hi, Hi, look at you red hair? No longer?
Was that just for your character? No, I have I actually my hair was red for for a long long time, but I haven't. I haven't been red in a while. It's so I'm not a natural redhead. So it's a lot. It's a lot.
It's torture, isn't it. I went through the same thing. It's and yours was like a lighter red.
It's so hard.
Yeah, it's so hard to maintain, and it just I don't even to be honest, I don't even know how I got that color. It was just a mixture of like sun and son in and oh my gosh, well it was.
The perfect color for your Vixen character.
The most perfect Bob I think I've ever seen to date. You know what, Bob and Bang still calm about my hair.
People ask me all the time, when am I going to go back to the Bob with the bangs, And honestly, I don't. Never.
Never you heard it, hair people, never.
Never, no, no, no, I'll never say never. But I don't. I don't. The bangs are horrendous. When you try to grow them out, it's it's awful, and yeah.
Gen, Gen's like yeah, I know.
Yeah. Every time I cut bangs to try to like be back in the olden days, I regret it so much because they don't look the same.
They don't look the same, and when you once you try to grow them out, it's awful. It's like that awful, weird, awkward face. And I just don't want to ever deal with that again. So I do something more manageable.
Now.
You probably can't see, but it's actually purple purple. It's like a deep purple. I have a so much gray hair, so purple just kind of fits. And some pieces are lighter and so inside in the dark it looks it looks really dark.
It looks really good on zoom.
Yes, you guys look amazing.
Holy moly, you look the same except yep.
My different found some old photos too from set show us, show us.
That's us.
Like wait, wait, wait, here's here's a good one.
I'm so happy. I know.
Look, you have got to send me that.
Yes, I can wow.
Wait, okay, let's talk about this because you joined nine in nineteen ninety seven.
So was it, well, actually, was it ninety seven? Yeah, it was like late ninety seven or early ninety eight, because I moved out here in ninety seven, and this was kind of like the first first job I booked. To be honest, it was like my first real big audition.
Oh gosh, welcome to this World's.
Confused because I had a baby in late ninety seven, but I'm not pregnant on the show right now.
You already had look like it was it.
Was season eight. I keep saying. My recollection is ninety eight.
It feels like it was the beginning of ninety eight.
Ninety seven is when I moved out here. And well, I remember when we were shooting. It was right around the holidays because they doubled up, so everything was like they were shooting two shows a week instead of the one.
So so your episodes were double ups.
Yeah, So did you enjoy that one.
Of your first jobs or first job?
What it?
No, it wasn't my very first job, but one of the first big things I had booked out here. Yeah.
And then double ups, which is we try to explain this off and on. It's really hard to but it's literally filming two episodes at once. Yeah, and it's so much work and so many location changes. They're like just getting you in between sets and your brain gets scrambled.
The main thing was I mean, it was fine. It was you know, it was definitely hectic, but you know, it just gave me less time on set with you guys, which was a bummer because I, to be honest, this was still to date one of my most amazing experiences because I feel like you learned so much from some show like this, you know, you learned so much from everything, from the whole process from you guys. So I was kind of bummed that I didn't get as much time,
you know, but it was it was still good. Yeah, but definitely.
Heck, Dick, we talk as through starting like your first day on set, like what was the feeling, Like.
Wow, I was really nervous because you know, like this was this was the first I had just moved to La not that long ago, new agent, new manager, you know, and walking on set with all you guys was a little nerve wrecking. However, I did have there was one good thing I knew I in I knew I in before this wine tropic, So it was there was a familiar face for me, so that kind of broke a little bit of the ice. And I feel like you guys were all so like welcoming, so it kind of
put me at ease right away. So it wasn't as terrifying as I thought it was going to be.
Okay, this is all in real time coming back to me. Yes, so you knew Nicki correct?
Yes, yes, yes, but I do I in before Nikki.
Okay, so we're talking about Nicki Zering, who was Ion's first wife.
Yes, yes, okay, you Iron?
Wait what was Iron in a Hawaiian tropic campaign?
He liked the judge, was a judge for one of the things, and and then there was a big uh celebrity invitational thing that they did in Jamaica and he was there for that. So that's how we originally had met before Iron, before any of it, I mean, before Nikki, before any of it. He was like one of the first people that I had met, and he was just so nice. Think about Iron. He remembers everything, and he remembers everybody, And it was like when I had walked in on set, it had been a long time since
I had seen him. So the fact that he was like, oh hey, Angel. I was shook because I I was like, how does he remember me? Because that was years ago, all the fine tropic in Jamaica. But yeah, so that kind of, you know, put things a little bit at ease for me.
That's the time to remember when he loved Jamaica.
Yeah, who, I want to take you.
He was always going to Jamaica. I remember. I think he took his family there on holiday trips.
Oh yeah, it was great. It was a great trip.
What did you think about playing Brandon Walsh's secret love interest.
The woman that turned Brandon Walsh?
And literally a very hard role to step into. Yeah, when you're dealing with a couple like Brandon and Kelly, such a power couple that had been together for so long, and then in comes this bitch you know basically yeah fixed and whatever your you know, home wrecker, and you know, it's it's it's hard to walk in and be that
person to shake things up. And for a long time, right after, like right after I had aired, it was hard because you know, I'm really sensitive, so I was like listening and stupidly going online and reading what people were saying, and they were ripping me apart, and I was like, oh my god, oh my god, they hate me. But I realized that, well maybe then, I maybe that just means I did a good job. Because they hate me that much.
You did a great job.
It's so far from who I am. So but it was super fun to play. It's just it's a really it's a really hard role to come in and play the person who does something like that, no matter what show it is.
You know, imagine, I imagine. I'm sorry that that felt bad afterwards. But Tory and I have been talking about it for a couple episodes. Now we don't blame you.
Yeah, but you're so likable, Like that's the thing. I don't think I was very likable watching it back now at our age, maybe it's different, Like right.
Kelly was she wanted to be friends with you? Like you were that good.
It's you know, it's interesting. I mean, I you know, I went in and I knew it was just five episodes, and I just wanted to do the best job I could leave an impact and hopefully, you know, stir things up. But you know, I don't think she had much. You know, she was she was probably somebody who was used to never being told no, you know, had her sight set on something, and then the minute she realized, oh wait a second, oh he has a girlfriend. You know, she
became this vindictive, horrible bitch, you know. So it was it was a fun, fun role to play, for sure, but death n watch. You know, like people thought I was really really that awful for so long.
I mean, she talked to Jamie Walters. Yeah, it's so Jenna and I have been talking about this.
Do you think at any point Emma actually did fall in love with Brandon?
I think she is capable.
I don't know. I mean, I think she really liked him, and I think she you know, like I said, I think she had her sights set on him, but I don't think she really knew, you know, or even if she did know, that's to be determined. I guess that's you know, who knows if she knew that he had a girlfriend. But I think once she realized, maybe it became a challenge for her. You know, Like I said, I don't think she's somebody who really gets told no
very often. So I think when she set her sights on him and then, you know, befriending Kelly though, was kind of.
Yeah, I'm not clear if she was like she so when she found out he had a he had a girlfriend, and I didn't. I felt like there was that part of her that like wanted to show what was like what Brandon was capable of as a girl's girl, almost even like you had you did what you did to uncover this, like because.
He was a dog already with right right, Oh, you know another way of looking at it, for sure, Yeah, I mean maybe it was to uncover.
What he now maybe.
Yeah, there's so many different ways. I mean, I guess I never really dug too deep into what her real motivation was, but you know, I just kind of I remember asking the director like, how do you want? How do you see this? Like what do you want? You know, what's the feeling of it? And you know, so I kind of went with that and I'm glad it came off well. I mean, it was definitely very talked about for so long, still very still is yes, I mean at first it was, you know, I was kind of
bundles like, dang, it's only five episodes. It would have been I really enjoyed my time with you guys so much, and I was like, dang, it would have been cool to have had more time, but you know, thinking about it, to come in and have such a pivotal role and like, you know, stir things up and have people talking about it for so long is great too, you know.
And to be so young and to own that role in that world. Looking back at it, it's like super impressive. I mean, you were always so cool and we all became friends, but looking at it with a new respect, now,
oh my god. They craized to you for doing that, honestly, And I love the moments, like they really do try to integrate Emma into the friend group, and I can hear moments of like your real laugh and your real personality coming through, and I'm like, that's our girl, Like yeah, because we were all really friends and it was cool, I know. Yeah, we wish it had been longer too.
Yeah, you know miss Jason's fault he left the show.
Well that okay, So that is because because I heard I recently did another interview and they were asking me about it and I was like, I'm actually not sure. There was talk that Jason was going to be leaving the show, and I think that's why they had him do this, you know, to like shake things up and then have him leave face but I wasn't sure, like, oh, is that was that? Really? But didn't he come back? He came back though?
Right?
No he left?
Wait he never came back?
Wait angels, don't tell her she isn't.
After I was off the show, I kind of fell off it a little bit. I didn't watched the very very end.
I have a watch I have.
My character is so cool.
They seem to be taking nine O two and zero now that we are rewatching it as adults into more of a nighttime soap, right genre, and in that vein like you would be like the Joan Collins kind of character. Right, they're lcklayer, So why it's interesting that they wouldn't, regardless of Brandon, have her stay or come back?
Is we're good enough?
Well, it's interesting I think stay or come back at that point, probably no one would have accepted her or.
Right, right? I mean, I you know, here's something and I wonder and I don't know for sure, but it was something that my second manager had told me that there was talk when I first got the part, when I first auditioned, I think they had mentioned, well, maybe you know, maybe it'll go on more than because it was initially five episodes, but you know, they always leave
it open in case, you know. But I think my manager at the time he said no, no, no, no, We're just going to do the five episodes because his in his mind it was a dying show, which is so stupid. So he thought, no, there are like eight seasons in let's just do your five episodes and move on to something better.
I thought, wrong, Like, I don't think, I thought, I don't think that bad advice, because no, you made such an impact with your character.
I didn't know at the time that that was even on the table. You know. It's been nice to know because I might have said, Hey, I don't care, let's I mean, it's work, you know, and that's what we all want, especially when you're new to LA and yeah, but hey, you know, I'm happy with it, you know. I'm happy with the way it came out, and I'm happy that I did get my five episodes and that people still talk about it.
It's so interesting watching it now. I can't picture Kelly and Emma as friends.
No, I can.
I can because I feel like I think Kelly's intrigued by her because she's so such a like brave woman and she's you know, she feels like an equal with her like I don't know, and she feels inspired by her writing.
Maybe you guys could have broken her down. I think she had a little bit of an ego. You know, she was just kind of like, you know, like she gets what she wants.
But you didn't act that way with Kelly. No, I mean the after act Emma didn't act that would Kelly. Yeah.
I think well maybe because like I said, I think she has this very like double side to her. You know, it's like on one hand, she's like she's really sweet. But I don't know if that was I think that was all, you know, to get you know, to get even with Brandon for what he did because he slept with her, and oh how dearek he sleep with her
when he has a girlfriend. And you know, I think Emma thought that there was actually gonna be something between them, and so the minute did we Yeah, so the minister that he had a girlfriend, it was like, oh, game on, okay, you want to play that guy?
Watched the episode where you boil the watch.
Now betal Attraction had already come out.
Was there talk on set during that of like oh, this is like replicating the boiling the bunny.
There might have been I don't even know, but I I watched that scene back and I think, oh my gosh, it's so say it's like the whole it's so so silly, you're stabbing at it. I threw it in and I'm like, oh no, Kelly, He's like, I don't remember.
I don't remember where it's from.
I smashed that thing. It didn't just.
It's like role ex bitch, just say you got it from there, Like it doesn't matter.
Any can not know, Like you couldn't come up with anything on the spot about where he got from.
So weird.
Well, I know I was actually trying to you know, she was trying to put him on the spot. I mean yeah, I mean I think, you know, maybe her and Kelly could have become friends at some point, but we'll never know, not after what she did. No, No, that's it's not very redeeming at all.
We talked to us about wardrobe. Your wardrobe is fantastic.
Oh thank you. Yeah, you guys have had amazing hair, makeup wardrobe team. I mean wow, wow, for sure.
Yeah, did you have input there or did you bring your own close work.
No input, No, that was like here you go, you know, I mean, she's a writer, so they had her you know, professional, and.
I like her dresses, like when she goes to the after dark.
I like that. The skirt length was not professional. I'm gonna just say what the skirt length with your little blazers not professional?
Right, very nineties like professional.
Yeah, I don't know. Yeah, I wish I had had input, but I you know, I feel like I liked everything they had me in.
Yeah. Yeah, No, you definitely looked.
Great gray, that great turtleneck that was that was good. And there was some green top. I like green, so.
Yeah, redheads. Yeah.
But you went on to do General Hospital. Was that a much different vibe than our set?
Oh? Yeah, I mean so General Hospital came a little later because after nine o two and zero, I did a whole bunch of other like guest star roles and sci fi movies and all that, and then General Hospital came around. That was similar, bit different. You know, it's that's a real soap set and you're your deals are real fast. Yeah, it goes super fast, and you're you're shooting like a show a day and you're like, you know, going through forty pages of dialogue. You know, it's it's insane,
it's nuts. It was definitely, but it was good because I feel like all that stuff before just kind of prepared me. I don't know if I could handle that much dialogue now because my brain could never.
Now I had to, I had remember a few lines the other day. I could not do it, you guys, I'll ever be able to do it.
I mean, how do we read? How did we do that?
How did we know?
I don't know.
I mean my brain can't even think of it, Like, I don't even know.
I'd remember what I had for dinner last night, Like I can't imagine what.
Did you have for dinner?
I remember you guys, Dave it was night and Dave Cookburger's, the whole family.
Nice.
Yeah, nice, but yeah, it took me a minute to remember. So that doesn't work. When you're on set and a character put you know, shoes they're rolling, You're like, wait, you got to get the Q cards out?
One time on General Hospital that somehow I missed pulling a scene I missed, like when I was going.
The night Oh my gosh, yes, from.
The script right, and I somehow missed it and so we're we're filming, we're filming, and we're just about to go to lunch and they're like, okay, we're gonna block this scene. And I'm like, uh, I don't have this scene? What scene? And they're like pages. So it was a lot of pages too.
Oh my god.
And it was a scene where like I had to cry, and it was like this whole emotional scene. So I was like, okay, guys, I you know, I got to spend my lunch working on it. So I did. I just buried myself into the you know, in the dressing room, and I worked on it for the whole lunch hour. And I came back and we nailed it. And then they looked at me like how the hell did you do that? And I was like, I don't know.
I don't know. It used to be so easy.
It's like a dream where you're naked in school. Oh my god, that's a nightmare.
Yeah, it was terrifying. It was the one and only time it happened, though. I never I made sure after that. I was like, oh my god, I go through my script like five times just to make sure I got everything because that was so horrible.
Yeah, it used to be so much easier though, Like you, I used to say, the reason I couldn't remember anything from like my earlier life was because my brain was so strong about learning lines, like learning lines on the day I did. There were times on Nineatuano when I never even did any prep the night before. I would
just go in. I started to kind of enjoy it, like I wanted to just see what spot eight he would bring to a scene, not not having over rehearsed it in my own mind, right, And it got really fun. But that was like risky for sure, but it worked. I don't know, And now I'm like, I don't think I could do it at all.
Yeah, But I also think, like when you when you're so far, when you're so far into the show and you have the character down and you know, you know, it's it, I feel like that would be easier to kind of you know, maybe not even ad lib, but just kind of wing it a little bit, you know, because and then the reactions everything's a little bit more authentic, I guess, And I guess I mean I would just kind of try to remember bullet points of the script, like you know that would lead into this line, this
sight and you know, sometimes I would drop a line and forget and then get really mad, you know, like, shit, I'm supposed to say that line. That was a good line.
I know.
We have like two minutes left with you, and I think there's so many questions I have for you, and I don't know which direction we give one.
Give one.
Okay, Well, I want to talk about your three kids. But is your oldest.
Twenty He's going to be twenty one this year.
Oh my oh gosh.
Yeah, yeah, I know, it's crazy. So twenty one, and then I have an almost nineteen year old next month, and then my daughter's fifteen. I know, I know. It's wild. The last home doing for the last twenty one years.
Yeah, you've been a little busy, yes.
And raising kids and you know, managing all that in life. And now that you know they're kind of grown and my daughter's fifteen, I'm like, oh wow, my gosh, I could maybe do something again.
I can have a life again. It's all starting again.
Okay, yeah, the best.
It is great.
Okay.
So when we were working together, we became friends and we were all hanging out and on the show. At the time, the characters of Donna and Noah right started dating, right do you were called behind the scenes of me and Vince at the time, I don't know. So he and I started dating, but he didn't want anyone to know jenu Oh, okay, okay, but not really dating. I was young, I was impressionable.
I was like nicest guy ever.
And he and I have talked about it, you know, twenty years thirty years after, like and going back, like, oh we were so young and not thinking straight.
But it was the type of thing.
He came onto the show and I we had a connection and we started in my girl brain seeing each other in his boy newfound star brain. You know, he it was probably a different meaning and we got along really great. But I we ended up being like boyfriend girlfriend when the show ended. But it was a really hard thing I didn't really know about till like twenty five years later. That for him, he was like, this is my big break, this is her dad's the do
you serve the show? Which as you knew me, and then like, that's not my brain at all, Like I didn't. I tried to disconnect from that to be my own person. So when I fell for him, you know, I didn't think like Okay, gosh, if this didn't go right, my dad would fire him, like it was never I didn't work like that or my dad.
So yeah, any why did I bring this up? Now? I'm panicking, John.
I help you.
Because there's some thing that I feel like I threw him a birthday party at and I closed down an entire bar.
Do you remember this at all?
Do you remember?
Okay, okay, this is coming in real time, you guys. I'm so sorry.
Wait did she was I there?
You were there?
I vaguely remember it was at a bar.
You were there? Angel? Yeah?
I know I was there, but I vaguely remember, like who all was there?
Oh?
I don't remember either. But it was the same thing that kind of happened a lot with.
Us, that I would hear stories later that he was flirting with girls, and it's like in my head, I was like, oh, I'm kind of with him and it was hard. And I remember hearing that off set he had flirted with you, and I was like, oh, and that bummed me out on his part because I was like, she's my friend and like I really care about her, But you didn't know that there was anything I didn't know going on with us, So it was a hard thing at the time.
Oh, actually, this feels good telling you this all these years later.
It was hard for me because I really cared about you, but I didn't feel like I could tell you, like, hey, he's with me, because he wasn't really with me right right according to him at the time.
I now feel like so bad because I know I get that time. I do remember at that party, I think I got. I think I had a few too many drinks and I think I was God, I want to say I was even Like did I dance on the table? I hope I did not.
There is a dance involved. There was a dance involved.
There was some dancing involved, but I.
Do remember that's what I heard. I don't know.
I do remember him being very flirty with me, and we had talked a bit, but I had no.
Clue, no, and nothing ended up happening like it was fine, But it.
Was like the thing is, though, had I had I known that you guys were even talking or dating, there's no way.
I know that. Like your rat and always were and respectful.
Then it was such a hard thing in my brain because I didn't feel worthy in that time in my life.
I didn't.
I don't know, Like looking back now, but it was today, i'd be like, hey, can I talk to you about something like I don't know what's going to happen with this relationship, but we have something and we're just not talking about it to people. But got in our twenties, like young twenties, it was hard.
It was hard. It was very hard, but also like he should have known better, Like come on, guys were.
Very flirty with everyone. Let's be real.
Yeah that's true, but it's true. But I mean, I don't know, because I don't. I didn't feel like anybody else was actually dirty with me, you know, even Brian, who was super sweet day one. I mean, look at this picture you would think, like, what is that? Like this is first day on sex.
Very certainly, very very friendly.
I just thought, Okay, everybody's really cool, everybody's really fun. But it but it didn't, you know, it didn't feel like he was like trying to hit on me or anything like that. And gosh, now with Vincent, I'm like trying to think back, but my brain doesn't remember a whole lot from.
Thirty years ago.
No, I know, do vaguely remember that, and I do remember him being super flirty and that kind of like is very upsetting now because you know, like mussed up.
That's in the past.
It's so in the past, and it's not and it had nothing to do with you on your And also I don't blame him either. It's like, God, we were all young, it wasn't and hey, maybe I should blame myself.
Because I should have said, hey, if you're going to kind of see me behind the scenes, like we'll.
Also figure out what this is because women like we doesn't feel good.
When it comes to early I mean, at least for me when when I'm in a relationship, especially if I like a guy like I, you know, like in my mind we're exclusive, we're dating, but them, they're like, oh, we're just dating. Means a whole different thing, you know. It's like, yeah, we're seeing each other, but I'm seeing this person and I'm seeing this person.
Right, And I didn't ask him, I didn't pinpoint things down. And that's on me. As a woman raising five kids and two strong females, I'm like, I'm so glad my my girls and kids are so different than how I was right and behaved that long ago. And the confidence is so amazing that I love it.
But now that we're older and we have easier to talk about, now it's easier, like because now I'm pretty sure now you would you would be like right away, like, hey, you know, just so you know, you know, we are kind of seeing each other. You know, you would have said something right off the bat, right, Well.
I would hope then this day and time, I wouldn't have even gone there.
To begin with. I'd be like, we get along, we have a lot in common.
But hey, if you're not willing to tell other people and we're like hiding it, why are you hiding me?
I don't deserve that.
So yeah, wow, so wait, so you guys were did you guys ever officially come out as dating.
Or we did? Okay when the show ended, when the show got it, got it?
Yeah, and he walked my first red carpet with me holding my hand like, okay, thank you.
Three years later here we are nice, nice.
Well, Well I'm so glad we got that all out in the open.
Yes, me too. Oh my goodness, well, my your apologies if I you know, overstep dead anytime?
You never did.
You were so amazing to work with and everyone has the same fond memories of working with you. Oh that's so nice when all the pieces fall together. It's not always that case with people coming in and out of a show over ten years, and everyone consistently.
Loved you and your energy.
Thank you, thank you.
Well.
It was like I said, it was for me really exciting because I was new in LA and to me, this was like a really big opportunity. So, you know, it was really important to me to you know, just go in and be you know, authentic and we're awesome backed with as many people, and plus I love being on set. I like to learn and stuff. So I had a good time, even with the crew and the makeup and the you know, the behind the scenes people.
So fun.
Yeah, super fun.
Oh my gosh. Well so great to catch up seeing you again.
You're amazing, You look beautiful. Congrats on your family.
Thank you and killing it.
Now it's time for you to get back to work, right.
I was going to say, Angel Boris read two point zero.
Here you go.
I appreciate that. Yeah, I mean, I'm definitely giving it some thought now that my kids are a little bit older, and you know, life has taken different directions the last couple of years. So yeah, it's now time to start thinking about me again.
So I love it. Thank you, thank you so much.
Sweet, I'm going to text with you. I want that picture.