Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald's persistence in pining for handsome Ethan Crane, Passions's most eligible heir, hasn't paid off ? yet ? but she's not discouraged. So what if he's engaged to childhood sweetheart Gwen Hotchkiss? Lindsay Korman's earnest and sensitive portrayal makes it hard to think that Theresa won't some day get exactly what she wants, especially in light of Ethan's recent revelations.

The actress, a Palm Springs, CA, native, was working in musical theater before Passions execs discovered her in 1999. The gifted vocalist, who has already sung on the soap, has performed on Broadway in Grease and in a Las Vegas showgirl spectacular show. Recently, the actress chatted with TV Guide Online about Theresa's unwavering love for Ethan, performing live, and star-sighting on the studio lot where Passions tapes.
? Michael J. Maloney


You've done a great job keeping Theresa sympathetic and likable, despite her almost obsessive love for Ethan. Fans admire Theresa's perseverance.

Thank you very much. Fans have come up to me to tell me they want Theresa to be with Ethan. I think I get that reaction mostly because Theresa's a hopeless romantic. She sincerely wants the fairy tale ending. She wants what her parents had. That's a big thing for her.

Do you ever hear from the Gwen/Ethan supporters?

Yes. And they're there, too. [The Gwen/Ethan fans] are people who've been part of couples themselves since childhood. It's really well written because there are people who are rooting for both sides.

Travis [Schuldt, who plays Ethan] also does a great job because Ethan has had to be oblivious to Theresa's feelings, which are so evident to the audience.

Travis has a challenging role and he's done very well. A lot of things will be now happening for Ethan and Theresa where he'll become more aware of his feelings, which will be nice. I think Jim Reilly [Passions's head writer and creator] is the most amazing human being. As a writer, he can do the smallest things to a character that will really change his or her perspective. [What's coming up] is Ethan discovering his feelings for Theresa. He doesn't discover that Theresa has feelings for him. It's about Ethan realizing his own feelings.

What's great is that Passions sticks to its stories. Other soaps have jettisoned storylines midstream during their first years, but Theresa/Ethan/Gwen is still going strong.

Exactly. It's like that with other triangles on the show, too, like Ivy/Sam/Grace. It's pretty amazing, apparently. We had a meeting with Lisa [Hesser, Passions's executive producer] and she said that [keeping consistent casts and storylines] doesn't happen with a lot of new shows.

I liked the scenes at the nightclub where Whitney, Kay and Theresa were talking about love and relationships. Theresa thought things happened by fate; Whitney said that you have to work for it; and Kay, of course, had her own twisted view.

When we were shooting those scenes we all said [that] this is like a fantasy to have all the characters get together and talk about their views on love. It was like group therapy. We all enjoy working together and when we get opportunities to do group scenes, we have so much fun. I love working with Taylor Anne [Mountz, who plays Kay]. Everybody in the cast is awesome. It's great to be part of this amazing team.

The show obviously has more fans than the ratings indicate. Is it frustrating that the numbers haven't gone up more?

When we go out on public appearances, yes, we see that there are more and more fans. And we get excited and we enjoy that. I honestly do think that what goes around comes around. If fans continue to get excited about the show, then I think the numbers will go up. We're No. 1 in the teen demographics. Even if it doesn't show [right now], we know we're doing well. The cast knows. People around us know. There's a lot of positive energy going on.

Might Theresa's feelings for Ethan change if it turns out that Ethan is not a Crane and that he is, as has been theorized, Sam and Ivy's son?

To be completely honest, I don't know what Jim has in mind with that. But I don't think that that would affect Theresa. She'd still love Ethan. She wants to be married to him. He's a Crane and, sure, with that comes all kinds of fabulous things. But it's Ethan whom she loves ? not that he's a Crane.

Theresa's gone through varying degrees of accepting that it's not going to happen between her and Ethan, but each time she regains her hope. Is that challenging for you as an actress?

Yes. There was a period where Theresa said she was going to get over Ethan. But, as Lindsay, I knew that that wasn't going to happen [laughs] or else my storyline would be over! So I had to just focus and know where Theresa was coming from, keeping in mind that people in life say things that they don't mean in times of desperation and fear.

Amen.

She doesn't want to give up, but she tried to tell herself to give up because everyone was telling her that it wasn't going to work. Theresa's famous line is, "I know in my heart of hearts that we are meant to be together." That's what drives her. She grabs onto any moment of hope and it puts her back in the frame of mind that it's meant to be with her and Ethan.


Tabitha predicted that Theresa will marry a Crane. Some think that it might end up being Julian. The scenes where he was going to move in on Theresa and dance with her at the nightclub, prompting Ethan to dance with Theresa instead, were great. Theresa thought Ethan really wanted to be with her.

It's that double twist. It's great when things like that happen. I also happen to love working with Ben Masters (Julian). We've got some fun stuff coming up later this month.

You'd been a singer prior to Passions, appearing in Las Vegas and on Broadway.

Yes. I was one of the lead singers at the Viva Las Vegas show at the Sands Hotel before the hotel imploded. I was 16, going to college and was one of the youngest girls to perform on the Strip.

Was that a lot to handle at your age? Boy, that question makes me sound old! I guess a lot of 16-year-olds think they can handle a lot.

[Laughs] Well, there you go. You answered it. I did do a lot. I moved to New York when I was 18 [to perform in Grease!]. You don't really think of it as overwhelming. It was like, "Yeah, I get to live in New York and perform on Broadway." Even when you get "older" you should always keep that excitement and enthusiasm for anything that you do. My parents have always been amazing in that they've always supported my career.

Who was in Grease! with you?

I worked with Sheena Easton, Jasmine Guy and Tracy Nelson. All three of them did turns as Rizzo. All of them were amazing. Jasmine Guy was incredible.

Do you miss live performing?

Yes. You act with the same passion and you believe in your character, but there's a nice connection you have with the audience in live performing. The audience is right there, taking the journey with you.

Most soaps are taped at a facility with game shows, talk shows or other soaps, but you're at a studio where a lot of prime-time shows are filmed. Have you seen any stars on the lot?

I heard that Sigourney Weaver was on the lot and that Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt were supposed to come, too, but I haven't really seen that many. We get to watch on our monitors some of the prime-time shows being filmed, so that's a lot of fun.

How long do you see yourself playing out Theresa's saga?

Oh, I'm willing to play Theresa for quite a long time. She's fun and she's dramatic and it's just a joy to be here on the show.