2001 Performer

Soap Opera Digest Special Issue
June 12, 2001 Volume 26, No. 24

Performer of the Week

by unknown

We already knew One Life to Live's Erika Slezak was an exquisite actress.  Who knew Viki was too? 

As has just been revealed, canny Viki used her alter to fake out the viewers and Gina, who'd been keeping her locked up and emotionally tormenting her for weeks, urging her to dump Ben.  Under that kind of pressure, it wasn't surprising that Viki's alternate personalities might resurface, and up they bobbed:  Sassy, flirty Niki; protective, violent Tommy; and the surprising heroine of the day - ramrod-straight, cool Jean.  "This can't be happening," a frightened Viki muttered, aware that her mind was again betraying her.

Or was Viki just playing for the cameras in Gina's basement?  Apparently she was, though Slezak had us convinced otherwise.  As was the plan, Viki's alters became her salvation with Jean assuming control and promising to impersonate Viki in order to get rid of Ben.  To convince Gina of her effectiveness, she rehearsed the breakup scene.  "You know I love you, but I can't live like this." "Jean" emoted in a soothing voice.  It was no mean feat to pull off this kind of layered acting:  to make it work, Slezak's Viki had to become Jean, then Jean had to "do" Viki...and darned if she didn't do it!  Yet there was enough precise formality in Jean-as-Viki's performance that we could see both characters in the same body at the same time.  She looked like Jean, yet sounded like Viki.  (That said, we did hope bespectacled Jean would tell Gina in a clipped tone, "You are the weakest link.  Good-bye!")

Salvation, they say, comes from within.  Viki believed it - and thanks to a stellar performance by one of the best in the business, so did we.