How Actress Ellen Dolan Got Her Dream Job As The World Turns
Susan Dansby: Hi, I’m Susan Dansby and I’m here with Ellen Dolan from As the world turns.
Ellen Dolan was born and raised in Iowa, earning her BA and MA in theater from the University of Iowa. While studying for her BA, she spent a summer studying dramatic arts at London’s Webber Douglas Academy.
Her stage career began in repertory theater with roles as Katrin in Mother courageOther regional productions like Maggie in Cat on a tin roof, May in How the other half lovesand Cleya in The nerd. She was a founding member of the Studio 3 Group and is currently a member of the Workshop Theater Group.
Off-Broadway in which he starred Sophistry and I forgive you, Ronald Regan, and has worked on episodic television on shows like Law and order SVU.
Ellen joined As the world turns as a policewoman, Margo Hughes, in November 1989, when the late Doug Marland, who was the lead writer for the CBS daytime drama, asked her to consider the role.
Marland had created Maureen Bauer’s former role of Dolan in Guide light. Dolan debuted in Guide light in 1982, playing the character of Maureen Bauer for the next four years.
His additional television credits include made-for-television movies, Mother’s Day, Mothers, daughters and lovers with Helen Shaver, and Dancing with danger with Cheryl Ladd.
Hello Ellen Dolan! How are you?
Ellen Dolan: Okay, now I can talk.
Susan Dansby: If you can speak.
Ellen Dolan: Thanks! Enough about me. Let’s go to me.
Susan Dansby: Well, the big question from this interview is: How did you get that job? Doug Marland came up to you to play Margo. How did the idea come about? Did he just call you one day?
Ellen Dolan: Yes. My mother had just passed away. And I moved to Los Angeles for the first time. And you should never leave town after your mother dies. You’re not in a very good mood.
But there I was, in Los Angeles, and I was doing what I could and getting along. And my car had been stolen, so I moved more to the Hollywood area. And I was going to put up with it.
And all of a sudden, I got a call from Doug Marland saying, “Would you consider playing this role of Margo because Hillary Bailey Smith [original Margo] she’s really going to leave this time. “Because she’d been planning to leave, I guess, several different times, and she never did. Because who would want to quit that role?
But he asked me if I would. And I said, “Yes. I’d love to.” I had been in Los Angeles for three months and I thought it was time to go home, because I was not ready yet.
Then I found out, “Well, okay, then we’ll give you a test.”
It was like, “A test? A test ?!” I felt like Joey in Friends. “What do you mean you want to test me? I AM Dr. So-and-So.”
So I was like, ‘Oh, okay, testing.’ So, I went in; And it was the first time I saw Scott Holmes [played Tom Hughes on ATWT]. And he was cheerful and funny and charming. And I was the first person to record with him. And badda-bing, badda-boom. I have it.
Susan Dansby: What was that scene about?
Ellen Dolan: I think it was the scene where she had to tell him that Adam was not her son.
Susan Dansby: Wow.
Ellen Dolan: Because later when he was doing it, we had scenes where we had to tell Hal that Adam was his son.
