All My Children Has Heard About This Iraq Thing And Thinks It's Just Awful

Um, I'm all for telling the stories of our men and women in uniform. But, no:

LOS ANGELES - An open casting call for "All My Children" is far from business as usual: The soap opera is seeking an Iraq war veteran to play an injured veteran.

The ABC daytime show has created a romantic story line to combine entertainment and a window into the challenges faced after combat, said executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers.

The veteran-turned-actor will play the character of Brot, a key figure in a plot that's already under way and involves a visitor to fictional Pine Valley, Army Lt. Taylor Thompson (Beth Ehlers).

Taylor, who was stationed in Iraq and is on medical leave, has come to town to deliver medals to fellow soldier Dr. Frankie Hubbard (Cornelius Smith Jr.). But it's Brot, the soldier and lover she believes died in combat, who's on her mind.

Brot, however, survived. Unwilling to involve Taylor in his suffering, he's allowed her to think he's dead.

Their story will begin unfolding when the right veteran is found for the part, Carruthers said. The casting call isn't limited to those who were wounded in the war, an ABC spokesman said.

But the role will shaped around a veteran's experience, possibly including a war-caused disability, Carruthers said.

"Thank you for coming in today. First off, let me just say how proud we all are of you and your service to this country. It's an honor to meet someone who has sacrificed so much for the good of us all. Now, I know you probably haven't been to that many auditions, so let me tell you how this is going to work. You're going to stand over there, where that tape makes kind of T on the carpeting? You stand there so we can get some video of you, and then I'm going to be sitting over here next to the camera reading the part of Lieutenant Taylor, and we're just going to have fun with this, OK? Yep, just right over there on that T. Now, if you could just remove any prosthetic limbs or wipe the make-up hiding your horrible disfigurement from your face, we'd like to really get a sense of what you can bring to the role. I'm sorry? You didn't lose any limbs? Surely your face must have been burned horribly, or maybe there is a bullet wound in your cheek? Nothing. OK, well let me just say again how much of an honor it is to meet you, and how much we all appreciate what you've done in service to your country. Are you thirsty? Andy, could you get him some coffee or a juice or something? And send in that guy who you said you saw crying in the bathroom. The one who looked all fucked up. He sounds perfect for this horrible thing we are doing."

Posted by Gabe at 9:35 AM in Casting Calls, Soap Operas
Tags: All My Children | War In Iraq