FLASHBACK: Krista Likes Sensation of Mindy 1984

KRISTA LIKES THE SENSATION OF MINDY

By Jon Michael Reed
Los Angeles Times
April 6, 1984

Krista Tesreau, who plays Mindy Lewis Spaulding on GUIDING LIGHT, has created a sensation in the year she's been on the CBS serial. She's been hailed as "Soaps' Golden Girl" and is being compared to a young Susan Lucci, who created quite a stir (and continues to do so) when she debuted as Erica Kane on ALL MY CHILDREN.

"That's very flattering," says Tesreau, "since I admire Susan enormously. We met at a soap function not too long ago, and I liked her immediately. She's also tiny and short, like me," said the 5-foot-3, St. Louis-born Tesreau.

Perhaps it's not coincidental, then, that their characters are "sisters in soap sin."

"Mindy is manipulative," says Tesreau. "She's a conniver; out to get what she wants, although sometimes she's as much a victim, especially recently, as she is the culprit. She's been spoiled rotten by a rich daddy, but she's vulnerable. She constantly needs reassurance. Despite all she has, she really doesn't have confidence within herself that she's beautiful or capable of being loved. She's a determined little demon of a spitfire, though," the actress added with a hint of admiration.

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Tesreau is equally determined. "I've known what I've wanted since I was 3 years old," said the 20-year-old actress. "I was always a 'ham.' I began dance and piano lessons when I was 4, and everything I've done since then has been on a path toward a show business career."

The "baby" of a three-girl family (her sisters are married non-professionals), Tesreau was a classical pianist in concert competitions as a teen-ager and a finalist in a nationwide Liberace Talent Search. She was a Missouri Miss Teen, cheerleader and trophy-winning gymnyst until a trampoline injury put her out of commission.

After attending the University of Missouri, she moved to Los Angeles, where she did commercials before landing her role on GUIDING LIGHT.

"Things have happened fast in the past few years. I'm very lucky to be working with such a great group of people, who've been supportive and taught me the ropes," said Tesreau. "But there's no time for romance in my private life. I'm too busy learning my craft and enjoying the public attention. I admit it. I like being recognized, which gets back to the 'ham' in me. But the really important thing for me is to develop whatever skills I may have to the fullest."