Spend Valentine's Day With Bradford Anderson's "Cupid" - Part Three

In Parts One and Two of our interview with Bradford Anderson the beloved quirky actor discussed his exciting new role on THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS, as well as his memorable tenure on GENERAL HOSPITAL as Spinelli, and the highs and lows of Spinelli's relationship with Maxie.  In this final part below he discusses his participation in the band Port Chuck, his pilot on TNT, as well as insights into his career on daytime.  What's next for this multi-talented artist? Find out below!

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Last year you went on tour with Steve Burton, Scott Reeves, and Brandon Barash, as a member of “Port Chuck.”  How was the tour?
Bradford Anderson: It was a blast! Us four guys have a great time together.  Steve has been a great friend, a great support system, and a great mentor to me, for a very long time.  He’s one of the most generous gracious fellows I’ve ever met.  Then you add Scott Reeves to that and he’s this great light of positive energy at all times.  Brandon and I were pretty tight, we were so lucky that Steve and Scott invited us to be part of it.  They take care of a lot of the details.  Scott has been a successful musician in Nashville, and Steve has the know-how and means to set things in motion.  Scott does the booking, Steve does the management stuff, and Brandon and I just show up.  We were on a tour bus together with nine other guys, going from city to city, getting to hang out with large groups of excited people.  It was something new for me.  I’ve been in music my whole life, but never in a band.  It was a childhood dream fulfilled. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: I can only imagine what that tour bus was like.
Bradford Anderson: You have to be fairly responsible because you’re driving through the night, sleeping on bunks, then you have to sing your heart out and talk.  It wasn’t the singing that was hard on the voice, it’s the Q&A’s and meet and greets.  It’s all the taking we do, then you have to sing your face off, then talk some more.  You have to take care of yourself or you’ll have no voice.  We’re excited to be going out again this April. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Any wild stories you can share?
Bradford Anderson: We wanted to take some photos on that bridge in Chicago that was used in the opening of PERFECT STRANGERS [Irv Kupcinet Bridge].  You can see them on our website.  We look like we’ve been on a ten day bender.  We are all puffy faced.  But, the experience of [taking the picture] was probably illegal.  If cops had come by they would have told us to get down.  We were trying to take “cool band photos.” We thought we were being reckless and wild.  Then we looked at the pictures, we looked like drunk old men. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: How can you sleep on a bus with twelve other people?
Bradford Anderson: Sleeping is one of my talents.  I’ve always been a good sleeper.  The cots in the bus are tiny, they are like sleeping in a cocoon.  There is something comforting about it (laughs), comforting and comfortable not being equal.  They are not the most comfortable, but they are comforting. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Looking forward, you have a pilot coming up on TNT Network.
Bradford Anderson: We shot that back in December.  It’s with me, D.L. Hughley, Steven Weber, and some other great actors.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What is it called?
Bradford Anderson: It’s untitled at this time, but it’s based on a book titled, “The Rabbit Factory,” by Marshall Carp. That may end up the title, we’re not sure.  It was written by Allen Loeb, who wrote Wall Street, and that new Adam Sandler movie Just Go With It.  We were lucky to get to work with him.  It is a cop procedural show.  It is about a main detective, played by Steven Weber, whose wife died a year ago.  The show starts on the one-year anniversary of her death, and he gets a letter from her.  He’s not sure who sent it, but it does say he’ll be getting a letter every Monday for the foreseeable future.  That’s the emotional thread, and then every week there is a murder. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What is your role?
Bradford Anderson: I am the L.A. Sheriff Department’s tech consultant.

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: What’s with you and computers?
Bradford Anderson: It’s funny, the audition was just pages of informational regurgitation, basically reading off a computer monitor without actually reading.  And you know I’ve been doing that for four years.  But this character is not nearly as eccentric as  Spinelli.  He’s a little bit older so there isn’t as much as the verbal gymnastics.  But there is still a lot of information relay with a lot of technical elements.  I could tell that when I did the audition smoothly and comfortably that I had a leg up. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Is spreading your creative wings important to you?
Bradford Anderson: I often wish it was 1980 and I knew for sure that there would be 30 years left of GENERAL HOSPITAL and I would have a place in that somewhere.  But unfortunately that’s not the case.  That’s the reality now, soaps probably aren't going to last forever.  So for an actor, as much as I love this job, as much I love being here, I at the very least have to keep myself relevant outside the building.  I have to make sure I’m doing things outside of being buried in the daytime world.  You can get lost.  The outside world forgets about you.

It is bittersweet though.  Like I said before, I know this is going to be the best job I’ll ever have. If I have to make a decision to ever leave for the sake of my career at large, that will be a tough decision.  I’ll know I’d be going to another job that might advance my career, but might make my life more difficult.  That’s why people stay on soaps so long.  It is a predictable schedule, you can still most likely be done at the end of the work day and pick your kid up from school, or go to your kids’ baseball games.  You can be active with the rest of the world, you’re not shooting through the night.   It’s the most stable job in the entertainment industry.  But it’s not viewed by the outside world as the top job on the totem pole.  There is a give and take.  For most people who come here, they say, “This life is better than any I could have imagined in this industry.” This job is best suited for a normal life.  But it may not be around the rest of my working life. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: You were nominated for Daytime Emmy Awards in 2009 and 2010.  What was it like to get that level of recognition from your peers?
Bradford Anderson: It is, as you say, from your peers.  To be recognized by your peers is really special.  That’s why the ceremony itself is so fun.  It’s more like having fun with your friends, and some of your friends will happen to win awards that night.  Of course being at any award show is nerve wrecking.  But there it is a little more casual because it is us voting for each other. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: Spinelli has nicknames for everyone in his world.  What would be his nickname for Bradford Anderson?
Bradford Anderson: That’s a great question.  His nicknames tend to be spot-on, it is usually the one adjective you would describe that person by.  For me, I have a hard time finding one adjective.  Which is not say I’m indescribable! Maybe, “The Sincere One.”  I try to live each moment with sincerity. 

WE LOVE SOAPS TV: If you could go back four years ago and give yourself  a piece of advice, what would that be?
Bradford Anderson: “Save even more.” I was pretty good at being responsible back then and not buying myself frivolous things.  But I wish I had done even better.  Now that I’m married, now that I’m looking forward to building a family.  Having savings is very important.  That may not be the most exciting thing to say. Steve [Burton] gave me good advice.  I took it and did very well, but I could have done better. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thank you for reading! And don't forget to support Bradford by checking out his new role on THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF CUPID AND EROS.

Damon L. Jacobs is a Licensed Therapist now accepting new clients in New York City.  He is also the author of the popular book "Absolutely Should-less: The Secret to Living the Stress-Free Life You Deserve," currently available at Amazon.com. For more information about scheduling an appointment, please email him at [email protected].