Cole Survivor

His Character Bit the Dust, But GL's Bradley Cole Rose from the Ashes
by Melissa Scardaville

Since  last year-- while the aftermath of Richard's death rippled throughout Springfield-- Bradley Cole, who played the late prince of San Cristobel from 1999-2002, had been living the good life. He completed his third compact disc (titled In Our Time) and was entertaining offers from soaps on both coasts. Then, Guiding Light-- in one of John Conboy's first moves as executive producer-- came knocking. "I think everybody was thinking in the back of their minds that maybe, at some point, there was a possibility of my return, but I certainly wasn't thinking that it would be that quickly," shares Cole, who met with Conboy at the beginning of the year about playing a brand-new and radically different character, Jeffrey. "There were a few changes over there that were good changes," confides Cole. "I really appreciated John and his attitude, his enthusiasm [for the show] and his enthusiasm to have me. It wasn't an easy decision because I had a lot of other things I was trying to do, most of it concerning my music. But he assured me that that wasn't going to be a problem. So, I made a list of pros and cons. The pros far out-weighed the cons-- and here I am."

While Cole won't discuss the nuts and bolts of his exit last year, he does note that the vast differences between upstanding, clean-cut Richard and blunt, rough-around-the edges Jeffrey have enabled him to let his hair down this time around. "Jeffrey doesn't have a lot of the same boundaries that Richard had [that] prohibited him from certain behavior patterns. So, this is a dream to play a role like this," he says.

Although Richard enjoyed almost overnight popularity with many fans, Cole isn't sure if that support will transfer. "It feels weird because I don't know if they were reacting to the character or if they were reacting to the actor. That's one of the scary things about doing someone like Jeffrey, who is rude and crude and crass. He's the opposite of Richard in so many ways that who knows if they are going to respond in the same way?" he muses. "Initially, I think it was jarring, but we're already past that place. I think that Richard is-- I hate to say it-- a distant memory."

cole shares that it's fun to be reunited with his former San Cristobel company, Laura Wright (Cassie) and David Andrew Macdonald (Edmund), but quickly points out that another benefit he is reaping is Jeffrey's contact with the rest of Springfield. "I was totally isolated the last time. I did have a bit of interaction here and there, but I mean, they put Richard on an island and left him there, for God's sake," he laughs. "I am really enjoying playing with all these other actors who I never got an opportunity to work with before. Ricky [Paull Goldin, Gus] was just joining the show when I was leaving, but I've been working a lot with him and I really enjoy that, as well as Beth Ehlers [Harley]. I have so much admiration for them. The other day, I was watching Beth work when I was in a scene with her. I was like, 'Wow, she's really good.' [I have loved] the intermingling with all the cast, like Jerry verDorn [Ross] and some of the veterans. I feel very lucky to be able to work with them."

If Cole has his way, he'll be working at GL for a while-- even though it's not his first love. "I want to make another record, but first I want to promote this one," he says. "I'm also working on another project. So, music, music, music is my main thrust-- aside from my work at the studio. We'll see where this takes me."

Courtesy of Soap Opera Digest