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ATWT's Katie Peretti: Terri Conn (Soap Opera Digest Online - November 1998)
Daytime Actor: Terri Conn
Soap Character: Katie Peretti, As The World Turns
Birthday: January 28
Point in the Direction of: Albuquerque, New Mexico is Conn's hometown.
Her father is a retired Air Force officer and her mother is a real estate agent.
Alma Mater: University of San Diego
Up on Blocks: Her Honda Civic "I was living in Los Angeles when I got the [ATWT] job in New York, so there went the car."
Recent Culture Shock: Manhattan apartment rent prices.
It's always great when a soap opera reaches into its history to resurrect a character with ties to familiar and beloved characters. Such is the case with As The World Turns and the role of Katie Peretti, now played by Terri Conn. Longtime viewers will remember when Katie was born (in 1989!) to Nurse Lyla Montgomery, R.N. (played by Anne Sward) and her husband, the likable and always agreeable (now deceased) Dr. Casey Peretti (played by another fan favorite Bill Shanks). Now, Katie is all grown up, thanks in part to a rampaging case of Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome. Recently, she showed up on half-sister Margo Hughes's doorstep explaining that she left college after her room was trashed and needed a place to stay. It is at the Hughes home that Katie hopes to find something she never had -- a stable home life. (You see, her widowed chanteuse mother Lyla has accustomed Katie to a life perpetually on the road. With that chunk of familial angst one has to wonder when Lyla will turn up in Oakdale... However, the show's spokesperson says there are no plans at present to bring back Anne Sward who played Lyla Montgomery.) Yet, Katie has found the Hughes household nearly in shambles: While her husband Tom is on the brink of an affair, Margo's stunned and unsettled about her unexpected pregnancy, and some townspeople have found Katie's big sister's relationship with a much younger man -- Eddie -- questionable, to say the least. Faced with that kind of, um, soap opera-like home life, most teens would use the door. Not Katie. She's decided to stay. "I hope [Tom and Margo stay together], because it's nice to have something to believe in," sighs Conn. Here Conn talks about taking on the role of Margo's kid sis, ATWT history and just how Katie will fit into the Oakdale canvas.
Digest On-Line: Will Katie begin to resemble her big sister Margo in any way, meaning will the character be a force to be reckoned with in Oakdale?
Conn: I hope so. So far, it's hard to tell. Right now, she's just supporting Margo, and getting to know her and bond with her. I hope she'll begin to take on some of Margo's traits, because the character and Ellen Dolan who plays her are so great.
Digest On-Line: What is Katie's main purpose in Oakdale?
Conn: Fans who have been watching for a long time know Katie's past and who were mother and father were -- Lyla and Casey Peretti. Casey died when she was a young child and she's been off with Lyla, who's been touring and singing somewhere, so the character hasn't had that stable of a family life. I think what [Katie] wants to do in Oakdale is to be close to Margo, and for that matter start a relationship with her since she is [her] sister and [they've] never had a chance to get close. I think she looks up to the wonderful family life that Tom and Margo have built with each other and the boys. Of course, when [she got] there everything was in shambles [because of Margo bringing Eddie into their lives and now Tom's relationship with Emily]. It's a surprise and disappointment to Katie who has this fantasy of the Hughes' being so perfect. Her main reason for coming to town was to have a family and a foundation and feel like she belongs somewhere.
Digest On-Line: It's ironic because Tom and Margo's marriage in Oakdale has pretty much always been one of the more stable and predictable.
Conn: It's funny because starting about a year or two ago, I started being cynical about marriages and people staying together and being right for each other forever. I'm 23. My parents have been together for 31 years, so luckily I have had good role models in that respect. I also saw friends' parents who have been together for a long time, too. But just recently, to see people who have been together that long go through such problems... I started not to believe in it anymore. I kind of know that feeling - [Katie's] searching and wants to see that people do stay together and it really does work if you love someone. It's kind of good that I just went through that doubt that Katie's going through right now. I'm sure that Margo and Tom will make it through. I hope so, because it's nice to have something to believe in, like I just met my boyfriend not too long ago. He restored my faith. He's a great guy.
Digest On-Line: Is he in show business?
Conn: No. That helps... He's from Virginia and is now just moving to [New York]. He's interviewing with some public relations firms because that's what his degree is in.
Digest On-Line: So will Katie get a love life, i.e. one with Eddie?
Conn: Not that I know of.
Digest On-Line: Will Katie have much interaction with Georgia?
Conn: I would love that, because Jaime [Nicole Dudney, who plays Georgia] and I have been getting kind of close. I don't know yet, but I'm sure - All these new young characters, they are probably bringing them on to be together. I just don't know in what respect. I don't know if we'll be friends or enemies. We'll have to wait and see.
Digest On-Line: In a nutshell, can you reminisce about screen testing for this part?
Conn: It's funny but Jaime and I were both flown out [to New York] from Los Angeles to test for Georgia. It was good because we got to know each other a bit. It was disappointing because of course I didn't get [the role of Georgia]. My agent says that if you don't get a part, you're just not right for the role and it wasn't meant to be. But [the show] liked me, though, and wanted to use me somehow. We entered into a [holding deal, meaning the show put me under contract to eventually join the cast]. I guess they wanted to write something for me, and then the part of Katie came up.
Digest On-Line: Have you appeared on any other soap operas?
Conn: I did a scene on The Young and the Restless. It was an under 5 [line] role as a spokesperson for Brash & Sassy, and I did the scene with Dru [played by Victoria Rowell] and Malcolm [Shemar Moore]. It was kind of wild because I've watched Young and Restless since I was a baby! It was funny but after I did the scene on that show, I was walking out to the parking lot and this woman called out to me, "Lauralee." It was Michelle Stafford [ex-Phyllis], who thought I was Lauralee Bell [Christine] from behind. She said, "Oh, I like your hair."
Digest On-Line: You also appeared on a defunct soap Malibu Shores?
Conn: I was working as an extra in various projects, including that show. I remember being paired with this guy [a fellow extra], and he told me about this talent agency for kids that was looking for actresses who look young. That kind of fit me, so that's how I got an agent.
Digest On-Line: Who has been instrumental at ATWT in helping you learn the ropes?
Conn: Ellen Dolan [who plays Margo]. She's so funny, and a sense of humor helps in any situation. Jaime has also become a good friend of mine from the start, so it was nice coming onto the show where I already have a friend... I'm so happy to be a part of this show, it's a real actor's show, you know. It's ironic because I'm a big Meg Ryan [ex-Betsy] fan and I just love Julianne Moore's [ex-Frannie/Sabrina] work, especially since seeing her in The Myth of Fingerprints. Julianne played a Hughes. Oh, wow, I'm now part of Julianne Moore's family!