By Arthur Swift
Lar Park Lincoln
represented the future of Knots Landing. Her creation of the scheming and troubled Linda Fairgate
energized the old warhorse and paved the way for a 90s generation of
devotees. The decision to retire
Linda’s character through one of network television’s most grisly murders in
effect killed the last young light on the show. Knots Landing limped along for another two years but the
zesty excitement we had grown to love, had grown to depend on, was snuffed
out.
Lincoln has had a
turbulent ride since then, suffering through career disappointments and family
sorrows and soaring as a mother and self-made businesswoman. Her invention “The Freedom Bag” is one of
the most popular items in the world of home shopping. She has two children reaching adolescence, both ready to follow
in their mother’s footsteps. And Mom
herself is finally ready to return to acting after nearly a decade’s absence.
We welcome Lar Park
Lincoln back, speaking to us from her home in San Antonio.
Arthur Swift:
It’s an exciting day to be speaking with you.
Lar Park Lincoln:
Why thank you very much.
Petey Hollister asks
Wow, *the* Lar Park Lincoln. Lar, babe, I've been a fan all the way back to
1988 when I first saw you as Tina Shepherd in Friday the 13th Part VII: The
New Blood. And then when you turned up on Knots, my second favorite
pastime (horror movies being the first), I was surprised and delighted. Your
portrayal of Linda Fairgate was one of the best things about Knots in
the later years, and such Linda catchphrases as "To hell with theory,
let's get down to the brass tacks" and "MORT?" are still bandied
about my home all the time. The show suffered a huge loss when you exited stage
left. My question is this: since it's been stated that you are planning a
return to acting, I'd like to know if you already have a project lined up and
if so, when can we expect to see it? Also, I've read that you're a fan of
horror films; would you be willing to return to the Friday the 13th franchise
if they wanted you back?
Lar: That’s a fun question. I don’t have a project yet. But I really love television. I love the technical aspect much more than
movies. And in September I’ll be going
out for the Emmys for my “re-debut,” so hopefully around that time I’ll have an
offer (for work). As for Friday the
13th series I’d love to come back to that if they asked me.
AS:
How did you get involved with that?
Lar: Well it was very quiet the way they
advertised for the audition. It was
cast as something called “Birthday Bash” so they wouldn’t have all the fans
showing up and crashing the audition but my husband read the script and he
said, “This is definitely Friday the 13th.” (Laughs). He passed away 7 ½ years ago.
AS: I’m so sorry. I didn’t know that.
Lar:
But I’ve written a script for Friday the 13th that has
a grown-up Tina returning as a psychiatrist and I’m hoping Paramount might want
to produce it.
AS:
That sounds like a great idea.
But isn’t there a “Freddy vs. Jason” movie in the works as well?
Lar:
I’ve been told that but I don’t know much about it.
AS: So what else have you been doing?
Lar: What aren’t you doing is more like
it. We put products on QVC (the
shopping network), I do live on-air hosting for the beauty line which is
interesting because it’s live speaking with very little delay on the
phone. I’ve been writing; producing a
video called “Getting Started and Not Scammed.” (The video) is important to me
because I want to show how to avoid people taking advantage of those trying to
get a start in acting, and the scams that go on all across the country. I started on my own at 16 and I did not come
from a family with money; I only had two pairs of blue jeans in a little
apartment. I went to modeling school
and was an intern and worked my way up from there. So I’ve been doing public service seminars about this and they’re
going to be filmed for a video.
I’ve been doing all
that and have been a single mom to my two children.
AS:
What was the cause of your husband’s death?
Lar:
Cancer. He had it for 2 ½ years
and was 43 when he died. We had a home
hospice set up here in San Antonio. So
I took time off after being on 90210 to be with my family. I feel great, and with the passage of time
it seems right to return to acting.
AS:
How old are your children now?
Lar: My daughter is turning 13 and my son
10. My daughter is a little union
actress who played a young Ashley Judd and my son has also been bitten by the
(acting) bug, so we’ll see.
Ulysses asks
- In an old magazine from ´89 I read that you were originally contracted to
appear on KNOTS LANDING as a mid-twenties mystery woman and eventual love
interest for Gary Ewing. But then the producers thought you looked like a teen
and because on DALLAS, another of their shows, they´d already given a young
girlfriend to Larry Hagman and they didn´t want to look like they were copying
themselves. Is that story a true one?
Lar:
That’s almost exactly true actually.
There’s a little piece of trivia I’ve put in my new bio. I originated as Linda Fairgate, that was a
two-part position, where I wore a brown wig and aggravated Karen. They wanted me to be like a young Michele
Lee for that. (Laughs). And then I also
played a character named Sally’s Friend---
AS (stunned): You were Sally’s Friend?
Lar:
It was me … they only showed my body…
AS:
But I thought Teri Austin was Sally’s Friend? She’s been credited as Sally’s Friend.
Lar (slightly confused): No, it really was me. I did eight episodes as the body of Sally’s
Friend, but they thought I was too energetic and too young to play her when her
identity was revealed. Which is funny
because they later paired me with Bill Devane, who was actually older! So that question is almost right, but I
don’t think they were afraid of looking like they were copying from Dallas
at that point (chuckles).
AS:
Well that resolves the mystery of Sally’s Friend. I think people thought that since Jill
Bennett died right before Sally appeared, that it must be Teri Austin.
Lar:
It was me – Sally’s Friend. But
I originally didn’t come in to read for Linda.
I was casted to be a young Donna Mills, in flashback. She was only supposed to be in one episode,
I think. I remember showing up for the
audition and there was a line of blondes who looked like Donna Mills and a line
of 5’9” brunettes who were supposed to look like Karen. And after testing for Donna they thought I
would be better as Linda. The brown wig
also was because they said they had too many blondes on the show.
AS: Your
hair evolved in many ways.
Lar (laughing): Yes it has. They made it shorter and more severe as time
went on. They really wanted to age me
faster than I was aging so they kept working on my hair.
Along those lines, Bob
Phillips asks:
Had you ever watched
Knots Landing before joining the cast?
Lar:
Of course! I thought Nicolette
was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
AS:
So what was your first day on the set like?
Lar:
It was a wonderful day. I
remember wearing a hound’s-tooth jacket and I got a headache from the wig. Michele Lee stayed after her time to do my
close-up with me and I was really thankful for that. It was a great day. I had
an absolute blast.
Christine asks
We once had a thread on the Knots Landing forum about everybody's top 10
characters. At least 90 % of the posters had Linda Fairgate on their top ten
lists! Does it surprise you to hear that the character of Linda was so popular
among the fans?
Lar: I
didn’t know it was that much. I would
guess Linda was popular because she was so rotten and so fun at the same
time. I studied a few people to become
Linda, as she went from the brown hair to the blonde meanie. I remember having lunch with David Jacobs
when he told me that they were changing my hair to blonde and he said, “I’m
doing this because you look so sweet and everyone will be shocked how you turn
out.”
LKC1 asks
Which storyline of yours stood out as your favourite and which would you have
liked to have had changed?
Lar: I definitely would have liked to have
changed the videotape thing with Brian.
I liked the actor but what in the world were they doing? For my favorite, Mort and Bob. I just loved them. I loved them and the fake little elevator that we rode on. I also loved the scenes we shot with Mimi
Kennedy, who played my mother. Isn’t
she great on Dharma and Greg?
AS: You know, your mother won a Gary Award last year, in the category of “Best Short Term Player.”
Lar:
Oh really?
AS:
The Garys are our site’s award ceremonies. And I have a feeling … even though they technically haven’t been
announced yet … that you’ll be nominated for a Gary for best supporting
actress. Just a hunch (even though I’m
on the nominating committee). (Laughs loudly)
Lar: A
Gary! That’s amazing! Now that’s very exciting.
AS: I
thought you’d like it. So you liked
working with Mimi Kennedy…
Lar: Yes and there was another scene that
never made it in where Linda was so poor and broke that she was putting bagels
in her pocket and bringing them back to her apartment. And they showed me eating bagels in a
run-down apartment. Elements of that
made it on screen, like a scene here and there with Linda eating a bagel at her
desk, but the whole thing never aired.
Chris Sumner Matheson
asks
Were you
surprised being asked back after just one appearance 2 years before and were
there plans for you to stay, or make more appearances during your first
appearance on Knots?
Lar: They didn’t contract me for
more than two. I had no idea at the
time they were going to ask me back.
But they did. With Sally’s
Friend.
AS: I think you may have already
answered this one but
Laura Avery Sumner
asks
A lot of fans have
commented on the similarities between Linda when she first arrived in KL &
what they believe the young Karen Fairgate to have been like. Do you know if it
was intentional? Do you feel there is any validity to that observation?
Lar: Yes and completely. And I’m glad she picked up on that because I
don’t know if it was obvious to everybody.
There were a few scenes in the beginning where Linda was very
opinionated and it was supposed to remind you of how Karen was.
Did you and Nicolette Sheridan get along in real
life because you made excellent enemies?
Lar (laughing): I think we got along pretty
well. I had the young baby and husband
at home so I didn’t really socialize with many people.
AS:
Who were your friends on the set?
Lar:
Kevin Dobson was a friend to me.
He showed me how to take some challenges and channel them into the
acting. Michele Lee, of course. (The set was) professional and simple. People did their work and no one acted liked
stars. I never felt as a new person
coming onto the set like I was new. I
had that feeling in other places, believe me.
AS:
In that case, let’s bring this question up
Pamela asks
I hear all the time the cast of Knots was one big happy family, is that
true? At my work place everyone is
backbiting, so was Knots truly a wonderful place to work or is that just
a Hollywood myth? No prima donnas on
set? Sorry to ask but I’m just a
gossip.
Lar:
There probably were. I got in
trouble once when I wanted to have my skirt ironed. It was really wrinkled!
But I’ve never really seen any problems on any set. Then again, you have to realize that we don’t
work with as many people as people think.
A lot of times you do a master shot, an over-the shoulder shot that is
tighter but no one else is there. So
you have situations where you’re more conscious of not tripping over equipment
than the other actors in a scene.
AS:
That’s interesting. I don’t
think people know about how cluttered a set can be.
Lar: Yeah, exactly. Anytime you walk in something that seems like a room you’re
conscious of all the wires and cables that you have to step over … and there
are so many union rules that prohibit actors from working too many hours. So what happens is that you’re shooting a
scene, with all the necessary shots and close-ups, by yourself. This happens especially with children who really
can’t work a lot of hours.
AS:
So many little things that the viewer never sees.
Lar:
For one thing, I never realized that you could fake crying. On Friday the 13th I cried
and cried, for real, until I saw that you didn’t need to do that (for it to be
successful).
Tatianna asks
Linda once commented to Paige that she thought it an honor to "work with
her", and Paige responded by saying, "you don't work with me, you
work for me". Linda did seem to work longer and harder to get ahead than
Paige ever thought about doing. If Linda had not been killed, do you think Greg
would have helped Linda get a higher position than Paige?
Lar: I
think they were definitely going to that position. Linda kept getting big kudos in the conference room scenes from
Greg, and Linda learned to be manipulative from Paige, so yes, Linda was always
working very hard and probably was headed for bigger things.
AS: I
thought the relationship with Greg was the most promising thing about your
character. Two wounded people just
using each other for sex, but with real feelings beginning to develop.
Lar: I
got that feeling too. I remember when
Bill Devane was directing me for the first time. I was supposed to be tearing up the apartment looking for a
videotape and he said, “This isn’t brain surgery here. A little less on the tearing up!” (Laughs heartily) I really concentrate on
every scene I do and in that one I was literally ripping the apartment to
shreds. I also remember in that same
episode that Bill Devane directed that there was a sex scene where there was a
fly on my head. I thought he would
ignore it and keep shooting but he burst out laughing at one point and said,
“We’ve got to get the fly off her head!”
James from London asks
I loved your scenes at The Sumner Group with Greg and Paige. One gets the
impression that both William Devane and Nicolette Sheridan are quite tough,
demanding characters. Was that your experience? Was there a different
atmosphere on set of The Sumner Group during filming than, say, at the
Mackenzie house?
Lar: I
didn’t feel any difference at all.
They’re so comfortable in their skins that you don’t even notice they’re
acting. Bill was kind of a joker;
Nicolette was easy as pie.
AS: I
always get the impression about Bill Devane that he was this comical, practical
joker with an air of mystery thrown in.
Lar: And that’s … the way he really was! I remember another time when he was doing a
sex scene I believe in a trench coat, sitting on the side of the bed. Only Bill could get away with that. But he gives a lot too, to everyone acting
with him.
AS:
He’s the best that Bill Devane.
Lar: Yes he is.
AS:
Do you keep in touch with any of the other actors?
Lar: I
really haven’t. Donna Mills, we’ve kept
in touch a little. We both are on
QVC. Patrick Petersen a little
bit. But no one lately. With raising my kids and my husband dying I
just lost touch.
Tommy Fairgate asks
Did you steal anything from the set to sell on eBay?
Lar:
Oh my word, no! (Laughing) I got my chair, the canvas was green, and everyone
signed it. But there really wasn’t a
lot to take. There was a lot of fake
clothing in fake closets for imaginary characters, especially all the bras. They gave us all the bras we were supposed
to wear.
AS:
Bras? Now this is something I
want to hear.
Lar:
Well, they were made to fit a certain type of cleavage.
AS:
To make it bigger?
Lar:
Or to hide it. Depended on the
person.
Shashie asks
Hi Lar,
You came on the show in the beginning and was paired with Steve Shaw, one of
the young actors on the show. I thought your scenes were fantastic, but you
seemed a bit strained with him. Was that written that way? Did you guys get
along?
Lar: I
chose to do it that way. There was
supposed to be tension because of Karen so that’s why it came across that way.
And Karen Mackenzie
asks
Following on from Shashie's question...It must have been pretty hard for you,
and the rest of the crew when Steve Shaw died, having played Eric's wife and
ending up having a fling with Michael. What was it like on set around that
time?
Lar:
When that happened – it seemed to start a series of illnesses and deaths
that were just terrible.
AS:
Steve Shaw’s death sounded like it was quite random.
Lar:
From what I understood it was a completely fluke accident while he was
driving in some curvy areas.
AS:
It didn’t involve drunk driving, right?
Lar:
Not that I know of. Definitely
not on (Steve’s) part.
Jake asks
I remember reading, at the time of
your departure from KNOTS LANDING, that one of the reasons you left the show
was because the original creators of the Linda character, Bernard Lechowick and
Lynn Marie Latham, were having less and less to do with the show as they were
in the process of creating HOMEFRONT, and you didn't like the direction the
other writers were taking the character. If Lechowick and Latham had stayed
with KNOTS and continued to write and nurture the Linda character, would you
have stayed?
Lar:
Absolutely I would have stayed.
But the new writers said there was nowhere else to go with my character.
AS:
So you were written out.
Lar: I was written out. And I thought she was really getting cooking. There were some good moments at the end –
Devane at one door and Brian at the other – those were fun scenes. But the rest didn’t make sense.
AS:
Do you know what they were trying to do with the missing videotape?
Lar: I
really don’t.
AS:
Do you think Latham and Lechowick put that plot in to be intentionally
ambiguous as they were leaving the show?
Meaning, to make something open-ended for the new writers?
Lar: I
don’t think they wrote it actually. It
was not their style of writing. There
was some good stuff in there, though, like the blonde in the white suit, the
blonde in the hotel, a pretty fun mystery seemed to be developing.
Alex Wade asks
If you could have re-written your last episode on Knots and have had
Linda slit the throat of any one character, who would it have been?
Lar (laughing): The only correct response
could be Paige. Though I probably would
have liked to have gotten rid of Mrs. Richfield’s niece who kept sneezing on
me.
AS:
And I guess we’re up to your unfortunate departure from Knots. It’s my opinion that Linda’s character was
the greatest wasted opportunity in the show’s history. You’ve said that the new writers thought
your character had nowhere left to go, which obviously showed how incompetent
they were. Can you give any insight as
to why they were hired?
Lar: I
have no clue. I was completely out of
the circle. It did become odd all of a
sudden. Nobody knew where things were
going. One day I was delivered the
script that had me killed in it. I
guess they thought things were getting too expensive. They brought the one on who played Kate, Stacy Galina, and they
had to make some room. Didn’t the cute
cop go at this time? What was his name?
AS:
Tom Ryan.
Lar:
Right. So they had a large cast
with costs to get rid of.
AS:
So it wasn’t a contract dispute?
Lar:
No. How can you dispute one of
the most fun jobs you’ve ever had?
AS:
It sounds like you had a lot of fun on the set. What was the best day you had while on Knots?
Lar:
Probably when we shot the “Brass Tacks” scene in the conference room
with Michele Lee. It was a long scene
but it was wonderful. Everything worked
... But you know, not all of it was great.
I had stalkers and was attacked by fans.
AS: Really?
Lar:
Yep, she was in frozen food and I was in bread. I heard somebody yelling, “You bitch!” and I
just knew she was talking about me. It kept
getting louder and louder until she hit me.
AS (incredulous): She punched you?
Lar:
She knocked me down.
AS:
What was she saying?
Lar:
Oh you know, “How dare you break up the families?” and stuff like
that. She was a very large woman.
(Laughs loudly)
AS:
Was she arrested?
Lar:
No, the manager came out and we decided to keep it quiet and she was
sent on her way.
AS:
Smackdown in the supermarket – I love it.
Lar:
It was kinda funny.
KL Fan asks
Hi Lar,
Just a question about your big "exit scene" on KL. I remember
watching it that night and I was horrified! Okay... maybe Linda wasn't the most
"lovable" person to ever hit Seaview Circle... but man that was
drastic.
Was there a lot of discussion about how graphic that scene was when it was
shot? It seems tame now compared to some of what we see on TV... but then...
wasn't it a little risky?
Lar:
There was a lot of discussion. I
don’t know of a lot of murders being on Knots. I wanted to die with my eyes open. The network said we couldn’t do it.
AS:
Do you think it was graphic for the time period?
Lar:
Not as graphic as how we shot it.
I would have rather had my eyes open.
Pearsonsf asks
Lar, What leading role would you have liked to see yourself in over the past
few years? You would've made a great Erin Brockovich!
Lar:
That’s very nice. I was
fortunate to test against Julia a few times.
The one movie that I really remember with her was Mystic Pizza. What roles would I have wanted? I really wanted to get the Robert Redford
and Demi Moore movie (Indecent Proposal) because I wanted to spend a few
months looking at Robert Redford. I
also like … Will and Grace … I love the Karen character. I’d love to work with Jessica Lange, Andy
Garcia … Holly Hunter. I didn’t
want to do Baywatch.
AS: Were
you offered that?
Lar:
It was discussed. But I really
don’t like the cold water. I didn’t
want the part of Silk Stalkings because I thought it was about
pantyhose, not crimes. That shows I’m a
blonde. I remember reading for Friends
and I can say I was spared not getting Dirty Dancing because no one can
replace Jennifer Grey.
AS:
So we’ve talked about your first day on Knots, and your best day,
now let’s talk about your
Lar:
Last day. The last day was very
sad, but it was a fun scene to shoot.
It was almost like a movie of the week.
I remember being in the parking lot of Lorimar Studios and sitting on
the makeup case that I used and waiting for my ride. Michelle Phillips came by and said hi, she was always very
gracious, and I just sat there and remembered thinking, what was next?
AS:
In your case, there was always something next.
Lar:
Yes, there was…
AS:
Thank you, Lar.
Lar:
Thanks, Art. Thanks everyone.
Copyright 2003 Arthur Swift. Originally published July 7, 2003.