The Wit and Wisdom: PRESS ARCHIVES

Carolyn's Corner (SOW 11/28/06)
This week's guest is Tuc Watkins, who last airs as One Life to Live's David on Nov. 21.

Carolyn: Why are you leaving?
Tuc: I kind of live my life in three-year chapters, and after three years, I think David has said all he has to say for a while. That's not to say he won't have more to say down the road, because I think it's a great cast and working at One Life is a great opportunity to have a lot of fun with people I like working with.
Carolyn: Why are you moving to L.A.?
Tuc: There's a big part of California that feels like home to me. I want to do some other projects, try to stay fresh. It was just time to move on.
Carolyn: How does David leave Llanview?
Tuc: My last scenes are with Clint. I tell him I'm leaving town, and ask him to watch after my best girl, Dorian. He says, "What are you gonna do?" I say, "I have had it with Llanview. In fact, I've had it with the entire United States. I've always wanted to live in a country that bordered the Pacific Ocean." So David leaves town, proving once again that he's the smartest guy in town.
Carolyn: Because the United States of America suddenly doesn't border on the Pacific Ocean?
Tuc: Well, apparently he doesn't think so.
Carolyn: So we don't know where David is?
Tuc: We don't know where he is, but he's probably in a country that borders the Atlantic Ocean because he doesn't know one ocean from another.
Carolyn: Greenland?
Tuc: Greenland actually borders Baffin Bay. I'm pretty good with geography; that's why I can make conscious mistakes for my not-as-intelligent doppelganger.
Carolyn: Ireland?
Tuc: You can say that David is out seeking fame and fortune near a large body of water.
Carolyn: So he just gives up Craze and takes off?
Tuc: I don't think Craze has belonged to David for a while. He's kind of been floating around looking for something -- or someone -- to do. He has to find some new people who don't know him very well that he can try to swindle and con. And I, personally, have swindled and conned everyone I know in New York, so I have to leave, too.
Carolyn: Do you have anything lined up?
Tuc: Well, I did a movie called The Good Shepherd that Robert De Niro directed, which comes out in December. I got to work on it with Matt Damon. And I did a pilot last spring for Fox called 13 Graves. So I'm basically back on the track of looking for stuff like that. In the meantime, I will renovate homes in Los Angeles, which I also love doing. Right now I'm looking for a two-story home on the west side that hasn't been touched since 1950 so I can build a pool and a guest house in the backyard and live in that while I fix the big house -- and then sell it.
Carolyn: Unless you fall in love with it because you worked so hard on it.
Tuc: No, I don't fall in love with property. Homes are things we buy, we live in, and then we move on. I like those kidsn of projects, because so much of what I do as an actor is intangible. To be able to work on things with my own hands and say, "Hey, look what I did," is good on an actor's psyche.
Carolyn: Are you handy?
Tuc: I like to think I am.
Carolyn: Anything you want to say to your loyal fans who are heartbroken?
Tuc: Let's see.... "I look forward to seeing you on modes of public transportation such as subways, buses and airplanes," because that's where I get to talk to most of them.
Carolyn: And don't despair, maybe you'll come back someday?
Tuc: I've moved on in the past, and come back. I would love the opportunity to see if David has some really cool adventures in Llanview again someday. That would be a lot of fun.