TUC ON DAVID
[Quotes in bold are new.]

On David's Overall Character

(on whether he'd like to see David in a serious relationship) "I'd like to explore that with him, but it's difficult when the most important person in your world is yourself. For one reason or another, he's a con man, he's a survivor, so he has a hard time trusting anyone." (SOD 1/27/04)

(on reaction from fans) "I get a lot of, 'David Vickers is an idiot!' and I think, 'They get it!'" (SID 2/13/05)

"David Vickers isn't cool; he thinks he's cool." (SOD 3/28/06)

(about David sleeping with Dorian while married to Alex) "He only wants to sleep with the women that he's not married to." (SOD 11/27/07)

"It's great to go back and play David Vickers. I've played the character on and off for over a decade. It's comfortable, like an old shoe. It may not be pretty, but it sure feels good." (SOW 1/6/09)

(on David's frequent departures from Llanview) "When you have a character like David who is a bumbling con man, it makes sense that he is not always on the canvas. It makes sense that he goes out into the world and tries to pull the wool over other people's eyes in Bangladesh, or New Delphi, or other cities that I cannot point to on a map." (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)

(on the fact that he's never been nominated for an Emmy for playing David) "I come on and cross my eyes, and fall down the stairs, and they look at it like, 'Is this guy for real?' So, it's sort of a double-edged sword. I am very lucky that I have been able to play this character that doesn't really fit in with the rest of the people that inhabit the town of Llanview." (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)

"I would say most of the characters I play, especially in television; you are usually hired to play pretty close to who you are. ... David, on 'OLTL,' is also a side of me where I like to cut up." (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)

"I think there's a lot of opportunity with David; he can be genuine and sincere one moment, and then he can commit a stupid crime another, so there's many different paths that he can take. And they keep coming up with really great ideas to bring David back." (SOD 2/10/09)

"I love coming back to play David Vickers. We have a really good time together. Often actors go from one project to another playing different characters, but I love playing the same character in different situations." (SOW 8/11/09)



On David's 1994-1996 Run and Departure From OLTL

(on the meanest thing a fan has ever written to him) "People were kind of angry about the incest storyline [involving David and Tina]. They were saying that I was irresponsible for even playing the scenes. It is a soap opera, people!" (SOD 10/10/95)

(on which soap award he would give himself) "Best Sincere Performance By An Actor -- even though he has to wear a towel every other day." (SOD 10/24/95)

"I have had to plant trees and take my shirt off, and punch a punching bag and take my shirt off. I'll say, 'Dorian, don't you forget it because I have the diary! I am going to go take a shower now.' And in the next scene, I will have a towel on. But if it makes sense to the scene, I have no problem with it." (SOD 11/7/95)

"I don't think you need to know the outcome of a story in order to put in the body language that will lead to that outcome. I didn't need to know whether or not David was going to sleep with Blair; I just needed to know he wanted to sleep with her. Things always change. A lot of times, what you hear doesn't turn out to be correct. I was told David was going to take Kelly's virginity, and that never happened." (SOD 1/30/96)

(on the origin of David's character) "He was supposed to be this dark, mysterious heir-apparent to the Lord fortune. One day, I fell down the stairs and everyone laughed. I think that's when David's character jelled for me: 'Oh, he thinks he's dark and mysterious, but he's really a buffoon.'" (SOD 1/27/04)

(on his feelings regarding David's 1996 exit) "My character had alienated virtually everyone by the time I was leaving in '96. Near the end I was doing monologues to travel brochures, cutlery and a kitten. I would liked to have been sent off with a bang, but driving away in a car [to Florida with the mayor of Llanview] makes for an easier return than being crushed in heavy machinery." (SOD 3/28/06)

(on a memorable fan experience) "It was in the mid-90s when David was involved with Viki's sister, Tina Lord. A man on 6th Avenue [in New York City] came up to me and pushed me; I fell to the sidewalk and he said, 'You leave Tina alone!' And I said, 'Okay.'" (SID 1/12/09)

"David was written as a very mysterious, cool con man and I was playing it that way. There's a lot of mysterious, cool con men in daytime and an actor looks for, 'How do I fit in here, but at the same time, how do I stand out? What makes me different?' And one day, I realized that David wasn't a mysterious, cool con man; he just thought he was. And that's where the David that we know today, who was really an imbecile, was born." (SOD 2/10/09)

"I remember that when I first started on the show in the mid-'90s, I always knew what was coming up and where it was heading -- mostly to see how important I was going to be to this program!" (SID 2/23/09)

(about David's first run on the show) "I remember when he pretended to be Victor Lord Jr., and then [OLTL] decided that would be Roger Howarth, because Roger won an Emmy. And I've never forgiven Roger for that (laughs). I remember when Kelly buried him alive. There are some seminal moments that are not really forgettable." (SOW 8/11/09)



On David's 2003-2006 Run and Departure From OLTL

(on his decision to return to OLTL in 2003) "I returned because I wanted to live in New York City again and I saw that Robin [Strasser, Dorian] was back on the show. I thought the timing was right." (SOD.com October 2005)

(on David's re-entrance on the OLTL canvas) "I thought it was great. Everyone should be able to come back with their own henchman." (SOD 3/28/06)

(on slipping back into the role of David in 2003) "One day when David was plotting to get the Badhra diamond away from Dorian, I accidentally ran into the coffee table. It really took the thunder out of whatever I was saying. At that moment, I remembered that David Vickers isn't cool; he thinks he's cool. Then it all came rushing back to me." (SOD 3/28/06)

(on rumors that he will be leaving OLTL at the end of his current contract) "It's still a few months down the road. David Vickers went away for seven years once and came back, so even if he goes to jail in Morocco or something, chances are he'll probably resurface at some point, even if he does go away." (TVGO 5/16/06)

(on his last scenes at OLTL in 2006) "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." (SOW 11/28/06)

(on David's departure) "You can say that David is out seeking fame and fortune near a large body of water." (SOW 11/28/06)

(about David's departure) "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." (SOW 11/28/06)

(on David being a Buchanan) "You know, they have been teasing this story for eternity. Talk about dragging out a story! Even by soap terms, it's taking a long time. I remember when the previous head writer was there and I went back under contract for three years starting in 2003. They told me, 'We are going to reveal you are Asa Buchanan's son.' I thought, 'That's cool, because he is the patriarch of the show, and that means I will be working a lot!' Well, I tell you now, it is going to be revealed, but it is six years later! This is 2009!" (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)



On David's 2007 Returns to OLTL

(on David's 2007 return to OLTL) "David learns that John is alive and that Spencer is dead at the same moment. This is a lot for David to process, so he applies more sunblock. ... As intellectual equals, John and David brainstorm poolside over a couple pina coladas, and agree that it would be best for David to return to Llanview." (SOW 3/13/07)

"David is doing what he does best -- relaxing on a tropical island, charging drinks to other people's tabs -- when John arrives and encourages him to return to Llanview." (SOD 3/13/07)

"I was informed that David may have been mixed up in Spencer's murder last December. As we all know, revenge is a dish best served at Christmastime." (SOD 3/13/07)

(on what David's been doing since he was last in Llanview) "David stowed away on a discount cruise ship and fell in love with a Cantonese runway model with a titanium hip. If you don't believe me, watch the show during the week of March 5." (SOD 3/13/07)

(when asked if David could be Asa Buchanan's son) "During a weekend-long self-actualization seminar, David misunderstood the term 'self-made man' and, likening himself to one, mistakenly thinks this mean he has no father." (SOW 3/20/07)

(on news that David is a liver match for Jessica) "As everyone in Llanview can attest, David is a very giving and selfless individual. He is only too happy to donate his liver to Jessica. He figures he can give her one, and keep the other one for himself." (SOW 7/17/07)



On David's 2008 Returns to OLTL

(on the creation of David Vickers the dog) "I think it's hilarious! Tuc is my real name and I've met a lot of dogs named Tucker. I always take offense when animals are named after me. I'm not sure why. But on TV, when your character's name is named after a dog, it's fun. If Ron named the dog Tuc, I'd get confused. And here's why: Bree Williamson [Tessica] has a daughter on the show named Bree and it's very confusing." (TVGuide Canada Suds Report 7/11/08)

"ABC has cut back on costume costs, so David wears less and less this summer..." (TV Guide Canada Suds Report 7/11/08)

(on why David married Addie) "The reason is probably what everyone thinks. It's really just to make Dorian mad. But, after having married Addie, he is pleasantly surprised at how much fun they have together; when it comes time for that bridge to be burned, it's a sad day." (SID 7/28/08)

(on when David will find out he's Asa's son) "There are so many things going on with the show, so that plot point about David can still be dangled like a carrot. And you never know -- it's a soap opera -- everyone gets a turn at being Asa's son, so maybe next month, it will be someone else!" (SID 7/28/08)



On David's 2009 Returns to OLTL

(on David's 2009 return to Llanview) "There's some bad stuff that happens in that town, so every now and then, you need the local buffoon to show up." (SOD 1/6/09)

(on David's conversion to Buddhism) "Believe it or not, when they first told me what the story was going to be I assumed it was going to be a con, another one of the plans from the playbook of David Vickers. But this is not a con. He is truly trying to change his life. His wicked, wicked ways have truly gotten him nowhere, and every plan that he hatches ends up being a rotten egg. ... He's genuinely practicing the path of the enlightened, but he's David Vickers, so he can only adhere to the rules as much as a simpleton can." (SOW 1/6/09)

(on David's Buddhist robes) "When I first tried it on, my first reaction was, 'Oh, gosh, I'm going to look silly,' but it was so darn comfortable, I quickly forgot about looking silly. The downside is that I had to wear it in November and December in New York City. [T]elevision studios are cold, drafty, haunted places. So it was pretty breezy in there." (SOW 1/6/09)

(on whether or not David will find out that he's a Buchanan) "That has been potentially on the canvas for the past three years, so whether he does or not, I don't know. But as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't matter, because whatever David is doing is always fun to do. Whether it happens to be finding out that he's Asa's son or not is immaterial." (SOW 1/6/09)

(on fan use of David's "Namaste" catchphrase) "Oh, my goodness, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that word. ... Every now and then I do hear it on the subway. I hear it a lot on airplanes, usually places where you can't run away. ... I was told early on the literal meaning of 'Namaste' was 'I bow to you.' It started out as that, and then it meant 'I am hot for you', and then it also meant, 'Thanks for the food.' So, it's sort of a catch-all, in a way." (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)

(about Frank Valentini [OLTL's executive producer) "He said, 'You are going to come back as a Buddhist monk and you are all enlightened.' I said, 'All I see is the comedy. So I assume this is going to be comedic?' He said, 'Yes.' I thought it was a great idea. When you play a character on and off for fourteen years, sometimes you have to go far a field to keep things fresh. Obviously, this is not something that will stick around for a long time, this transformation. So, it's been a lot of fun to explore a character that you know really well, in a way you have not seen him before. It's really a fish out of water story, so it's been a lot of fun." (Michael Fairman on Soaps 1/30/09)

(on whether or not David learning that he's a Buchanan will conflict with Buddhist vows) "Once David discovers who he really is, he spends about 60 seconds deciding which path he will trod." (SOD 2/17/09)

(on whether or not David had turned over a new leaf when he was a Buddhist) "That was his intent. David was genuinely trying to make himself a better person and apologize to all the people he'd wronged, but he inadvertently used his religion in selfish ways." (SOD 3/3/09)

(on David's summer return to Llanview) "David comes back to Llanview to [persuade] everyone to be on this reality show, which is possibly the worst reality show ever conceived. There are several different titles; the one I like the best is VIVA LA VIDA VICKERS. And there is also THE DAVID VICKERS SHOW, starring David Vickers, produced by David Vickers, and THE MANY ALTERS OF VIKI BUCHANAN, starring David Vickers." (SOW 8/11/09)

(on whether or not David has held onto his Buddhist beliefs) "David is a little bit like a mouse in a maze. As soon as he runs into a roadblock, he remembers nothing that was behind him and usually has to start all over again. He was on the straight and narrow while following Buddhism, and he really was making advances in becoming a better person. As soon as he learned he was the Buchanan heir, unfortunately, all the wisdom he had gained went through the sieve that is his brain." (SOW 8/11/09)