SOAP OPERA STAR STIRS HEARTS OF FANS; `ALL MY CHILDREN' ACTOR SWITCHES FROM SHAKESPEAR TO TV

Soap star Andrew Jackson, Dr. Steve Hamill on ABC's "All My Children" program, stirred hearts Saturday during a Valentine's weekend appearance at West Park Mall.

About a year and a half ago Jackson switched from Shakespearian acting to the soaps, a change he's enjoying. The hundreds of fans on hand to meet Jackson seemed to agree.

Among fans treated to a hug from the soap opera heart throb was Louise Cope. She, her daughter and granddaughter staked out good seats for Jackson's visit.

"I've been wanting chocolate for Valentine's Day," Cope said. "That (hug) was way better than any candy."

"I'm really hooked on the show," she said. "I tape it every day."

Her daughter, Elayne Allen, got the family started watching "All My Children."

"I saw it the first day it was on 23 years ago. Erica (a character from the show) was in high school when I started watching," Allen said.

"This is the only soap I watch," she said, adding she tapes it every day while she works. "If I get pre-empted even by the president I get very upset."

Her husband, Mark, says he's not a fan of the soaps, but admitted that he can't help but know all the story lines.

Shelley Allen, a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia, asked "Dr. Steve" if he would give her grandmother a hug during his visit.

"I tape it every day," Shelley Allen said. "I even got my boyfriend hooked."

Stephanie Harper and her mother, Vera, came early for good seats down front to see Jackson.

"This is my soap," Stephanie Harper said, after the two of them were also treated to a hug from the star.

"Dr. Steve is my favorite. He's gorgeous and he's so nice," she said. "I've been planning this for a week."

Her mother had to rearrange her work schedule Saturday so they could attend, not an easy trick on the day before Valentine's Day since she works in the greeting card department at Venture Stores.

The trip from Carbondale to see Jackson in Cape Girardeau turned out to be well worth the time for Tara Carroll and her friend Letty Lopez.

Carroll was selected from the audience, and Jackson recited a Shakespearian sonnet to her. During the recitation, Jackson knelt on one knee, kissed her hand, hugged her shoulders and at the end of the poem - kissed her on the lips.

Standing in line for his autograph, Carroll said her close encounter was breathtaking.

"I'm a fanatic," she said. "I wasn't sure what I was volunteering for, but I didn't care.

"I felt like I had a big continual smile on my face. It was awesome, and he's a great kisser. He's great looking and he has a wonderful personality, a good body, good legs, good eyes, good hair, a good beard."

Her friend, Letty Lopez, has been watching All My Children since she attended grade school.

"The story line just gets you hooked," Lopez said.

Jennifer Martin, an "ultimate All My Children fan," according to her co-workers at Gliks, had a chance to meet Jackson face-to-face prior to his appearance at the mall. Her friends had been frantically searching for her when they learned there was a chance they might all meet Jackson.

She missed the initial greeting, but Jackson took a few minutes to talk with her between interviews.

"I'm really excited," she said breathlessly after her meeting. "He's really nice and down to earth. He's also really tall and has beautiful blue eyes... whew!"

Martin said she once met another star of the show, the actress who plays the character Haley.

"I didn't know who she was or anything about the show. I was really embarrassed," she said. "So I just started watching it a year ago." Now she's hooked.

"He's the best looking one on the show," Martin added.

Jackson said all the attention doesn't hurt his ego any, but he tries to keep it in perspective.

"People don't really see me as Andrew Jackson, most see Dr. Steve," Jackson said. "If someone says to me I really like your work, that's a nice compliment."

But screaming fans aren't bad. "I'm not complaining," he said with a grin.

Jackson paced in the administrative office at West Park Mall. He injured his back, which made sitting painful. Jackson said his choices were standing or lying flat on his back.

Jackson started in the business as a Shakespearian character actor - a long way from soap stardom.

"With Shakespeare, you have great text. Everything comes from the text," he said. "In a soap, you don't rely on the text. You create a character." In fact, writers and actors develop characters together.

Jackson said the change from the stage to television meant a complete change in acting style for him. "I was used to being on stage, projecting my voice, playing to an audience far away. They kept telling me to stop shouting. And the audience is right here," he said, with his hand in front of his face.

Jackson said soap actors also get new lines to learn each night. In the morning they "block" the scenes, with actors moving from spot to spot as the lighting, microphones and cameras all fight for position.

"We have one dress rehearsal," Jackson said. "That's the only chance we have to act. And they usually use the first take, unless it's really bad."

Jackson said acting in the soaps is much like improvisational theater. "You have to be good at first readings," he said. "It was terrifying at first for me. Every day was like opening night. But I'm learning to relax in front of the camera."

While he admits soap operas are not Shakespeare, Jackson said some people sell the soaps short on substance.

He said close to half the American population watches soap operas. With such a large audience, writers and producers often write scripts about social issues in the news. "Part of it is topical," Jackson said. "But sometimes we can make a difference."

The show has dealt with racial violence, domestic violence, alcoholism.

"There's a lot more than meets the eye," Jackson said. "I was guilty too, but now I have a lot of respect for the people who act in soaps and do it well."