Kim Zimmer On Life and Love

Kim Zimmer has been one of daytime drama’s most celebrated actresses for over 30 years, having starred on The Doctors, Santa Barbara, Guiding Light — where she earned four Daytime Emmy Awards and 10 total nominations for her work as Reva Shayne Lewis — and One Life to Live, where she’s in the middle of her second stint as the sometimes scheming Echo DiSavoy. But Zimmer’s heart is in the theater, and she returns to the stage on February 16 as part of the cast of Love, Loss, and What I Wore at the Westside Theatre. TheaterMania recently spoke with Zimmer about her career.

THEATERMANIA: What was your first reaction when you read the script to Love, Loss, and What I Wore?
KIM ZIMMER: I didn’t know what would be assigned to me, but I had strong gut reactions to certain parts, and I totally related to so much of the script. There are so many things in it I’ve heard myself say over the years. And then it turned out that the things assigned to me were what I most related to, like the section about the purse. Kim hates the purse!

TM: You’re working with an eclectic group of women: Sabrina LeBeauf, Katrina Bowden, Orfeh, and Barbara Rhoades. Did you know any of them beforehand?
KZ: I didn’t know a single one of them, but I think it’s fun to be with people I don’t know. My experience is when you work on a theater piece, you become fast friends.

TM: You’ve had to dress over the years for a lot of award shows. Did you love that whole “finding the right dress” experience?
KZ: No. I would wait for the day before the awards to go shopping. I hated the idea of having to find something spectacular for the red carpet. Usually I found some Tahari dress for $250 off the rack. And it was great — I was never afraid that anyone would have the same dress. But I do like to accessorize; I like big earrings, big costume jewelry with lots of colored gemstones. I’m not really into diamonds.

TM: A lot of people don’t realize you didn’t set out to be a soap opera star, did you?
All I really wanted to be was a chorus girl, but when I got my first lines, it was all over. My first professional gig was as a teenager — I did this Cole Porter revue at a dinner theater when I was about 17 — and then I studied at ACT in San Francisco. At school, they made fun of people working in soap operas and commercials; it was something you never want to do, because you learn terrible habits. And I had that in my mind until I stepped on my first daytime set at age 24, and I realized you can use all the tricks you learned at the conservatory and make a living as an actress.

TM: But no how matter successful you became, you never stopped acting on the stage, right?
KZ: I made it a point every summer during Guiding Light to work at the Augusta Barn in Michigan and that was also a great experience. And then last summer, I did this play Lost Boy in Whole Foods at Kean College in New Jersey, and that was wonderful. Now that I’m over 50, there are different types of characters I can play. I’ll be doing Steel Magnolias at Cape May Stage this summer. I got to pick the part I wanted and I decided I want to play Ousier — so that’s who I’m going to be playing.

TM: When you do theater now, are you deliberately trying to find parts that aren’t Reva, since you’re so associated with that role?
KZ: God yes, but sometimes I think I’d have to go do a period piece in London not to be her. After Guiding Light ended in 2009, I looked around all the regional theaters looking for the right part — maybe even Shakespeare. I had all this time to do a play but there was nothing I was right for. It was so discouraging. And I’m still looking for the right play.

TM: Do you have the time to do a play now that you’re back on One Life to Live?
KZ: I am not under contract there, so I have a lot of freedom. Plus, when you have actresses like Erika Slezak, Robin Strasser, Kassie DePaiva, and Hilary Smith on the show, I feel like I can fly under the radar and do my job and there’s no pressure to carry the show the way I did in Guiding Light.

TM: Have you started to think about this year’s Daytime Emmy Awards?
KZ: I don’t care if I get any more awards; it would be nice, but it’s not important. As for this year, they asked me what category I wanted to be submitted in for the Emmy, and I told them not to bother. I don’t think I’ve had Emmy material since I’ve been back; it’s a fairly small role. If I do get nominated for an award, I want to be worthy of winning it.