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I had no idea that John Aprea had a major stroke a couple of years ago until I read Part 4 of Linda's interview at AWT this morning. I recently watched JA's epi of Cold Case and Linda was right, he nailed it. I got a little verklempt when she called him "my John." I'm glad they remain such good friends.

Part 4 of Linda Dano's interview at AWT ~

Quote:

AWT: Which other AW co-stars do you keep in touch with?
LD: My John. My John Aprea (Lucas). You notice what I call him – my John? He had a major stoke, he almost died. It’s been two years now. And he was just on a Cold Case. And did phenomenally. He really had to work on this part, he had to really hunker down with the words, and that’s what he was nervous about, that it would be difficult. And I watched it and I can’t tell you how brilliant he was. I was so thrilled. I saw him quite a bit after the stroke, and it was really hard. Because he and I have been friends from The Montefusco days, when I was in California and working in primetime and we did a pilot together that went to series called The Montefuscos. He and I were brother and sister. In fact, when we did the love scene for Felicia and Luke, we had to kiss. And I brought him into my dressing room and I said, “You know, I think it would probably be smart if we just did this, just did it. Did it, got it over with, and then we won’t be nervous out on the set.” So we practiced and, all of a sudden, he kisses me, and my knees buckle. And I went, “Oh, dear God, this isn’t going to go well.” I tease him relentlessly about this!

AWT: Were you involved with John initially getting the part of Lucas?
LD: I went to an award show. He and I were both up for an award, I think it was Soap Opera Digest. He was up for Best Villain for Knot’s Landing. He didn’t win. I was up for Best Comedian. I didn’t win. But we saw each other. It was the first time we’d seen each other since our days as brother and sister. And we talked and I met his wife, and we had such a great homecoming together. And then I said, “Would you at all be interested in doing daytime?” And he said, “Yeah, sure.” At that point, he was working on Full House. He played the granddad, and he really didn’t want to be the old granddad. That was sort of not going anywhere. And I said, “If they called you, would you audition?” So, of course, they auditioned him with me. And, of course, I acted differently with him than I did with anyone else, because I wanted him! And lo and behold he got the job! (Gee, what a shock. Sometimes things just happen. I had nothing to do with it, nothing at all.) So that’s how that came about. We’ve been just such dear, close friends since. And Lucas, of course, died in the show. Now, if I were to really fantasize about Felicia alive and well and living in the Hollywood Hills in her Spanish villa, I would say that Lucas came back to life and was living there with her. Felicia and Luke are together at last.

Come back tomorrow to read the big finish! (And since we're talking Linda Dano, you know it's going to be BIG!)

I wish John the very best in his recovery and look forward to seeing him on the big or little screen again.

A Cool

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"It has been a magnificent journey..." ~ Linda Dano, 1999 Daytime Emmys

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