Getting to know Richard Steinmetz

Since Martin Fitzgerald disappeared from Harmony years ago, his devoted wife Pilar has lit a candle for him every night, in hopes of bringing him home. Well, now that Richard Steinmetz has brought Martin to the "Passions" canvas, it looks like Pilar won't have to be lighting that candle for much longer. While Richard is no stranger to soaps, having appeared on "Loving" in the late 1980s, it's certainly been a while since Richard has been in daytime. Read on to find out how Richard is readjusting to the genre, what he thinks of his character and much more!

How did the role on "Passions" come about for you?
I just auditioned for it! That was pretty easy and straightforward. But of course there was all the secrecy and trickery of auditioning for one thing and then it turning out to be something completely different! I auditioned with Kim (Johnston Ulrich, Ivy), who has absolutely nothing to do with my storyline! When I got the part, I was told I was the mystery man. I didn't know it was Martin until about a week later.

What was it like to be cast as a "Mystery Man" and not know anything about the character?
They told me I'd get a name in about seven or eight episodes. I was literally blind when I walked in. I had no idea what the story was going to be. I've learned as we've gone along.

Does that make it harder to play?
It does, but it's also made it interesting because you get to discover new things. But you also have to piece things together. You have to think-who are these people and how do they fit into my picture? You just get a little bit as you go along and then a little more and a little more. Now I'm trying to figure out what's going to happen. I like that part-I have all of my scripts in front of me and can't wait to find out.

Do you like playing a character so steeped in the show's history?
I do. It makes the stakes a lot higher, which is a good thing. It puts a lot more importance on things. For example, if it's the first time I'm talking to my son-that's really big. You realize this is my son who has been thinking for so many years that his father is gone and dead. It becomes really important and has a little more kick to it.

Are you able to understand Martin's motivation for leaving his family?
There are a lot of secrets attached to that, to justify why he would abandon his five kids and his wife. As we've gone through a lot of flashbacks, I'm starting to see how it's justified. It has to be justified or Martin is not going to look like a good guy. Would I have done it? I don't know what I'd do if I were in that position. It's a pretty loaded situation. Nobody could really know what they'd do if faced with that situation.

Have you been enjoying working with Leigh Taylor-Young (Katherine)?
She's wonderful. We get along great. Leigh and I have discussed that it's nice that we started at the exact same time. We're following the same path that way. We've had a nice ease with each other from day one. We enjoy working together.

Are you looking forward to Martin eventually going back to Harmony?
Hell, yeah. I can't wait to get there and mix it up a little bit! It's fun to work with other actors. Silvana (Arias, Paloma), Leigh and I have been in our own little bubble. It will be great to do more stuff with Pilar, and also Luis and Sheridan. It will be fun to get to know the rest of the cast.

Was it hard getting back into the swing of daytime after all of this time?
It takes a little while to get used to. The schedule here is very different than it was on "Loving." On that show, we'd go to work in the morning but stay until the afternoon because they shot the show consecutively. If you were in the teaser and the last act, you were there all day. Here, you do all of your scenes at once and then you go home. I like that a lot better! But for learning the lines, you have to get that groove going. And let me tell you-if you're not here for three or four days, it takes time to get back in there again. I find that I don't jump right back in!

If you were pulling the strings, what would you like to see happen with Martin in the future?
I would like him to defeat Alistair. I'd like to take him down!