Previews:
Talks about the first biography; then about
Matt. Commentator, "Then Days of our
Lives' Matt Ashford, he plays off-beat
hero, Jack Deveraux.... Next, life at home with
Matt, we'll find out why his own wife wanted
to show him the door.... And, discover how he
dealt with a devastating ordeal, his youngest
daughter born with cancer. Next, Matt Ashford
on "Hope, Faith and Family.".... And
later reveals his own hidden talents."
Voice Over Commentator:
He's smart, sexy, and one half of soap opera supercouple
Jennifer and Jack. As
both the Commentator and Matt talk there are a
series of clips of Matt, then Matt and Missy from
the various promos Soap Net did for Jack,
and Jack and Jennifer; Matt is wearing a blue
shirt, opened to reveal a white t-shirt. While
Matt talks about Jennifer we see "live footage.
Matt:
The character of Jennifer makes him feel (gesturing)
whole, but he can never seem to hold onto her.
Back
to clips of Matt and Missy doing promos for Jack
and Jennifer. As the Commentator talks about Matt's
arrival as Jack there are more clips from the
promos.
Commentator:
But he's been trying since 1987 when first arrived
in Salem as Days of our lives
anti-hero Jack Deveraux.
Back
to the "live" interview of Matt discussing
Jack.
Matt:
Jack is confused. Jack wants to be happy but he
has no idea how to achieve this end.
Clips
of Matt on the set. Then a photo of Matt, Christina,
Grace and Emma.
Commentator:
In real life Matthew has found happiness, but his
personal life has been a challenge at times.
Various
photos of Matt: One from Matt's earlier days;
one of Matt holding Emma; then a last of Matt
from the promo shoots. This goes into a shot of
Matt screwing around in one of the promos, followed
by a stock photo of a farm; then a photo of a
very young Matt, rehearsing.
Commentator:
Matthew Ashford was born in Davenport, Iowa. He
began performing young as a way of standing-out.
Back
to "live" footage of the promo interview.
Matt:
I was acting as a child, you know, with seven brothers
and sisters looking for attention.
A
bunch of quick clips of Matt during the promo
shots. Then a stock footage photo of Virginia;
then another photo of a young Matt.
Commentator:
The Ashfords moved to Virginia when Matt was a teenager.
By high school he was active in theater and teachers
quickly took note of his talent. In college Matt
quickly realized he was hooked.
Footage
of Matt talking about his realization that he
wanted to an actor as his career.
Matt:
I didn't realize that it was possibility of a career
until I went to the North Carolina School of the
Arts and was surrounded suddenly by fellow young
people who wan.... who also were really, really
good.
Clips
of Matt, Missy, and others backstage at the
show -- during the backstage clips Jack is wearing
a white tank-top -- during the shooting of the
promo shots, and clips of Matt during the promo
clips. As the Commentator talks about Matt's
various jobs we see stock footage of a construction
site, a restaurant and shouts of mimes.
Commentator:
Like alot of struggling students Matt had to pay
the rent. He was construction worker, a singing
waiter, and even a street performer.
The
there is a clip of one of Matt's appearances on
Soap Net's Soap Talk. Matt is showing
his ability to juggle by juggling bowling pins.
Not sure when this took place but sometime in
2002 or so.
Matt:
I had to learn this too.
Commentator:
And as Matt proved on Soap Talk
once a juggler, always a juggler.
Matt:
Don't do this at home, kids!
B/W
photo of a young Matt rehearsing. Then stock footage
of New York City. More footage of the promo stuff.
When the Commentator talks about Matt joining
One Life to Live there is a photo of
Matt from that time (???). Then another photo
of Matt when the commentator talks about him join
Search for Tomorrow [however, it looks
like a current photo of Matt]. More shots of Matt
at the studio. Then an older photo of Christina
and Matt in what looks like a tin soldier costume
[maybe from the peace festival show]. Then there
is a B/W photo of Christina and Matt.
Commentator:
After college the small town kid set off for the
big city in New York. His career boomed. In 1982,
he landed his first role, Drew Ralston on
One Life to Live. After that came
Cagney McCleary on Search for Tomorrow.
Though busy on the set he made time
to perform on stage for a world peace festival.
It was there he met Christina Saffran.
Back
to Matt's appearance on the same Soap Talk
episode with Matt talking about Christina
and the peace event.
Matt:
She was a choreographer and most of the dancing
in the piece, and as it turned out, ah, ah I was
doing Search
for Tomorrow at the time during the
day and I was doing ah, ah show at night.
Another
(looks current) photo of Matt. Back to the shot
of Christina and Matt.
Commentator:
He could only attend one rehearsal a week, something
Christina wasn't happy about.
More
footage of Matt talking about meeting Christina
from the Soap Talk appearance. Then a
cute photo of Christina caressing Matt's cheek.
Matt:
She tried to get me fired because she said, I
didn't think my heart was in the right place.
Her boss said, Naw, keep him, he's cute. You know,
and so, as it worked out, she said, she was really
actually kind of afraid because she liked me and
she didn't want to get her heart hurt.
Continuation
of the older photo of the two, then a more current
photo and then their wedding photo. Then a photo
of Grace. Back to clips of Mat from the Soap
Net promos. Scenes of Matt back stage (???)
with Missy and James Reynolds (Abe Carver).
Shot of Matt running on the set for the Soap
Talk episode.
Commentator:
In the end, Christina had nothing to fear. The pair
married in 1987, a few years later they welcomed
their first daughter, Grace [sic; Grace was born
in 92 Matt joined the show in 92]. Then came the
role that made Matthew Ashford a daytime superstar,
Jack Deveraux on Days of our Lives.
The actor had never been happier.
More
shots of Matt from the promos as Matt talks about
Jack. Then as Matt talks about Jack back to "real
time."
Matt:
I love to play Jack.... I love to get up and into
it.... Still scares the hell out of me. but I, I
love it!
Quick
clips of Matt from the promos, a shot of General
Hospital's opening, and then a nice photo
of Matt [not sure of the time period]. Then
a couple of quick pictures of Matt. As the Commentator
talks about Emma's illness a photo of Emma,
Grace and Matt is shown. Then a B/W photo of
the three.
Commentator:
But in 1993, Days changed
direction, and Matt left the show. Fortunately he
quickly landed a role on General Hospital
where he played. Dr. Tom Hardy from 1993 to 1995
[sic; it was 1995 to 1997]. Matt also had parts
in films like Species
and Bon Fire of the Vanities
[sic, that actually occurred when he was still on
Days]. Though his career
was booming, his family life was about to face a
difficult test. In 1997, Matt and Christina had
their second daughter Emma. Christina knew immediately
that something was wrong. Back
to the Soap Talk version with Matt talking
about his family finding out about Emma's cancer.
There is a photo of Emma and Matt.
Matt:
Well, it looked like she had a lazy eye when she
was an infant which totally normal. But my wife
was being a, a nervous mother, which is great, and
she took her into the pediatrician and then, and
then on to pediatric ophthalmologist, and dilated
her eyes, which is really the key.
There
is a promo shot of Matt lowering his head which
they use for "heart-breaking."
Commentator:
The diagnosis was heart-breaking.
Matt:
She has something called retinoblastoma that's cancer
of the, of the, of the retina. Commentator:
The signs were there from the start.
Back
to Matt on the show talking about retinoblastoma.
There are a couple of photos of Emma and Grace.
The camera zooms in on Emma's photo and the
white dot on the xxxx
Matt:
The red reflection is a very natural off the retina,
and we all have those pictures all the time. In
her left eye you see that white reflection which
looks like a cat's eye, that's reflecting off the
tumor. There
is a photo of Matt and Emma.
Commentator:
When the treatment failed, doctors had to remove
Emma's left eye.
Back
to Matt on the talk show.
Matt:
Although, you know, it really sounds horrific, she
is a tremendous little kid, and you're just amazed
at how strong they can be.
A
nice older photo of Christina and Matt. Then a
family photo of the Ashford from a couple of years
ago. Followed by a few photos of Matt and Hunter
Tylo. Then another photo of Emma and Matt.
Commentator:
But without her mom's insistence on tests, Emma
might not have been diagnosed. Knowing other kids
could face the same problem, the Ashfords took action.
The family joined forces with another soap star
Hunter Tylo, whose own child suffered from the same
disease, to create Retinoblastoma
International. It promotes eye tests
for all new born babies. Back
to a clip from the Soap Talk appearance.
Matt:
We're
internationally trying to fight this disease, and
raise awareness around the world.... They don't
dilate babies' and that's what we're advocating.
A
B/W family photo. More photos of Matt during the
photo shoot, with some of the crew members. Another
photo of Grace and Emma.
Commentator:
Today Emma is in remission, but that hasn't stopped
Matt from urging the public to be on the look-out
for that tell-tale white reflection that could save
a child's life. Back
to Matt's appearance on the talk show. Same B/W
family photo.
Matt:
The great thing is that at, ummm, Thanksgiving,
at Christmas time all these pictures pass around,
and we're trying to get people to start examining
your pictures, your friends pictures, and who knows,
maybe it's nothing -- we hope it isn't -- but better
safe than sorry. More
fun shots of Matt from the photo shoot. Then Matt
back stage with James Reynolds and Missy, the
three of them screwing around and joking. Then
shots of the promos with the two in their Jack
and Jennifer personas.
Commentator:
I 2001, after a five year [sic; actually four year
leave] leave from daytime TV, the producers of Days
asked Jack to come back. They reunited him with
Melissa Reeves, Jennifer, and fans had their favorite
supercouple back once again.
Clip
of Matt analyzing Jack and Jennifer as a couple,
then clips of the Matt and Missy fooling around.
Matt:
I think fans seem to take to Jack and Jennifer because
we reflect people they know. We are by now means
heroic.... I think, in many cases, we are like alot
of young people who are trying to make it, in spite
of alot of odds. Closing
commentary, with the Commentator summarizing Jack,
and various shots of Matt back stage and from
the promos he did for the soap network; then a
compilation of various photos used during Soapography.
Commendatory:
Matthew Ashford, he's used his success to create
awareness about a dangerous disease. Actor and activist,
loving husband and father, and he wouldn't have
it any other way.
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