NIKOLAS AND EMILY
TYLER | NATALIA

An Affair to Remember
Soap Opera Digest
July 13, 2003

The story behind the pairing of GENERAL HOSPITAL's Tyler Christopher (Nikolas) and Natalia Livingston goes like this: a romance wasn't planned between their characters until the-powers-that-be saw an undeniable chemistry, thus creating the show's fairy-tale couple. In typical soap fashion, numerous obstacles have stood in the way of their happiness. But their portrayers are confident that true love will win out...eventually.

Digest: When did you meet each other?
Tyler Christopher: It was at a photo shoot.
Natalia Livingston: Oh, yeah I forgot about that.
Christopher: It was weird because I had literally just met her when we did the shoot. We were supposed to act in love and be all close to each other.
Livingston: After about two minutes, we were [she smacks her hands together] that close [laughs].

Digest: What did you think of each other?
Christopher (jokingly): I hated her. She was really mean to me.
Livingston: I thought he was really calm, which was good because I was...
Christopher: She was shy. She had just started the show and didn't say a whole lot.

Digest: Tyler, what did you think about working with a new Emily?
Christopher: I knew that Natalia had started a bit before I came back and was already doing great, which is all that matters. I just wanted to work with someone who was good, and I knew that she was.

Digest: Obviously, a different type of relationship was formed between Emily and Nikolas.
Livingston: Definitely. I had never seen Amber's [Tamblyn, ex-Emily] work. I knew I had big shoes to fill, but I wasn't trying to be her.
Christopher: The exciting thing about Natalia was that she was going to bring something different, something obviously more mature, to the role. Amber was 13 when I worked with her, and I was 23. Granted, I was playing a 16-year-old, but you couldn't help but adhere to the 10-year age difference.

Digest: When did you learn that your characters were going to be more than friends?
Christopher: [The producers] said that they were going to use Nikolas as a catalyst to cause conflict between Zander and Emily. The intention, I don't think, was ever to put the two together. The relationship just worked, and the show went with it.

Digest: What makes them work?
Christopher: I think it was after our first week or so of working together that Jill [Farren Phelps, GH's executive producer] came down to the set and said that she was really happy about the way things were going. I guess she saw something onscreen between the characters that made them want to keep it going.

Digest: Do you agree?
Livingston: Absolutely. From the every first scene, I felt comfortable working with Tyler. It's one of those things that you can't really explain. There are times when you work with people and it seems a little off. Then, with other people, for some reason it works. That's how it is for me and Tyler.

Digest: Do you hang out together off-screen?
Livingston: No, not really.
Christopher: We've developed a great friendship out of how well we work with each other. We have hung out a couple of times at different places and events, but our relationship develops within the walls of GENERAL HOSPITAL.

Digest: What are some of your favorite scenes together?
Christopher: For me, they're the scenes that didn't have anything to do with a particular plot. They were about two people intimately getting to know each other and had nothing to do with, "Oh, Zander said this today," or, "The cancer is doing this."

Digest: Natalia, how about you?
Christopher (to Natalia): You can say the love scenes. Don't be shy!
Livingston: Well, in addition to those [laughs], one of my favorites scenes was when they were in Wyndemere. Emily was studying and Nikolas was trying to get her to go outside. They were just normal interactions that you would have with the person you're dating.

Digest: Let's talk about those love scenes. A memorable one was with all of those rose petals.
Christopher: That was one of the easier ones
Livingston: We had Kyle, one of the set designers, help drop some of the roses. You couldn't see him on-camera of course, but we were laughing as we watched him -- this big guy -- dropping these little petals on us. [laughs]

Digest: What's the hardest part of taping love scenes?
Livingston: They're very technical.
Christopher: Yeah, that's one aspect of them. For me, it's that you're exposing yourself. Not physically -- that is what it is. But you have however many people standing around and you're showing part of yourself that none of them would normally see.
Livingston: The last love scene we did, there were people visiting the set. They were there watching.
Christopher: I booted them. That's the one time where I'm like, "Sorry. You guys gotta go."

Digest: Besides the love scenes, Nikolas and Emily kiss all the time!
Christopher: I think we're just staying true to who our characters are. Nikolas is, and has always been, extremely passionate, intense and sexual.
Livingston: People tease us that we're always kissing [laughs]! I think that's how it should be. If you love someone, you want to show it. So what if it ends up being seven kisses per scene?

Digest: Tyler, how has it been working opposite a new leading lady?
Christopher: It was actually an easy adjustment because Catherine [Wadkins, Mary] is a veteran. The beginning of the whole amnesia story was difficult. Soaps have done amnesia for eons, and I knew that going in. But the way Catherine came to work and let me do my thing helped the story tremendously.

Digest: Has it been hard for you, Natalia?
Livingston: Well, I missed working with Tyler. I went from all of these romantic scenes to having Emily work at the hospital, volunteering... it's been kind of strange not to be part of a couple.

Digest: Natalia, how is Tyler similar to and different from Nikolas?
Livingston: Tyler is very, very funny. He will say something out of the blue and have the whole crew laughing. I don't think Nikolas really has...
Christopher: It's okay, you can say it. He has no sense of humor at all [everybody laughs].
Livingston: In terms of similarities, there's a sense of calm that they both have. They're both also patient and kind.

Digest: Tyler, what about Natalia?
Christopher: Both Emily and Natalia are very emotional individuals.
Livingston (to Tyler): Emotional?
Christopher: Not in a negative way, at all. They're both affected deeply by people and events in their lives. They're both very sensitive.
Livingston (to Tyler): Okay, you're recovering nicely now [laughs].
Christopher: I think Natalia is much more worldly than Emily is. Natalia isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. Emily would kind of go, "Ewww!"

Digest: How was it presenting together at the Emmys?
Livingston: I had so much fun! I've watched the tape about 10 times.
Christopher (to Natalia): Have you? I haven't even seen it.

Digest: Were you nervous?
Christopher: She tried to give all of her lines to me, and I wouldn't let her.
Livingston: I did [laughs].

Digest: Was your introduction from ex-fiancee Vanessa Marcil [ex-Brenda] planned?
Christopher: Yes. She told me ahead of time that she was going to give me a special introduction.

Digest: Speak of exes, Tyler, would you care to comment on your pending divorce from Eva Longoria (ex-Isabella,Y&R).
Christopher: It's unfortunate, but true. Hopefully, someday we can get back the friendship which our marriage grew from.

Digest: Where would you like to see your characters go?
Christopher: You know, there's always that force that pulls a couple apart; there's never that force that holds a couple together. I would love to see something'll like that -- where it's just this couple living their lives. We already know that they're a great couple. So, let's see what happens, when there's not Zander, the fire, amnesia, Mary...
Livingston: I agree. I like those moments, too...where there's no drama. There's just two people in love.