In the fast-moving world of daytime drama, few actors have managed to reinvent themselves as successfully – or as often – as Bradley Cole. The former Guiding Light star opened up to The TV Watercooler about the “night and day” shifts in the soap industry, his enduring stardom in France, and his latest evolution into a cinematic songwriter with his new album, Desert Dreams.
The Evolution of Guiding Light: From Luxury to “Guerrilla” Film
Cole joined Guiding Light at a pivotal moment for Procter & Gamble Production in 1999. NBC’s Another World had just gone off the air while P&G’s remaining soaps – Guiding Light and As the World Turns (both on CBS) – had a decade of story left to tell, the landscape was shifting. Originally cast as the noble Prince Richard Winslow of the fictional San Cristobal, Cole recalled a level of production luxury that feels like a bygone era.
“When I first got the role, they sent me to a well-known tailor in New York City and fitted me with these amazing suits,” Cole shared. “The production level was incredible. We had ‘dry rehearsals’ at 7:00 AM in a rehearsal hall with sets taped out on the floor, followed by camera blocking and dress rehearsals. It was a luxury.”
However, the industry shifted by the time the show came to an end in 2009. By that time, Cole was now playing the rugged Jeffrey O’Neill after a break with the show and Executive Producer Ellen Wheeler had moved to the show to a location-based, “guerilla” style of filming in Peapack, New Jersey.
“Ellen Wheeler learned how to do that on the job… We were in the middle of nowhere, grabbing shots where we could. It was quite a difference from the studio days, but it kept the show alive.”
In a tidbit that soap fans might find surprising, Cole shared that his first Guiding Light journey nearly took a much darker turn: producers originally wanted him to read for the part of Richard’s villainous brother, Edmund, before realizing her was the perfect fit for the regal lead – Another World’s David Andrew Maconald was cast as Edmund.
A Musical Breakthrough in Springfield
One of Cole’s most cherished Guiding Light memories involves Wheeler’s support of his music. He recalled walking into her office with his latest album and handing her a pair of headphones. “She listened and said, “Hey, this is good!”
This led to a unique collaboration where Cole’s real-life songs were featured on the show. He performed for powerhouse co-stars like Kim Zimmer (Reva) and Laura Wright (Cassie).
“For Laura and Kim, having to look up and sing with Jeffrey… they’re going to kill me [for saying this], but I think they actually enjoyed it,” Cole joked. This exposure allowed him to spend his weekdays filming and his weekends touring cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Austin, performing for a dedicated fanbase that hid seem him on screen just days prior.
The American in Paris
Long before his U.S. soap fame, Cole was a major star in Europe. Having lived in France for over a decade, he became the “go-to” American actor in Paris, even forming his own English-speaking theatre company and performed alongside French cinema legend John-Paul Belmondo.
Cole’s French credits are extensive! His first soap was actually Riviera in 1991, which was an “international soap experiment” and featured actors from five nations and listed U.S. soap producer John Valente (The Edge of Night, Guiding Light, Search for Tomorrow, Another World, and As the World Turns) among its crew.
Cole then moved on with Les Filles d’à Côté (which translates to “The Girls Next Door”), which was a comedy but aired nightly like a soap. The sitcom was a massive hit and he played an American photographer who was caught in the middle of comedic neighbourly disputes.
It was there that he worked with French creator and producer Jean-Luc Azoulay – and is on his record label, who called him three years ago “out of the blue” to film a guest spot on Les Mystères de l’amour in Saint-Martin. Actress and singer Elsa Esnoult, was a fan of Cole’s from Les Filles d’à Côté and had suggested that he play her father.
“Elsa and I got along wonderfully, and I knew a lot of the crew from years ago, as well as a lot of the cast. It was just a pleasure, shared Cole. “We thought it was just going to be a one-off thing, but Jean-Luc had me write a song for the show and sing a song with Elsa. We wrote the song, and it’s also on Elsa’s album. That began a great relationship, because I’m actually working on a project with her and she’s going to come out with an album in English,” he beamed.
A New Chapter: Desert Dreams
Cole’s latest project, the album Desert Dreams, is a concept piece born from his life in Nevada. Influenced by the 1960s Top 40 hits of his youth – think Herb Alpert, Burt Bacharach and the Beach Boys – the album follows a traveller’s journey through the Southwest.
“I wanted it to be a journey through the record,” Cole explained. It’s a metaphor for someone going through life looking for fulfillment. I took a cinematic approach to it.
“You have this imagery in your head. Look at those great Beatles songs or Paul McCartney. You know she’s leaving home. There’s just a little movie that plays – it could be a very sad movie. But it’s powerful.”
The album features Nashville’s “best of the best,” including guitarist Kenny Greenberg and bassist Dave Pomeroy, with Jean-Luc Azoulay serving as executive producer.
What’s Next?
Fans can catch Cole on the road soon – fingers crossed for Canadian dates. He is planning an album release show in Nashville as well as several appearances in New Mexico and Oregon – and of course, assisting Elsa Esnoult with English adaptations for her upcoming album.
A Return to Daytime?
“You know, people have asked me, but I’m not seeking acting work right now,” confessed Cole. “I’m open to it all. Maybe an appearance, but we’ll see how it goes.”
Cole did speak about a short stint he did on General Hospital in 2010. “It was pretty dark. I played a really dark character. I played this guy, Warren Bauer. We’re not totally sure, but we think he abused his son, Kiefer, which is why his son was abusive. It was really well written.”
“Of course, the bad guy gets it. I started shooting up the hospital, and then I got shot. I’ll never forget because Laura Wright (who had since left GL to play Carly on GH) was there, and I’m on the floor, where I’m supposed to be dead, and we’re just cracking up. I couldn’t keep a straight face,” he shared. “We had a lot of fun with that. It was right after Guiding Light had ended, I think, so it wasn’t that long of a hiatus.”
“It was a lot of fun shooting with the General Hospital cast,” he exclaimed. “I met Anthony Geary (Luke), God rest his soul. I met Maurice Benard and shared scenes with him and all these great “icons” from General Hospital. That was a really great experience.”
As for his dual legacy on Guiding Light, Cole remains humble about the two men who defined his U.S. soap career: “Richard was reserved and difficult. Jeffrey was about letting go. It was a lot of work, but it was so much fun.”
If both Richard and Jeffrey found themselves in the same room together, Cole jokes that “Jeffrey would probably use profanity, and Richard would probably want to have nothing to do with this guy! Those are two opposite people, but who knows? Maybe they would have gotten along with each other.”
Stream and buy Bradley Cole’s new album, Desert Dreams, on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and Bandcamp. Keep up with the latest from Bradley Cole at https://www.bradleycolemusic.com/.
