BJARVISM asks: Tom - if a miracle does happen and AW goes back into production, would you consider returning to the cast?
Tom: In a second!

j20_1999 asks: I love your character on AW, I will miss it so much. How do you like ATWT so far?
Tom: So far we've taped four shows and they have remained true to the characters. Other than some of the faces changing, everything has stayed in tact. I will miss some of the old characters that we had.

j20_1999 asks: I just watched the episode yesterday of Vicky pushing Jake on the swing. I started to cry when I heard you guys talking. I am so mad at NBC. How did you guys take it knowing that was probably the last time together in a scene?
Tom:It was in fact not the last time. I worked with Jensen yesterday and spoke with her yesterday on the phone. They are doing their best to give as much of Bay City to the audience as they possibly can.

j20_1999 asks: How long will Jensen be on ATWT, I heard only a couple of weeks. Please tell me this is not true!!!
Tom: As of yesterday she was talking to the powers that be and they were discussing her return in the near future.

NKracala asks: Tom, Nancy again. Tell us something neat about yourself that no one has ever known about before.
Tom: My favorite food is Captain Crunch Cereal.

hairy8spot asks: I have not heard anything about what Joe Barbara is going to do. Do you know anything about him?
Tom: The last I heard Joe was going to pursue a career singing.

Tdoshtweeter99 asks: What are some of your most cherished memories during your time on AW?
Tom: I think that the courtroom scene with Vicky was as much as an actor could ask for. I hold it very high on my list of accomplishments at AW.

Annabanana36 asks: Tom, I just love the rapport you and Jensen have. You seem to really care about one another. How did you feel about how your characters ended up?
Tom: Once again, I say we created the same characters in the same life as we shared in Bay City in Oakdale. It is almost as if nothing has changed.

lindafo7493 asks: Were you "glad" that Ryan was off the show, knowing you'd probably be next in line for Vicky?
Tom: I was never glad that Paul left Another World. He left of his own choice. He was greatly missed and he would make a great addition to any show on any network.
Tom: Mark Mortimer (Nick Hudson) and I talk almost every day. I talk to Jensen on the phone almost everyday, including today. I talk to Eric Stuart about twice a week. I've called Henry Simmons. I had lunch with Ellen Wheeler yesterday. There are a number of people I stay in touch with on a regular basis.
Tom: How can the fans feel anything more than gratitude for bringing them a show for over 35 years that was as fulfilling as AW? I feel a great sense of pride having been a part of it. As should the fans. I don't see any down side. I think this is a difficult moment, but I'm choosing to look at all the positive things.
Tom: We didn't do anything wrong.
Tom: Nobody feels the loss of AW more than I do.
Tom: I was there as many years as most of the senior cast mates. Instead of looking back and seeing what was wrong, I spent the last few weeks looking for what was right.
Tom: There was a lot more than one decision that took us off the air.
Tom: Daytime TV is a lot like live theater. It is written on water.
Tom: You can see it for a second and then it goes away.
Tom: It is not like having a film career that you can look back on by renting the movie.
Tom: What we do is put it out and we all share it. The memory of what we did will be greater than the memory of the blame of who took it off the air.
Tom: No one will forget Carl showing up at the end. No one will forget Mac's breakdown at the court room with Rachel.
Tom: No one will forget Vicky going to heaven and meeting Ryan. These are the things we will all share and remember.
Tom: They can't be taken away from us because they took AW off the air.

FluffyHugz asks: How long did it take in makeup when you were decked out as a woman? Great LEGS by the way!
Tom: I never thought that I was a very convincing woman. It didn't take very long. Thanks to Judy, who bought into the whole story and made everything work.

lydiacoolbabe asks: WHAT WAS YOUR LAST DAY OF TAPING LIKE?
Tom: It was sureal. I was one of the people that told everybody up until the day we were suppose to find out, that it would either be us or SSB. I told them it wouldn't be us. That we offered a higher caliber of drama. I did not believe that it was happening.

AWvet asks: THaving just read the book "8 years in AW' by Harding Lemay for the third time recently, I have great respect for the writers and I personally think having so many different writers had to be hard on AW. Do you?
Tom: It is all about the writing in daytime. So many times people associate the entire content of the daytime show to the faces they see. But it takes a whole building of people to bring them that show everyday. All a good actor can ever do is enter the author's fantasy and try to convey those emotions to the best of their ability. Actors have always been prisioners of great writing.

nikkif_75 asks: Hi Tom. How are they going to explain Steven & Kirkland not going to Oakdale with you and Vicky?
Tom: I hope they don't have to explain it. I hope they come to ATWT.

AW_JV4ever asks: When did the fact that AW was over finally hit you?
Tom: It hit me last night when I was having dinner with Steven. He was proud of me and had watched some of the scenes that I had done. I was still coming up with off the cuff remarks and he was still proud of me. He said, "Look around the room. All the cast and the crew are watching it like it is entertainment!" We took what we did for granted. I was really nervous being at CBS. When he said that to me, I was back! Jake was back and living at Oakdale. It was like being reborn.

Myrla21 asks: How are the reactions of the cast of ATWT to the four of you that joined?
Tom: They are happy. Like everyone writing in, they are fans. They welcomed us with open arms. I think that all the nervousness stems from worrying if they would appreciate what we would bring to it. Tom: Every man and woman has embraced the cast.

AndieChick asks: Do you have special episodes to you, taped, that you will go back and watch?
Tom: I will forever watch the courtroom scene. The pain on Vicky's face...Jensen says to this day that she didn't feel like she could talk.

Chatiepati asks: It really touched me when you said you'd "miss the walls" as much as the people. Seeing that is time for a new adventure in your life, what do you hope it will be?
Tom: hen I said that I missed the walls, I meant that there have been more stories and actors that had passed through those walls with memories that I will keep forever than were there that day to share the end of it with us.

angels4aw asks: I remember reading somewhere once that you were interested in going behind the camera on daytime soaps and possibly trying your hand at the directing aspect. Is that something you are interested in? (In other words, should we look for your name in the credits even if you're not on-screen?)
Tom: That is in my contract right now. I don't feel the need with the outpoor from everybody for the characters to express that. Ellen Wheeler (x-wife in real life) has a contract with ATWT to direct me. Even though she is an x-wife, that is an extended family. Only one person in the family can direct at one time.

gall29 asks: Did you take anything special from the AW set home with you?
Tom: I stole so many things from NBC! I could redecorate my house. But the most special thing that I took home was the friendships I've made.

Beau21994 asks: Given the opportunity, would you come back to AW ? I want you to know that I have been a fan of AW for almost as long as the show has been on. I will really miss the show. I thoroughly enjoyed it today. That was one of the funniest episodes. I am helping to fight to get AW back into production. Thanks for all the great memories on AW!
Tom: In a second! One of the most exciting things about this is that I'm continuing my character. This is not like a play. A play has a finite amount of emotions. In daytime a character continues to grow and evolve. Bringing the character of Jake to ATWT only allows the character to grow.,

debjhw asks: Thank you Tom, for the fine entertainment you have given us all these years. Whether it was scenes with Paulina or Vicky, a person never knew what would happen next! Was there a lot of ad libbing going on?
Tom: There really wasn't. I'd like to take credit for that, but I've had some incredible writers over the years. I don't need thanks from the AW fans any more. The fans should thank themselves. Without those fans I could not continue on.

ladyj_66106 asks: Tom, any suggestions for AW withdrawals?
Tom: If you have any, send them to me!

LOVESAW asks: What is your favorite memory of working on AW?
Tom: I have so many. From Judy Evan's jokes to Jensen's hugs to Eric Stuart's endless ability to make me laugh.

AWFAN32 asks: I loved the scene with you and Vicky on the swings the other day. You can do anything, Tom; you will be great on ATWT and CBS. Don't worry!
Tom: My first day on ATWT we didn't go over as a cast. I had to go by myself. Steve and Lisa went together. I was so uncomfortable. People said that I looked like I was sick because I had no color. I was sweating so bad, they were afraid to put new shirts on me.

rosabellek asks: Tom, are you planning to watch the final episode tommorrow
Tom: I have it on tape. I will watch it by myself. I have already cried and shared my intimate feelings.
Tom: My last lines on the show were not in the script. They just came out of my own mouth. I asked if I could take the first take and say what I felt.

LOVESAW asks: What did you do after you taped your final scene?
Tom: Got drunk.
Tom: With the entire cast.
Tom: And as expected, I was the ugliest of them all!

Part 2