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"Young Michael Palance Enjoys Roles That Age Him a Few Years," King Features Syndicate, September 9, 1988

Soap Opera Scene by John N. Goudas


Michael Palance, who plays Rob Rowan in "Ryan's Hope," has always looked older than he is.

When playing football in junior high, a uniform that would fit him had to be obtained from the high school. When he started studying acting at age 15, his classmates were actors in their 20s and older, and no one suspected Michael was not in their age group. He spent almost a year playing the recurring role of a high school senior named Kevin in "The Guiding Light" when he was just 16. Currently, on "Ryan's Hope," Michael is portraying a 23-year-old engaged in a hot flirtation with an older woman.

Michael takes it all in his stride. In fact, he likes exploring characters who are older than he is because it gives him the chance to accumulate experiences that may come in handy when he actually reaches his 20s. Somewhere along the way, he feels, his looks and his age will coincide, and he will be able to play many different roles.

"I didn't really get interested in acting until a friend of my mother's, whose son was doing some modeling, suggested I might try doing the same," Michael says. "When my mother asked me if I was interested, I thought it might be fun. However, I gravitated toward acting, and that's when I knew I had found what I wanted to do."

Michael started taking clases while attending high school. Naturally, his busy schedule called for some personal sacrifices -- for instance, he had no time to hang out with his friends -- but the teenager was committed.

"I learned a lot about responsibility early in my life. I looked upon the whole experience as a big challenge and I was determined to keep my grades up in school and do my best in acting class. It was tough at times but I made it."

Michael continues studying and has his sights on acting on the New York stage in the near future.

"I came into acting butt-backward. By that I mean, I trained for the stage but, so far, I've done an educational film about crack, a TV pilot and the soaps. I'm really anxious to step out on stage soon."

Palance, by the way, is Michael's real name. He is not related to actor Jack Palance, whose name was originally Walter Palanuik.

As for playing a character five years older than he is on "Ryan's Hope," Michael likes the range this affords him. He also is grateful that he isn't stuck playing a TV writer's concept of a teen-ager, noting that most teen-agers on soaps only approximate real life behavior. At least that seems to be the consensus among teen actors plying their trade on the daytime dramas.

King Features Syndicate, Inc.