Venice

TV Guide

Breaking Suds News: Crystal Chappell to star in Venice!

By Mimi Torchin

I have a fantastic piece of industry news that I have the privilege and great joy to share with you. In light of what we have all shared in this column and in the vast Twitterverse that has connected so many of us in Otalia sisterhood, you might have an idea about what this announcement is. So, to end the agony of weeks of speculation, let me just say this: Crystal Chappell (Olivia, GL) confirmed to me that she will, indeed, be playing the lead role of Gina in Venice the Series, the eagerly anticipated web serial she is producing. Although it had always been her intention to play Gina, a gay designer and Venice’s central character, her return to DAYS as Carly threw a monkey wrench into those plans. But intense negotiations with the show moved forward and the outcome proved that someone at DAYS knows a smart decision when he makes it, as Chappell was just greenlit to star in her own show. Her legions of devoted fans will certainly follow her to DAYS, including hundreds of thousands of anticipated new fans for whom Venice will become a serious and lasting addiction. Soap-wise, this announcement is the best piece of news many GL fans will have had since the heartbreak of the soap’s cancellation by benighted CBS suits. Although the Springfield lighthouse will soon be gone, we’ll have a new daily destination for friends to congregate and share love, laughter, pain, joy and all the emotions of a life well-lived in Venice!.