Gail Edwards appearing in "Touched by an Angel."

home

Gail Edwards, Robin Thomas and Rue McClanahan in Touched by an Angel.

Producers:	Martha Williamson • Jon Andersen • Robert J. Visciglia, Jr.
Writers:	Dawn Prestwich • Nicole Yorkin
Director:	Tim Van Patten

Monica and Tess are party coordinators who work for Dr. Harrison Archibald Robin Thomas and his wife, Barbara Gail Edwards. They are in the midst of planning a huge society event when Manny Jonathan Hernandez shows up at their door claiming to be the child they sponsored through a charity. When it's revealed that Manny is actually a homeless child who lives under the hospital, Harrison is about to throw him out when his mother, Amelia Rue McClanahan, tells her son that she has a secret too. His father was really an Argentinean gardener. Monica's revelation scene carries a message of charity, and Harrison and Barbara decide to adopt Manny and become a family.

Internet Question:
It's so good to see a show about angels be so successful on TV. You had so many nice scenes. Did you have to read all of them in the audition? Also, what makes that special glow around Roma's head when she reveals she's really an angel? Thanx!
—Julia M., Aliso Viejo, CA

You have no idea how many people ask me about Roma's “glow.” That's the pure magic of lighting. They light from above, below, and the sides with great accuracy for effect. When actors rehearse a scene, they “block” it, meaning they add the movements in the scene. After these variables have been worked out and the director adds his or her touches, the lighting crew sets their lights meticulously so that when Roma comes to the specific lines that reveal her angelic quality, the lights come up and she glows.

On the question of auditioning, one of the nicest perks in Hollywood is when an actor is plain offered a job. It's rare and it usually only comes from powerful producers. These are producers that aren't afraid to rely on their own opinion that a certain actor can do justice to a certain role without having to audition for it. The few producers who fit into this characterization for me are Gary Goldberg, Don Reo, Steven Spielberg, Anson Williams, and, finally, Martha Williamson, who offered me “Touched.”

I worked with Martha years ago on another show she produced, named “The Family Man.”

PS. I, too, am glad to see a series regarding “angels” be so successful...

Internet Question:
When you guest star on shows, do you ever befriend any of the actors in the cast? Does that sorta thing ever happen, or is it pretty much business as usual?
—Shelly Y., Kissimmee, FL

It depends. On “Touched,” Rue McClanahan and I really hit it off nicely and did many things together during our downtime in Salt Lake City. However, as it happens so often, once you leave the intimate surroundings of a shoot, everyone goes back to their jam-packed lives. That's what happened with us. We talked on the phone a few times, but that's about as far as it went.

There are occasions that it does happen. When I was shooting “A Perfect Little Murder,” I became good friends with Susan Ruttan and Florence Stanley. Later, I ended up writing a script with Florence's husband, Marty Newman.

But more than not, it's as you put it, “business as usual.”

Take care, Shelly...

Do you have a question for Gail regarding her role on “Touched by an Angel?”
If so, send it here and we'll post your question and Gail's answer on this page.

E-mail this page

home

biography/resume top

previous next