Authors Interviewing Characters: Melissa O’Connor

THE ONE AND ONLY VIVIAN STONE

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel in this enchanting novel about estranged lovers reconnecting over mysterious tapes found in an attic and the old Hollywood secret hidden within them.

After her grandmother’s death, thirty-something Margot DuBois prepares to sell the house quickly so she can go back to her predictable life in Santa Barbara. There, no one knows she used to write and how not succeeding wrecked her confidence. While cleaning out the attic, she comes across eight unlabeled cassette tapes. Unable to use the damaged tape player, she calls in a favor from Leo—her first love and first epic heartbreak—and they strike a deal: he’ll fix the player if he can hear what’s on the tapes. When they manage to listen, the two are shocked to hear the voice of comedic legend Vivian Stone. Why did she record these tapes and how did Margot’s grandmother get them?

Between listening to Vivian recount everything from her forbidden love for Hollywood’s leading actor, to working under a misogynistic exec, to her chemistry with her costar-turned-husband on TV, Margot and Leo fall down a memory lane of their own. Margot is inspired by Vivian’s tenacity and courage to keep fighting for the life she wants, but everything changes when Vivian reveals a secret tied to her past in this moving exploration of how it’s never too late to start over.

MELISSA O’CONNOR INTERVIEWS VIVIAN STONE

Everyone knows Vivian Stone: the gorgeous comedian who graced millions of television screens across America in the ’50s alongside her husband Kit Pierce. They were impossible not to love on their sitcom, Bobby and Clara, famous for having the longest recorded live audience laughter in TV history. Each episode involved Clara—played by Vivian—roping her husband into some new kind of shenanigans. It was practically an overnight success. Yet, before her start on TV, Vivian was an unknown actress. There has been a lot of mystery and curiosity surrounding her career and her relationships. In recent years, Vivian has been much more candid about her time in the spotlight, opening up about the misogyny she witnessed and the strict rules of the studio system.

Hi, Vivian. Thanks for joining me today. Please, take a seat. I have to tell you, I am so excited to interview you. I’ve been a big fan forever. I used to watch reruns of Bobby and Clara when I was a kid.

Thank you, dear, that’s very sweet. It was such a fun show to work on.

I’m curious: Did you have a sense that the show would end up as big as it became?

Would it be too bold to admit that I did? I suppose I didn’t know. I had a suspicion. It felt special. Magical, if that doesn’t come across as woo-woo. When I wrote the pilot, I was going through a time of great uncertainty and a stalled career.

Was it hard to write when so much was up in the air?

Surprisingly not. I’m not sure if it was simply my mind’s way of escaping all that was going on in my life or if it had more to do with spite. Spite can be quite a motivating factor. Not that I usually have worked that way, but at the time, I felt that I had something to prove. To many, I had been expendable. And I wanted to show them that they were wrong.

Well, it obviously worked. Was it ever difficult to get into character? I’m sure some days were harder than others to be funny.

Sure, of course. But that kind of thing never lasted for long. Once I put on my costume and got on set, it was almost like I became my character. Those physical cues did a lot of the heavy lifting in shifting my mindset, you know? I could be having a bad day or something might have happened right before I got to work, but most of the time, I could put it out of my head once I became Clara.

I appreciate how candid you’ve been over the years about your struggles, especially in the early days of your career. Hollywood has certainly changed since you first got into the business.

It’s changed, yes, but in some ways it’s the same.

What do you think are the biggest changes?

Well, they don’t make films like they used to. Maybe that’s just me being nostalgic, but I used to be able to watch a new film and know I was experiencing something special. Something that would last forever. I could hear a piece of dialogue and say to myself, “That’s the line that people are going to be talking about.” But then there are the more personal changes.

What do you mean by that?

The studios used to have much more say over their actors’ lives back then. Who they could and couldn’t date. How they needed to dress. What films they were required to work on. If they were allowed to have children. It was all about the image for the studios because the image impacted the box office. Which impacted the bottom line.

I can’t imagine actors were always willing to agree to such control over their lives.

Most of the time we didn’t feel like we had a choice. If an actor or actress didn’t comply with the studio’s demands, their salaries were cut off. Or they were forced into B-list movies as punishment. Studios could pay journalists off to slander an actor so they lost all credibility.

Wasn’t there an alternative?

Quit? They could go to another studio, but it would be the same situation there too. Of course they could leave the entertainment business altogether, but they shouldn’t have had to.

Is that why you shifted from movies to TV? I hope that’s not too personal to ask.

No, it’s fine. I’ve learned long ago that privacy is something I’m not entitled to much in this industry. At first it bothered me, but now I see that, for the most part, it’s just because people are curious or passionate about an actor’s projects. But to answer your question, yes, that was part of the reason I made the move. Things weren’t perfect working on TV, but I got more control of my life back.

Well, I think I speak for all of America when I say that we’re glad you did pivot to TV. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today. Are there any parting words you’d like to leave with your fans?

Go after your dreams. Even if the road is hard. Even if you hear no after no. Even if you think you’re too old or too young or too anything. Some people will try to tell you you’re not good enough. That you aren’t worth their time. Don’t listen. As long as you love what you’re going after, don’t give up.

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Melissa O’Connor became obsessed with stories involving family secrets, betrayal, and forbidden love after being given a box of used V.C. Andrews books at age ten. She lives in Buffalo, New York, where she can usually be found cheering on her kids’ hockey teams and sneaking words on the page between games. The One and Only Vivian Stone is her debut novel.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Interviews, On Writing