“It's frustrating,” Hutchison says of her lack of storyline.  “I would be lying if I said, ‘No, it's wonderful.’  But dare I say it, maybe Jenna has run her course.”  For anyone who has ever seen her Emmy nominated run as jewel-thief-turned-detective Jenna Bradshaw Cooper on Guiding Light, the answer is obvious: Jenna is not ready to be put out to pasture.  “Who knows?  I personally don’t think so,” she says, cautiously.  “It’s not up to me to make the decision.  There is still a great deal of excitement and fire to be had out of Jenna, but I can only put in what I'm given by the writers and producers.”

Don't confuse Hutchison’s professional restlessness with the latest diva demanding the spotlight.  “Having said that -- one too many times for Paul's (Rauch, GL executive producer) liking -- I have to admit this is a glorious time for me, because if it were left up to me, I would never take a day off,” the self-proclaimed workaholic says with a laugh.  “That's the way I have been programmed and the way I operate.  But having no choice in the matter, [I'm grateful] because the because (Hutch 22 months, and Trevor, 6 months) are never going to be little again.  We have had so much fun together as a family, which we wouldn't have enjoyed had I been working 5 days a week.  I think down the road I will look back at this time that I have invested in my family and be thankful.  But there are moments when I say “God, I would love to sink my teeth into a juicy storyline!”

From the looks of things brewing in Springfield, Hutchison may be getting a reprieve from the backburner blues  “My work is increasing,” she notes.  “There is some groundwork being laid: Selena is trying to mix it up with Buzz, and there is Teri DeMarco, whom Jenna decides she doesn't like.  So there are possibilities for the family to be torn apart.  We need to really throw a monkey wrench into the works.  It probably is time for a change in Jenna's life.  I don't know if it's inevitable, but it's a must.”

Hutchison, however, is thrilled to be working with her newest leading man.  Although he tires of her quickly and can be quite temperamental -- including throwing up on her and pitching fits on the set -- she is loving every minute of  acting alongside her son Trevor, who plays Jenna's son Rocky.  “Seriously, he's having so much fun,” she says.  “Trevor loves Justin  (Deas, Buzz).  He's already a member of AFTRA, a viable performer with his own little bio!”

“Guiding Light is quite an exception when it comes to providing a child-friendly environment.  I call Paul, Don Papa Paul,” adds Hutchison, who has cemented a strong relationship with her executive producer.  “He's very loving toward the little ones and those of us who are pregnant.”

It was Rauch who gave Hutchison her first major break in daytime when he hired her to play the multifaceted Gabrielle Medina on One Life To Live in 1987.  In a business where lightning rarely strikes more than once, Hutchison has made Gabrielle and Jenna two of the most fascinating characters on soap operas.  But Hutchison’s life on OLTL wasn't as content as it is now.  A draining role, an unhappy marriage to a man she would rather not mention and her mother's unexpected death made her early days on the show a soap opera of their own.”

“I didn't know it was art imitating life or life imitating art.  I cried too much,” on screen and off, she says.  Work was her saving grace, “I miss Gabrielle, especially on a performance level.  It was a real workout every day and a journey.  Gabrielle was a very dark place to go, but an exciting place to be.”

It was during her on OLTL that Hutchison met her husband, John Viscardi, who played Father Tony Vallone, one of Gabrielle's love interests.  “At the time, I looked at him and thought; He's attractive and looks like a nice man, but I'm in no mood.  Leave me alone!  When I look back, I recognize I did fall in love with him instantly.  The way John looks at people right in the eye when he speaks to them unnerved me to no end!  Its a hell of a gaze!  he was what I was looking for.”

Viscardi also had a hand in helping her develop as an actor.  “Before John, I didn't appreciate what I had or what I had learned along the way,” she says.  “John began to push me, asking me questions like, 'Why do you want to do the role?' and I would 'I don't know - because they're paying me!’ As I watched him perform in his numerous plays and films --  his work is so joyous to watch, he is such the entertainer - I began to recognize what I was missing in my own work.  John taught me to find out the real essence of a character.  By watching him, I learned more about my art.”

Perhaps the biggest lesson the talented performer learned was on her own.  Since Hutchison was 5 years old , living in Jamaica, she dreamed of being a ballerina.  After studying dance in Columbia, S.C., she moved to New York at age 15 to attend the Royal Ballet School. Two years later, though and nine months after her father's death - she fractured her lower spine in an accident, ending her dancing career.  'I was a mess," she says.  'Although I did go back to dancing 10 years later, I couldn't, of course, dance in the same way."

Having her passion robbed from her could have destroyed Hutchison, but in true survivor fashion, what didn't kill her made her an actress.  'Acting was an avenue I wanted to explore because all the dance numbers I wanted to play contained a story," she says.  "I didn't like doing ballet by the numbers.  I couldn't equate music with counting.  I would shout, 'Give me a role I can emote, a story to tell.’”

Hutchison credits her loving parents and their diverse outlooks with her success in fife.  'My father was so supportive of me pursuing my dreams," she says.  "He didn't care if I skipped class to see a movie on dancing.  He felt that we should put all the eggs in one basket.  He said if you hedge your bet, you won't win because you're too spread out.  My dad's motto was: 'If you're going to do something, do it all the way, and if something happens, worry about it then.  If you reach for the top of the ladder and you don't make it, you'll land on one of the other rungs.' My mother, on the other hand, was worried because she wanted me to have something to fall back on in case dancing didn't work out.  Well, it turns out both of them were right because, yes, something did happen that prevented me from dancing, but because of my intense training as a dancer, I met a lot of interesting people who got me into acting.  Had I finished high school or gone to college, I wouldn't have taken this course.  I was very fortunate."

Although Hutchison may not have fully realized her dancing aspirations, she may get to. live out her dream through her son Hutch.  "I would never push anything [on my children], but I have to tell you he has a dancer's body," she notes with a laugh.  "Hutch has feet to die for!  They point, they touch the ground, and he's got two wonderful legs, very limber in the hips.  He does the splits no problem.  He has a natural ability for dancing; I just wonder if he has a head for it."

Work aside, life appears to be virtually perfect for Hutchison - something that doesn't go unnoticed by her.  "I had a realization the other day driving in the car with John, the two children - one of them crying and the other one throwing things - and the three dogs.  I asked John, 'Do you think I'll ever be able to go to a ballet class again?' He roared with laughter and answered, 'Yes, darling, if that's what you want to do!"'

Fact is, she doesn't really want to anymore.  It seems that Hutchison values her role as a mother and wife more than her career.  But there are times when she feels tom between her children and her artistic pursuits.  "It is very difficult to skip away somewhere by myself," she says.  "I feel guilty luxuriating myself when I realize that my children are quite a handful for the baby sitter." One thing Hutchison allows is the time to keep in shape, which she does through, among other things, yoga.  "I recommend it to everyone.  It takes a lot of strength, but it's very relaxing."

With a year and half on her contract, and Viscardi testing for roles on the West Coast, it is up in the air if Hutchison will re-sign with GL.  "I'm very happy at Guiding Light, but I also don't know what their plans are.  I just live my life and get my dates to come in.  I never count any chickens before they are hatched.  I have a contract?  Big deal!  A contract doesn't mean anything." *
 

Being a wife to Jon Viscardi, and mother to sons Trevor & Hutch  are Hutchison's biggest joys.  She even gets to work opposite her youngest. Despite a lack of storyline, Hutchison still heats  it up with co-star Justin Deas.