Soap Opera Digest: What have been up to since you left daytime?
Matt Borlenghi: I wrote, directed, executive produced and starred in a short film called Jack.

Digest: What's it about?
Borlenghi: It's the story of a famous soap actor who is tormented by his fame and ends up using it to become a successful serial killer. His victims are exclusively his fans, who are so quick to welcome him into their lives.

Digest: Uh, that hits a little close to home.
Borlenghi: It stemmed from my days on ALL MY CHILDREN. Kelly Ripa [ex-Hayley] and I were very fortunate to become popular as quickly as we did, but as much as I loved the interaction with the fans, there were times after working all day that I just wanted to go home and decompress. I lived six blocks from the studio and sometimes it would take me an hour and a half to walk those six blocks because there were so many people who wanted to talk to Brian. They wanted to tell Brian what he was doing wrong or about how he was treating Hayley.

Digest: So, the lead character in your film gets tired of that?
Borlenghi: Yeah, T.J. is the actor and his character's name is Jack. But no one refers to him as T.J., no one even bothers to even separate him from Jack, which was my experience with daytime. I would have people yelling at me for my actions as Brian. I would take a step back and say, "Can we just take a breath? Hi, I'm Matt."

Digest: So T.J. goes a little bonkers because of his fame?
Borlenghi: T.J. left his role on the soap and he's hitchhiking across country to try and find himself again, thinking he can escape his fame by disappearing into America. But that's the worst thing he could've done because right smack in the middle of nowhere, he's being admonished by fans for the way he's treating Suzy, who's the golden child of the show. She's loosely based on Kelly Ripa.

Digest: How did you get into the mind of a serial killer?
Borlenghi: Everyone has a dark side. The only difference between you, me and the actual serial killers is they don't know how to shut off that dark side. I can't even begin to imagine the psychology involved there.

Digest: Okay, let's change the subject to something lighter ... at least I hope it's lighter. What's been going on in your personal life?
Borlenghi: I'm married. I have a great wife, Heather. She's understanding and tolerant of me, which is big because I'm hard to put up with sometimes. We have a kid. She's 19 months old and her name is Garland. She just kills me. She's unbelievable. She's the sweetest little girl.

Digest: Have you changed since becoming a dad?
Borlenghi: Oh, yeah. Things that I never thought I couldn't feel, I do now. Ever since having my daughter, I'm more sensitive and patient. Thankfully, it's crossed over in most areas of my life. I was always hotheaded and quick to snap. If someone looked at me wrong, I was in their face ready to break it. My thinking was always wrapped around physicality. If you push me, I'm going to break both of your arms.

Digest: And now?
Borlenghi: Live and let live, man [laughs]. I still get a little frustrated in traffic.

Digest: Do you swear less?
Borlenghi: Yeah, except on the golf course. People on the fairway hear if I make a lousy f----ing shot.