It's been over a year since Julie Marie Berman debuted as GENERAL HOSPITAL's Lesley Lu Spencer, better known as Lulu. So far it's been a wonderful ride, culminating in finally meeting and working with daytime icon Genie Francis (Laura). Here, Berman weighs in on what it was like being part of Luke and Laura's 25th wedding anniversary celebration.
Soap Opera Weekly: Were you excited about working with Genie Francis, your TV mom?
Julie Marie Berman: Yes. It was great meeting her and so long awaited. In the first scenes we had, Genie wasn't speaking. She was still staring at a wall. Genie is a very kind, wonderful person. It was very easy to get along with her.
Weekly: On the show, they often mention how Lulu looks just like her mom. Do you see a resemblance between yourself and Genie?
Berman: I do. People say I look like certain people all the time. I never really see it. I think I look so different from everyone else. But, sometimes, I'll look at Genie and think, “She kind of looks like my real mom does.”
Weekly: Did you enjoy getting to be part of the remarriage of Luke and Laura?
Berman: Definitely. It's something I didn't get to see when it happened the first time. I feel very fortunate that the show decided to age Lulu and cast me in the role.
Weekly: What was it like taping the scenes leading up to the wedding?
Berman: The hours were long. On the day of the shoot, I had to be on location at 4 a.m. There was a power outage the night before and I was afraid my alarm wouldn't work, so I stayed up all night. I was very tired by the middle of the day. But Jason Thompson (Patrick) brought Red Bull. He's the best. That kept me going.
Weekly: Do you have any mementoes from the shoot?
Berman: I'd never taken pictures around the set before, but I felt like that was a special day. It was unique; my first location shoot and the last time I was going to see Genie — hopefully not forever, but for a while. I wanted to remember the day from my point of view and have it forever; remember what it was like being a part of it and how crazy it was. So I brought my camera to work and took a lot of pictures.
Weekly: Lulu, of course, was extremely bitter when her mother reverted back to catatonia. Why do you think she took it so hard?
Berman: Lulu's dream was to have her family back together. She finally got everything she'd wanted for so long. The whole thing was completely surreal to her. She got her mom back. Then, her parents got remarried. She felt very betrayed that she didn't know the truth from the beginning. She just got used to having her mom back. She didn't know this was temporary. She thought this was her dream coming true, but there was a huge downside to it that she didn't know about. It hurts her to have to give up what she thought she had. So she lashes out at Luke for it. He's the one who had the knowledge and didn't relay it to her.
Weekly: Will all of this ruin Lulu's relationship with Luke?
Berman: No, I don’t think anything could ever ruin her relationship with her father. She needs her father. Everyone goes through ups and downs. Everyone has fights. They'll work this out.
