Dano and Wheeler first became friends while acting on ANOTHER WORLD (Dano played Felicia; Wheeler was Vicky/Marley), but Dano recently got an offer she couldn't refuse: to work with her old pal on a new show, GUIDING LIGHT, where Wheeler is now executive producer.

So far, it's proved a winning proposition. "First of all, she's an enormously gifted actress," raves Dano. "As an actor, she talks to actors in a different way than someone who is in a suit. When you have that eye as an actor, when you know wonderful work and you can do wonderful work, it makes being a producer so much easier because she knows what she's looking at. You can't fool her. She's one of us."

That unique perspective makes for classic soap opera. "The spin for her show — what she wants to have happen and what is happening — is at the level of excellence that is quite wonderful," smiles Dano. "It's about family and story and romance and it's, what I believe, a soap should be. Her vision is so clear and she has great taste, so the show reflects a true soap opera.It makes for a much more compelling, emotional, real canvas and I love that."