Catching Up With: Tom Wiggin (Decker, GL)

Digest caught up with daytime vet Tom Wiggin (ex-Kirk, ATWT) about his old soap pals, life after Oakdale and his new stint in Springfield as hotshot businessman Lawrence Decker.
Soap Opera Digest: You first aired on September 15. How’d you get summoned to Springfield, anyway?

Tom Wiggin: Actually, it’s very simple! I just got a call and I welcomed a chance to come back to the show. We always called [soaps] the world’s greatest part-time job and it still is.



Digest: The last time you showed up on GL, briefly back in 1999, you portrayed Holly’s ex-con boyfriend, Sam Kershaw. Is it safe to say Decker’s a completely different type of character?

Wiggin: Well, certainly he’s a nicer guy than Kirk Anderson on AS THE WORLD TURNS [laughs]! But it’s closer to my businessman roots as a daytime character than the other one was.



Digest: The Spaulding/Lewis Enterprises feud is complicated. How will Decker continue to play a role?



Wiggin: What’s in the offing is a huge deal that’s been mentioned. He wants Spaulding/Lewis to be a part of it. Decker’s going to have to work around the Dinah/Bill/Lizzie dynamic to get his project off the ground.



Digest: Soap fans love that you’re back. Do people still recognize you on the street?

Wiggin: It’s amazing. I call it the “elephant society” because of the longevity of memories of soap audiences. I was at Mohegan Sun recently and I stepped off the elevator and the first person I saw recognized me from WORLD TURNS. It has been exactly 10 years, as a matter of fact. They wanted a picture and the whole bit. I love it. I think it’s fantastic and I’m very appreciative of the fact that people do remember my work and that they liked it.



Digest: Do you keep in touch with any of your former ATWT co-stars?

Wiggin: Not really. The person I keep closest to, because we’re about to begin work on a project together, is Scott Bryce [ex-Craig]. We live near each other and I sort of get all the comings and goings dirt from him. I’m also in touch with and do hang out occasionally with Tamara Tunie [ex-Jessica]. We were very close. It’s very interesting going back to the [CBS] Broadcast Center. It’s kind of eerie ’cause I’m back in my old home that I spent a lot of time at and that’s nice. There are several crew members who are still working there that I was particularly good friends with.Digest: Were you surprised or sorry that Kirk went out as such a snake?

Wiggin: No. I had no problem with all of that. At the time, I was kind of ready to leave the show and they were ready to have me leave, so they did write me off. It was not something that I was particularly upset by. I was always happy that Kirk was never redeemed. He was never evil. He wasn’t a Tonio Reyes or James Stenbeck. He was never the relentless bad guy, I just always described him as ethically challenged and was always looking out for himself. Everyone on earth knows a Kirk Anderson and that’s what I loved about that role.



Digest: Anyone from GL you were happy to see again?

Wiggin: Kim [Zimmer, Reva] and I have always been really friendly. We did some stuff together at AFTRA. I just think she’s the best. And Frank Dicopoulos [Frank]. It’s been good getting to reconnect with them. It’s been a very easy transition. The cast is great. The show reminds me very much of WORLD TURNS in that it’s not a “diva” show at all. There’s a really good attitude there.



Digest: Are you having fun working with Danny Cosgrove [Bill] and Marcy Rylan [Lizzie]?

Wiggin: Yeah! We’ve been having a great time. Danny reminds me of Michael Morrison [ex-Caleb, ATWT] who was a really, really good actor and always kept things really light on the set. Unfortunately, he met a very tragic end. Just in terms of acting style and the unpredictability that he brings and keeps things really fresh.



Digest: What do you think about GL’s production format?

Wiggin: It’s been a real interesting metamorphosis. Obviously, I’m new to it and just catching up with how things have evolved. No matter what happens, the actors are still doing what they’ve always done, which is making their characters come to life, make them believable and create a bond with the audience. As long as you’re writing good story and have good actors, which GUIDING LIGHT does, audiences still have a chance to connect. It’s been a cool experience.



Digest: What else have you been up to?

Wiggin: Several years ago, I did a role in Iron Jawed Angels, which was a really good HBO movie with Hilary Swank. I had a small role in THE BRONX IS BURNING, which was an ESPN miniseries. I played Whitey Ford. As I said, I’m also working with Scott [Bryce]. We’re working on a sitcom project that’s in the very early stages right now. I’ve also done a number of plays in the interim. I’m still based in New York. Now I have a daughter in college and my youngest daughter is a senior in high school.



Digest: Any idea how long you’ll be sticking around Springfield?

Wiggin: I have no idea. I think, to be quite honest, it’s up in the air right now. I told [GL Executive Producer] Ellen Wheeler that I’m having a ball working there and that if it could continue, that would be fine with me!