ATWT’s Eric Sheffer Stevens on Luke & Reid not having sex: “I don’t know any two men that would hesitate”

It’s such a pity that As the World Turns is going off the air next month and that we only have about six more weeks of the electric pairing of Luke Snyder (Van Hansis) and Dr. Reid Oliver (Eric Sheffer Stevens).

But the one upside is that since all of the episodes are filmed, Stevens has felt free to be more candid than stars – who are afraid of being written out of replaced! – usually are about their storyline.

“There is still the element of not fully fleshing out their relationship because it’s a gay relationship, and it’s on daytime television,” he told journalist Michael Fairman. “That is frustrating.  It’s like, “OK. If we are going to do this, then let’s do this!  Let’s show two men dating, and falling in love, and wherever it goes.”  The writers and producers still have to negotiate differently than they do with straight couples, and that gets a little frustrating when you are playing it.  Then, it feels awkward. … To kind of play that well is tough, when actually what the couple would be doing is making out on the couch, or spending the night together.  To give them a little nice kiss and leave them at the door…well…it’s a fifties television show feel then, and it does not feel authentic.  But again, that is a given, and you have to play it, and for some reason that is where they are at this point in daytime television culture… or so it would seem.”

Luke was hesitant on yesterday’s show to have sex with Reid even though they had a good opportunity with a vacant and paid for hotel suite. Says Stevens: “He is hesitant and that is part of the storyline coming up.  And, it’s one of those that you can’t analyze too much, because I don’t know any two men that would hesitate.  But Luke does, so that is what we have to play. (Laughs)”

Other tidbits:

On working with Van Hansis: “I loved working with Van. We worked really well together and enjoyed each other, and it was a lot of fun.  Van is fantastic!”

On why Luke-Reid caught on: “I think [fans] like the way they interact, and they are sort of opposites, and there is chemistry there.  On a personal note, Van and I have a lot of fun working together.  I think that is attractive to people, and people like watching people who enjoy each other.  I think they are a unique couple, and so are Noah and Luke.  It’s a well-written pairing.”

His favorite scenes: I have a bunch.  Early on, I remember really liking the court stuff when I had to go to court and Henry was at my hearing.  I liked the speech I had about the town when I was first arrested, and the doctors going to “Clown College”.  I loved all that stuff.  There are scenes with Katie that I love, where she works on him and tries to change him, and when she first suspects he has a thing for Luke, and calls him on it.  Then there was a scene where he suspected that she was sad to lose him as a roommate.  He said, “Holy co-Dependency! You don’t want me to leave!”  There were a lot of lines like that, that were so funny.

“When Luke and Reid become more playful is when I really enjoyed it, and when it was not so fraught with so much tension…. where we see them really enjoying each other.  I think now we are seeing on-air that they are getting into that part of their arc. And, by the way, the scenes that aired this week when he is trying to teach me manners and tact…I loved that. We are doing role-playing, and we had a fun time shooting it because we would goof around.  Where we left off was; Bob is considering me for the Chief of Staff position.  So I have asked Luke to help me become somebody who would be considered for that job…. which would basically be changing the whole way Reid interacts with people.”

This is a wonderfully long interview. HERE IS A LINK to it in its entirety!