Megan Ward discusses friendships, career, show business and her early independence in Part II of our interview
Megan Ward on Female Friends
General Hospital fans are fascinated by Megan Ward, who plays "fashionista" Kate Howard. Despite the grueling schedule and responsibilities in her private life, Ward seems to be thriving in the hectic atmosphere of daytime.
One aspect of the show that Megan has helped to bring out is friendship between females. There's the rivalry, sisters-under-the-skin relationship between Maxie and Lulu. Then there is the supportive, noncompetitive relationship between Diane Miller (Carolyn Hennesy) and Kate, and the "I Love Lucy" type of friendship between Alexis and Diane. Viewers are loving these varied woman-to-woman relationships. It will be fascinating to see what develops between Kate and Olivia (Lisa LoCicero). There is affection but also a secret - and Sonny. Right now, it's not looking good for a gigglefest.
"I had an event at the General Hospital Fan Weekend," Ward says, "and Carolyn [Hennesy] stopped by to be part of it. It was fabulous. The audience was hysterical and asking, 'Why can't we see this on the show?'"
Part of it, of course, is that Kate is very serious and has a ton of problems, thanks to Sonny, Crimson, Carly (evidence of the more familiar female to female GH interchange) and now cousin Olivia. Diane at this point is there to advise her to leave Sonny and check out the clothes – but she is a true friend to Kate and is concerned for her.
"I love the friendship aspect," Ward says. "For me, that's nothing unusual, for women to be friends. On General Hospital, there's a little of it in some of the storylines, but not as an ongoing story. I hope they continue to take those kinds of chances with new story ideas. In life, people do have friends and professional relationships that are just as real as romantic relationships. The writers have made the point that Kate has no friends - it's a very intriguing character history for me, having her be isolated and not feeling that she can have any friends. Not that she doesn't have the capacity. It was interesting that they made it a point in the story for the wedding. I hope they give Kate a way to bond with her girlfriends."
Megan's Early Independence
Part of Kate's "isolation" is the break from her family and her roots. This has made her tremendously independent, and in that way, she's like the woman who plays her. Ward started her career as a model and was basically on her own at a young age. "I started working in Hawaii," she says, "and I made my first trip to Japan when I was 15. I had chaperones, and at first, I was there for a couple of weeks. I kept going back after that with modeling contracts. I had an apartment where I lived by myself. At sixteen, I was an emancipated minor being responsible for myself in a foreign country and speaking a foreign language."
A mother herself today, Ward says, "My parents were crazy. I would never let my children do that. I wanted to do it, and my parents were stage actors, so they knew what it was about. I was technically chaperoned, but they were just people who worked at my agency. I'm so grateful that they let me go. I was on the cover of tons of Japanese magazines. I did catalogs, product campaigns and commercials. I've paid for everything for myself since I was 14. I had the money to go to Los Angeles to pursue acting. It afforded me the opportunity to train and study."
During her first year seeking work in Los Angeles, Ward returned to Japan and earned more money. "I did films and TV there," she says. "I wasn't famous but I was successful. That carried me through to getting my first job." How the heck does anyone learn Japanese - but Ward speaks it well.
Megan on Fame versus Success
Ward doesn't define success in terms of fame. "There's no real logical course to achieve 'success,' she says. "Everybody defines it differently. The only reason I wanted fame was to do the jobs that meant something to me, to have power in choosing roles. It's not about fame per se. I don't crave it. I like to act, change my hair, wear certain clothes and tell a back-story. I like creating that and living in that. That's what's fun and challenging for me and rewarding."
Over the years, Ward has seen "show business" become more "business" than show. She says, "The entertainment industry is very much based on marketing, and as years go by, it has become less and less creative in terms of power. Decisions aren't made on the creativity of a project or the talent of the actor. It's really about the fast track, the instant numbers and the instant gratification.
"When those are the rules, it's a whole different thing to compete in. You have to reevaluate how you get your opportunities and become more of a marketing commodity to simply to do the work you like to do. It makes me a little sad that I have to be part of a machine that I don't appreciate. I understand it, but it's not necessarily the way I think it should work.
"I didn't have to marry somebody famous to get a job. I didn't have to pander to photographers, I didn't have to be that kind of actor. That being said, because I'm not, my opportunities are different - they're based on being able to convince producers that I should have a job."
The Future for Megan
Today, Ward feels that she's at a midpoint in her career. "I am grateful being on General Hospital. I'm happy to take Kate through a journey." As far as the future, she says, "I don't know what's in store for me and how it will evolve. Here I can do a little bit of celebrity stuff, and I have interaction with my fans. It's so rewarding - normally you have to be very famous for that. There are still things I want to do. I want to be on Broadway. My children are young, so it's not practical to do that right now, but I want that opportunity. I want to be on Sesame Street, too. There are a lot of things I'm looking forward to accomplishing in my career."
Intelligent, hard working, disciplined and beautiful – Megan Ward has it all, as well as a fulfilling family life. It's a delicate balance, but she truly does it all. She's a wonderful role model for young women...and some of us not so young ones, too!
