Jump to content

Genevieve Atkinson

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by AJ9 (talk | contribs) at 06:25, 18 July 2013 (→Departure: add). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Genevieve Atkinson
The Young and the Restless character
File:Genie Francis as Genevieve Atkinson.jpg
Portrayed byGenie Francis
Duration2011–12
First appearanceMay 27, 2011 (2011-05-27)
Last appearanceNovember 2, 2012 (2012-11-02)
ClassificationFormer, regular
Introduced byMaria Arena Bell
In-universe information
Other namesJenny
OccupationBusinesswoman
HusbandColin Atkinson (1976–2011)
SonsCane Ashby
Caleb Atkinson
DaughtersSamantha Atkinson
GrandsonsCharlie Ashby
GranddaughtersMattie Ashby

Genevieve Atkinson is a fictional character from the American CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless. Created by former head writer Maria Arena Bell as the mother of Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard), the role was portrayed by Genie Francis, who was widely known for her three-decade long portrayal of Laura Spencer on ABC's General Hospital. Francis was excited to join the soap opera, expressing disappointment in her former daytime role and saying that her fan base would "follow whatever she does". She made her first appearance during the episode airing on May 27, 2011.

Francis described Genevieve as harsh, saying her tragic past is the reason she acts this way. Her first storyline involved the revelation of her past with Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers), as she was intertwined with his life as a mob boss. The character would later develop a romance with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), which Francis hoped would give the audience "more insight into who this woman really is". Their relationship ends after Genevieve lied to Jack about a business deal she made. She also had a brief affair with Jack's business rival Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), which both their families criticized, and was revealed to have had a past with Tucker McCall (Stephen Nichols).

In September 2012, Francis was let go from the soap opera due to budgetary cuts. The actress stated she was disappointed to leave, but that executive producer Jill Farren Phelps was "very kind" in breaking the news to her. She made her last appearance on November 2, 2012.

Casting

In February 2011, Francis reunited with her former onscreen husband, Anthony Geary, during the "Soap Opera Spectacular" episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.[1] Both Francis and Geary were part of the supercouple pairing of Luke and Laura on the ABC Daytime soap opera General Hospital. When questioned by show host Oprah Winfrey if Francis would ever reprise the role of Laura Spencer, she revealed: "I would like her to be funny and have a little bit of an agenda that might look a little bit vengeful, but it really isn’t. I think she’d have a plan. If there is a way to go forward with Laura and make her into what I'd like her to be now, then perhaps I would do it. There is nothing in me that is willing to play a victim anymore. I’m sort of done with the wounded dove in my life."[2][3][4]

A month later in March 2011, it was announced that Francis had landed the newly created of the mother of Daniel Goddard's character, Cane Ashby, on The Young and the Restless.[2][3][5][6][7] The casting would reunite her with several of her former General Hospital alumni, including Tristan Rogers, Stephen Nichols, Judith Chapman and Kin Shriner.[3][5] In a statement on how she received the newly created role, Francis revealed that Maria Arena Bell, the series' executive producer and head writer, called her (having seen her appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show) and offered her a role personally, to which Francis accepted.[8][9]

Francis also expressed her disappointment in her former daytime role on General Hospital. She said that she has found that her "fan base will follow" her whatever she does. She explained that, "My job is not to disappoint [My fans], not to cheat them. And I feel like the last little appearance on GH cheated them. I welcome the opportunity to do something new to continue to entertain my audience. What I loved about Laura — and what people loved about Laura — is that she is a terrific memory, but it’s just not there anymore."[8][9] Soap Opera Digest later confirmed Francis' character's name to be Genevieve Atkinson.[10][11] Co-head writer of The Young and the Restless, Scott Hamner, stated that the role was going to be a "very, very different character than we've seen Genie Francis portray".[10][11] Bell opened up about hiring Francis, revealing: "Genie is amazing and a real pro. I put pen and paper and she ran with it. She is really a brave, courageous actress" and added that "It really has been fantastic to watch, and I think she is terrific."[12] Prior to her onscreen debut, Francis appeared on the CBS talk show The Talk and stated that she "would not have this job without Oprah Winfrey", saying: "I must thank Oprah Winfrey here and now. I would have have this job without her. She made my dream come true as well."[13] In August 2011, Francis began experiencing a lack of on-air viewing time, leading viewers to speculate she had been let go from the soap opera and possibly returning to her General Hospital role. However, a spokesperson for The Young and the Restless confirmed that Francis was simply taking a brief hiatus to film a sequel to her Hallmark Channel film The Note.[14][15]

Development

Characterization

"I will tell you it made me feel immediately lighter in my person. I just felt like I don’t have to wring my hands and cry all the time, and worry and focus on the pain, you know. Now the focus of this new character was: how do I entertain myself, even if it’s at your expense? It’s kind of like the character in House. I just say what I want to say because it tickles me. That was a fun-freeing part of the character to play and I enjoyed it."[16]

—Francis, on how it felt from portraying Laura Spencer to Genevieve Atkinson (2011)

Francis characterized Genevieve as "harsh", attesting this quality to her past tragedy.[17] In an interview with AOL, Francis said that, "Although tragic things have happened to her, she is not tragic."[18] Michael Fairman of On-Air On-Soaps described Genevieve as an "eerie bitch".[16] Jamey Giddens of Zap2it described her as "kooky" and "The Pervy-Odd Mob Mama".[19] The soap opera's official website describes her relationship with Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers) as "twisted" and "confusing".[20]

Despite her history with Colin, the character happily pursued a romantic relationship with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman).[20] Speaking about the relationship, Francis stated: "I would like to continue to work with him because he is just so good, and Peter is so nice. I did do a couple scenes with him that I was really proud of, and they were right before the two of them make love for the first time. There were two scenes where Genevieve bares her soul to him. And through that, the audience hopefully got more insight into who this woman really is."[16]

Genevieve ultimately damaged and destroyed her relationship with with Jack after purchasing "Beauty of Nature" using her holding company, ForgetMeNot. Jack was previously working to take over this company, and broke up their engagement, suing her for fraud.[21] Genevieve later told Jack that she will give him Beauty of Nature if he would give their relationship another try, but this did not work out.[22] Genevieve has also had a rivalry with Jill Abbott (Jess Walton); as Jill previously believed she was Cane's mother.[23]

Departure

In September 2012, following the hiring of former General Hospital executive producer Jill Farren Phelps onto the series, Francis was let go from the soap opera due to budgetary cuts from Sony Pictures Television and CBS.[24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31] Phelps had previously stated that there would be cast changes to the series due to monetary reasons. When asked specifically about reports indicating Francis' dismissal, she said: "Genie and I had a wonderful talk when I came to Y&R and I think we're really quite fond of each other. She's a magnificent actress."[30] Despite confirmations that the actress' dismissal was due to budgetary reasons, Jillian Bowe of Zap2it reported a rumor that "the veteran's tenure on the show wasn't well-received by the brass at CBS and Sony".[28] Sara Bibel of Xfinity reported another rumor about her dismissal, saying it was "no secret" that Francis and Phelps "did not get along" while both worked on General Hospital, and that "few are surprised that the two were not eager to work together again".[32]

After news broke of Francis' exit, several sources, including Entertainment Weekly, TVLine and TVSource, speculated that Francis would be returning to her General Hospital role.[31][24][33] Francis made her final appearance on November 2, 2012.[34] When asked how she heard she was let go from The Young and the Restless from Phelps, Francis said that she had no hard feelings, stating that she observed Phelps to be "mortified". "There are no bad feelings. Look, she's a very accomplished, powerful producer and she couldn’t get there by being petty and bitchy. Her back is to the wall. She had to cut people out because she had to balance her budget," Francis explained.[35] In January 2013, Francis returned to the role of Laura Spencer on General Hospital.[36]

Storylines

Genevieve first arrived in Genoa City in late May 2011 alongside her presumed deceased son Cane Ashby (Daniel Goddard), who is posing as his deceased twin brother, Caleb Atkinson. The pair are revealed to be working together against a common thread: Colin Atkinson (Tristan Rogers). Genevieve held a grudge against her ex, believing he murdered their daughter, Samantha.

Genevieve led Colin to her home where a shrine was set up for Samantha. She later tried to push him off a balcony, as he was trying to abduct their grandchildren Charlie (Parker Rose Curry) and Matilda (Jordan Lemnah). Colin's wife, Jill Abbott (Jess Walton), saved him from his fall. At the hospital, it was revealed Colin and Genevieve were married, and his marriage to Jill was declared invalid. Colin is sent to prison. Genevieve tried to bond with her grandchildren, however Cane's wife Lily Ashby (Christel Khalil) doesn't want her to, believing she is dangerous. Her marriage to Colin then legally ends. She begins flirting with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman), which eventually leads into a relationship. Jack also hires her at Jabot Cosmetics.

Genevieve locked Colin in a wine cellar, and he wanted revenge on her. He planned an explosion that would have killed her and Gloria Bardwell (Judith Chapman), whom he also had a grudge against. The plan goes awry when Lily and Genevieve's unseen housekeeper Myrna, who ends up being the insane Patty Williams (Stacy Haiduk), are the explosion's victims. Colin is arrested for attempted murder and deported to Australia. Patty, acting has Myrna, who has a history of obsession with Jack, is enraged because of Jack and Genevieve's relationship. She claims she is shy and covers her face in public. Jack and Genevieve are engaged.

When Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) turns himself in for murdering Diane Jenkins (Maura West), his son Adam Newman (Michael Muhney) takes over Newman Enterprises and decides to sell Beauty of Nature to the highest bidder, planning to call Tucker and tell him how much to bid in order to win. However, he fails to inform Tucker, being seduced by Sharon Newman (Sharon Case). This way, Genevieve's bid, as head of her own company FMN, is the highest and she becomes the new owner of Beauty of Nature, rising Jack's suspicion regarding the source of all her money. Later, her son Cane reads an article of FMN, which stands for Forget Me Not. Having a flicker of suspicion and remembrance, he heads to his mother's empty house to find "Forget Me Not" engraved on the golden pot that contains his sister Samantha's ashes. Genevieve then realizes, hours before her wedding, that she can no longer marry Jack as she wasn't loyal to him. She writes him a Dear John letter and asks a delivery man to deliver it to the church where they were supposed to marry, however Patty knocks him out before he can deliver the letter to Jack. Patty then dresses in Genevieve's wedding dress, which she stole from her house, and walks down the aisle to the altar with her face covered. When Jack uncovers her face, he assumes it is Emily (Stacy Haiduk), Jack's ex-fiancee who is identical to Patty. Patty is enraged by this, and reveals that she is Patty before shooting Jack in the stomach. It was finally found out that "Myrna" was in fact Patty. Upon going to the hospital, it was revealed that FMN is Genevieve's company and she is in ownership of Beauty of Nature. Jack and his friends and family rejected Genevieve. She later found solace in Victor.

Genevieve agrees to relinquish power of Beauty of Nature only if he gives their relationship another chance. Genevieve, still under the impression that Jack still loved her, overheard Jack telling Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) that he doesn't love or like Genevieve and is using her for Beauty of Nature. Jack accepts Genevieve's offer, and agrees to marry her. However, he leaves her before their wedding. Genevieve has sex with Victor and sells Beauty of Nature back to him. The SEC later begin investigating Genevieve as to where she got the funds to buy Beauty of Nature. The SEC subsequently took away all of her assets, including her estate. After being prevented from getting into a secret Swiss back-account, Genevieve asked Kevin Fisher (Greg Rikaart), known for his hacking capabilities, to find out who was stealing from her. Genevieve's money later appeared in front of Cane's door and her room was the GCAC was trashed. There are possibilities that her daughter, Samantha, could be alive and doing all of this to her. When Victor goes missing, Tucker requests Genevieve's help; and promises her something if she does. She ends up finding Victor with amnesia, believing his name is "Christian". Eventually, Genevieve helped bring Victor back to Genoa City after he was involved in an explosion and slowly began to regain his memory.

After Genevieve's return, everyone soon ostracized her for being involved in keeping Victor away. She also quickly got herself got up into a mystery of someone impersonating her late daughter Samantha. Cane ended up finding her, and the woman claimed that Genevieve put her up to this. Genevieve quickly denied in hiring the woman to impersonate Samantha. Genevieve was convinced that Colin was behind this, and the woman later called Genevieve to meet her where she could tell her the truth. However, when Genevieve went to see her, she was missing and blood was spilled on the floor. The woman was later found dead and Ronan Malloy was ready to claim that Genevieve was a person of interest. While drawing tests on the body, she was able to get Tucker's help to disappear. They shared a heartfelt goodbye before she left town on November 2, 2012.

Reception

Jamey Giddens of Zap2it wrote of the decision to sign Francis onto the series: "Maria Arena Bell just made Brian Frons kick a puppy in the face."[37] After her debut, he called Francis' portrayal of Genevieve "embarrassingly-bad", stating: "I’m sure I will catch hell for going here about a daytime treasure, but Francis’ portrayal of Cane and Caleb’s (Daniel Goddard) unhinged mother has been cartoonish and abysmal from her first air show. I don’t know if Francis is painfully attempting to channel the late Elizabeth Taylor’s fun, campy turn as Luke and Laura’s arch nemesis Helena Cassadine on General Hospital 30 years ago, or going for Evil-Lyn from the old He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon, but she’s missing the mark either way." He also wrote that as much as he would "love to solely blame this performance on the writing—because let’s face it, the story is dreadful—Francis is the one making the choices to jerk, gasp and wince as Genevieve registers each and every emotion or painful memory. This is not the Genie Francis we know and love."[19] Adam Hughes of Yahoo! wrote of viewers' reactions to Francis' debut and her portrayal, stating: "Since Francis arrived on the scene this spring, fan reaction to her revised on-screen attitude has been a mixed bag, but she continues to draw a ton of interest to her new CBS television digs. Former General Hospital followers may find her more biting character hard to swallow, and longtime fans of The Young and The Restless have watched her push aside some of their favorites, but Francis has undoubtedly shaken up the local landscape. Buzz is half the game when comes to keeping soap opera fans interested, and Francis has certainly delivered that."[38]

Upon the news of Francis' casting, Sara Bibel of Xfinity wrote that the soap opera had "finally mastered the art of stunt casting". She also stated that seeing Francis paired with Tristan Rogers "will be delicious", and that she thought "we can all agree this is a far more exciting addition to the show than Eric Roberts or Sean Young". She gave "kudos" to the soap opera for creating "what is sure to be must-see daytime TV".[39] When news broke of Francis' dismissal, Bibel wrote: "Francis’s character, Genevieve, was, to put it mildly, not an audience favorite. She started out as a dark psychopath hellbent on revenge then, when that persona made the character less than viable over the longterm, morphed overnight into an aspiring business woman. Neither incarnation played to Francis’s strengths as an actress."[32]

In 2012, Francis received a nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series at the 39th Daytime Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Genevieve.[40] On her nomination, Francis felt that she had "tremendous good fortune" and is extremely thriled to be apart of the show. She said: "I've only been with this show for a year, so I'm thrilled that we managed to put together some nice work that people are enjoying."[41] However, she lost her bid for the award to former General Hospital co-star Nancy Lee Grahn for her portrayal of Alexis Davis.[42]

References

  1. ^ Fairman, Michael (February 4, 2011). "Y&R's Jeanne Cooper and other soap legends on Oprah Wednesday!". On Air On Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  2. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (March 11, 2011). "Genie Francis joins 'Young and the Restless'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  3. ^ a b c Nobles, Omar (March 31, 2011). "Genie Francis Cast On 'The Young and The Restless'!". TVSource Magazine. TVSource. SoSource Media. Retrieved July 22, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Fairman, Michael (February 10, 2011). "Oprah's Soap Star Spectacular- What did you think of the show?". On Air On Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Genie Francis Heads to Y&R". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. April 4, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  6. ^ Fairman, Michael (March 31, 2011). "Breaking News: Genie Francis joins The Young and the Restless!". On Air On Soaps. On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (March 31, 2011). "Soap icon Genie Francis joins The Young and the Restless". Soap Central. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  8. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (April 5, 2011). "Genie Francis on 'General Hospital': 'They cannot conceive a Laura who is a grown woman'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  9. ^ a b Fairman, Michael (April 5, 2011). "Genie Francis on her decision to go to Y&R & her disappointment in GH!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "More on Genie Francis's Y&R Character". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. April 12, 2011. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  11. ^ a b Fairman, Michael (April 13, 2011). "Genie Francis new Y&R character to be named, "Genevieve"!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2012.
  12. ^ Fairman, Michael (June 30, 2011). "Y&R's Maria Arena Bell discusses Genie Francis, Daniel Goddard, Soaps future & more!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  13. ^ Giddens, Jamey (May 24, 2011). "Genie Francis on Y&R Gig: "I Would Not Have This Job Without Oprah Winfrey"". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  14. ^ "A Note For Y&R Fans". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. August 5, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  15. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (August 7, 2011). "Genie Francis "out" at The Young and the Restless". Soap Central. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  16. ^ a b c Fairman, Michael (November 4, 2011). "The Genie Francis Interview – Pretty & The Young and the Restless". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved January 10, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ Fairman, Michael (May 17, 2012). "Genie Francis Interview: She Scores a Daytime Emmy Nomination for Y&R's Genevieve & Her Former GH Co-Stars Get Noms Too!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  18. ^ Kerr, Luke (July 19, 2011). "Y&R's Genie Francis on Genevieve: "She is Not Tragic!"". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  19. ^ a b Giddens, Jamey (June 9, 2011). "Does Genie Francis Think She's on Cartoon Network or The Young and the Restless?". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  20. ^ a b "Genevieve Atkinson". The Young and the Restless. Sony Pictures. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  21. ^ Bowe, Jillian (March 26, 2012). "The Young and The Restless Spoilers: Jack Sues Genevieve!". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  22. ^ Bowe, Jillian (April 2, 2012). "The Young and The Restless Spoilers: Will Jack Accept Genevieve's Indecent Proposal?". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  23. ^ "Jill and Genevieve fight dirty". The Young and the Restless. Sony Pictures. May 10, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2012.
  24. ^ a b Masters, Megan (September 13, 2012). "TVLine Items: Genie Francis Out at Y&R, Showtime Orders Sporty 60 Minutes and More!". TV Line. Retrieved October 17, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Text "publisherPenske Media Corporation" ignored (help)
  25. ^ "Genie Francis Out At Y&R". Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. September 13, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  26. ^ Simms, Richard M. (September 13, 2012). "Breaking News: Francis Is Out At Y&R!". CBS Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  27. ^ Fairman, Michael (September 13, 2012). "Breaking News: Genie Francis Out at The Young and the Restless!". On-Air On-Soaps. Michael Fairman Soaps, Inc. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  28. ^ a b Bowe, Jillian (September 13, 2012). "Breaking News: Genie Francis Axed at The Young and The Restless!". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  29. ^ Kroll, Dan J. (September 13, 2012). "Genie Francis let go from The Young and the Restless". Soap Central. Soapcentral.com. Retrieved October 17, 2012.
  30. ^ a b Raftery, Liz (September 14, 2012). "Genie Francis Dropped From The Young and the Restless". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  31. ^ a b Rice, Lynette (September 14, 2012). "Genie Francis out of 'Young and the Restless'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved October 18, 2012.
  32. ^ a b Bibel, Sara (September 14, 2012). "Deep Soap: Genie Francis & Marcy Rylan & Debbi Morgan Fired from 'Y&R'". Xfinity. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  33. ^ White-Nobles, Omar (September 14, 2012). "Genie Francis Parts Ways With 'The Young and the Restless'". TVSource. SoSource Media. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ "Two Emmy Winners Take Off!". CBS Soaps In Depth. November 5, 2012. p. 13.
  35. ^ "Class Act". Soap Opera Digest. October 15, 2012. pp. 30–33.
  36. ^ "Genie Francis returns to 'General Hospital'". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. January 8, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
  37. ^ Giddens, Jamey (March 31, 2011). "POWER MOVES: Young and Restless Sign GENIE FREAKING FRANCIS!!!". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  38. ^ Hughes, Adam (August 16, 2011). "Genie Francis Taking a Break from 'The Young and the Restless'". Yahoo!. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  39. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 1, 2011). "Deep Soap: Genie Francis Joins 'The Young and the Restless'". Xfinity. Retrieved July 17, 2013. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |newspaper= (help)
  40. ^ "39th Daytime Emmy Nominations Announced". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. May 9, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  41. ^ "Genie Francis On Emmy Nom". Soap Opera Digest. Soapoperadigest.com. May 9, 2012. Retrieved July 24, 2012.
  42. ^ "'General Hospital' scores 5 Daytime Emmys, including best drama; 'Today,' 'Jeopardy!' also win". Washington Post. Washingtonpost.com. June 23, 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Genevieve_Atkinson&oldid=564751726"