WHERE ARE THEY NOW: LEA SALONGA (EX-LIEN; AS THE WORLD TURNS)

On the plane ride from Guangzhou to Singapore (I flew into the city Monday night for “Cinderella” press events on Tuesday and Wednesday), I thought about how fortunate and blessed I’ve been to be paired up with some wonderful leading men on stage and screen. I’ve been playing the romantic leading lady, kissing scenes and all, for the good part of 19 years....

Peter was my on-screen love interest in “As The World Turns,” one of the longest running soap operas in the US. I played a character named Lien Hughes (originated by Ming Na, the speaking voice of Disney’s Mulan) for three months. When I screen-tested for the role, he was my partner. I guess they wanted to see how we’d look together. He is an incredibly handsome African-American, tall, dark, and really muscular. I think his bicep measured the same as my waist— my waist at the time, anyway.

There was a scene where my character breaks up with his. It was going to be emotionally difficult to do. We made it a point to run the lines over and over again, until they were etched in our minds, so we wouldn’t have to think about them when it came time to tape. Rehearsal time was limited, so we took it upon ourselves to work on our own. The scene was shot in one take with tears streaming down our faces.

More here.