WHERE ARE THEY NOW: DON SCARDINO (EX-JOHNNY, GUIDING LIGHT; EX-CHRIS, ANOTHER WORLD)

Episodes of "30 Rock," NBC's hit sitcom, which was created by and stars Tina Fey, are often enhanced by New York stage actors' guest turns.

Discussing this event of turns, among other topics, is a co-producer and frequent director of the show, Don Scardino.

The former actor spent 25 years on the boards and opposite side of the camera. On Broadway, he's played a few good roles and directed Aaron Sorkin's A Few Good Men, the 1989 Broadway drama that preceded a Kennedy Center break-in engagement with a tryout at the University of Virginia...

Soap operas, he believes, "are a great training ground." He appeared as a regular on "Guiding Light," "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing," "As the World Turns," "Ryan's Hope," "All My Children," and "Another World," receiving a Daytime Emmy nomination for the last.

At 16, Scardino had the opportunity to become one of the Monkees, but his "Guiding Light" contract prevented him from accepting the offer. "The Beatles were my idols, and the Monkees were going to be the 'American Beatles.' I was devastated, especially when their TV series and records became so popular. But it all turned out for the best. I wouldn't want to be known today as 'a former Monkee.'

Read the entire interview at Playbill.com.

Fun fact: When Scardino was nominated for his role as Chris on AW in 1986 it was in the category of Outstanding Younger Leading Man in a Drama Series. He was 38 years old. An age limit of actors needing to be under 25 was instituted soon after.