March 31, 1989|by PAUL WILLISTEIN, The Morning Call
Beck graduated from the Baltimore School of the Arts where her teacher and mentor was Donald Hicken, who directed the current production of "Moon for the Misbegotten" at Pennsylvania Stage Company in Allentown. Her sister's wedding shower prevented Beck from attending the show's opening night performance.
A casting agent in Baltimore for the movie "Violets Are Blue" urged Beck to consider acting as a way to pay for her college education. While visiting New York University in Manhattan, Beck called the agent. "She said, 'Get in a cab and come see me.' " She sent Beck to audition for "Loving." "It was my first audition. I started the show on my 17th birthday. So, it was a great birthday present."
While Beck's part in "Fletch Lives" is a small one, she has a big impact. She plays Betty Dilworth, society editor for the Los Angeles paper where Fletch (Chevy Chase) is an investigative reporter.
"I was fortunate enough to do 'Fletch' because I only needed two weeks out of the show," said Beck. Filming for her scenes took place last July in Gonzales, near Baton Rouge, La., and at Newsday on Long Island.
In "Fletch," Chase's character has inherited what he thinks is a Southern mansion. On the airplane flight from Los Angeles, he dreams what antebellum life might have been for him. In the fantasy sequence, he delivers a very funny line to an area of Beck's anatomy.
"That was so much fun," Beck recalled. "I got to do the best part in the film, outside of the Harley Davidson scene, which I thought was great. . . . My brothers are really getting a big kick out of the scene. All their college friends really like the fact that that was my big part in the movie."
Beck auditioned for "Fletch Lives" director Michael Ritchie in New York. "We really hit it off. We started laughing. . . . The next day they wanted me to read for Chevy, and everything went well."
Her agent is J. Michael Bloom. "I audition for films a lot. I have it in my contract that I can give them six weeks notice to do another project." This would allow Beck six weeks away from "'Loving." "Unfortunately, my story line is so heavy that they can't write me out of the show." She's been on "Loving" since December 1984.
Next month, Beck travels to Rome. "Loving" is going on location to set the stage for Trisha's wedding. "I'm really fortunate because 'Loving' only did two remotes, Montreal, and now we're doing a remote in Rome, and I'm going. My character's getting married - again. They haven't told me who I'm marrying. I'm involved in a love triangle right now." "Loving" faces competition from the new NBC-TV soap, "Generations," which premiered opposite it on Monday.
Beck plans to stay an additional two weeks to receive the equivalent of the Italian TV Emmy award, the Tellegato, at an awards ceremony in Milan. "Loving" is the No. 1 TV serial in Italy. The show also airs in France, Africa and Australia.
"Everybody keeps asking me if the Pope is going to marry us in Rome. I figure, we're so popular there, may he will," she joked. Does Beck think her Italian heritage has boosted her popularity in Italy? "Maybe," she paused. "I guess I have this Roman nose for a reason," she said with a laugh.
Five days a week, Beck awakens at 5:30 a.m., is at the gym by 7 a.m. and the television studio at 8 a.m. After run-throughs, camera blocking, lighting adjustments, lunch and makeup, taping takes place and usually concludes at 6 p.m. On weekends, there have been publicity jaunts to Memphis, San Antonio and Indianapolis. Recently, photographs of her TV wedding were taken for a possible article in People magazine.
"One thing you learn is discipline and patience," said Beck. It can be very straining on you, especially if you're going through some hardship on the show.
"When Trisha was in love with Steve and he was in prison, I was so depressed when I would got home. It's because I was depressed all day. I'm not just one of those actresses who can turn on the tears. I have to think about it. . . . But I feel so lucky to be doing what I love most and getting paid for it. I would do this for free."
"Fletch Lives," rated PG, is now playing at General Cinema Lehigh Valley Mall, Eric Easton 6 and AMC Quakertown 6.
