"Not Kissing Robin Strasser At His OLTL Audition Got Tuc Watkins The Job— Since Then, He's Been SPEC-TUC-ULAR"

Years later, his first Hollywood battle was over his name. "I had a manager who said, ‘We need to add a K to Tuc because it balances out your name.’" Unfortunately, the T looked like an F when it was spelled out, and…well…you can see the problem. It stayed T-U-C. "If I don’t make it in this business, it won’t be because of my name," he states wryly.

Indeed, Watkins’ name has turned out to be an advantage. So has his squeaky-clean upbringing in the Midwest. "I grew up in Cornfield, America," Watkins chuckles. "I remember being very happy-go-lucky." Watkins’ family was supportive when he went to Indiana University to study television production, and they remain close. "We’re all very artistic," he explains. "I act, my sister paints, my mom is a photographer and my dad is one of the funniest men I know."

Watkins spent the summer after graduation painting his grandparents’ house and was all set to move to L.A. in September—until Paul Newman came to town. "They were casting Mr. And Mrs. Bridge in Kansas City," Watkins recalls. "I auditioned and they said, ‘We want you to come back,’ for basically one-line roles: ‘Hi, Mrs. Bridge,’ or ‘Here’s your car, Mr. Bridge.’ It would have been great. October 1 came around and they hadn’t called, so I got in my car and I left. As soon as I hit Las Vegas they said, ‘We are ready for you.’" He kept going, and landed the first commercial he auditioned for in L.A. "It was for Miller Lite Genuine Draft," he remembers. "I sat on the beach in Malibu between Bob Newhart’s house and Lee Majors’ house for four days, thinking, ‘This is easy. Why is everyone complaining that this is so hard?’" The ad never aired, which answered that question. A Snickers commercial followed, "which they ran the heck out of and paid me $36,000 for. So, I didn’t have to get a waiter job."

Soon, Watkins go this first TV break on GROWING PAINS. "I had three lines, to Kirk Cameron and Alan Thicke. ‘Towels. Here. Yeah.’ I called everybody: ‘I am the tall guy in the gym, look for me!’ The show airs two hours earlier in Kansas City, so my mom called and said, 'We think we saw you…’ I watched it two hours later and they cut my part out."

A recurring role on SISTERS followed, and then he landed a new show called MELROSE PLACE. "I basically played a cardigan sweater," cracks Watkins. "I was Billy’s friend from college. As soon as Alison and I started getting along, he said, ‘Alison, I left the stove on. We have to leave now.’ That’s a prime example of the writing that was going on at the time—and the kind of roles I was getting. I was the nice guy. I was the boyfriend. I was the frat guy. Boring! That is not why I became an actor."

An OLTL audition opposite Robin Strasser (Dorian) changed all that. "At the end of the scene with Robin, I was supposed to lay this big kiss on her," he recalls. "She resisted, like, ‘Don’t you touch me.’ I laughed at her instead and left the room." Watkins was told later that suppressing the smooch got him the job. "Whatever you can do different [as an actor] makes them remember you," he advises. "And if they remember you, they will consider you."

A year-and-a-half later, Watkins is happily ensconced in Llanview, and David’s still playing cat-and-mouse with Dorian. "The people I have learned the most from are Erika Slezak (Viki), Robin Strasser and Bob Woods (Bo)," he states. "They are so at ease with what they do." He is less at ease because of the amount of recapping he has to do. "My favorite line was, ‘Viki, once you realize that I am truly your half brother, you’ll know that Dorian didn’t kill your father,’" he chuckles. "That is so unbelievable! But those three actors can say anything and make it believable."

So can Watkins, who confesses he is still searching for the perfect mate. Has he thought of attracting suitors by posing in Playgirl like other soap stars? "I don’t think so," he chortles. "My mother is out there watching what I do! But don’t get me wrong. I am for sale for the right price." Speaking of which, OLTL may have to ante up soon. "My contract is up next March and I don’t have any definite plans," he confides. "But at this point, I see myself going onto something else." A big smile spreads across his face. "But remember—I am willing to be bought."

WHY IS DAVID SO CLEAN?

"They tried to put me in a Speedo once on ONE LIFE TO LIVE and I said, ‘Just fire me and get somebody else,’" reveals Tuc Watkins, who has one of the fittest bodies on TV. "I have had to plant trees and take my shirt off, and punch a punching bag and take my shirt off. I’ll say, ‘Dorian, don’t you forget because I have the diary! I am going to take a shower now.’ And in the next scene, I will have a towel on. But if it makes sense to the scene, I have no problem with it. Part of the reason that I am here is that [soaps] are a looks medium. When you are an actor you have to know what your market is, and I don’t see any point in fighting that. So, I am always taking showers. I am the cleanest guy in Llanview."

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