‘One Life to Live’ actor on show’s online demise: ‘It was a noble attempt’

The actress who plays Nora on One Life to Life told EW that while she thought Prospect Park was “biting off a lot” by attempting to take the canceled ABC soap online, ”I thought it was doable.”

“It was a noble attempt and I believe they really wanted to do this,” said Hillary B. Smith in response to the shocking news that Prospect Park has shuttered plans to bring OLTL and All My Children to its planned Online Network launching in 2012.  The media and production company founded in 2009 by Jeffrey Kwatinetz and former Disney Studios head Rich Frank was unable to reach guild deals to make the soaps’ run on the internet a reality.

Smith told EW that she had a tentative deal in place to continue starring on OLTL once it ended its run on ABC in January and moved online. She would have joined Erika Slezak (Victoria Lord), along with Ted King (Tomas Delgado), Michael Easton (John McBain) and Kassie DePaiva (Blair Cramer), among others. ”I’m just sad for the fans,” she told EW. “I think this was a very ambitious project for a company with no history of the technology. I do wish there had been more communication between the company and those who’d signed on. We were finding out a lot in the press.”

As for the OLTL fans, “We’re still here through January,” she said. “I want them to enjoy this journey. It’s really going to be fun through the end. It’d be nice if a knight in shining armor came riding up to save us but even if that doesn’t happen, it will be a fun ride to the end.”

Now that the sudser won’t have an afterlife online, fans are worried it didn’t have an opportunity to film a satisfying series finale for fans. (Attempts by EW to get an answer have been unsuccessful). Says Smith, ”I can’t say [if it’ll be satisfying enough if there’s no continuation]. I don’t know exactly the whole ending. I want to be able to watch it myself. I know that they shot a couple of different endings for Bo and I. I have an idea which they’ll use. But I don’t know the ending for the show.”

Smith is part of the cast of the Emmy-winning Venice the Series, which began its third season online today. — With reporting from Abby West