Jeffrey King | |||
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Corbin Bleu as Jeffrey King | |||
One Life to Live | |||
Portrayed by | Corbin Bleu | ||
Duration | 2013- | ||
First appearance | April 29, 2013 | ||
Created by | Susan Bedsow Horgan Thom Racina | ||
Profile | |||
Gender | Male | ||
Occupation | Reporter | ||
Residence | Llanview, Pennsylvania | ||
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Jeffrey King is a fictional character from the recently relaunched soap opera, turned web series One Life to Live (OLTL). The character was introduced in 2013 and the role was originated by Disney and Broadway star, Corbin Bleu. On March 14, 2013, production company Prospect Park announced that Disney star Corbin Bleu that Bleu would be joining the cast in the newly created role.[1][2]
A freelance journalist, Jeffrey is a friend of Llanview residents, Matthew Buchanan and Danielle Manning whom he met when they were attending boarding school in London. The character plays a pivotal role in the show's relaunch as his arrival and introduction as the star reporter at The Banner helps to reignite the iconic long standing feud between Viki and Dorian Lord.
Storylines[]
Jeffrey first appears as a freelance journalist for The Banner hoping to get a staff position from Viki Lord (Erika Slezak) following his article about a scandal with junior senator, Dorian Lord (Robin Strasser). Jeffrey also reunites a past with Matthew Buchanan (Robert Gorrie) and Danielle Manning (Kelley Missal) when they attended boarding school in London. Anxious to help jump start Viki's failing newspaper, Jeffrey convinces her to run another article which further incriminates Dorian. Meanwhile, Matthew and Jeffrey move into their very own apartment only. Jeffrey loses the extra bedroom as his office when Dani suddenly moves in. When Viki reveals the budget is too tight for Jeffrey to become a permanent staff member, he decides to continue freelance work giving The Banner first refusal to his future articles. Jeffrey takes an interest in Destiny Evans (Laura Harrier), the mother of Matthew's child, much to Matthew's dismay.
Casting and creation[]
In January 2013, head writer Thom Racina posted photos on Facebook featuring himself and co-head writer Susie Bedsow Horgan brainstorming over a list of character names. The newly created character of Jeffrey was at the bottom of the list.[3] A brand new character being listed among the usual One Life characters led to speculation that the name was code for an already established character.[4][5][6] On March 14, 2013, Prospect Park sent out a press release announcing that former Disney star Corbin Bleu, known for his supporting role of Chad Danforth in the Disney musical franchise, High School Musical had been cast in the role of Jeffrey King.[7][8][9] Several other characters emerged in audition scripts, including "Sam" and "Mick Wilder" which led to speculation that the three were the same character.[10] Bleu later took to Facebook to express his excitement about joining the series in its next life.[11] Bleu told Us Weekly that the producers called and offered him the role.[12] The actor revealed in an interview with Soap Opera Digest that the executive producer, Jennifer Pepperman reached out to him personally.[13] Bleu made his first appearance in the series premier on April 29, 2013.
Reception[]
In addition to the casting news being announced by the usual soap press, Bleu's casting garnered the attention of several pop publications including Entertainment Weekly,[14] Access Hollywood,[15] Perezhilton.com,[16] Michael Ausiello's TVLine,[17] Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood,[18] and several others.[19][20] The casting also made news in the Broadway world due to Bleu's recent appearances in Godspell and In the Heights.[21][22]
Bleu later took to Twitter where he promised to release a photo of his character's first appearance if his followers could the show's new Twitter account reach 5,000 followers, which it did.[23] Daytime Confidential's Jillian Bowe responded to the casting news with "Prospect Park ain't playing around!" referencing the prior perception that Prospect Park did not take the task of relaunching OLTL and its sister show seriously.[24] With such a wide variety of acting credits, from Broadway, to television and film, TVSource Magazine's Omar Nobles said Bleu "should fit in quite nicely in the world of soaps."[25] Sara Bibel referred to Bleu as an "unexpected addition" to the cast. Bibel continued, and stated that an actor of Bleu's caliber joining the series was definitely a sign of future success.[26] Soap Opera Network's Errol Lewis said fans would definitely be able to relate to the young adult Jeffrey's storyline in which he lands his dream job as reporter. "A character given a job that doesn't feel forced just because their portrayer is a “name” actor is refreshing" Lewis said in reference to Bleu's Jeffrey.[27]
In a review of the show's premiere episode, Jamey Giddens of Daytime Confidential referred to Bleu and his costar Robert Gorrie, who portrayed Matthew Buchanan as two of the "most promising" new comers to join the series in recent years.[28] Thomas Montalto of Soap Opera Network noted that the Jeffrey character "fits in well" despite him being unfamiliar with Bleu's previous work.[29] Jodie Lash of Access Hollywood said Bleu "fits in like he’s been in Llanview for years." and said Jeffrey is a "great character."[30] Fan response has been overwhelming positive from Bleu's fans a lot of whom are new to the soaps but only tuned in to see his character, but have gotten hooked on the series.[30] Soap Opera Digest said Bleu's Jeffrey helped round out the cast without the character feeling "forced."[31] The character of Jeffrey was listed on Daytime Confidential's list of Shirtless Soap Hunks of May 2013 and was described as a "hot cup of mocha."[32]
References[]
- ↑ Lewis, Errol (March 14, 2013). ‘High School Musical’ Graduate Corbin Bleu Joins ‘One Life to Live’. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Fairman, Michael (March 14, 2013). “High School Musical” Star Cordin Bleu Cast as Jeffrey King on One Life to Live!. On-Air On-Soaps. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Giddens, Jamey (January 21, 2013). New One Life to Live Cast List REVEALED?!. Daytime Confidential. Zap2it. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Gore, Scotty (February 19, 2013). 2013 Turning Into a ‘Banner’ Year for Llanview!. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ ‘All My Children’ and ‘One Life to Live’ Casting Sessions Underway. Soap Opera Network (January 25, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Big OLTL Cast Details!. Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. (January 22, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Corbin Bleu Joins OLTL. Soap Opera Digest. American Media, Inc. (March 14, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Disney Star Joins OLTL!. Soaps In Depth. Bauer Media Group (March 14, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Newcomb, Roger (March 14, 2013). Corbin Bleu Joins ONE LIFE TO LIVE. WeLoveSoaps.net. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Gore, Scotty (January 30, 2013). ‘One Life to Live’ 2.0 Tackling Drug Overdoses While Flavoring the British?. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Lewis, Errol (March 14, 2013). Corbin Bleu on Joining Cast of ‘One Life to Live’. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ ‘High School Musical’ Star Corbin Bleu Takes on ‘One Life to Live’. Us Weekly. Wenner Media LLC (May 3, 2013). Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
- ↑ Template:Cite journal
- ↑ Price, Lynette (March 14, 2013). 'High School Musical' star joins 'One Life to Live'. Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc.. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ High School Musical Star Corbin Bleu Joins Cast Of One Life To Live. Access Hollywood. NBCUniversal (March 14, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Hilton, Perez (March 14, 2013). Broadway's Corbin Bleu Joins The Cast Of One Life To Live!. Perezhilton.com. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Masters, Megan (March 14, 2013). TVLine Items: Sing-Off Renewed, OLTL Adds High School Musical Star, Strike Back News and More. TVLine. PMC. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ THE DEADLINE TEAM (March 14, 2013). Corbin Bleu Joins Soap Revival ‘One Life To Live’. Deadline.com. PMC. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ halboedeker (March 14, 2013). ‘One Life to Live’: Corbin Bleu joins cast. Orlando Sentinel. Tribune Company. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Corbin Bleu joins 'One Life to Live' cast. United Press International. News World Communications (March 14, 2013). Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Dehn, Christopher (March 14, 2013). Broadway Alum Corbin Bleu Joins the Cast of Online Soap One Life to Live. Broadway.com. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ TV News Desk (March 14, 2013). Corbin Bleu Joins Cast of Daytime Drama ONE LIFE TO LIVE. broadwayworld.com. Wisdom Digital Media. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Kerr, Luke (March 19, 2013). Corbin Bleu Celebrates One Life to Live Hitting 5,000 Twitter Followers With Photo. Daytime Confidential. Zap2it. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
- ↑ Bowe, Jillian (March 14, 2013). High School Musical's Corbin Bleu Joins One Life to Live!. Daytime Confidential. Zap2it. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Nobles, Omar (March 14, 2013). ‘High School Musical’ Star Corbin Bleu Joins ‘One Life to Live’. TV Source. SoSource Media. Retrieved on March 14, 2013.
- ↑ Bibel, Sara (March 15, 2013). Deep Soap: ‘High School Musical’ Alum Corbin Bleu Joins ‘One Life to Live’. XFINITY. Comcast. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.
- ↑ Lewis, Errol (April 26, 2013). REVIEW: Breaking Down ‘One Life to Live’. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on April 26, 2013.
- ↑ Giddens, Jamey (April 29, 2013). All My Children and One Life to Live TOP The Charts; Plus My Thoughts on Their 2.0 Premiere Episodes. Daytime Confidential. Zap2it. Retrieved on April 29, 2013.
- ↑ Montalto, Thomas (May 5, 2013). Gimme Shelter: Llanview Transitions Back to Life. Soap Opera Network. Retrieved on May 5, 2013.
- ↑ 30.0 30.1 Cite error: Invalid
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- ↑ Template:Cite journal
- ↑ Presenting Shirtless Soap Hunks of May 2013! (PHOTOS). Daytime Confidential. Zap2it (May 31, 2013). Retrieved on June 3, 2013.