Trent Dawson - Articles

TRENT DAWSON has been a fan favorite for years playing Henry Coleman, Katie’s sidekick and partner in crime who always provided comic relief. Fans always clamored for more and ATWT delivered when Henry confessed his unrequited love for Katie to Jennifer, which has propelled the character into a front burner storyline for the first time. CBS.com caught up with Trent about finally getting a story of his own.

CBS.com: You’ve been on ATWT for a while. What’s it been like to finally have a meaty storyline of your own?
TRENT DAWSON: Wonderful. It’s been unique in that there’s a real core to it. The whole love affair is really well grounded. And top of that is still Henry – wonderfully zany. It’s been an interesting joy to combine the two.

CBS.com: Were you surprised when you were told about the story?
TRENT DAWSON: Totally surprised. Terri [Colombino, Katie] was on maternity leave and the Nikki [storyline] wound up and I booked a theater gig in Baltimore. So, they just put me in jail for a couple of months while I was doing that. [Laughs] Towards the end of that gig down in Baltimore, I got some scripts and I was like, “Whoa!” When I got back to the studio, they said, “You guys are going to get married.” And I was like, “Yeah, right.” They say a lot of things, and things happen that I didn’t think were going to go through, and then they did. It’s been very shocking and wonderful – wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

CBS.com: Have you gotten fan feedback about your story?
TRENT DAWSON: Yeah, a lot. Somehow I went from being the comic villain to being the most sympathetic character on the show! [Laughs] Terri [has gotten fan mail saying,] “If you break his heart, we’re never going to love you again!” I’ve gotten a lot of feedback, especially on set, from the crew, [who] is incredibly excited that I’m finally getting a girl. The writers and the producers, their response has been very, very positive as well.

CBS.com: What does Henry think he will gain from marrying Katie, when he knows what her true motives are?
TRENT DAWSON: Well, these are two characters that exist in a world of denial. What they did was have me come out to Jennifer of all people and say, “I’m in love with her.” What that did for me was set some ground rules and set a very specific objective, which was very helpful. I’m in love with her, but it’s never going to happen. But I finally came out and said, “I am in love with her.” That is sort of the cornerstone for how I approached everything after that. He’s hoping [the wedding] will happen, but he’s waiting for the other shoe to drop. When we were shooting the wedding stuff, we had to do an insert shot of just me waiting for her to come out in her wedding dress. And this is after Margo had come out and said, “She’s going to marry you.” And so I knew she was going to marry me. They shot it for a few seconds and the director came over the microphone and said, “Trent, you look like you’re in pain.” And I was like, I’m sure this isn’t going to happen – even though I’ve read the script and I know it does! He’s just driven by this love and hoping it will work out but somewhere inside he thinks it’s not. But it’s a different Henry. It’s not the same Henry that’s like, what can I gain? All he cares about is her happiness.

CBS.com: Do you think Mike still has feelings for Katie?
TRENT DAWSON: Oh, yeah. There’s still chemistry there.

CBS.com: What do you think is the future of Henry and Mike’s relationship? Henry has always been really nice to Mike, in spite of the situation.
TRENT DAWSON: Yeah, I helped with [Mike and Katie’s] initial wedding plans and that sort of thing. It’s funny, I’ve gotten a lot of response on that. Mark [Collier, Mike] and I get along very well, but we didn’t anticipate hitting it off as well as we do on screen. That’s been a really fun element to play, because [Henry and Katie] are lying to [Mike] and setting him up, and at the same time I think it’s a very painful thing for Henry to do. I’ve tried to bring that out. I’m trying to play like eight different things at once. He loves Mike and he doesn’t want to hurt Mike, he’s also jealous of Mike, he’s also trying to set Mike up to make him jealous. You try that! [Laughs] The bottom line is that he cares about Mike deeply. I think down the road – this is a soap, I’ve got to get my heartbroken somewhere – that relationship will come back into play.

CBS.com: Could Henry end up with someone else?
TRENT DAWSON: I don’t know. We’ve sort of put all our eggs in one basket here. The lines I’ve had have been, even if we never even consummate [our marriage], you’re the only wife I’ve ever wanted. He’s really madly, desperately in love with Katie. I think that’s going to be the point of focus for him for a long time.

CBS.com: What is it like working with Terri, who you’ve worked with for a long time, with this totally different dynamic?
TRENT DAWSON: It’s been great. I had a little apprehension about and she did, too. But then we found out that we’re both good kissers! [Laughs] What helped me was [the] declaring the love issue. It’s not something that all of a sudden [happened], this is a long-term development. This is best friends who find out that they’re good dance partners, you know what I mean? We’re having a blast with it.

CBS.com: Did you miss Terri when she was away on maternity leave?
TRENT DAWSON: Oh, God, yes. The best acting I do is when I’m with her on the show. It’s a lot of pressure; it’s an hour worth of television a day. Everyone there is really good, but I really, really listen when she talks, and that’s the key to doing good work. For some reason, she just brings out the best in me that I can do. And I missed that a lot.

CBS.com: Have you seen a change in Terri now that she is a mom?
TRENT DAWSON: I have. I also knew – this is weird – when she was pregnant. I saw her walking down the hall and she hadn’t told anyone and I sort of tilted my head to one side and knew it. I knew around the time she was supposed to deliver. I was in my apartment thinking, “Hmmm.” And about five minutes later she called and said, “I’m in the hospital and I had the baby and she’s beautiful.” I don’t know what that’s about. She’s a woman; she’s not a little girl anymore. I don’t know how to express it; it just sort of comes through after [having the baby]. She’s still a goof ball. I don’t know how to describe it, but it’s just lovely.

CBS.com: How about a job or career for Henry?
TRENT DAWSON: That’s actually been something I’m trying to figure out. He’s fallen into this lush lifestyle, but when you look back at the beginning, he wanted to be the next Lesley Stahl. He wanted to own a media conglomerate and get rich. He was very driven. Now, he’s into the horses and martinis, which is pretty good. [Laughs] Job-wise, I’ve heard some things tossed around, so I’m really curious to see [what happens]. I think his whole focus now is Katie, whatever will make her happy.

CBS.com: Now that Henry has his own storyline, do you think we’ll ever see any of his family or learn more about his background?
TRENT DAWSON: Every so often they drop something in [about Henry’s past]. I’ve mentioned sisters and stuff like that. I want them to bring Henry’s mother [on the show]. I’ve mentioned the past, and you can never tell if Henry’s lying or straight, but it’d be great if they brought in [his] mother.

CBS.com: What’s ahead for Katie and Henry now?
TRENT DAWSON: It’s interesting. After they tie the knot, it’s kind of like the end of The Graduate where they finally [run off together] and they get in the back of the bus and are like, we did this amazing, exciting thing, what do we do now? There’s lingering love and lust she has for Mike that plays a part, but she turns a corner.