Thursday, January 20, 2011

My Letter to Rebecca Herbst

No, you aren't seeing things. I'm posting the same card twice today; but in separate posts for different reasons. If you linked to this post from Twitter, then you will know that this post is about our dear Rebecca Herbst who is leaving General Hospital in the spring. I have spent the last few days reading various tweets, articles, blogs and comments all showcasing the outrage, and disbelief at this "executive decision" that has blindsided us all. I kept thinking, what can I do to help bring a little light into her world at this dark time. People are flooding ABC with phone calls and twitter is about ready to burst with all the tweeting and retweeting. I decided that I wanted to do something a bit more personal, something that would be just for Becky. It didn't take long for me to realize that what I need to do was to make her a card. Making cards is what I do, it's a therapy of sorts. I also decided that I would write her a letter and include it in the card. I hope she doesn't mind if share my words to her with all of you:

Dear Rebecca,

The first time I saw you on General Hospital, my initial thought was "Who is this snarky little brat?!" I didn't know who "Elizabeth" was or why she was important to the history of Port Charles. I figured I could stomach your sassy little bad girl wannabe character for a few months and then you'd be gone and I'd never have to see you again.
Then, you know what happened? In no time flat, I went from "Who's that little brat?" to "Where is that spunky girl, I thought I didn't like?" I found myself drawn in by your presence on screen; and realized that I began to be disappointed when you weren't there. I feel as though those of us who have been with you from the first days in Kelly's diner have watched you take the character of Elizabeth from someone no one knew anything about to a character so entwined and deeply rooted in the canvas of the show, that losing Elizabeth is like losing a little piece of the foundation on which we have all built our love for the show.
Some of us are from the "newer generation" of General Hospital fans. We weren't here for the Luke and Laura, Robert and Anna Scorpio, great adventures of the 80's era. For many of us, like myself, our first memories of the show are of Elizabeth and Lucky, Emily and Nikolas, with Eli's Ribs, brownies, guitars and boxcars. We still laugh at the memories of Elizabeth saying "We'll See" the first time Lucky told her his name. It makes us smile when we remember the sleepovers that Elizabeth and Emily had so they could giggle and gossip like girls do. We still feel our hearts break when we remember her collapsing into Sonny's arms thinking Lucky had perished in the fire. We know we'll never forget Elizabeth crawling out from the bushes on that horrible night, and we still get tears in our eyes when we remember how Lucky saved her both that night and beyond. The pain and devastation of finding Lucky with Maxie was so palpable we were ready to hate Lucky forever (well, at least I was!!) The reason we remember those moments, Rebecca, is simply because you brought so much life to Elizabeth. Portraying her with such talent, such grace and above all else passion. Those people who don't like Liz, still have respect and fondness for you as an actress.
It has been a magical journey watching Elizabeth grow from a misguided teenager to a passionate lover, a best friend, a survivor and a mother. There is no doubt that if anyone else had been playing this character, we would not feel as awful as we do about your departure. For me, as a fan, I simply wanted to tell you that I am "impressed, amazed and inspired by you" I wish you nothing but the best and happy hopes for a bright future in your career and with your family. I will be watching closely to see where you land and rest assured, no matter where it is, I'll be there cheering for you always.

Much love,
Dori




2 comments:

kdmask said...

beautiful letter!! Print and send to Becky at the studio!! she'll love it

SOLANGE said...

Loved the letter! I don't want Becky to go.