Interview: After “World” Stops Turning, Jake Silbermann Jumps to the New York Stage

Jake Silbermann

Although it’s only been three months since CBS pulled the plug on As the World Turns after an astonishing 54-year run, for many gay fans, it feels like an eternity. As any AfterElton.com reader knows, the teen supercouple formerly known as Nuke, played with uncommon depth and finesse by Jake Silbermann (Noah) and Van Hansis (Luke), made history with the first-ever dude-on-dude kiss on daytime TV, setting off a media frenzy and a veritable blizzard in the blogosphere.

Their unfolding relationship polarized fans — the gays cheered, but later, some complained the story line was sporadic and sluggish. Remember our Liplock Clock that counted how long it took between kisses? (It was 211 agonizing days between the first and second smooch.) Meanwhile, right-wingers wanted the duo to disappear altogether.

When the producers finally portrayed the guys having sex, they skipped the actual sex scene and merely showed the before and after. Had Procter & Gamble, who owned the show, caved under pressure from conservatives? Still, the soap snagged two consecutive GLAAD media awards for its sensitive same-sex portrayal. In our most recent poll ranking the 50 top gay TV characters of all time, you voted Luke #14 and Noah #16.

Nuke fans were devastated when ATWT said farewell forever. Their absence has left a yawning crater in the daytime TV landscape that no other show has dared to fill — at least in America, anyway.

While many soap stars go quietly into the night, the 27-year-old Silbermann wasted no time embracing other projects. He produced, wrote, and co-starred in a short film titled Stuffer that was partially funded by his fans. (Chalk it up to destiny — when Noah joined ATWT back in June 2007, he was an aspiring filmmaker!).

Silbermann as Jonathan Harker in Dracula

(All Dracula photos courtesy of Carol Rosegg)

Starting December 14, Silbermann, who lives in New York City’s East Village, stars Off Broadway in a revival of Dracula, based on the Bram Stoker novel and last seen on Broadway in 1977 starring Frank Langella. The play officially opens January 5, 2011 at the Little Shubert Theatre (see Draculaonstage.com for more info).

No, he doesn’t play the titular lead — that role is embodied by the smoldering Italian heartthrob, Michel Altieri. Instead, Silbermann plays Jonathan Harker, the intrepid lawyer who pursues the bloodthirsty Dracula.

And sorry guys, this is no newfangled version that finds Harker hankering for the Count. His love interest is the imperiled Lucy, played by Emily Bridges, who happens to be Beau Bridges’ daughter. Thora Birch, the film star from American Beauty, was originally cast in the role, but was abruptly dismissed just before previews began.

The cast also features George Hearn (Tony Award winner for La Cage Aux Folles), Timothy Jerome (Tarzan) and John Buffalo Mailer (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps).

AE caught up with Silbermann in between rehearsals to talk about his post-Nuke life, and to gain some perspective on his heady days as half of daytime TV’s most beloved gay male couple.

AfterElton: How does it feel to debut on a New York stage?
Jake Silbermann: Amazing. What I love is that every medium is so different. I remember walking on the set of As the World Turns feeling like a deer in headlights. I was lucky Van was there to show me the ropes. I was trained in theater, so I actually was much more comfortable walking into the rehearsal space of Dracula.