Something's missing...
Amanda Gari doesn't do supporting actress. Yes, she's been a fiercely loyal friend to Leon Acord ever since they first met at her audition for 'Carved In Stone' some 5 years ago (Gari, a triple threat who was literally raised on the stage as the daughter of actor and artist, Roberto Gari, and the granddaughter of radio personality and all around performer, Eddie Cantor, was trying out for the part of Judy Garland, which she of course landed, having successfully channeled the gay icon onstage two previous times). And yes, she has perfectly embodied Nathan's quick as a wink assistant/Girl Friday, Lydia Lasker, since Season 1... but if you're going to write a part for her - as Mr. Acord did - you better expect some first class scene stealing.
"I'd written about 5 episodes before I started sharing my scripts with a couple of people," Leon recalls, "and one of the first comments I got back actually from Laurence was, Yeah, it's a gay show, but you need a woman in the show... So I thought, Lydia Lasker... Amanda Abel! - which was her name at the time... it was just immediate and very close to who she is: Lydia's a cabaret singer, Amanda is a cabaret singer. Lydia is loyal and trustworthy and fabulous, and so is Amanda."
For her part, Gari's just happy to have inspired a character who resonates so deeply with the fans... "It's funny because obviously, I'm not one of the leads and yet my part was written for me and I'm very touched and honored by that," she admits. "I love (the fact) that a lot of our fans continue to request to see more of her and I tell Leon often that he needs to get writing!"
