In Print

 

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Follow the links to our archive of Thorsten's print interviews and articles about the characters he's portrayed.

Above: On the cover of the June 26, 2007 issue of Soap Opera Digest.

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A Funny Thing Happened to Thorsten Kaye The Day James Bond Drove By... 

 

Soap Opera Magazine

by Sheila Steinbach, Published December 5, 1995

Thorsten Kaye was attracted to acting the day he saw Roger Moore drive by in his green Rolls-Royce with its RM007 license plate.

 "I thought, 'I want that,'" says OLTL's Patrick. "I was 17 or 18 years old at the time - and living in a tent."

After high school, the London-born actor worked as a physical education teacher. "My thing was always athletics," he says. "My parents had moved and I didn't have a place to live," he explains. "I owned a tent and a motorcycle, so I figured I'd live in the woods, showering and changing at school."

Thorsten set up his tent near London's Pinewood film studio. "I lived there for almost a year. They were making a James Bond movie, with Roger Moore as 007. I could see them filming.

"When I'd watch those people walking around with props and costumes, there was a mystery about it that I loved," he admits. Seeing Moore in his Rolls inspired the rugged teen to turn mystery into reality.

Thorsten, who had played rugby and soccer and run track, had received offers of track scholarships to five U.S. colleges. But then he had a serious motorcycle accident.

I messed myself up pretty bad," he recalls. "It took eight weeks to heal and I lost those scholarships because I couldn't run. So I sold what was left of my motorcycle and bought a one-way ticket to San Diego. I figured I could play soccer because that was easier than the decathlon. I arrived with two or three hundred dollars in my pocket and wound up not playing soccer or running track."

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Instead, Thorsten enrolled as a Phys.Ed major/drama minor at San Diego State and got a scholarship for working in the theater as a carpenter.

"I was 19 and felt a little lost, but I got through it," he says. "I spent four years in San Diego, and I even won some acting awards, which was nice. Then I took off to play rugby in Europe for a year. When I returned to Hollywood, I did movies and some stunt work. For an athlete who wants to be an actor, that's the leap you have to make."

Thorsten took another break from California, moving to Detroit and getting a master's degree in fine arts from Wayne State University. During the three years he spent in graduate school, he was invited to New York to audition for several soaps, but nothing panned out until he landed his role on OLTL.

How does he like his character of Patrick?

"I like him a lot, because he's not too far removed from who I am," says the actor. "Here's a guy who's not pretty, not perfect. He's got problems - he doesn't have much money and he's on the run. All he can do is reach out to a woman (Marty) who he thinks understands who he is.

"There are certain things he's done that I would have done differently," he adds with a laugh. "For instance, if a woman tells me to go away once, I'm outta' there.

"I work with good people," he declares. "Susan Haskell (Marty) is one of the best actors I've ever worked with. I don't know what's going to happen with my story. It could be over in a couple of weeks, but I'm not worried. If this doesn't work out, I'll go back to L.A. and sit on the beach. There'd be no hard feelings.

"It's been quite a ride," he adds, smiling.