Four-time Emmy winner Susan Flannery (Stephanie Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful) will be joining the roster of fellow CBS soap, Guiding Light. It will not, however, be as a performer. The B&B star will appear behind the camera as a director.
Earlier this year, Flannery traveled to Peapack, New Jersey to observe Guiding Light's newly adopted filming procedure. The new format, unveiled in January, features four-sided sets and significant on-location shooting. The change has been called revolutionary by industry types, but fans have had a mixed reaction to the changes.
Flannery herself has called Guiding Light's use of hand-held video camera in real-world settings as the "wave of the future." Flannery, who has already directed an episode of The Bold and the Beautiful, was expected to take what she learned from her East Coast trip back to B&B.
"We invited her back to direct an episode," Guiding Light executive producer Ellen Wheeler explains. "The cast was very responsive to Susan's presence and I feel like it went well."
The Bold and the Beautiful has also recently adopted a new visual format to its episodes. Episodes now include trendier segment transitions, flashier production values, and, like Guiding Light, more outside filming.
In February, Flannery discussed the possibility of her retirement from the world of acting. It is widely believed, however, that if Flannery does step out of the spotlight, she would turn her attention to more behind-the-camera jobs.
Flannery's Guiding Light directorial debut airs on October 13th.