Ilene Kristen:
"I'm Much More Relaxed Now"
Daytime TV Magazine, 1983
Article Provided By Wanda
Photo Provided By ConnieA native of Brooklyn, Ilene Kristen is no stranger to New York. After a short stay in Los Angeles, Ilene has returned to her original role in Ryan's Hope as Delia.
Are you glad to be back on Ryan's Hope?
I'm having a great time! I'm much more relaxed than the first time. I feel that I don't worry as much. They are writing some great material lately. At first, I was very hesitant to return. I felt this part would stay with me forever, then I realized that there could be worse things in this world. I sat down and really analyzed it. I was also living in Los Angeles at the time and had such a different way of life. I wasn't sure if I wanted to give it all up.
How long did you live in Los Angeles?
For two-and-a-half years. It was scary being out there at first because I didn't have anything lined up. I'd wake up everyday not knowing exactly what I was going to do. I lived a whole other existence than I would have in New York. I had grown up as a city kid and never really saw the rest of the country. I was leading what I felt to be an adventurous life in the frontier land. As far as happiness, though, I was in a state of limbo - not-happy, not unhappy.
You also have a rock band?
I've been singing with a rock band in New Jersey since the summer. It's not my band, they adopted me. They're called the Atlantic Coast Bank. I went out there on weekends during the summer. Now I go every few months. I may be putting another band together because it is so hard to go out to New Jersey all the time.
What do you do in your spare time?
I take exercise class and singing lessons. Someday I would like to sing opera. I never thought of opera at all and don't want to sing it until ten or twenty years from now. I'm working hard to get a legitimate sound. Since I've been singing rock-and-roll for so long it is hard to get a wide range. I am also part of a women's theater group.. We're learning how to write. It's exciting when you have to raise money and get the director, set and cast together.