Days of Our Lives star talks to Tonight

FASHIONISTA: Lauren Koslow is renowned for her role as Kate Roberts in SABC3's Days of Our Lives.

FASHIONISTA: Lauren Koslow is renowned for her role as Kate Roberts in SABC3's Days of Our Lives.

Published May 4, 2015

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Lauren Koslow imagined herself entrenched in a wardrobe department rather than in front of the camera, but that’s where she has been for almost 20 years with Days of Our Lives, writes Debashine Thangevelo

AFICIONADOS of Days of Our Lives will concur that Kate Roberts, played by Lauren Koslow, is one of the most stylish characters on the soap.

There’s never a hair out of place, the make-up is always cover-girl-ready and Kate always carries herself with such élan. What fans are not aware of, is that Koslow’s good taste on the screen exists off it, too, and that it is borne from her innate passion for fashion.

In fact, she obtained a degree from Virginia Tech’s Theatre and Costume Design. And it was while completing that that she, in meeting the requirements for the degree, enrolled in an acting course.

She recalls: “You had to take courses in directing or acting, too. I thought about directing and decided to go with acting because, when I was a little girl, I wanted to be an actress. I was a little more outgoing and in school plays back then.

“Adolescence was such a tough time for me. Ugh, I just went totally inward.”

In that first year in, she was cast in Neil Simon’s play, The Good Doctor.

Koslow shares: “I was a nervous wreck. I had to have a bucket at the side of the stage because I thought I was going to throw up. I would get to the theatre four hours early.”

Of course, she eventually got over the jitters and found herself in more productions.

After graduating, she took on a job in the wardrobe department for a repertory theatre company.

But providence favoured her in the spotlight rather than behind the scenes. And with there being a shortage of actors, she found herself straddling both spheres.

A decision eventually had to be made and acting ended up eclipsing her original career path.

Now she has firmly entrenched herself in the world of soaps. First on The Young and the Restless as Lindsay Wells before crossing over to its sister soap, The Bold and the Beautiful as Margo Lynley, a fashion designer.

Her anchor has been Days of Our Lives; a soap where she has proved to be a tour de force villainess for close on two decades.

She rose from being a mere call girl for notorious crime boss, Stefano DiMera, to, in reinventing herself, becoming a successful business woman.

At heart, she is a family woman – and a protective mother hen at that. More often than not, though, her well-intentioned motives are misguided.

And she has had her heart broken more times than she would care to remember. She has also weathered some close calls with the law. But, at the end of the day, Kate is a survivor. Being trapped between a rock and a hard place is more of a challenge for her devious mind than a deterrent.

In the current storyline, Kate has a real heart-to-heart with her gay grandson, Will, and lets him know that she has his back. In fact, she is all about mending fences with her family.

While she manifests all these attributes with confidence, as a person, Koslow is an introvert.

The actress reveals: “That probably worked for the characters I’ve played. They are removed or aloof. Often, people ask me if I’m like Kate. To a degree, playing a character like that did help me. I had to suck it up as Kate in the beginning and that part was difficult for me. Over time, it’s interesting how it does affect you.

“I remember the first time I was in a confrontation with someone and Kate’s strength came in. I was like, ‘Oh, this is easier than I thought it was’.”

Koslow admits that her self-esteem is also bolstered by her fashion sense.

She notes: “Wardrobe is always part of my approach with my character. I definitely have an opinion about it – not only my character. I see clothing as my armour, to a degree. Fashion is fun, creative and an expression of your personality. It certainly would be for Kate. Then I take it to a different level, depending on the scene.”

Talk about dressing for success – she certainly does!

• Days of our Lives airs on SABC3 at 5pm, weekdays.

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