'All My Children' Seeks Iraq War Vet

Copyright © 2008 National Public Radio®. For personal, noncommercial use only. See Terms of Use. For other uses, prior permission required.

MICHELE NORRIS, host:

While what happened in Jaisani remains unresolved, we turn to another Iraq story in a slightly different format than you might be used to.

(Soundbite of TV program "All My Children")

Unidentified Woman #1 (Actor): (As character) There was a surprise attack on our convoy, suicide car bomb. The insurgents were on us in seconds.

Unidentified Woman #2 (Actor): (As character) Oh, my god.

Unidentified Woman #1: (As character) Franklin dragged the wounded men to safety while under fire. He saved 14 soldiers.

Unidentified Man #7 (Actor): (As character) Yeah, well, I didn't save everyone, did I?

NORRIS: Well, who was the one who apparently couldn't be saved? The daytime soap opera "All My Children" wants you to tune in to find out. Soap opera fans won't be surprised to discover the missing soldier didn't really die in Iraq, and that he will dramatically appear sometime during the holiday season.

Here's the real twist. The show is looking for an actual Iraq war veteran to play the role, and vets from all over the country have applied. While the Iraq war has been a polarizing subject, the casting director for "All My Children," Judy Blye Wilson, says this storyline is about love, not war.

Ms. JUDY BLYE WILSON (Casting Director, "All My Children"): I think this is really a love story. It's a story about a male and a female getting back together again. It makes no statement to this particular war or any other one. It's a love story. It's a romance story.

NORRIS: Wilson says the next step is to winnow down the scores of applicants. A chosen few will be invited to New York for auditions.

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