The Quarter 'main' Event GH's Leslie Charleson and Stuart Damon Dish Her Divorce, His Poverty And 18 Years of being Co-stars . . . . Leslie Charleson and Stuart Damon have entertained GENERAL HOSPITAL viewers with their portrayals of Alan and Monica Quartermaine for years. In a rare joint interview, the couple talked about the secrets of their longstanding friendship. "Hi," Charleson greets Damon when they first see each other. "Don't start with me, Lester," Damon replies. And they're off.... DIGEST: You've worked together for 18 years. That's a long time. DAMON: We're third in seniority: The only people who've been here longer than us are Rachel [Ames, Audrey] and John [Beradino, Steve]. I look older from having worked with Leslie. DIGEST: Leslie, have you made Stuart age prematurely? CHARLESON: Many times. DIGEST: Do you recall your first meeting? CHARLESON: Oh, yes, because he had to audition with me. They had one actor whose name I can't remember now, but he was a game-show host. He kept winking at me. And I thought, "What an odd choice." He was dreadful. And Stuart wasn't -- relatively speaking. Stuart was good. DAMON: My heart was pounding so badly, I was afraid my actual heart would move the lapels on my suit and that people would be able to see it. I had $144 left in the world, and I was married with two children. After seven auditions, I got the job. CHARLESON: I used to drive him to work! DAMON: My wife had our car because she had a job. I used to work out at the time, and I didn't even have a [gym] bag. CHARLESON: He'd carry his stuff in a big, black garbage bag, until I got him a proper one. DAMON: Isn't Hollywood great? CHARLESON: What he liked was being driven around in a convertible by a blonde. DAMON: And I had a wife at home, so it really created the whole image perfectly. DIGEST: Spending all that time together must have created a good foundation for working together. DAMON: We certainly have stood by each other, without question. CHARLESON: I'm good friends with his wife [Deirdre]. And when Stuart's son, Christopher, went into a coma -- it was the first they knew about him having juvenile diabetes -- to the hospital we went. DIGEST (to Damon): Did you go to Leslie's wedding? [Charleson was briefly married to a former classmate, Bill Demms.] DAMON: No, I didn't go. CHARLESON: He probably knew it wasn't going to last. DAMON: I preferred to hold her hand for the divorce. CHARLESON: It was the most ridiculous thing I've done in a while -- and there's a big list. But if the truth were known, I didn't need any hand-holding. I figured it out myself. DAMON: She's right. She didn't fall apart. DIGEST (to Damon): Do you share Leslie's passion for horses? DAMON: I used to ride, but having a bad back and being a golfer, I've made my choice. If my back's going out, it's going out  on the 5th hole. CHARLESON: I was out on my horse when he was playing golf in Griffith Park. I was cantering, and all of a sudden, I hear, "Lester!" Can you believe that? DAMON: We had a little chat at the 12th hole. DIGEST: How do you keep Alan and Monica so entertaining? DAMON: We have fun together. We can say the most outrageous things in rehearsal and have the whole crew on the floor. But I guarantee that when they say, "Roll 'em," we drop into those characters like someone threw us off a cliff. That's how quick and complete it is. We also take care of each other. CHARLESON: If we have a bed scene, if there's anything awkward, he's there. He's the blanket, the bedspread, the whole quilt. And there are other things ... I can look at Stuart when he's having lots of fun, and just make a gesture. And he knows. DAMON: What she's saying to me is, "You've got to be careful, Stuart, because you're about to cross over the line." CHARLESON: That's exactly it. Because Stuart is too big to get silly as Alan. DIGEST: Have you ever lost it while you were taping? CHARLESON: No, but I'll always remember David Lewis [ex-Edward] walking behind us once and whispering, "Mother has to go wee-wee." DAMON: And we didn't break. CHARLESON: But he tested us to the maximum. DIGEST: Let's talk about some of your other co-stars, like John Reilly [ex-Sean]. CHARLESON: John is more rigid as an actor. He's more self-contained than Stuart. DIGEST: What about Chris Robinson [ex-Rick]? CHARLESON: Chris had his own world, and I think he still does. On-screen, something obviously clicked. I also didn't let Chris bother me. It used to get to Denise [Alexander, ex-Lesley] because he's a very selfish person. [Charleson pauses.] Ask Stuart something. DIGEST: How was it working with Lynn Herring during Alan and Lucy's marriage? DAMON: The entire experience was as joyful off-screen as it was on-screen. She's the antithesis of the character she plays. DIGEST: Has Alan and Monica's relationship changed over the years? CHARLESON: If anything, it changed because of having something to do. It's been wonderful to have a chance to work together. DAMON: This storyline [Monica's cancer] has created a depth in this relationship like we've never had. It's always been a lot of typical soap opera stuff -- I have an affair, you have an affair, I yell, you yell, we go to therapy, straighten it out for a year and then do it again. It wasn't real -- like this is. CHARLESON: I'm very possessive now. DAMON: If I have a day where Leslie's not working, she'll say, "Who are you working with? Why isn't it me?" It's like she's my wife! I can stay home and get that kind of remark.... Battle Royale Alan and Monica Quartermaine are a head writer's dream: sophisticated, well-spoken and complicated. Just look at the situations they've finessed their way in and out of in the last 18 years: * Monica married millionaire Alan Quartermaine even though she was carrying a torch for Rick Webber. Insanely suspicious, Alan threw Monica out of the house and into Rick's bed. Monica got pregnant and gave birth to Alan, Jr. during a snowstorm. Rick and Lesley divorced. Monica left Alan. * Alan tried to kill Monica and Rick, but landed in the hospital himself. At A.J.'s christening, Alan rigged the roof to collapse on Monica and Rick. Instead, the trio ended up covered in soot. * Lila proudly noticed that A.J. had the Quartermaine birthmark. This was news to Monica, who thought Rick was A.J.'s father. She reluctantly reconciled with Alan. He drifted into an affair with Susan Moore, which produced Jason. Monica took up knitting. * Monica had an affair with Sean Donely. Alan faked his own murder, framed Monica and Sean, then got involved with a widow, Charity. Monica went to a resort for some R&R. She enjoyed a roll in the hay (literally) with a spa stud. Later, she learned he was her nephew, Ned. * Alan married and divorced Lucy, then re-wed Monica. One of Monica's patients revealed himself to be David Langton, her first love. Alan shared tenderness -- but not sex -- with downtrodden Rhonda. While defending Rhonda, Alan accidentally killed her abusive boyfriend, Ray. The Qs rallied around Alan and protected him from the Port Charles prison. * Monica lost a breast to cancer. She and Alan learned that the best medicine is love. By Roberta Caploe, August 1, 1995