Casting and Impact
Child actresses Janelle and Tamara DeMent, Alex and Brittany Smith, and Eliza Clark played the role since the character's introduction in 1986 till actress Erin Torpey played the role of adolescent to young adult Jessica continuously from November 5, 1990, revising her birth year to 1978. In October 2002, Torpey announced her decision to end her 12-year run as Jessica in order to explore the other areas of her life. Torpey lasted aired on January 15, 2003. Then-unknown actress Bree Williamson assumed the role on February 5, 2003 and remained with the series until its series finale on January 13, 2012.
The 1986 Mitch Laurence storyline that culminated with newborn Jessica's kidnapping occurred during a season in which One Life to Live rose from #4 to #3 in the Nielsen ratings. When Gary Tomlin joined the show as Executive Producer in January 2001, his familiarity with the series and its characters — from his stint as director from 1992 to 1995 — "manifested itself in ... the utilization of the show's rich history." At the time, Tomlin explained how then-Head Writers Christopher Whitesell and Lorraine Broderick had thought, "OK, where can we do something where we do bring back that history but also explore something that's going to affect the future of this show?" Barbara Garrick was brought back in 2001 as kidnapper Allison Perkins, with Tomlin noting that her return "invigorates the Viki storyline ... kidnapped Jessica, so there's a history there." Soap Opera Weekly called what followed "The Mother Of All Reveals," a storyline in which the series exploited a loophole in its continuity and created a secret history that would "resonate for months and years." The 2001 reveal that the now-teenage Jessica had actually been switched with another baby as an infant by Allison in 1986 — and so was not Clint and Viki's daughter — "was about as big as they come."
The series garnered attention in 2007 for promoting awareness for Hepatitis C by having Jessica diagnosed with the disease. Williamson garnered three consecutive Daytime Emmy Award nominations in 2009, 2010, and 2011 in the category of Outstanding Supporting Actress for the role. Williamson also announced prior to the series' cancellation that she would not be joining the original Prospect Park venture of the series online, instead relocating her family to California.
Read more about this topic: Jessica Buchanan
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