Rose Jackson (then Rosemarie Jackson) was added as one of several new cast members for the second season of “13 East” (NBC 1989 – 90). She immediately became one of my favorite “playmates” – both on-camera and off.
Rose is a beautiful woman and a highly talented actress – but her natural comic talent and total commitment to her quirky character, the naive, air-headed young nurse, “A.J. Gilroy,” produced a result that was nothing short of hilarious. She became an instant audience favorite.
We had lots of fun playing scenes together, but the fun never stopped when the director yelled, “Cut!”
On one particular shoot day, as I followed Rose in the makeup chair, I was complaining about my hand feeling stiff from practicing the trumpet. Rose said, “Let me give you a hand massage.” I looked sideways at her.
“No, really. I’m good at it.” Rose’s wide-eyed sincerity was always a challenge to say “no” to — and, frankly, I wasn’t up to the challenge.
So, as the makeup artist fussed with my features and Rose gently massaged my hands, I became so relaxed that I nodded off in the chair. Huge mistake.
When I awoke, I was handed a big surprise — the addition of an all-too-lovely set of fake nails polished to a high ruby sheen.
Lesson learned: “Never fall asleep in the makeup chair – especially with Rose Jackson around. She’ll ‘nail’ you before you even know what’s happening!”
