NY Daily News-Soap Dish

July 16, 2004

'OLTL' exes in elevator push emotional buttons

By CAROLYN HINSEY

Bo and Nora get stuck in an elevator next week on "One Life to Live."

"There was a nut loose in the hospital and Bo's there taking statements," says Robert S. Woods, who plays the upstanding police commissioner. "He gets in the elevator, and she [Nora, played by Hillary B. Smith] stops the doors. That's the way it starts: 'You can lose a limb that way!' Then the elevator gets stuck."

Trapping the ex-marrieds together for the second time in a month.

"She's in an evening dress," continues Woods. "Bo says, 'Check your purse' and she says, 'I've got an evening bag. I'm going to the opera.' He says, 'I know you. There's something in there we can use.' Well there's pantyhose, a Swiss Army knife, and a yo-yo that was [their] Matthew's. It's like 'MacGyver.' They can use all this stuff to get out of there."

The barbs fly fast and furious between the former flames.

"There are some funny lines," says Woods. "Like, 'This is just like Speed 2.' 'No, that was Speed 1.' 'No, the one with this guy.' 'You're wrong,' 'No, you're wrong.' 'See, this is why nobody can get along with you.' A lot of banter."

And a lot of danger.

"He takes the yo-yo and throws it over a thing and pulls her pantyhose up and is trying to get a hatch open," says Woods. "He's kind of hanging on it and leaning against the door and all of a sudden, ba-boom. The whole thing crashes down."

Which leaves the elevator hanging by a single cable about to snap.

"All they have is melted chocolate bars and a bottle of water," offers Woods.

They'll be saved by the end of the week.

"She leaves with Daniel, because they were on their way to the opera," he previews. "As far as Bo and Nora go, it doesn't look like there's any future, so they're going on with their lives. But underneath is the family stuff and the old history. And there's another incident on the horizon with a meat locker."

Don't look for a reconciliation anytime soon, though, because Woods is on vacation for a month. "Wouldn't it be nice if I came back a little lighter with a good tan?" says the actor. "But I'll probably be as pale as ever and I'll have put on 15 pounds from drinking beer and fishing."