User:Livelikemusic/Marissa Tasker

Marissa Tasker (formerly Chandler) is a fictional character from the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children. Originated by actress Brittany Allen in 2009, the role was recast and most notably portrayed by former As the World Turns actress Sarah Glendening from 2010 until the series finale in 2011.

Marissa Tasker was introduced as an erotic masseuse, hired by Krystal Carey for her then-husband David Hayward. She was later discovered as the long-lost twin sister of Babe Carey, and the daughter of both David and Krystal. She went on to marry and divorce JR Chandler. Her relationship with Bianca Montgomery sparked an online interest, with fans of the pair, labeling them with the supercouple name Minx. The character last appeared on the series finale on September 23, 2011. On the online revival, it was revealed that Marissa was the one fatally shot by JR.

Casting and conception
The role of Marissa Tasker was announced in April 2009, with actress Brittany Allen announced to be portraying the role. The actress joined the series on-screen, and even traveled cross-country with the series changed its base from New York City to Los Angeles. On September 16, 2010 it was announced by ABC that the series had decided to let Allen go and recast the role, alongside Scott Chandler and its portrayer Adam Mayfield, to give each of their characters new directions.

In October 2010, it was announced that former As the World Turns actress Sarah Glendening, who was the fifth and final actress to portray Lucy Montgomery, had been hired as the recast for Marissa. It was later revealed that Glendening had previously auditioned for the role of Madison North, which later went to former Guiding Light actress Stephanie Gatschet. Allen last aired in the role on December 20, 2011 with Glendening premiering the very next day on December 21, 2011.

Sexuality
With the casting of Glendening into the role of Marissa, rumors began to circulate that the character would soon connect with Christina Bennett Lind's Bianca. When asked by Michael Fairman if she saw that as possibly true, she commented:

There was no inkling at all when I auditioned for the role that this would be the direction that this was going to end up in. There were two things that happened: on one level it was just Christina and I sort of talking about it and musing over how much fun that would be since we are friends. And then the other half of that was, we saw that they were having us work together more, and we started wondering if our ideas that we came up with independently were sort of coming true.

On whether or not the higher-powers of the series ever brought her into a meeting, revealing to her she'd be playing a bisexual character, she unveiled:

What I will say is that at one point, after we had been working together a little bit, I think that fans started to have that feeling. In an interview, someone asked me what I thought of that and supporting the LGBTQ community? After that, I went to our executive producer and asked if she thought this might be a possibility? That was because I wanted to be prepared and speak eloquently about it, instead of talking off the top of my head on things. If I am going to be talking about something, I would not like to sound like an idiot! [Laughs])

On the couple's first-ever on-screen love making scene, Glendening quoted it as "not graphic" and "tender", citing that it was as if they were discovering each other and not just having sex. On the wish for Marissa as the series drew to a close, she revealed:

I adore Marissa, and she just wants a nice family. So if Bianca and Marissa end up together then I think, “How can Marissa be unhappy with that?” It’s perfect. Miranda and AJ were born on the same day, and they are birthday twins! They are good friends and they go to parties together, and the three kids get along so well. They already have a sibling relationship going on anyway. It would be great to turn this all into a new kind of “family”.

Glendening also responded to Fairman's question on acceptance of LGBT characters on television. She explained:

2009–11
Marissa is the biological daughter of David Hayward and Krystal Carey and was born on April 10, 1983 along with her deceased twin sister Arabella "Babe" Carey. Krystal finds Marissa working at an illegal massage parlor to pay for her college tuition. After Krystal accidentally gets her fired, the two are arrested and Krystal offers to pay for Marissa's tuition. Marissa follows Krystal back to Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, and moves in with Krystal and her husband David. Adam Chandler begins blackmailing Krystal when he discovers that Marissa is Krystal and David's daughter. After giving birth to Marissa and her twin sister Babe, Krystal sold the child to the Tasker family. Krystal finally reveals the truth to David and Marissa, infuriating them both. Marissa starts to form a relationship with David, but has a harder time forgiving her mother for her abandonment.

Marissa begins to become close to JR Chandler, who had been married to her twin sister and fathered Adam Chandler III with her before she died. David, a long time nemesis of JR, becomes concerned about the relationship. Marissa begins assisting lawyer Liza Colby, who is representing Kendall Hart in her trial for murdering Stuart Chandler. When Stuart's wife Marian Chandler breaks down, she attempts to shoot Kendall in court, but accidentally hits Marissa instead. David and Dr. Jake Martin attempt a surgery to save her life, but David freezes remembering the death of his daughter Leora, who died as an infant. Nevertheless, with Jake's help Marissa makes it through the surgery and is pleased to see that JR's feelings for her have grown. David offers to stay away from JR's son Little Adam if JR agrees to stay away from Marissa. JR rejects the deal, and tells Marissa he is falling in love with her. It is eventually discovered that Stuart was in fact killed by a drugged Adam Chandler.

When JR learns that he has a rare form of lymphoma, he decides not to tell Marissa, and instead confides in former stepfather Tad Martin. Later, JR confesses he has cancer to Marissa, who offers support and admits she is falling in love with him. JR asks Marissa to marry him on October 21, 2009. Marissa worries it is about the cancer and not about loving each other, JR tells her that he loves her and asks her again. She says yes and later that day Tad marries them. She legally adopts her nephew Little Adam, now called AJ, on March 3, 2010. Marissa has to deal with JR's affair with Annie Chandler (his ex-mother-in-law).

On August 11, 2010 Marissa tells Scott that she saw J.R. and Annie at the cottage together. She and Scott then have sex. On August 24, 2010 JR and Marissa agree to end their marriage. JR and Marissa agree to divorce on August 30, 2010. On August 31 JR and Marissa tell AJ about their divorce. Marissa and JR agree on joint custody of AJ.

On November 29, 2010, David attacks Ryan Lavery with the intent to kill him and kidnap Greenlee, whom he had recently married, only to be shot and rendered comatose by Kendall (though the public believes it was in fact Erica). When he awakens on January 17, 2011, Marissa offers to be his defense attorney and hopefully get him to turn over a new leaf, but assures her father that if he doesn't do exactly as she says, she will see to it personally that he is thrown in prison.

When David is incarcerated after apparently attempting an escape, Marissa is outraged, but David manages to convince her that he was set up by Ryan. Eventually, Erica manages to convince the governor to grant David a pardon for his crimes after he helps Griffin Castillo perform emergency heart surgery on Kendall. Marissa immediately sets about trying to rebuild David's reputation.

Meanwhile, Marissa becomes suspicious of Annie and discovers that she is still in love with JR, though she dismisses Annie's claims about her relationship with JR as paranoid delusions. Annie begins to fall apart mentally, eventually following Marissa to the Chandler Mansion and accidentally knocking her unconscious. Panicking, Annie locks Marissa in the attic and accidentally sets off a gas leak. Fortunately, JR comes home and saves Marissa before she suffocates, and Marissa discovers that JR and Annie were indeed in a relationship. JR eventually begins to try to convince Marissa to move back into the mansion, at least for A.J.'s sake, but Marissa adamantly refuses, insisting that she has too many bad memories of the place.

During Greenlee and Ryan's wedding, Annie arrives during the reception and kidnaps her and Ryan's daughter Emma. When Jesse Hubbard discovers evidence that indicates that David helped Annie, Greenlee turns to Marissa for help. Marissa refuses to believe Greenlee until she shows her the evidence and gives some solid points. Infuriated and hurt, Marissa gives up on David completely, but nonetheless makes him tell Ryan where Annie has escaped to.

When Bianca Montgomery decides to divorce her wife Reese, she hires Marissa to be her divorce lawyer. Marissa warns Bianca that Reese may end up fighting her for custody of Bianca's daughters and things may get ugly, but Bianca thinks that Marissa is letting her own experience with JR get in the way and dismisses her concerns. However, when Reese's lawyer and nanny arrive from Paris to take Miranda and Gabrielle for a visit, Marissa quickly goes to Erica and Jack for help and gets them to back off. Bianca thanks Marissa and apologizes for doubting her.

Marissa is among those who attend the wedding of Tad and Cara, and stays with A.J. at the Chandler mansion at his request. On March 16, 2011, Marissa joins Bianca and Kendall for a day out, and the three are present at ConFusion when a drunken Liza Colby, whose image has been tarnished by an Internet video posted by Colby revealing Liza's affair with Damon Miller, makes a spectacle of herself in public. Kendall and Bianca express disgust towards Liza and pity for Colby, but Marissa says she just made a mistake. However, Marissa assures Bianca and Kendall that she is not defending Liza, but has known both Liza and Colby for a long time and knows that Liza loves her daughter more than anything.

After being repeatedly asked by JR to move back into the mansion, Marissa begins to fear that she is being unreasonable or unfair to A.J., but Kendall and Bianca assure her otherwise. On May 26, Marissa and Bianca are kidnapped by Rev. Ricky Torres, who ties them up and locks them in a closet. Bianca reveals to Marissa that Ricky is actually a criminal who is directly responsible for the death of Kendall's husband, Zach Slater. Panicked, Bianca reveals to Marissa that she was raped by a man named Michael Cambias, which brought about Miranda's birth, and that she dealt with that trauma by confronting Michael and shooting him to death in self-defense. Marissa comforts Bianca and helps her to calm down, and the two break free of their restraints and escape. Bianca checks herself in to the hospital while Marissa makes her way to the Chandler mansion, where she is comforted by JR.

On July 14, 2011, Marissa confessed she is in love with Bianca. On August 16, 2011 Marissa and Bianca make love for the first time. On August 22 2011, Marissa meets A.J.'s grandmother Dixie when she comes to inform Tad that JR had attempted to bribe the presiding judge in their custody hearing. On August 29, 2011 Marissa and Bianca discuss finding a house and moving in together with their kids.