Russell family (Passions)
The Russell family is a fictional family depicted on the American soap opera Passions, which aired on NBC and later on DirecTV. The family was created by the soap's founder and head writer James E. Reilly; it originally consisted of four characters—the married couple Eve and T.C. Russell, and their children Whitney and Simone. The Russells are one of the four core families in the fictional town of Harmony, and are characterized by their friendship with the Bennetts and Lopez-Fitzgeralds and their feud with the Cranes.
As the series progressed, four more characters were added to the family: Eve's vengeful, adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne; Eve's child with Julian Crane, Vincent Clarkson; Whitney's husband and Liz's son, Chad Harris-Crane; and Eve's aunt Irma Johnson. Most of the characters left during the show's transition from NBC to DirecTV, leaving Eve and Vincent as the only representatives of the Russell family in the series finale.
The characters initially received negative feedback for their representation of an African-American family. They were praised by cast members, but Rodney Van Johnson, who played T.C., felt they were not used to their full potential. Despite the criticism, the cast was frequently nominated for NAACP Image Awards and featured prominently in a series of public service announcements for Black History Month in 2003. The Russell family also drew media and critical attention for storylines involving various LGBTQ topics: Chad Harris-Crane's affair with Vincent and subsequent confusion about his sexual orientation, Simone's coming out as lesbian to her family, and the revelation that Vincent was intersex. While the show's treatment of sexual and gender identity has received mixed feedback from critics, Passions won the award for Outstanding Daily Drama at the 17th GLAAD Media Awards.
Creation and development
Along with the Bennetts, the Cranes, and the Lopez-Fitzgeralds, the Russells are one of four core families conceived by series creator James E. Reilly. They have featured prominently on the soap opera since its premiere on July 5, 1999. Sheraton Kalouria, senior vice president of NBC's daytime programming, said the decision to create and cast two minority families—the African-American Russells and the Hispanic Lopez-Fitzgeralds—was a conscious effort to simulate the diversity of the United States, and that the cast reflected the show's "truly color-blind storytelling". Rodney Van Johnson, who played T.C. Russell, expressed an appreciation for the show's representation of "a full African-American family" that was involved in serious stories on daytime television rather than "just a flash in the pan", and also said that the Russell family received a considerable response from African-American viewers. An article in Jet described each member of the Russell family as having an "integral part the show" rather than appearing as token characters.Other Passions cast members agreed that the Russells were not portrayed as racial stereotypes; Tracey Ross said her character Eve is "just a person" and is not purely defined by her race, and Charles Divins, who played Chad Harris-Crane, said the show's treatment of the Russells as "a strong African American family" was "refreshing". Amelia Marshall, who portrayed Liz Sanbourne, felt that the creation of seven African-American roles allowed each character to be unique:
During the soap opera's final years, Johnson expressed disappointment when the show began "taking out the people of color", such as Amelia Marshall, Brook Kerr, and himself; he also said it was an obvious sign that "this thing is going down." Johnson identified racial diversity as one of the show's biggest draws, but added that the African-American actors were not used to their full potential. Following the departures of Johnson, Kerr, and Cathy Jenéen Doe in 2007 the Russells' only representatives in the series finale were Tracey Ross and Phillip Jeanmarie.
Core family members
Eve Russell
Eve Russell is the matriarch of the Russell family and a respected doctor at Harmony Hospital. Her early storylines focus on her attempts to keep her past alcohol and drug abuse, and her relationship and child with Julian Crane, secret from her family and the rest of Harmony. Following the revelation of her past, she was characterized mainly through the rekindling of her romance with Julian and her tense relationship with their son Vincent Clarkson. Ross described Eve as "a contradiction inside an enigma". She based her performance on Catherine Halsey from Ayn Rand's 1943 novel The Fountainhead, and Eve White from the 1957 film The Three Faces of Eve.Eve was played by Tracey Ross for the entire run of the series. Actresses Amanda Maiden and Kimberly Kevon Williams portrayed Eve in 2003 during flashbacks. A writer from Jet praised Ross's depiction of Eve for broadening the representation of African-American characters on television. Ross's portrayal of the character was warmly received by viewers, who frequently rated her their favorite Passions actress in Soap Opera Digest polls. Eve and Julian's relationship was also seen positively by fans, who referred to the couple as "Evian". TV Guide listed Eve and Julian as one of the best soap-opera supercouples, praising the chemistry between Ross and co-star Ben Masters, Soap Opera Weekly referred to the pairing as "the Odd Couple of Passions".
T. C. Russell
T. C. Russell is the patriarch of the Russell family. He is characterized by his violent temper and hatred of Julian Crane for supposedly injuring him in a hit-and-run attack, and destroying his chances of becoming a professional tennis player. T. C. is initially portrayed as a harsh and unforgiving parent; he pushes Whitney to train to be a tennis champion, as he once wanted to be, and disapproves of her relationship with Chad Harris-Crane, feeling it is a distraction. He is also violent with Simone when she reveals she is a lesbian. After learning about Eve's past relationship with Julian and her responsibility for the car crash that ended his tennis career, T.C. files for divorce and has a brief romance and engagement to her adoptive sister Liz Sanbourne. The show humanizes T. C. and softens his temper during his recovery from a stroke; his final storylines focus on his attempts to rebuild his relationship with his ex-wife and children. In 2007, he moves to New Orleans to help Whitney with her pregnancy and reconnect with Simone. T. C. does not appear in the show after its transition to DirecTV, and he is neither seen nor mentioned in the series finale.T. C. was portrayed by Rodney Van Johnson from July 5, 1999, to June 19, 2007; Johnson was dropped to recurring status in December 2006 before his last appearance in June 2007. On March 19, 2001, Jerry Gaona played the character in flashbacks. Once T.C. was developed beyond the role of "the angry black man" and it became clear that the contents of his secret shed were not important to the plot, Johnson felt that his presence in the show was dramatically reduced. After being reduced to the status of a recurring cast member, he expressed doubt that he would return to the show in its final episodes. T. C.'s relationship with Eve, and Johnson's chemistry with Ross, did not receive much attention from the fans or the media. Other Passions cast members and representatives commented on the preference for Julian over T. C.; Masters said his character Julian should "just kick T. C. out of his house" and beat him with a 4x4, and a spokesperson from the show pushed Julian and Eve's romance to the forefront as "a new supercouple in Harmony" without any mention of T. C. Internationally, T.C. received a more positive response. African newspaper Mmegi said Johnson was invited to the 2005 Miss Culture and Heritage contest in Botswana due to his performance of T. C. as a "husband and father in the soap that warms the hearts of many in different countries".
Simone Russell
Simone Russell is the youngest daughter of Eve and T. C. Russell, and is initially always seen in her older sister's shadow. She is first introduced as a part of a love triangle with Whitney and Chad, and an accomplice in Kay Bennett's schemes to seduce Miguel Lopez-Fitzgerald. Simone receives more prominence after she announces she is a lesbian and begins a relationship with Rae Thomas. T. C. beats her after hearing about her relationship with Rae, but after much resistance, her family eventually supports her sexual identity. After learning Vincent killed Rae, Simone decides to leave Harmony with her sister to help her with her pregnancy, and to settle in New Orleans. Simone does not physically appear on screen after the show moved from NBC to DirecTV, but she is referenced through her letter to Kay before Kay's marriage to Miguel.Over the course of the show, Simone was played by three actresses: Lena Cardwell, Chrystee Pharris, and Cathy Jenéen Doe. The program made history as the first daytime serial to show two women having sex in bed. She is also the first African-American lesbian character to appear in a daytime serial. When discussing the decision to portray Simone as a lesbian, Kalouria emphasized "sexual identity isn't a passing fancy" and "this is where is I can assure you we're not going to make light of this particular topic." The storyline about Simone's lesbianism, and the representation of her sexuality, received mixed feedback from critics and media outlets, as did Cathy Jenéen Doe's performance. Sarah Warn, former editor of entertainment website AfterEllen.com, criticized the lesbian reveal as having "reduced Simone to a one-dimensional character who happened to sleep with a girl".
Whitney Russell
Whitney Russell is the eldest daughter of Eve and T. C. Russell. She is introduced as a close friend of Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane, but she became prominent on the show as the love interest of Chad Harris-Crane. When Chad is incorrectly identified as Eve and Julian's son, his relationship with Whitney is judged to be incestuous. Whitney's confusion about her relationship with Chad, and her shame at possibly committing incest, escalates after she becomes pregnant and gives birth to their son, Miles Harris-Crane. Whitney briefly becomes estranged from Chad and Harmony, and becomes a nun to absolve herself of the sin of incest. The discovery of Chad's birth certificate proves the couple are not blood relatives; they resume their relationship and eventually marry. Whitney leaves Chad after discovering his affair with Vincent Clarkson. Their later reconciliation is cut short when he is murdered by Alistair Crane. Following Chad's death, Whitney moves to New Orleans to raise Miles, and her unborn child, with the help of Simone. Whitney does not appear on screen after the show moved from NBC to DirecTV, but she is referenced in a telephone call to police chief Sam Bennett and Simone's letter to her best friend Kay Bennett.Whitney was portrayed by Brook Kerr from the series' debut on July 5, 1999, to September 7, 2007. In 2005, Sidne Siobhan Phillips portrayed the character in flashbacks. Passions casting director Jacklynn Briskey originally rejected 26-year-old Brook Kerr for the role of Whitney, believing she would look too mature to play a teenager. Despite this decision, Kerr's husband Christopher Warren submitted his wife's head shots to the network and she was hired to play the character. Kerr later described the week of auditioning and two screen tests to be formally cast in the role as an extremely quick process. While discussing her portrayal of the character, Kerr said, "I was always the sensible one, the friend everyone could count on, always doing what I should." Over the course of the series, media outlets frequently speculated on the exact nature of Whitney's relationship with Chad. The incest storyline led media outlets to sensationalize Harmony as the place where "half-siblings sleep with one another". Soap Opera Digest listed the 2006 revelation that Whitney and Chad were not related by blood as one of Passions most shocking secrets.