Brook Kerr, plays Whitney Russell on 'Passions'.
LIFE IN the small town of Harmony ain't all it's cracked up to be. A 300-year-old witch resides there, residents switch babies in the womb and half siblings sleep with one another. For Brook Kerr, who plays Whitney Russell on Passions, it's all in a day's work.
Kerr has been with the show since its inception in 1999, playing the good-girl daughter of T.C. (Rodney Johnson) and Eve (Tracey Ross). Growing up, Whitney was an aspiring tennis pro who didn't concern herself with much else. "I was always the sensible one, the friend everyone could count on, always doing what I should," Kerr explained.
FIRST TRUE LOVE
And then Chad Harris (Charles Divins) came to town. The two became involved. "He was my first true love he gave me my independence." Their love was perfect, until they got the news: They were actually half brother and sister!
Fast-forward one year: Whitney had a baby she claimed was another man's (but it was Chad's), put it up for adoption, with Chad deciding to adopt him, not knowing he was adopting his son. "Whitney just lost it; she's filled with such guilt. Chad is her first love; she can't get him out of her heart. But her head is telling her quite another thing."
So, she got thee to a nunnery for reflection, meditation and self-flogging. At the convent, a mysterious monk came to her, and, thinking he was God, Whitney followed him to Rome to do his bidding. What's in store for Whitney next, only time will tell.
PASSIONS VENDETTA
One of the things Kerr likes about this story line (called Passions Vendetta) is that she gets to play Whitney in a new and different way. "I get to be like my character in that I don't know what's coming up next either." The audience will slowly see Whitney as "she starts to think for herself and gets her wits about her. She is being used by the people around her, without any joy for herself."
Passions Vendetta will continue into the summer, with more Harmony residents flocking to Rome to find Whitney and to figure out just what this mysterious monk is up to. "I hope that Whitney is able to get past her guilt (over giving up her half brother's baby) and be free to find love with someone who is able to love her back. She needs some kind of spark, as everything is so dark for her now."
