As I ponder the demise of Port Charles and mourn, in particular, the loss of my favorite fictional character of all time, Caleb Morley, I recall with love the character, the actor (Michael Easton) who so brilliantly brought him to life, and the ways in which Caleb and Michael Easton have brought me in closer contact with the expressive, imaginative, and sensual aspects of myself.
It was over two years ago that I first saw Caleb on Port Charles. Although I missed the beginning of “Tainted Love,” since I was not then a regular viewer of Port Charles, I later saw it in its entirety on the SoapNet channel and was able to savor the unforgettable story of Caleb Morley as it unfolded in all its power and magic. One of my first glimpses of Caleb was in a scene with Olivia, when he was getting ready to bite her and make her his. He was talking about their souls being bound together through the centuries and saying such beautiful, evocative things that my soul felt stirred also. It was at that moment that I began to fall in love with Caleb and his irresistibly seductive portrayer, Michael Easton.
Although I had for a long time been fascinated with vampires in literature, film and TV programs, I had never seen any depicted that could equal the beauty, magnetism, mystery, and sexual allure of Caleb. As portrayed by Michael Easton, Caleb was the most perfect embodiment of qualities I associate with vampires. Erotic, wild, sensual, graceful, and tragically romantic, Caleb was the quintessential vampire. Like the great vampires of literature, film, and myth, he assumed aspects of the animal, the shaman, and the artist, transcending the limitations of human senses and subverting traditional morality while offering forbidden gifts. He was not only a fascinating vampire, but also a compelling, intriguing, and multi-faceted character. Devious, twisted, passionate, cruel yet tender, conflicted, Caleb is timeless and almost impossible to categorize. A god-like figure, powerful and capricious, seductively bringing us awareness of our deepest desires, he will continue to exist in our imaginations long after Port Charles is cancelled.
Caleb sparked my creativity, making me feel more vital than I had in a long time, opening up possibilities latent and waiting to be awakened, thereby allowing me to write more freely and expressively. His revitalizing inspiration grew, and after the September 11 disaster, it gave me the desire I needed to still feel alive and not dragged down by hopelessness. To me and probably many others, the Caleb/Livvie story was a kind of darkness we wanted to escape to after the real-life tragedies of September 11 and its aftermath. Watching Caleb on TV helped ease my sense of depression and bleakness. Mesmerizing, invigorating, and beautiful, he fueled my passion and my imagination. Sure, Caleb was evil in many respects, but much more than that, he was tragic and soulful. The romanticism, the wildness, the gracefulness, the depth of feeling—Michael Easton eloquently conveyed these and many other facets of Caleb’s personality. Caleb will always be there, ready to be summoned and celebrated in our hearts. Long live Master Caleb! |
