Liz Sanbourne

Creation and casting

Sheraton Kalouria, senior vice president of NBC's daytime programming, described the show's use of color-blind casting as part of an effort to build a diverse pool of characters that best reflected the various ethnic and racial groups living in the United States. Kalouria believed the show was set apart from other soap operas, by including "the African American Russells and the Hispanic Lopez-Fitzgeralds". Although Liz was not listed as one of the primary members of the Russells, media outlets closely identified him with the family given her connection as the adoptive sister of Russell matriarch Eve Russell. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Marshall said Kalouria has led the effort: "to making sure the African-American community knows they are telling tales with African-American actors." Liz Sanbourne was initially not included in the show's discussions of her adoptive sister Eve Russell's past. In the 2001 tie-in novel Hidden Passions: Secrets from the Diaries of Tabitha Lenox, Eve is characterized as the only child of "too-busy Harvard history Professor Warren Johnson and journalist Tanya Lincoln Johnson".

Passions' creator and head writer James E. Reilly approached Amelia Marshall about the role of Liz after they worked together on Guiding Light; in an interview with Soap Talk, Marshall commented: "I just love the fact that he saw me and realized that I could be such a witch." Marshall said she was already aware of the supernatural elements of the soap opera prior to being given the role: "... there were always these strange things happening on the show. It really pulls you in." Marshall played the role from her introduction on October 3, 2001 until the character's exit in February 17, 2006. In 2003, Arreale Davis and Taquel Graves played the character in flashbacks. Marshall has commented that her desire to play Liz came from wanting to choose a character that was different from her past appearances as Belinda Keffers in All My Children, and Gilly Grant Speakes in Guiding Light.

Characterization and relationships

In an interview with Soap Talk, Marshall attributed her background as a dancer to giving her the discipline and direction when preparing for her character. She described the show as being "so on the edge all the time" and attributed her discipline as "ground[ing] [her] and the freedom from the dance world [...] giv[ing] [her] the freedom to just soar with it." During her early appearances on the soap opera, Marshall defined Liz as "milquetoast" without any edges. She followed up by calling Liz "a very strong, centered woman who has had some hard knocks and challenge", characterizing her as "wise beyond her years" and terrified of being left alone.

While discussing Liz's interracial relationship with former lover Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald, Marshall said that the differences in their race was not the primary focus of their scenes. She called the show "a breath of fresh air" for treating the romance like a normal storyline rather than approaching it differently as an interracial story. Tracey Ross, who plays Eve, believed that the biggest obstacle for relationships on the soap opera were distinctions in social class rather than those in race.

Marshall attempted to reconcile Liz's psychotic behavior with her approach to the character over the course of the show. Due to the lack of concrete information on her character's past at the outset, Marshall invented various histories for Liz that "allow[ed] [her] the freedom to go for what [she] s[aw] as Liz's level of anger and betrayal." She stated that the role was an improvement over the "good girl next door" characters that she had previously played. She interpreted Liz's "unhealed pain and anger", primarily the inability to reconcile with her adoptive sister, as interesting acting challenges. She attributed Liz's behavior in the 2005 episodes as the character "operat[ing] even crazier than she normally does", calling her mental unraveling to be a fun storyline to perform.

Liz's relationship with Eve shaped a majority of her character development and story arcs. Marshall felt that Liz was irredeemable for her actions against Eve and her love interest Julian Crane. She described Liz as having a form of mental illness due to her repeated sexual abuse, and believed "[e]very emotion she has it twisted". Ross added to Marshall's interpretation by recommending that Liz should get "some serious electroshock therapy". Marshall commented on the absurdity of her character's rivalry with Eve, particularly their fight in the Crane mansion. She went on to praise Ross' acting, and said: "[i]t's a gift as an actor to have a good relationship with your scene partner when you're always the aggressor because you can go where you can go where you need to go and not be afraid."

Removal

Following Liz's exit in 2006, media outlets began to question the exact nature of Marshall's departure from the show. Commentators believed that the decision to remove several of the series' main characters was influenced by the slashing of the budget by "a reported $4-to-$5 million" to secure its renewal. Even though Passions representatives clarified the budget cuts were limited to a reduction in the production team, sets, and extras, television critics connected the departures of certain actors to the show's financial restraints. According to Metacritic, Marshall was fired due to the cuts in budget. TV Guide's soap opera columnist, Daniel R. Coleridge, wrote that Liz's exit prevented fans from "enjoy[ing] the pleasure of watching [her] digest all of that explosive info and act upon it."

Backstory

Liz Sanbourne is the adopted daughter of Mr. Sanbourne and Ruby Lincoln and the adoptive sister of Eve Russell, who is Ruby's daughter from a previous marriage. Eve and Liz are both unaware of the adoption and believe they are half-sisters. After Eve left home to be a nightclub singer, and a prostitute, and started a relationship with businessman Julian Crane, Mr. Sanbourne began to molest Liz who blames Eve for abandoning her to her father's sexual abuse. When she was fourteen, Liz went to Boston in search of Eve. She tracked down Julian at a jazz club to talk to him about her sister and their relationship. Later that night, Alistair Crane raped Liz in Julian's apartment; Julian was passed out in a drunken stupor in the same room and was unaware of what happened. The rape resulted in Liz's pregnancy with Chad Harris-Crane, who was originally believed to be Eve and Julian's son; Liz gave up her baby for adoption at birth, and was forced to undergo surgery that made her barren.

2001–2006: Passions

Liz first appears in the episode airing on October 3, 2001, as the owner of the unnamed resort on the fictional island of St. Lisa's located near Bermuda and the Bermuda Triangle. She helps her former boyfriend Brian O'Leary rescue Sheridan Crane following the explosion of her boat. Along with Brian, and their friend Doc, Liz becomes close with the amnesiac Sheridan while trying to help her to remember her past. Sheridan believes her name is Diana due to confusing memories of her friendship with Diana, Princess of Wales with her own; she begins a romantic relationship with Brian. Liz grows increasingly jealous of the attention Brian pays to Diana and suspicious of Brian's true identity. Liz forms a close friendship with Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald after he comes to the island to pick up a boat for his then girlfriend Beth Wallace. She thinks Luis is Diana's fiancée, but fails to reunite them, despite several attempts, before he returns. Liz joins Diana and Brian to sail the ship back to Harmony. Upon returning to Harmony on Christmas Eve, Brian reveals his identity as Antonio Lopez-Fitzgerald, the long lost brother of Luis, and Liz and Diana convince him to reunite with his family. Liz again attempts to reunite Diana with Luis, but fails to do so before they return to St. Lisa's Island.

In 2002, Liz returns to Harmony in response to a telephone call from Diana; she tells Liz about her true identity as Sheridan, her engagement to Luis, and Antonio's terminal illness. While visiting Antonio in the hospital, she is startled and angry to find Eve in Harmony. Liz plots to reveal Eve's past to past to her husband T. C. Russell and her children Whitney and Simone Russell in order to replace Eve as the head of her family. The build-up of the storyline ran from 2002 until 2004 as Liz makes bolder moves to expose Eve as lying about her past, and coerce T. C. to have sex with her. In 2003, Liz buys the Blue Note, a jazz club Julian constructed as a copy of the place where he first met Eve, as a cover to stay in Harmony longer without raising suspicion. The storyline culminates in July 2004 when Liz brings Eve's aunt Irma Johnson to tell T. C. the truth about Eve's past relationship with Julian and their child. The characters also find out that Eve, not Julian, was responsible for the car accident ending T. C.'s tennis career. In retaliation, Eve tells everyone in Harmony about Liz's true identity as her sister. T. C. later divorces Eve after finding himself unable to forgive her for lying about her past. Following the signing of the divorce papers, he openly begins a romantic relationship with Liz.

In 2005, Liz drinks poisoned punch which Rebecca had intended for Eve. Liz accuses Eve of deliberately giving her the punch, and Eve is arrested for attempted murder. T. C. proposes to Liz, but she becomes increasingly paranoid over his romantic feelings for Eve. Liz attempts to force Julian to have sex with her in the middle of an earthquake and tsunami, and stabs him in the back when he does not comply. At this time, Liz lies to Julian by he had raped her in the past. T. C. later breaks off his engagement with Liz after reconciling with his ex-wife's past and rebukes all of her efforts to seduce her way back into his life. On the eve of Eve's trial, Liz offers her adoptive sister a deal: she will rescind her accusation and not testify if Eve promises to leave Harmony forever. Eve considers the deal before ultimately refusing it. Near the end of Eve's trial, Julian agrees to give Rebecca anything she wants in exchange for her testimony that she saw Liz with the vial of poison. Tabitha's daughter Endora Lenox magically casts the jury into a fake flashback, matching Rebecca's testimony, and the judge declares a mistrial.

Liz's desperation to destroy Eve, Julian, and Alistair drives her to act more violent and erratic, such as threatening to kill Julian with a letter opener. At the New Year's Eve party, titled "A Murder is Announced", Liz stabs Alistair in the neck which puts him in a coma. Before attempting to disconnect Alistair's life support, Liz confesses to Julian that she was the one who shot him in 2002. She tells Julian that he did not rape her several years ago, and that it was actually Alistair. Julian stops Liz from killing Alistair by encouraging her to let go of her hatred in order to find love in the future. She agrees to abandon her plans of revenge against Eve and Alistair in order to find a new direction for her life and leaves Harmony. In his comatose state, Alistair swears revenge against Liz. While in Rome, Italy, Chad discovers that Liz is his mother through his birth certificate provided by tabloid editor JT Cornell. The birth certificate also reveals that Liz was not Eve's half-sister, and Chad's relationship with Whitney was not incestuous.

Cast response

Marshall's performance received a positive response from Passions' cast members, while her exit was the subject of criticism. Ross felt that Marshall had the most demanding role on the soap opera, and commended her ability to make "Liz want[ing] to have sex in the middle of the tsunami" believable. During the filming of the show, Ross said she would watch Marshall and take notes on how to improve her own acting. In an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Ross criticized the decision to remove Marshall, and said: "When you're an actress of her caliber and kind to everyone and plan Christmas parties and celebrate everyone's birthday and know your lines and are the most darling girl that ever breathed, of course you're going to be fired!" Rodney Van Johnson said that he was disappointed when the show began removing its racially diverse actors, feeling that it was a sign of its imminent cancellation.

Critical reception

Liz Sanbourne has been widely praised by television critics. Candace Havens of The Free Lance-Star felt that Liz was favorite character among fans, following her first appearance. Havens identified Liz's "well-rounded views and good sense of humor" and attempts to reunite the then supercouple Sheridan Crane and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald as her appealing characteristics. The reveal that "the hard-working, kind-hearted hotel owner" Liz was Eve's sister was cited as one of Passions' biggest twists by Soap Opera Digest, which described the moment as "a slap-filled reunion". Liz was praised as a "naughty diva" by Sister 2 Sister's Jamie Foster Brown, and Linda Marshall-Smith of Soapdom.com called the character "deliciously devious". Soap.com's Lori Wilson included Liz's desire for revenge as one of the high points of Eve's story arcs. Marshall received a nomination for Soap Opera Digest Award for Outstanding Villainess in a Drama Series – Daytime in the 2005 Soap Opera Digest Awards, but lost to Jane Elliot for her portrayal of General Hospital's Tracy Quartermaine.