Who Plays Julia on As the World Turns

The Question of Who Plays Julia on As The World Turns

The question of who plays Julia on As the World Turns seems simple on the surface, but the two powerhouse actresses to portray these two different Julias left their mark on ATWT, in particular on the relationship of Carly and Jack Snyder. What is most interesting are the similarities. Both women had dark hair, both women were involved with Jack Snyder, both women lied to hang onto him and both eventually lost him back to Carly.

Annie Parisse

Annie Parisse appeared on As the World Turns from 1998 to 2001 with a handful of appearances in 2002. She was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in 2001. Parisse would later appear in the films National Treasure, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, and Monster-in-Law. Parisse also appeared for a year on Law and Order as A.D.A. Alexandra Borga. An interesting side note about Parisse is that her brother is married to the daughter of Sam Waterston (Law and Order).

Julia Lindsay

Julia Lindsay arrived on screen through a chance meeting with Jack Snyder on board a train. The two became friends and Jack the hero, helped her get away from the man trying to control her life. When the two returned to the town of Oakdale, Julia moved into the Snyder farm and started dating Jack. Through a series of storylines involving David Stenbeck, Julia’s heroine status fluctuated as did her grip on sanity. Eventually, she got to marry to Jack, but not before she drove his "true love" out of town and later, went all the way around the bend and killed Carly’s horse.

While her character could have been a caricature, Parisse played Julia Lindsay with delicious insanity and managed to engender sympathy even as her character committed reprehensible acts. Julia's last act involved revealing that Jack’s "son" was not his child, but a baby she had stolen. She wanted him to feel the loss she’d suffered when she’d miscarried. Her cruel punishment was delivered in a voice that was equal parts terrifying and sad.

Sarah Brown

Actress Sarah Brown made her mark on daytime by creating the role of Carly Roberts Corinthos on General Hospital. She won three Daytime Emmys for her portrayal of the raw, angry young woman that turned the lives of several families upside down. When she left daytime in 2001, she looked to make a name for herself in primetime.

When Brown returned to daytime in 2004 on As the World Turns, the show hoped to capitalize on her popularity and when word that her character’s name was Julia, fans feared and hoped that Julia Lindsay was returning.

Julia Larrabee

Brown’s Julia was not a recast of Parisse’s Julia. Instead, she was a different woman altogether. However, like her predecessor, she encountered Jack Snyder first. Jack was suffering from amnesia and Nurse Julia took him in to care for him. Jack wore a wedding ring and he was convinced that the dark-haired Julia was his wife. His therapist thought it was best that Julia went along with it in order to facilitate his treatment.

It took time for Jack to remember who he was, but he bonded with Julia and her young son J.J. during that time. Eventually, Julia learned who Jack was, but she sought to conceal the information because she feared losing the little family they’d formed together. Over the next few months, Jack and Julia returned to Oakdale where his wife Carly tried to jog his memory. Carly hated the new Julia almost as much as the old one and eventually, Jack did get his memories back and as before, he left Julia to be with his wife. Jack still wanted to maintain a relationship with J.J. and Julia was moving on to Jack’s cousin Holden.

Late one night in 2005, Julia was murdered. Carly and Jack were both major suspects in the case, but it turned out that it was Julia’s ex-husband who killed her and this let both Snyders off the hook. Carly and Jack adopted Julia’s son J.J.

Fun note: Julia’s on-screen brother was played by Kin Shriner who played Scott Baldwin on General Hospital.