Kendall Hart is a fictional character from All My Children, an American soap opera on the ABC network. The character was portrayed by Sarah Michelle Gellar from February 24, 1993, to July 3, 1995, and by Alicia Minshew from January 2002 until the show's series finale on September 23, 2011. On March 7, 2013, it was announced that Minshew would guest star on the Prospect Park's continuation of All My Children. She appeared on the second July 8 episode.
Kendall is the daughter of Erica Kane, a child conceived when Erica was raped on the night of her 14th birthday by movie matinee idol Richard Fields. Emerging as one of daytime television's most popular and layered characters, Kendall was originally written as a complex villain, described as a "complicated bad girl" and "the scheming daughter of the biggest schemer of them all, Erica Kane," but was later reformed. The writers scripted her as a heroine, while keeping devious aspects of the character intact.
Background
Rapid aging
Kendall has been the subject of Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome (SORAS), which caused the show's producers to "de-SORAS" her mother, Erica Kane, portrayed by Susan Lucci. Lucci says that Erica was 15 when the show began in 1970. "I love playing her. I enjoyed playing her when she was a 15-year-old high school girl, the naughty girl in town, and I enjoy playing her now, when she's still the naughty girl, but she's broadened her area of operation to include the entire world," said Lucci. Erica being 15 in 1970 placed her birth year at 1955.
When Kendall first appears on the show in 1993, she is 16 years old, portrayed by a then 16-year-old (or 15-year-old) Sarah Michelle Gellar. This was despite the fact that Kendall was conceived when Erica was raped at the age of 14 before the show began in 1970 (23 years earlier). Fans protested the age differences due to the changes making Erica and Kendall too young compared to Erica's original 1955 birth year. In response to this, the show's producers rapidly aged Kendall to 23, which moved Erica's birth year one year forward to 1956.
When Minshew took over the role in 2002, the character's birth year was changed to 1976; Erica's birth year was subsequently pushed even later than where it was before, to 1962. Though Kendall's birthdate was changed to September 25, 1970, in 1993 as a result of SORAS, her birthdate was revised to September 25, 1976, in 2002, closer to her intended birthdate when she first appeared as a 16-year-old girl on February 24, 1993.
Casting and character portrayal
Sarah Michelle Gellar
For at least two years, the producers of All My Children had been thinking about introducing a new character to complicate Erica's storylines. A casting call went out for a young actress to portray the part of Kendall Hart, Erica's long-lost daughter. Many teenage actors in New York auditioned for the role, and the show's producers were adamant about keeping the character's storyline a secret. The actresses were told that Kendall would be Erica's new assistant. "I didn't know when I auditioned for Kendall that she would turn out to be who she is," stated Gellar. "I had heard rumors, but everybody was denying it. Besides, I was scared enough at the thought of working with Susan," she said. Bearing a resemblance to Lucci, Gellar was complimented as having the acting talent and the "forceful personality" needed to go up against Lucci's experience; a "chip off the Kane block", Kendall was to be like a younger version of Erica.
"When they told me I was playing her daughter, I was like, 'What? Daughter? Me?' I remember on my first day when I walked into the rehearsal hall, Susan and Michael were rehearsing a scene," said Gellar. "I was very nervous. I kept thinking, 'What if I'm really bad and they fire me?' I just snuck in the back and tried to blend in with the coffee machine, when all of a sudden, Susan said, 'Hold it, we need to stop for a minute.'" Gellar said that Lucci walked over to her and said, "Congratulations! I'm very glad you're here" and hugged her. "She put her arm around me and said, 'Don't worry, nobody bites.' And then she introduced me to everyone who was there. She really did help me and always made sure I was okay during my first couple of weeks when I was still unsettled. Both Susan and Michael made me feel comfortable," Gellar stated.