For earth-shattering romances Santa Barbara`s A Martinez and Marcy Walker run right off the Richter Scale.
In the last three years they have won Emmy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Actress on daytime television.
TV SOAP Editor Ben Mitchell talked to them about their long-running love affair - and how it affects their real-life marriages.
The foyer and portrait-laden corridors of NBC Studios in Burbank, California, have much the same impersonal atmosphere of any Australian city TV station.
People talk on the run, eat on the run, don`t have time to take phone calls.
The difference is that somewhere is this labyrinth are Cruz and Eden who do have time.
Time to gaze into each other`s eyes, time for lingering kisses and passionate embraces.
Time that millions of Australian women tune into every day to fantasize about love and romance and things men don`t know about.
Marcy Walker is Eden.
A Martinez is Cruz.
Their chemistry set Santa Barbara on fire the moment they stepped in front of the cameras.
Together they have launched countless fantasies.
They have also had to go home after work to their respective husband and wife.
"When Marcy and I first got together doing love scenes it was difficult for my wife to watch," said A.
"After a particularly intense scene she would turn to me and hit me as hard as she could.
Leslie (his wife) is a really strong woman.
When she punches, it hurts.
So she`d give me a shot on the bicep to make me feel bad and get it off her chest."
A found it tough on both he and Leslie because he was a working actor who didn`t want to do soap.
After 20 years of bit parts and featured roles he was campaigning for a movie career.
His advisors told him to take the Cruz role.
It has, he said, helped him to become a better actor.
And paradoxically, it has brought he and Leslie closer.
"One day she came to the studio without me knowing she would be there and sat alone in the make-up room watching the show being put together on a monitor.
She picked a day in which Marcy and I had four or five love scenes on a yacht.
We were at the end of the schedule that day and they were running late.
So, we went out with the director and cameras and set about the task of blocking the scenes, changing the lines, rehearsing and dress rehearsing them and then taping then one by one.
When you witness actors at work you realize how much effort goes in making something look effortless.
Leslie seeing this went a long way to making it okay with us.
She saw what the task was all about."
A`s dressing room reveals the other side of his double life as husband of Leslie and father of Dakota Lee, 4, and daughter Devon McKenna (18 months).
The walls of his "star chamber" are adorned with family photos, including one showing four generations of Martinezs -- A, his dad, Adolpho, his grandfather, Adolpho. and son Dakota Lee (Cody).
The "A" is for Adolpho.
A tells you proudly he was named after his grandfather who died last year aged 98.
"He was a courageous and spiritual man who was revered by all his children and grandchildren."
"The kids don`t go to school yet so they are up late when I get home from the studio.
What makes the family work is Leslie.
She is a wonderful mother and a wonderful wife."
Considered by Hollywood colleagues and insiders as one of the fittest, best-looking guys in the business at 40 plus, A says:
"I know a lot of tricks to leverage myself when I`m tired.
Mostly it`s vitamin supplements, eating carefully and exercising even when you are so tired you`d rather do anything else."
Okay if we do a souvenir pic?
I asked A.
"Happy to."
He`s that sort of affable guy.
He also eats garlic.
"Sorry, but I enjoy it.
And it`s good for you," he explained.
Santa Barbara`s publicity boss, Barbara Kelman, laughed.
"Have you seen your script today?" she asked.
"All that garlic -- and you`ve got some love scenes coming up with Marcy!"