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Hillary B. Smith and Robert S. Woods Interview – One Life to Live Farewell

In an emotional final video interview with On-Air On-Soaps as cast members of One Life to Live (taped at the series final press junket), Hillary B. Smith and Robert S. Woods talk with Michael Fairman about the legacy of Bo and Nora as one of soaps most iconic couples, their love for the fans, and their sentiments on working together, and saying goodbye to the 43-year old soap.

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Loved Bob Woods And Hillary B. Smith interview. Bob Woods is one of the most natural actors on soaps. I will miss him. Hillary is Nora in my book. Their story has been up and down, but they always belonged together.. Thank goodness we will be able to see them ride off into soap stardom for all time… Thanks Michael for another great interview….

Bo & Nora are the consummate soap couple. I’m SO gonna miss being able to watch my FAVORITE soap! I can’t believe ABC cancelled AMC & OLTL, in favor of STUPID shows, like The Chew & whatever the new one will be. I won’t be watching either, as I find them boring & ridiculous. ABC SCREWED UP BIG TIME, in my opinion. Nothing more to say, is there!?!?

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I am devastated that OLTL has been canceled. I feel as if part of my family has died. With the exception of TiVoing GH, ABC is now banned in our house. I watched ABC faithfully for 45 years, if my husband would let me I’d sell our Disnet stock and DVC membership, too. I love Llanview like my own town and am not sure what I will do every afternoon for the rest of my life. I wish the entire crew and cast the very best, and I wish ABC a continued decline until it’s demise. Maybe then the CEO will move on into oblivion like so many of the others that have brought down the best of the companies.

I agree with everything you have said
The CEO of ABC has messed with what is and has been the core of ABC the soaps! Is ABC aware of all the complaints or do they just not care about what the people want that pay their salaries???? Is Frons should be fired!!!!!

I have been a fan of One Life To Live since 1973. I have been fortunate to meet and greet most of you at fan luncheons, baseball games in Brooklyn, One Life/Many Voices. I also particpated in Daytime Encounter I and II where I had the pleasure of working directly with some of the cast. By having this experience it put a new perspective in watching the show.
I just want to thank all of you of being part of my life all these years. I wish you love and peace to all of you and again THANK YOU.

Well, damnit, it made me cry…this is so unbelievably sad……

I remember Bob from the Waltons. Hilary was wonderful no matter what implausible storyline they gave her. Well done, you two. Well done.

I remember him from the Waltons too! I loved him even then!

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I loved this interview Hillary made me cry they both made me laugh and brought me down memory lane i have bee watching the show since 1992 and remember every moment of the show since then. I am going to miss the show and Bob and Hillary the most they are my only reason for watching this show. Thank you for all the memories love for both.

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PLEASE COME BACK ON LINE OR ANYWAY YOU CAN OLTL
WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO YOU GUYS HELP US DO IT TELL WHAT WE NEED TO DO

i agree what do we got to do to keep you guys atleast online

Beverly: What we have to is:
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we lost GL and ATWT, now that I have been watching OLTL, its going off the air also. its not fair that the networks are doing this to the fans. its very sad, knowing our shows will no longer be on the air. At least we will have Youtube. I wish all of the actors the best of luck. I will miss you!!

I have loved these two from the first time I watched them back in 1997 and thanks to YouTube I got a chance to see all the stuff before 97 . All I can say is the chemistry between these two is electric I loved watching them dance play and love I’m so sad to see them go what a waste of talent . I wish them the best of luck I will love bo and Nora till the day I die!!!!!

I LOVE THE INTERVIEW WITH ROBERT S. WOODS AND HILLARY B. SMITH.. THEY ARE MY FAV COUPLE ON 1L2L.. I’M GOING TO MISS THEM ACTING OUT GREAT SCENES 2GETHER… YOU ALL ARE GOING TO BE TRULY MISS… :-)) XXXOOOO

I absolutely LOVE Bo and Nora and the wonderful actors, Bob and Hillary who portray them! I will miss so much seeing them. Thank goodness for youTube! I started watching them right after they divorced, and loved their chemistry even when they were not together. Watched for 10+ years waiting for their reunion. My all time favorite Bo and Nora moment is the dancing in the warehouse during Y2K! That’s when I knew they would always LOVE each other! Will miss, miss them so much!

Thank U So Much Michael for sharing this interview with the Bob & Hillary fans . Hillary brought me to tears during the 1st part of the interview. I am so sadden that OLTL is going to done with in just 2 weeks. It really breaks my heart. I am a huge fan of these 2 beautiful people. I am going to miss them cutting a rug on the dance floors, fishing trpis & just their love story as a whole. After watching the interview amost 50 times already, I went on you-tube and watch the very scene “Ice Cream Sundae” My all-time favorite scene is “The Beach House” scenes. I absolutely loved how Bo was so tenitive to Nora after he rescued her from Todd. Of course I love all there scenes, even the angst ones but that one sticks out for me. I’m just so disappointed that we didn’t get more dancing & fishing trips the 2nd time around. I am truly going to miss them on screen together. They have such great chemistry and it really showed when they were performing together on the show. Bob & Hillary brought Bo & Nora to life for me. I started watching OLTL right around the time of their 1st wedding. I missed out on them dating but Thanks to You-tube I am able to watch them from the beginning, Bo & Nora’s love story is what I wish for, for myself one day. I really hope TPTB don’t disappoint us fans that have waited 10 looong years for our favorite couple to get back together, Give us our Happy Ending for Bo & Nora (The Super Couple) of Daytime. 🙂

Frons said he would cancel the two shows and he did, he left after ‘a job’ well done’ IMO. These shows should never have been canceled and the ending for AMC left me embarrassed. It looks like OLTL will be doing the same, the HW and others have had it ready. No one will forget the elephant in the room and OLTL no matter what is said, is leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth and horrible writing which equals only a permanent STAIN to a one time glory day.

Are you kidding? Will we miss them? OMG-I GUESS SO! I remember when the Bukes came riding into Llanview & I have totally adored Robert S. Woods ever since. He is precious! I love Nora too but honestly have loved Bo with every love he’s had on the show & he’s had plenty! I cried all weekend the Friday in January 1986 I think when Bo was “killed” at the end of the episode. My husband asked what the hell has happened? I cried “Bo is dead, they killed Bo!” He knew exactly who I meant & was as shocked as I was! Bo is wonderful with everyone! I just love Bo & Rex’s relationship-Bo & Clint, Bo & Viki, Bo & everyone. The expressions on his face without saying a word can crack me up especially when Nora is on a rampage, ha! Life as we have known & loved will end on the Blackest of Fridays, January 13, 2012. Just sick every minute of the day over this.

I LOVED your interview!! Thank you Bob/Bo and Hillary/Nora for the wonderful years that you’ve shared!!!! OLTL would not have been the same without you both!!! I feel like I’m loosing half of my family now. 🙁

I no longer will watch abc I loved One life to live there family . Abe doesnt think of us or them the People of One life to live or family thats a big Mistake they are making in deed. very saddened Carrie

I have watched OLTL since it’s beginning. I left only when Roger Howarth left. So glad he came back after 8 years. I will miss OLTL, of course; but I hope I can still see Roger on TV somewhere.

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After the final episode of OLTL, I will be deleting the ABC station off my cable. I wish all the cast and crew of One Life to Live the very best and thank them for 43 years of memories.

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Truly enjoyed this interviewed. Very sad that OLTL has come to an end. Bo and Nora are the super soap couple. I was very happy to see the two back together! Their breakup should have never happened. HBS and RSW chemistry on screen is one that legends are made of! BO and NORA FOREVER! Best to all at OLTL. Happy New Year to all! Moving forward – no looking behind! Only one who should have regrets should be ABC for cancelling OLTL! I am thankful for the years that I was able to be apart of the OLTL family!

Thanks A Million For This Michael.

We OLTL Fans In Evanston, Illinois Love You, Bob, & Hillary A Whole Bunch! 😀 😀

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Shame on ABC for cancelling OLTL! What are they thinking! Their are thousands of viewers! and to replace them with some reality crap shows like” The Chew” ! I have fb, tweeted, sent letters, petitions, etc.. no response from ABC.. I have watched this show for years! taped and dvr’d while at work, my family and friends all calling each other after a long day at work to talk about what happened on OLTL who did what, etc.. OLTL is like family. I will not be watching ABC! This is unforgivable and I am a very forgiving person, but ABC is not listening to the People! the CEO’s are greedy and only care about money! To replace OLTL with these stupid reality cook and home over shows is just crazy!! Not to mention that they don’t care about the actors being out of work! I am ashamed for ABC! I even asked Oprah’s OWN network along with alot of people to pick it up.. If a network were smart they would say” OLTL has thousands of daytime views for 43 yrs!! duh! no brainer! I just don’t know why ABC does not care about the viewers ! I wish all the actors would get together and and say we can do this ourselves!! I will miss you all so much! Thank you Michael for these interviews I hope you have more actors from OLTL on .. There are no words to express how badly I feel about the decision to cancel OLTL! I will watch The View for the last time when they air in January and dedicate one hour to OLTL !! Shame on ABC!! you lost a ultimate viewer!! and my friends and family etc! Good luck to all the cast of OLTL God Bless!!

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my question is why? why take off the best of the best and leave the worst? I just want to say this stinks that oltl is leaving the air it is by far my favorite show and i am truly disappointed that it is going.

and must say thank you for the interviews, all of you will be missed here and thank you for the years of drama and excitment

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I cannot believe that after 43 years this show will be over. I have been watching One Life To Live for 35 years! There has never been one episode that I have not enjoyed. This show has been a daily routine for me for so long and I cannot believe that the network could not give it a go. I think they will regret their decision and any new show that they replace it with will not compare. Please, I have seeing one episode of “The Chew” and will not see it again! What a loss!

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I have watched One Life to Live for over 30 years. It may sound strange, but the characters on this show became my “dysfunctional” family. I have been alone for most of my life and it made me feel good to know that every evening I would be able to watch Todd, Blair, Vickie, Asa, etc. The show was great and I am sorry that such a wealthy network such as ABC/Disney cannot find the money to budget for this production. All of the cast will be missed. It is almost like a death in the family.

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Its not strange at all,I know how you feel,I dont know what Im going to do at 2 oclock weekdays one life to live has been on my tv for 43 years,I watched all my children to ,and miss it ,I try to watch dool.but its just not the same ,abc had the money to keep these shows on ,they choose not to its creed,more money in their pocket s Daytime tv will never be the same,and one life to live is the best soap ,I will miss my dysfunctional family to.

Thank you Michael for this lovely gift! It was the best interview with RSW and HBS ever. I so cherish it because I don’t know when I’ll be able to see them again. Thanks for all you coverage of OLTL over the years.

Michael, this was a great interview! Bob and Hillary are so natural together and this is what I’ll miss about them the most in their performances. I will also miss them. I met them both a few times and I will never forget what great people they are!

I still cannot believe that ABC has done such a horrible thing to this show and that all these people will no longer be on my soap!

I’ll miss “One Life To Live” so much!! ‘Bo’, ‘Nora’, ‘Viki’, ‘Blair’, ‘Roxy’, etc., are the best!!! They are such talented people.
ABC made a huge mistake…they say people want “information shows” ?? NO WAY, we like entertainment. It’s helped me get through so many hard times I’ve had.
I was hoping some cable station would pick it up. After OLTL ends, it’s bye-bye ABC. -Crash and burn!

Loved the interview with Bob & Hilary. I love them as Bo & Nora. I remember when Bob came on as Bo, I had such a crush on him, and I still do. Nora is Bo’s soulmate, but he has had great chemistry with all of his wives. Next to Nora, my favorite was Didi. Barbara Treutelaar was gorgeous, and she and Bo were my favorite couple at the time. I cried when she died. Hilary is fabulous as Nora. Love how natural she is with Matthew. You can believe she is really his mother. Hilary has chemistry with everyone, but Bob and Hilary are dynamite. I own an oldies record store on LI and was in heaven when Bo & Nora got married by Little Richard. I love that they were into the oldies. It definitely helped our sales. I wish them luck in whatever they do next. I just wish that OLTL was not being cancelled. I will not watch ABC after Jan. 13.

OMG Hillary had me crying. I just Love her and Bob they were my sole reason for tuning into OLTL all these years. I am going to miss them. I have been following fumbling the pieces online with Hillary and, I LOVE it! God bless you Bob and Hillary for just being the best and giving us your best every time You and Bob are amazing!!!! 🙂

I just love Bob and Hillary as Bo and Nora!!! I have watched the show for years and they are by far the BEST. I have been watching some Bo and Nora (the early stuff) on you tube and it was hard to watch them split up, what a great love story!! I am so glad the writers put them back together a few years ago!! The last scene at Asa’s house, and when Bo said, “I love you Red” all choked up, was the when tears started flowing….OMG. How can you not love them!!!!

I still miss OLTL!! and it is not going away… I still won’t give up.. I emial, Twitter, fb, mail to ABC, etc. Even ask other networks. I think some network should breath life back into OLTL and make the viewers and fans happy again! I Love Bo,, and Nora.. what a team… and Vicki, Asa, Clint, Dorian… OLTL was always my favorite soap, the acting, the energy.. I loved to run home from work and watch everyday for years and get on the phone with my family, friends and co-workers and we would talk about the characters and if was like family … “Did you see what Nora or Bo said today ,, great acting!!! the best!! I will not give up,, I still write and fb, twitter hoping some network will wake up and realize the money they can make bringing back the best show OLTL… I will be watching for you both Bo and Nora… because your fans don’t give up on you… I wish you both the best and you are still in my heart….

Interviews

The Young and the Restless’ Michael Damian On Christine/Danny/Phyllis: “It’s a Fun Triangle Story That They’re Having Us Do, Because It’s Very Retro”

This week on The Young and the Restless, while Danny (Michael Damian) and Christine (Lauralee Bell) hit the sheets, and Phyllis (Michele Stafford) sets off an alarm as payback (literally!), the top-rated CBS soap opera continues to weave the tale of these three characters decades later, finding themselves in very familiar territory with each other.

We know that Christine and Phyllis are basically, mortal enemies, while Danny, who has been the man in the middle, has had a past with both women. However, it is Christine who has been, for all intent and purposes the love of his life.  But, will Phyllis’ machinations make it near to impossible for Danny and Christine to be together? Stay tuned.

Last week, Michael and his real-life wife, Janeen Damian visited the Michael Fairman Channel promoting their #1 streaming film on Netflix, Irish Wish starring Lindsay Lohan. The film was produced by the Damians, while Janeen directed it and co-wrote the romantic story. Michael is featured on the Irish Wish soundtrack performing his track, Wild Irish Heart.

Photo: Netflix

During the conversation, Michael shared what it has been like revisiting the Christine/Danny/Phyllis triangle years later. Damian addressed the fans on the livestream, who inquired. “It’s a fun triangle story that they’re having us do, because it’s very retro. And I think it’s fun to bring that nostalgia, retro thing back.”

Photo: JPI

Recalling a tender moment between Danny on the piano alone with Christine (during the standalone episode which honored Lauralee Bell’s 40th anniversary with Y&R), Michael expressed, “I think what they’re doing is so smart, and they’re reconnecting a lot of the fans to a lot of the story. I mean, we’re talking years and years of story.”

Photo: JPI

The longtime Y&R fan favorite, added, “I’m really glad they did the thing on the piano because people have been asking, ‘Why are you not doing any music? Why are you not singing? Where’s your band?’ You know what I mean? Janeen is asking the same thing, ‘Why aren’t you singing something on the show?’ The last time I sang on the show was when we thought Phyllis was dead. So, you know, that didn’t count. (Laughs)

One of the funniest moment in the revisiting of the triangle occurred when Phyllis and Christine were arguing over Danny, and he was right there in the room with them. The two women got so engrossed in their fight, they forgot he was there, and thus he walked out of the room.

Photo: JPI

Michael revealed, he liked that scene too! “They’re fighting. They’re arguing and Danny’s like, ‘Listen, I’m over here. Please stop it.” And then they don’t stop,” Damian recalled. “And so Danny just grabs his coat, picks up his sheet music, because he was working on a song. He goes to the door. In the scene, I even look back to see if they are even noticing me leave, and then I just left. That one was pretty funny. I’ll be honest. I was laughing out in the hallway when I left. I was thinking, ‘Should I slam the door? But then if I slam the door, they still have dialogue.’ They’re still talking and they would’ve turned, and then it would’ve ruined it. So, I just gently closed the door and left.

Photo: JPI

During the livestream, Damian teased he has some upcoming scenes with longtime Y&R co-star Beth Maitland (Traci), “I just worked with Beth Maitland actually the other day, and that was really fun. I can’t wait for people to see that show.”

Check out the the Michael Fairman Channel chat with Michael and Janeen Damian below.

Now, let us know, are you rooting for Danny and Christine? Do you think Phyllis will continue to be a disruptor in this relationship and somehow worm her way back into Dannys good graces? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first check out this sneak peek for this week’s Y&R featuring the trio.

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Days Of Our Lives

Days of our Lives Star Blake Berris Chats On the Everett Lynch/Bobby Stein Mystery, Working with His New Co-Stars, and the Last Christmas Episode with Bill Hayes

On Days of our Lives, the return of Blake Berris is making for some very intriguing drama, with the audience guessing just which way the story will go.

When Berris arrived back on Days of our Lives, after previously playing Nick Fallon, he was taking on the new role of Everett Lynch, who has a past with Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) and Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu). Only, as it has been revealed, the past he had with Jada was under the name “Bobby Stein,” who from what we can tell was far from a nice guy.

Blake visited the Michael Fairman Channel for a livestream interview this week, where fans in the live chat were weighing-on what could be the truth about the guy – is he a split personality suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder? Did the accident that cost him a year of his life in a coma, never happen? Recently, someone set fire to the beloved Horton house. Fans are suspecting it would have been “Bobby” who is working for Clyde Weston (James Read). Others believe that Everett/Bobby could actually be Clyde’s son. With upcoming therapy sessions with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) about to start, things are about to get more juicy in Salem.

Photo: JPI

Here are just a few excerpts from our conversation with Blake on a myriad of Everett/Bobby subjects. Make sure to check out the full interview for more.

Did you know that they were going to make Everett Lynch a Jewish character? This is only the second time in the history of the show that they have even had a Jewish character on the canvas. Didn’t they reveal this at the Horton family Christmas episode?

BLAKE: No, they never asked me. I am half-Jewish on my dad’s side. There was never like, ‘You’re Jewish, right? We can call you Jewish on the show?’ At the Horton Christmas, “They made a real point of it, yeah.”

And now the new ‘character’ is “Bobby Stein” …

BLAKE: “Right, and that suggests more Jewish, and then Lynch must be coming from somewhere else, maybe the mother. I was so curious because I think the show has been historically, I’m gonna say, Catholic more than like Wasps. With the Bradys there’s this sort of Irish influence, and then the DiMeras, that’s Italian. So, we’ve got Catholics sort of on both sides that are dominant. Now I, “represent”.

Photo: JPI

What has it been like working with Abigail Klein?

BLAKE: I think she is extraordinary. We start off sort of frosty, or she’s frosty with me, like she doesn’t want to let me in. And then, for a while things are going really well. I just could not adore Abigail more. She’s such a good actor. I could always rely on her to bring me back into a scene and be there in this emotionally, supportive way.

Photo: JPI

Everett and Chad seemed to be becoming friend-ish, when all went awry when at the PCPD interrogation room, Everett let him know about Elia and Bobby Stein, and Chad let him have it for worming his way back in to Stephanie’s life.

BLAKE: Billy would call us the ‘disgusting brothers’ and that’s a reference from Succession, because all of a sudden they’re just so chummy with each other. It’s like all of a sudden we just had this like ‘Bernstein and Woodward’, sort of dynamic duo. I think that Everett really started to think of Chad as a friend and feels sort of disappointed, and he feels, “Oh, it’s that easy? I just needed to have some other identity and now you’re a fair-weather friend?”‘

Photo: JPI

In recent scenes, Jada sees Bobby Stein for the first time, and we see you and Elia Cantu share scenes with each other for the first time. What is it like working with Elia?

BLAKE: She’s fire, man. She comes in hot and she tells you the way it’s going to be. I think early on, we were trying to suss each other out and the more we worked together, the more comfortable you get with somebody. I think actors do this sometimes with each other; if there’s spice on screen, you like to keep some of what you have on-screen in your (real-life) interactions because it helps … it helps the work.  Eventually, we just sort of wore each other down and we’re like, ‘I actually totally get you, and you’re great.'”

Did you know that they were going to make Everett Lynch a Jewish character? This is only the second time in the history of the show that they have even had a Jewish character and didn’t they reveal this at the Horton family Christmas episode?

BLAKE: No, they never asked me. I am half-Jewish on my dad’s side. There was never like, ‘You’re Jewish, right? We can call you Jewish on the show?’ At the Horton Christmas, “They made a real point of it, yeah.”

And now the new ‘character’ is “Bobby Stein” …

BLAKE: “Right, and that suggests more Jewish, and then Lynch must be coming from somewhere else, maybe the mother. I was so curious because I think the show has been historically, I’m gonna say, Catholic more than like Wasps. With the Bradys there’s this sort of Irish influence, and then the DiMeras, that’s Italian. So we’ve got Catholics sort of on both sides that are dominant. Now I, “represent”.

Photo: JPI

You were on set and in the annual Horton Christmas episode which sadly marked the last for Days of our Lives legendary Bill Hayes, who passed away in January of this year.  What do you recall of that tape day?

BLAKE: It was the Christmas episode when we were watching Susan (Julie) and Bill, say ‘Merry Christmas.’  And there was something about it that just felt like it could be the last time. I mean, it wrecked us all on set. Bill gets so choked up and there was something really profound about the moment. They kiss each other as they have so many times before on the show. It was just beautiful. It felt beautiful to be there for that last Christmas. He’s just such an icon. Every time I’d see him, he was so with it … he knew my name, he knew his lines. What an incredible, incredible man.

Photo: JPI

Fans will get to see Everett in therapy sessions with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)? Would you say she is helping the guy?

BLAKE: Deidre’s always making jokes about Marlena, ‘She’s the worst therapist in the world’ (Laughs) I remember in the first therapy session, we almost couldn’t get through the scenes because it’s just so clear that Everett has a litany of very profound psychological issues that he is going to have to work through. He’ll keep coming back. This guy’s gonna pay the bills!

Photo: JPI

Viewers are waiting to see how they mystery of Everett Lynch/Bobby Stein plays out. What can you say as a tease for what’s to come?

BLAKE: As far as a tease, I would say, you have all these characters sort of, trying to wake up the ‘sleeping giant’ in a way. I think it’s safe to say that like if you poke a bear, the bear might wake up.

Watch the livestream chat with Blake in full below.

Now let us know, what do you think is going with Everett/Bobby? What has happened to him in his past? Share your theories in the comment section below, and make sure to catch Days of our Lives next week on Peacock for more to his story.

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Interviews

Y&R’s Melody Thomas Scott Talks on 45 Years as Nikki Newman, the Keys to Playing Drunk, And Those Genoa City Relationships

February is ‘Nikki Newman Month’ in soapland as the The Young and the Restless iconic Melody Thomas Scott celebrates her 45th anniversary in her leading role.

My how time flies! Nikki has had numerous marriages, and some to the same man, battled her addiction to alcohol too many times to count (and we loved it all), and faced so much heartache in the process.

Currently, on all-new episodes of the top-rated CBS daytime drama series, Nikki can’t quite get a grip as Jordan (Colleen Zenk) is out there and in the middle of her next master plot to make Nikki suffer, all the while Nikki is drinking again. Thanks to the heinous plot concocted by Jordan and Claire (Hayley Erin) that revealed itself last November.

Photo: JPI

In a special conversation for You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Melody shared her thoughts on a myriad of subjects including: her current story, those long tape days at Victor and Nikki’s weddings, why she plays drunk better than anyone on television, plus we take a mini-deep dive into Nikki’s past.

Y&R fans were stunned when the powers-that-be had Nikki kidnapped and then hooked her up to an IV of booze. Just how much did Melody know of the story going in? She elaborated, “I knew Nikki would be terrorized. That’s all that I knew. I thought that sounded like great fun. I didn’t know for a little bit that she was going to fall off the wagon in the process of it. And then when I heard how it would happen, I was thrilled to bits. I did kind of want to have a little leader (or crawl) down at the bottom of the screen saying, ‘Hey, people don’t put an IV with vodka in your arm because that will kill you.’ But, poetic license, I suppose.”

Photo: JPI

Melody also weighed-in on if she thinks Nikki will stop drinking anytime soon, expressing, “She just can’t get out of this. Then of course, Jordan’s not letting her out very easily. Just when Nikki thinks she is mentally strong enough to never take another drink, well, of course she does, because something else happens. I think it’s also a learning point for people who are watching the show who may have an addiction problem. Now, I could be wrong, but I think it’d be highly unusual for somebody to be just mentally strong to be able to stop.”

If you wondered if Melody enjoys playing a drunk Nikki, look no more, “I do. That’s simply for selfish reasons,” she shared. “That’s for my enjoyment. I take great pleasure in it. It’s fun for me, and just the process of pretending to be drunk. I love the end result. I try not to do too much because there’s nothing worse when an actor is overplaying drunk. So you have to kind of keep it a little bit underneath (the surface). However, sometimes because of Jordan, Nikki does get much sloppier than I normally would play it.”

Photo: JPI

In recent episodes, it seems that Jack (Peter Bergman) and Nikki are gravitating more to each other, as both are drawn together through their shared experiences with addiction. Victor (Eric Braeden) is not happy that his arch-nemesis is helping Nikki try to stay sober. Could Melody see Jack and Nikki becoming romantic again? “I love Peter. I mean, Peter was my second favorite husband on Y&R. It would be wonderful, but I don’t know if the fans would go for that,” she explained. “They’re so invested in Niktor that I think they would really be upset about that unless Victor did something really crummy, then I could buy that.”

Photo: JPI

One of the more ‘out there’ stories during Melody’s 45-year run, was when Nikki was paired with Crazy Edward, and he took her home to meet his mother … who was in an urn! You would think maybe Melody didn’t like the story .. but think again! “Bill Bell (co-creator, Y&R) was writing the show in those days, and Bill kept that information pretty tight. I don’t remember us knowing even a week in advance. Maybe, we would get our scripts, three or four days in advance and that was it. You knew nothing about future story, but I loved the story,” she raved. “It was almost Hitchcockian, shall we say. The actor who played Crazy Edward, Paul Tulley was so magnificent and such a sweetheart. We loved working with each other so much, but man, when that red light came on the camera, he scared the you-know-what out of me. He was absolutely terrifying. But then, the minute the scene was over, we’re fooling around and laughing and everything. He was so good. So good!”

Photo: JPI

According to Melody, the pairing of Victor and Nikki was not something she, nor Eric Braeden, initially thought would made sense: “I was a little terrified when I heard that he and I would be doing scenes. I thought, ‘What, what?’ He also wondered, ‘What am I going to be doing working with that young kid, that snotty kid?’ We had no idea what Bill Bell saw. He had a vision with us and somehow knew that we would have chemistry. It didn’t take Bill long to show us in the scripts why he put us together. Then, we started to see it. Although, it was hard to imagine at first, certainly we knew it worked by the time Nikki had baby number one during the ‘Who’s the father?’ storyline. Nikki and Victor weren’t even married yet. So, we did figure it out pretty early on.”

Photo: JPI

From her early years as Nikki Reed, Melody reflected back on some major story points in her character’s history, relating, “I actually did like her in the very beginning when she was just a little brat living with her sister and her father, who of course ended up trying to rape her…  and she had hit him over the head with a lamp … and he died. I did not care for the stripping storyline at all. Only because I knew that I didn’t have the natural dancing ability. I wasn’t fluid enough to really look good up there stripping. I know they hired wonderful choreographers and everything for me, but I just didn’t feel worthy of being up there … I guess is what it was. Of course, now I look back on it and I think, ‘Oh, I guess it wasn’t too bad.’ Later, there was a strip she did in the Colonnade Room. At the time, she was married to Jack. Victor’s sitting there with some other woman and she’s drunk. I saw that scene recently, and I thought it was great. I didn’t at the time, but looking back, I thought, ‘Wow, that was good.'”

Photo: CBS

Watch the full 45th anniversary conversation with Melody below.

Now let us know, are you enjoying Nikki being back on the bottle? Would you want to see Jack and Nikki try their relationship one more time? What has been your favorite storyline of Melody’s over the last 45 years on Y&R.  Let us know in the comment section.

 

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