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Robin Wright’s ‘Santa Barbara’ Beginnings Recalled by Former Co-Star, A Martinez and Series Co-Creator, Jerome Dobson

By Michael Fairman

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Photo: JPI

When motion picture star, Robin Wright first came on to the scene, it was Santa Barbara’s co-creators and co-head writers, Jerome and Bridget Dobson, who cast the very ‘green’ actress when she was only 18 in the role of Kelly Capwell on the NBC soap opera.

Wright appeared as Kelly from 1984 to 1988, and became famous for her role as Princess Buttercup in The Princess Bride. Since that time, she has earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Jenny in Forest Gump, and starred as Claire Underwood in Netflix’s drama House of Cards for which she won a Golden Globe. Robin has also appeared in the films: The Girl With the Dragon TattooWonder Woman, Blade Runner 2049, and Justice League, to name a few.

In 2019, Robin added director credits to her impressive resume with her first feature, Land, and later directed a couple of episodes of the hit Netflix drama, Ozark.

Photo: NBC

Santa Barbara’s Jerome Dobson and Daytime Emmy-winning star, A Martinez (ex-Cruz Castillo) recently chatted live on the Michael Fairman Channel were they offered up many behind the scenes stories of the beloved the soap opera. When the question came up of what was Jerry and A’s experience working with Robin Wright, both TV legends (and now Daytime Emmy Gold Circle Inductees) had some very interesting and complimentary things to say.

Dobson began, “When we tested her to come on the show, we weren’t sure of ourselves because she was basically a model, and hadn’t done any acting, but she had an interesting, very gorgeous look, but there was more to her than that.”

Photo: NBC

With her stunning looks and raw talent, Dobson added about Wright, “We thought, this may be a gold mine. We hired an acting coach for. She would have trouble some with some of the scripts, and she would come up to my office and we’d talk over the script. It’s like she had learned from Dame Judith Anderson (ex-Minx Lockridge), ‘I need to know why I’m saying this line, and why am I flirting with this person and where am I going?’ Robin was incisive, interested and involved, and she took off.”

A, who shared numerous scenes with Robin, recalled, “One of the things that I sort of reduce it to is the two words, ‘b*s detector.’  I think that as you go through the the journey of doing this (acting), you have to have a ‘b*s detector’ operating at all times, just to check yourself. I learned early on that if you think you have just transgressed on your intentions in terms of being truthful, you need to stop yourself immediately. You don’t want to finish up something that’s already broken because you had a false moment in it.”

“You want to have a detector working, and when something doesn’t go right, you just stop, and I just thought what Robin developed in that regard was just impeccable,” Martinez explained. “You look at the run she had on Santa Barbara and the depth and the truth that she found in that character.  She went from starting so raw, but I just thought her sense of honesty was impeccable. Working with Robin was a great joy. It is so great to see all that has happened for her, and for all of us that we got to know her. Once in a while, I run into her still and it’s literally like Christmas. I just love her so much.”

You can watch the full chat with A Martinez and Jerome Dobson and their walk down Santa Barbara memory lane below, and then take a look at an early clip of Wright in a scenes with Louise Sorel from the series.

Now let us know, did you know Robin would become a huge success from her work on Santa Barbara? Share your thoughts in the comment section.

 

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Honestly Robin Wright was hands down the best Kelly Capwell her story with Dane Witherspoon was classic soap and robin really was in a class of her own ! For me her leaving was a game changer and I lost interest but Lane Davies Robin Mattson Justin Deas were amazing and sorry GH fans Nancy lees best moments were in Santa Barbara

I loved robin as Gina she was so damn funny

Omg, her and Justin Deas were a show, all on their own!

I watched SB occasionally when Carrington Garland played Kelly and she was great too. It was great fun to watch but I was too much into Guiding Light at the time and had to watch Reva’s adventures!

I really think that Robin has forgotten where she came from. She seems oblivious to the fact tat if it were not for SB she probably would not have the career that she has had.

Whenever SB comes up in an interview you can just see that she doesn’t want to talk about it.
In an interview with Gwynneth Paltrow she exclaimed that “it was such a cheesy show”!! in another interview she said she was hesitant to do House of cards because of her bad experience on SB where you had to memorize 30 pages of dialogue and say “really cheesy words”.

When she was still on the show she told Vanity fair that the show was “puke suck” and that she had made a vow to herself “to never make that kind of television show again and that she couldn’t wait to get out of her contract so that she could “act” again.She has also said that she hated it at the time and that it “was like being forced into the army”

I think all of this really speaks to her as a person and not in a good way. I loved her on the show but when she makes comments like this it is as if she is saying that her fans from the show were not important. I take it all as a real slap in the face!

I agree with you, what the hell does she think she was a Princess or something?

Greg…oh, I agree. I was never a fan of Robin Wright. At all. She always struck me as being a two-faced kind of person. And I think that she sets off negative vibes. Yuck.

Why is this site not reporting about the big Santa Barbara 40th anniversary reunion that’s supposed to be happening next month? I hope that you’ll have extensive coverage of it, Michael, for those of us that won’t be able to attend. It sounds like it’s going to be a great event for all of the fans who loved and still miss this show (myself definitely included).

I don’t think Robin Wright would even be acting still if she didn’t do Santa Barbara though I do like her I didn’t appreciate some of the rude comments she made about Marcy Walker and the nose comment especially since Marcy only has good things to say about Robin

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‘General Hospital’ Alum Chad Duell Drops First Single EDM/Dance Track ‘If You Need Me’

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Last weekend, we shared the news that General Hospital alum and Daytime Emmy winner, Chad Duell (ex-Michael Corinthos) was releasing his first single today on June 26th and it has indeed dropped! And for those readers who guessed that Duell’s first track out of the gate was going to be an EDM/Dance/House track … you are correct, sir!

The song entitled, “If You Need Me” is perfect for the late night clubs and can be found on Spotify and other major streaming platforms! Duell is noted as the performing artist, but as the composer/ lyricist and the beatmaker of the track. For his music projects, Chad is going solely by the name of “Duelly” which has been his social media handle for years.

Taking to his Instagram on Friday, Duell explained his deep dive into making music, expressing, “I’ve wanted to make music for a long time… I just never did it. It always felt like this huge, overwhelming thing to learn. All the technical side of it, the programs, everything that goes into actually building a track… it was easy to keep pushing it off.  A couple months ago I finally just decided to go for it.”

Photo: JPI

BIT BY BIT PUTTING IT TOGETHER

Chad added, “Since then I’ve been putting in a lot of time learning, experimenting, figuring things out, and slowly starting to find a sound I’m really proud of. This first release is more of a dance/EDM vibe, but I’ve also been working on a lot of different styles behind the scenes that I’m just as excited about. At some point I realized I could keep holding onto everything trying to make it perfect… or I could just start putting music out and grow as I go.”

Stepping out of his own way, Duell firmly says, “So that’s what I’m doing.  My first track “If You Need Me” is out now. More coming soon… this is just the beginning.”

As GH viewers know, Chad made the decision to step away from General Hospital after a 15-year run with the series where his last episode aired in January of 2025. By May of last year, the role was recast with Rory Gibson debuting in the part.

Give a listen below to Duelly’s “If You Need Me,” and let us know what you thought of it via the comment section below.

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Josh Griffith Out as Head Writer at ‘The Young and the Restless’

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In a major behind the scenes move, The Young and the Restless current head writer, Josh Griffith is stepping down from his duties and is soon exiting the top-rated soap opera.

TV Insider was first to break the news and according to their report, Griffith’s departure was his own choice and the cast and crew learned of his decision earlier today on Friday, June 26.

Griffith’s resignation is not effective immediately and for now he will be continuing to tell the stories in Genoa City. As of this writing, Y&R has not named Josh’s successor.

Photo: JPI

Previously, Josh stepped down from his other major duty as the soap opera’s co-executive producer. It was just two months ago we learned that longtime Y&R vet Sally McDonald took over the EP role, while Josh was remaining the series head writer.

A SOAP WRITER WELL-TRAVELED

The seven-time Daytime Emmy winner has had a storied career and tenure in the field of daytime drama. Josh began his soap writing career in 1988 with Santa Barbara, then went to One Life to Live, where he was promoted to co-head writer. He ended his time in Llanview, at that time, in 1995. Later, he co-created Sunset Beach with Bob Guza Jr. The series ran from 1997-99 on NBC. One Life to Live called again and Josh returned as co-head writer again alongside Michael Malone from 2003-2004. Next, he joined the writing team of As the World Turns.

It was back in 2006 that Griffith first came to Genoa City and The Young and the Restless. He started in the capacity of creative consultant, as a breakdown writer, and then was tapped as the series co-executive producer. After departing in 2008. It was not until 2012-2013 that he made a short return before heading to Days of Our Lives to become the co-head writer of Salem from 2015-2016.

Eventually, Josh resurfaced at Y&R as Supervising Producer before becoming head writer in 2019 after Mal Young’s exit. Griffith had served as both head writer and executive producer from 2023-25. In 2025, Sally McDonald joined him as the series co-executive producer until the recent change a few months ago where McDonald is the sole EP.

So, what do you think of Josh Griffith stepping down as head writer at The Young and the Restless? Who would you like to see as his successor? Share your thoughts and picks via the comment section below.

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‘Revenge’ 15 Year Reunion On Tap at Television Academy’s ‘Televerse’ Festival

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One of the more intriguing primetime soap’s was ABC’s Revenge. It debuted in 2011 and became a smash hit. Revenge ran for 4 seasons and ended in May of 2015 after 89 thrilling and dramatic episodes.

Now, fans have a chance to be a part of the Revenge 15 year reunion when series stars Emily Van Camp (Emily Thorne/Amanda Clarke), Josh Bowman (Daniel Grayson), Nick Wechsler (Jack Porter), Gabriel Mann (Nolan Ross), Ashley Madekwe (Ashley Davenport), Connor Paolo (Declan Poter), and Christa B. Allen (Charlotte Grayson) participate in a panel discussion at the upcoming Television Academy’s Televerse festival in Los Angeles at LA Live.

The cast will reunite on stage and revisit the relationships, rivalries, and dramatic twists that made the series a watercooler phenomenon, and its influence in the years since.

Courtesy/ABC

WHY REVENGE WAS SO JUICY GOOD

As those recall, Revenge was a reimagining of The Count of Monte Cristo set in the picturesque Hamptons, and followed Emily Thorne /Amanda Clarke’s mission to exact retribution on the powerful family that destroyed her father.

One of the other actors who appeared in mutiple story-arcs on Revenge was Passions, Y&R, This Is Us and now Tracker star, Justin Hartley. On Revenge, Hartley played the role of Patrick Osbourne, Victoria Grayson’s (Madeline Stowe) long-lost firstborn son who was given up for adoption when he was six months old. Patrick arrived in the Hamptons in Season 3, initially sparking a complex, romantic relationship with Nolan Ross.

In-addition, in real-life Emily Van Camp and Josh Bowman, who met on the set of Revenge have now been married since 2018 and share two daughters together, Iris and Rio.

MORE ABOUT TELEVERSE AND THE TV ACADEMY’S WORK

The TV Academy (who administrates the Primetime Emmys) will be holding their annual Televerse line-up of panels on August 14-16, as they celebrate television’s Emmy-nominated programs, innovative storytellers, and beloved content, providing attendees with an unprecedented opportunity to see beyond the screen and come face-to-face with your favorite shows.

For further information on panels and more, visit Televerse.com

So, were you a fan of Revenge when it aired on ABC? If so, who was your favorite character? Let us know via the comment section below.

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