By Michael Fairman

TV SOAP:

I was speaking with your girlfriend, Nada Bjorlin (Chloe, “DAYS”) recently. She was saying she currently liked the character you play on “B&B”, Owen Knight, as opposed to your last role, Shawn Brady,
on “DAYS”.  Nadia commented that on “DAYS” your character became watered down, but at “B&B” you get to be sexy, mysterious and have more colors.

BRANDON:

I think Owen Knight is a lot of fun, and Shawn was fun, too. I never got to play a character like Owen before, but at the end of the day they are different characters. Shawn was fun when I started, but with Owen, it’s so much fun because there is no telling. He is such a blank slate, and there is no history on him as to how he was brought up. So, I can make it up off the top of my head and create things the way I would like to create them. You can’t say now, “Owen would never say that.” Whereas, before it would be, “Shawn would never do that!” Shawn would never hook up with a prostitute. That’s so out of character, and now I am not being compared to anyone.

TV SOAPS:

Owen and Donna, played by Jennifer Gareis, have shared a kiss! How does your character truly feel about her?

BRANDON:

I think Owen is interested in her and cares deeply for her, and he wants more at the end of the day. He is very driven and he wants what he wants, and he won’t take no for an answer. So therefore, that is what he is acting on; the feeling that she has for him. Donna does not want to be with him, totally. But, Owen thinks he still has a chance.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Jennifer?

BRANDON:

She is great and a lot of fun! She has different sides to her. I get to experience these different sides of her every week. She is a lot of fun, and we work well together. She works hard, and is always open to suggestions, and she makes me laugh.

TV SOAPS:

Do the writers and producers lay out for you, what’s going to happen to Owen in the future? I think some soap fans are under the impression the actors know what’s going to happen to their characters.

BRANDON:

I think that certain actors find out because they like to know. They don’t mind going upstairs to Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer, “B&B”) and finding out the information. I am happy to have a job, and I understand in this industry its ebb and flow, and comes in waves. You work all the time and then sometimes you don’t. Maybe I should just accept it and go upstairs and ask, and have something to look forward to!

TV SOAP:

You have had some heavy-duty moments with “B&B” stalwart Susan Flannery, (Stephanie) in the jail scenes. How was working with Susan?

BRANDON:

Working with Susan is interesting, because I had heard stories. I did not know what to expect and had no idea. The first day we are working, I was told, “Susan wants to run lines with you.” She was standing there waiting for me. She is so accommodating and gave me great suggestions, because she knows what she’s doing… and she does it so well that her suggestions just fit well.

TV SOAP:

Does she tell you how to play a scene?

BRANDON:

She doesn’t say, “Do this!” She just suggests it. She won’t change something of hers’ without discussing it with you and seeing how you feel. I was happy with the material we did together.

TV SOAP:

How have you played Owen’s back-story? What motivates this guy?

BRANDON:

I just look at what motivates every human being. You look at something and go after it and get it. He’s not related to anyone, but there are a lot of things he likes.

I look at it as a man who sees no boundaries, who is smart and can figure out a way to get what he wants. I don’t necessarily think he would do anything to hurt anyone. At the end of the day, he is living his life like everyone else, and wants to do what he wants to do.

TV SOAP:

How did Marcus and Owen meet up?

BRANDON:

They did not even know each other, really. My story is that Marcus lived in Texas and Owen lived in San Diego, and Marcus found Owen through the Internet. Marcus was looking up people who were good at finding people. Marcus had run up against dead ends looking for his mother. With Owen, he likes the challenge and knows he could do it, so he did it and found her. I think Marcus looked up Owen on a website for people who work at locating people.

TV SOAP:

What is Owen supposed to do, career wise?

BRANDON:

I think he is a jack-of –all-trades. He is a paralegal.

TV SOAP:

…..And a paramedic? (Laughs)

BRANDON:

…. And a cook (He laughs)…. I think Owen is just curious about life. He is educated and wants to be a lawyer. He is a paralegal, and he was in training to become a lawyer. That’s what I made up as his background!

TV SOAP:

Things looked pretty bad for Owen, as all the evidence mounted up that he was the bad boy that poisoned Eric Forrester. Did you have to play guilty, even though you were not?

BRANDON:

I didn’t have to play it. I was purposely left trying to be vague in certain areas about how Owen felt about things, and the way he came into the show trying to make the $200,000 dollars by trying to break up Eric and Donna’s marriage. That put him in the bad guy category right away. Eric was like, “It’s the new guy, and he is the bad guy!”

TV SOAP:

Are there some actresses on the show you think would be fun to work with, or for Owen to be paired with?

BRANDON:

There are a couple people. I have not worked much with Lesli Kay (Felicia) or Ashley Jones (Bridget). Owen can go any route. It’s not that hard to pick here. There are a lot of beautiful women here. Lesli and Ashley would be good candidates for Owen.

TV SOAP:

Have there been any memorable scenes for you with the male side of the cast that you have enjoyed?

BRANDON:

I liked the scenes with Ridge in the jail. Working with Ronn Moss (Ridge) is great! I would like to work with John McCook (Eric) more than just having him at me while he is lying in a hospital bed.

TV SOAPS:

You are now a veteran of several soaps: “GH”, “DAYS,” and now “B&B”. Is there a difference being on these different shows?

BRANDON:

I think it’s like anything; it’s like going into different neighborhoods.

TV SOAPS:

Since you and Nadia are both in the soap acting biz, do you give each other acting notes at home when watching your work?

BRANDON:

She will tell me,” I did not believe you there.” Then, Nadia gives me a reason why. I also think because I know her so well, that it’s hard to watch somebody you know so well in a different light, because you see right though it. We don’t tell each other what to do or how to act; we just call each other out on it. It’s not often. I watch her and she watches me, sometimes. Because, if I have to turn it on, I have to watch her making out with Lucas!

TV SOAPS:

What do you think of the pairing of Nadia and Brian Dattilo (Lucas,”DAYS”)?

BRANDON:

She loves Brian, and I love Brian, but it’s an odd pairing. We went to his birthday awhile back, and he is so much fun and down to earth and cool, though.

TV SOAPS:

You are always voted number one on all the soap hunk lists…all the time… Nadia told me, “If he wasn’t number one, I wouldn’t be with him.” Of course, she said that jokingly.

BRANDON:

I was 19^th in the TV Guide Soaps Sexiest Men list! So, I am not always at the top. You know what? I am just flattered that I was considered.

TV SOAPS:

When the two of you go out together, does it stop traffic?

BRANDON:

When we go out and have dinner, it’s pretty rare you run into the die-hard daytime fans that literally start going crazy. But, it does happen. We ran into people recently at a Blockbuster Video store, and they yelled loudly through the whole store and they said, “It’s Chloe and Shawn from Days! My mom’s in the car and she is a huge fan, would you like to meet her?” It was a Friday night and the whole store was packed. We could not get out of the front door without saying, “Hello.” Most times people are really cool and discreet about it, and you don’t even know they are a fan of the show. One time, we were on a plane and the stewardess was doing her job, and right at the tail end of the flight she kneels down and says, “I am a huge fan of the show. My kids would love a picture.” We go, “Who, Us?” It’s flattering. I like putting smiles on the fans faces.

TV SOAPS:

You and Nadia were recently on the cover of “Fixation” magazine. How did that come about?

BRANDON:

A friend of mine came to me and said, “Would you be interested in meeting with them?” I said I would, and we had lunch with one of the owners who said they wanted to put me on the cover, but they wanted to find a girl. We have to find a girl, or maybe we could hire a model. And I go, “Well, you could always put Nadia Bjorlin on the cover?” It turned out perfectly, because they knew who she was and then it was hers. I was very happy.

TV SOAPS:

What would you love to see Owen go through storyline-wise, in the future?

BRANDON:

Honestly, I try to live in the moment and not get too caught up, and then later be disappointed. It’s unlikely that Owen would be able to do some of the things I would want to do.

TV SOAPS:

Since you are the good- looking guy, the pretty boy, and the hunk, does it sometimes limit you from getting meatier acting roles?

BRANDON:

It does at the end of the day. I think you have to force yourself to find the opportunity in daytime or outside of daytime. You have to force it sometimes, to show you can do other roles, and a place where people can see you in a whole different light. Then, in the future, they will be open to giving you an opportunity. Look at how Brad Pitt started.

TV SOAPS:

But sometimes, the hunks can play sinister on primetime episodes.

BRANDON:

It is tough! If they think of me as a hunk. and they want me to be the hunk, then I will do my best to think of myself as the hunk they want.

TV SOAPS:

How often do you go to the gym? All of your fans want to know how you keep in shape?

BRANDON:

I don’t go to the gym very often. What you have to be is the leading man and the hero as much as possible, and hope that you are written
well to pull off these types of roles.

TV SOAPS:

Many people may not be aware of your very cool, ‘sense of humor’!

BRANDON:

I think that people who know me know I have a sense of humor. But, because of what is written for me work-wise, I don’t get too much humor written for me. It’s either brooding or the romantic guy. I think certain fans that know me, know I am completely different than the characters I play.

TV SOAPS:

On “B&B” the schedule is different than other soaps. You have long stretches of time where you may be on hiatus. When you have a small cast, sometimes, actors don’t always work as much. Do you prefer being busy all the time or the more laid back approach to acting?

BRANDON:

I like working. I am a workaholic. I like to work and have the weekends off. Some people like lots of time off, and if I am home a week, I go crazy.

TV SOAPS:

Have you been home to Oregon? Is your family following you on “B&B”?

BRANDON:

I went home for a wedding. My dad is out of town. I got him a Tivo so he could catch up. Next month, I am going to Portland, Oregon for a personal appearance. My mom, dad, and sister are going to come to the event.

TV SOAPS:

What comments does mom say when she is watching?

BRANDON:

She is always like, “Oh, you are so cute. Oh, I really liked it when you did this.”

TV SOAPS:

What about when you are making out with a girl on television. What does mom or dad say then?

BRANDON:

They enjoy watching this character because they don’t know what to expect. My dad wad fooled. He would say, “You gotta be the guy who drugged Eric. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know if it’s you. But, it can’t be you, because they wouldn’t do that to your character. Don’t tell me!” My grandma is the same way. They get really excited and into it, and they want to know what’s going on. My step-mom is just the opposite. She is like, “Give me a little tidbit? Just give me one.” I go, “No.”

TV SOAPS:

Do you and Nadia run lines together?

BRANDON:

We work lines together every once in awhile, and it’s very interesting. I am a very patient person, and I will read lines with her until the cow’s come home. When I ask her to read lines with me, she has a short attention span, and she will go, “You don’t have those whole 48 pages already? I only have to read through it once or twice. Well, I can’t believe you don’t have the lines.” Nadia gets impatient with me, because she is extremely smart and she soaks up the information much quicker than I do. With me, she will ask me to read lines with her, but it takes a little bit longer for me.

TV SOAPS:

I was speaking to James Scott, (EJ, “DAYS) that as an actor, he can remember 50 pages of dialog, but he can’t remember where he put his car keys!

BRANDON:

You will forget things like that, and it’s funny James said that. James and I were supposed to play tennis yesterday and I said, “Let’s play it by ear, and I will talk to you on Thursday,” and then I forgot. I will say I can memorize the entire dialog. However, I cannot remember names. Nadia has a memory like you would not believe. Names like you would not believe. I think it’s because English is not her first language, so mentally, she is more in-tune with soaking things up. If I see something, and I know I will not remember, I tell it to Nadia and she will remember it. I look at her and go, “How the hell did you remember that?”

TV SOAPS:

Your website is finally up and running!

BRANDON:

http://brandonbeemer.com is finally up! I got so busy that I never got around to updating it, and finally it’s up and running. It was a long work in process. But, it’s going now and it’s nice to have something for people to see, because I had so many complaints and scathing emails, saying, “That is no excuse. It’s been a year and half! You need to have something up… and you’re crazy.”

TV SOAPS:

Do you answer all your own emails/messages or letters from fans?

BRANDON:

I answer all my messages on the message boards and my Myspace page. I have it all. I think the website looks good and it’s working well, and I hope the fans like it. We put in tidbits, and even things I never knew existed! The site has lots of photos and other fun things, too

TV SOAPS:

You and Kyle Lowder (Rick, “B&B”) and his real life wife Ariane Zuker, (Nicole, “DAYS”) along with Nadia, are very close
in real life!

BRANDON:

We had dinner last night. It was burrito night. It is a lot of fun because we all have something to say, now that we are the guys on one soap and the girls are on another. The shows are similar but different. “B&B” is quieter. We don’t have any of the upper management changes at “DAYS”. It was even changing when I was there, in respect to the changes in writers and executive producers. It’s nice to be at a place that is quiet and stable.

TV SOAPS:

So last night, I am happy to announce that you, Nadia, Kyle and Ariane, ate “Half-Baked Flavor” Ben and Jerry’s ice cream! Tell us about it?

BRANDON:

Kyle and Ariane brought over 6 pints of ice cream for dessert last night. I am still recovering from it because last night it was burrito and taco night, and Ben and Jerry’s afterward. They brought ice cream and fresh fruit and I don’t think the fresh fruit even came out of the refrigerator.

TV SOAPS:

We love to know that daytime soap stars actually eat ice cream! That’s so good to know.

BRANDON:

I actually sent Ariane home with a couple pints of ice cream. I did not want to get stuck with 6 of them because I would eat them. I love Oreos and Chocolate Chip cookies, too and my motto is, “If it’s in the house I will eat it.” So, that is why I keep nothing in the house. Nadia is on this discipline trip right now. She never took a bite of it. She is right, you have to just do it. I will not eat Ben and Jerry’s for quite awhile, and I am over Ben and Jerry’s for right now, because I ate tons of it last night.

TV SOAPS:

So, what is ice cream night at your house like?

BRANDON:

I have a small house with a small table, so we sat on plastic chairs. Kyle ate the ice cream that he loves, “Cherry-Garcia.” My favorite is, “Cookies and Cream”… that’s my classic favorite. Kyle and Ariane did
not bring that, so “Half-Baked” is the new flavor. It’s sugar in a cup! Not fat but, sugar in a cup.