By Michael Fairman

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:

How do you feel about the whole Cane/ Lily, and Chloe pregnancy story angle?

DANIEL:

I am kind of curious to see what happens. I was wondering which way they were going to go with it. I have to say at this point, I am extraordinarily impressed with the storylines that are coming out. There is a very solid morale on the set at the moment, because all the storylines are intersecting now. Everyone has this new vigor!

TV SOAP:

So, do you attribute the changes to the new writing regime at “Y&R”?

DANIEL:

Definitely! When I found out where it was going I was so impressed. I went and phoned Maria Arena Bell, our co-head writer, and said, “I think its genius, because generally with anything to do with paternity suits or babies, and love triangles, it’s kind of been done. I was so impressed to make it new and fresh and to have a pay off, and I am excited to play it.” I have fear in my heart at work though, that all good things must come to an end as far as Cane and Lily, but at the same time I hope they will prevail.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Elizabeth Hendrickson (Chloe) on “Y&R”?

DANIEL:

She is awesome! What I love about Liz is we have a very solid rapport with what we want to do in scenes. Chloe is such an interesting character. You thought she was this put-together stylist. Then, she took a dive off the deep end. To not let her be a complete nut-bag, I think Liz is working the character so well. Honestly, you don’t think she’s crazy. If you put yourself in Chloe’s shoes, she is not crazy.

TV SOAP:

What do you have to say about the whole older man, Cane, and younger woman, Lily storyline point?

DANIEL:

I never thought of it that way.

TV SOAP:

Well, I do!

DANIEL:

Well, some people do, but I never thought about it that way for the dynamics of the relationship. It’s always going to be a point in storyline. It was a point in storyline to break us up when I knew how old she was. Cane then decided he can’t be without her, so he tells her we will make this work. Because of the age difference between Christel Khalil (Lily) and myself, I think it allows Cane to play a sweet and tender side to his character. I think if Lily were the same age as Cane, it would be a different dynamic. And even if she were the same person, it would have to be different.

TV SOAP:

But, Cane has another new story coming down the pike, correct?

DANIEL:

Now Cane is going to have a business storyline, because he just got promoted as the CEO of Jabot, to everybody’s chagrin, due to his lack of experience.

TV SOAP:

How do you justify Cane’s suspending belief that he could have gotten Chloe pregnant when he doesn’t remember a thing?

DANIEL:

It’s difficult. When you have a moment of blackout, and even knowing he couldn’t get an erection, all things being equal, assuming he is this super potent guy from the outback…. He woke up and didn’t know what happened. It is tearing him apart at the moment. It plagues him to know it, but at the same time, I try to play it like the baby’s not mine. But Cane certainly must have his doubts.

TV SOAP:

I hate when they dummy-down leading men on soaps!

DANIEL:

I remember when Cane was with Amber. I looked back on it and it was pretty obvious something was going on. You find yourself having to make a choice. When Amber was entered in the “Face of Jabot” contest, I played it from day one that Cane knew it was Amber. I always try to justify things, if they do things that make the character look like not the sharpest tool in the shed. You have to be very careful. You are walking a fine line. If you’re not careful, you will make your character look like a manipulator, unless they are going to do a Nick and Phyllis type of story where they start off hating each other, but Cane comes to realize that he really likes Chloe.

TV SOAP:

But do you really think they would really break up Cane and Lily?

DANIEL:

We are so popular at the moment. We are up to number 2 in “Soaps in Depth” magazine as actors and as a couple. Would they run it? That’s the question I don’t know the answer to!

TV SOAP:

So, what do you think the chances are that the baby is ultimately going to turn out to be Cane’s?

DANIEL:

The DNA test comes back. Chloe has not manipulated the DNA test. It comes back that Cane could be a possible match for the baby. So what ends up happening is Lily tells Cane to marry Chloe.

TV SOAP:

There were so many reports online about the shock over the letting go of Raya Meddine (Ex-Sabrina) while the new writers were coming in. Were your cast mates afraid for their own jobs, as well? Were people truly shocked by her exit?

DANIEL:

When I thought about it my jaw-dropped! I was in shock; it did come out of left field. But, when you look at it logically, it makes sense. Victor and Nikki will always be together. I think the problem is when you put yourself in a position where you’re going to be Victor’s new wife; you are basically a storyline waiting to happen. But if the audience totally falls head over heels in love with you and they break up Nikki and Victor, they will put you with someone else. I feel within the confines of logic, if you have characters that work very well, and storylines with other characters that work well, and when you introduce an unknown factor and a new character, people will always come and go as a service of storytelling.

TV SOAP:

How is working with Christel?

DANIEL:

I love it. I love everything about her.

TV SOAP:

Your road to “Y&R” and the role of Cane came after numerous younger leading man role auditions for the soaps, right?

DANIEL:

I tested for Austin Peck’s role on “As the World Turns”. I tested for the Nash Brennan role on “One Life to Live”, and ironically, I recall I met the producers of “General Hospital” for Jason Thompson’s role of Patrick. It’s one of the things I forgot about it. I saw Brandon Beemer (Owen, “B&B”) today, and we talked about how he left “DAYS” and ended up on “B&B”. I said, “See, everything works out. You are on a bigger show that has fewer people in your demographic and you have people to work with, plus Susan Flannery (Stephanie) and John McCook (Eric)! It’s crazy how things work out. I think I was meant to end up on”Y&R”. I did not want to relocate to New York. It worked out perfectly and it could not be any better.

TV SOAP:

How are your parents enjoying your success, back home in Australia?

DANIEL:

They are great parents, and they enjoy my success and following the journey of my career. I probably won’t go back to Australia till next year because I am heavy in story, and my wife Rachel and I have another baby on the way! She is four months pregnant, and we will find out the sex in a week. I am excited! I already have Ford, my two and half year old son. I am excited to have this new baby, with what I learned from my first time experience with raising Ford.

TV SOAP:

What do you miss most about Australia?

DANIEL:

I miss everything about it. There is a sensibility about Australians. When I first moved to America, I had to reprocess how I interpreted what I heard, because it was different than the speed and tempos of Australia.

TV SOAP:

Many have said, that the hiring of Australians, Daniel Goddard and Tammin Sursok (Colleen) to “Y&R” was a direct attempt to raise the ratings of the show in the Australian market. Do you think that was the partly the reason you both were hired?

DANIEL:

I was told when I tested for “Y&R”…”Oh, you’re Australian?” I walked in with an American accent, and they said, “So, where are you from?” The concept of Cane was that he was given away at birth. So he could have been from Mongolia. It just worked out luckily for me that I was the right person for the job. As far as Tammin, I think it’s just the way it worked out.

TV SOAP:

Do you and Tammin hang-out as “Aussies” on the set?

DANIEL:

What I like about Tammin is that we have a flow of conversation that’s at a different level than anyone else, because there is a nicety that doesn’t have to be there. We speak so fast together, and chop our sentences down so much, that people look at us and go, “We can’t understand a single word you are saying!” I enjoy that because I don’t have another single Australian out here other than my family. The problem is after I speak to Tammin so much, I go on set and they go, “Daniel we don’t understand what you are saying! Slow it down and annunciate!”

TV SOAP:

What do you make of all the success of Australian actors on the soaps? First there was Ingo Rademacher (Jax) on “GH”, and currently we have you, and Murray Bartlett (Cyrus) from “GL”!

DANIEL:

I think when Ingo came out here, I am sure it was very difficult for him to get a job. No one wanted to hire anybody with an Australian accent. You could be English, Irish, Scottish, or Canadian, but no Australians. I truly think that Mel Gibson pioneered for every Australian in the industry to come over to the States to get a job.

TV SOAP:

How did you feel about your on-screen grandmother, Jeanne Cooper (Katherine) winning the Emmy?

DANIEL:

Oh, I was so excited! I was jumping up and down. When I found it was the first time she won, it dumbed me down to the point where I didn’t know what to say. I think she would have had five or six or seven in the bag already. I am so proud to be part of a storyline that Jeanne is in and to be part of that family. I am proud to say that Jeanne Cooper and Peter Bergman are my mentors on that show. There is nothing I cannot go to them about. I can talk to Jeanne about life, and she will say, “Sweetheart, what is happening with the baby, and how do you feel?”

TV SOAP:

We wish for more storyline for your incredible on-screen mom, Jill, played by the amazing Jess Walton!

DANIEL:

She is getting a great storyline at the moment and so is everyone else. Cane and Jill have a very different relationship than most men who are 31 and women who are in their 50’s. Whenever I see I have scenes with Jess, I am so excited.

TV SOAP:

So what is the best part of being a leading man, and the worst part?

DANIEL:

The best part has to be you get to do what you love. I love to act.

TV SOAP:

But you know what I mean; to be the guy that gets the girl that everyone lusts after.

DANIEL:

It’s funny. “TV Guide” just ran “The Soaps Sexiest…

https://www.tvguide.com/

TV SOAP:

… And weren’t you number one? Congratulations Daniel! How do you feel about that? It’s cool!

DANIEL:

It’s a testament to the fans…

TV SOAP:

…. But you keep yourself in shape. Right?

DANIEL:

Well yeah, but if it wasn’t for the fans… I am extraordinarily flattered! What I love is when I get a smart piece of dialog that allows me to show something that has cutting-edge intellect or mother/son, Cane/Lily. I try to play everything in a different way, so the character becomes complex. I know a lot of people who say to me, “I don’t trust Cane” because there is something going on. That’s great for me, and it shows me that they are seeing that he is different with everybody, which allows me to become a more complicated person.

TV SOAP:

But being a good–looking guy or woman, when somebody compliments you on your looks, how do you handle that? Do you say “thank you” or do you get shy about it?

DANIEL:

I get shy about it… always. At the end of the day, when you get cast in a role that’s based upon your physicality…. and I use to play against my type all the time. I would try to audition for roles where I wasn’t the leading man. I was going nowhere. I was banging my head against the wall. My wife said to me once, “Daniel, when are you going to understand they are not going to cast you as the serial killer or the evil guy, because against him is the guy who is the leading man… and when you look at him, he looks like you!” I finally embraced it. Ironically, after that I booked this. It has become the greatest acting experience, and one of the most wonderful periods of my life. Looking back, in “Beastmaster” I ran around for three years in a loincloth and looked ripped, with hair blowing in the wind and saying, “I want to do these other types of roles.” My wife, said, “I am telling you that you’re going to get really frustrated by it!” So, I decided to try and go the other way and not try to fight against type and see what becomes of it. Now I am glad I made that choice.

TV SOAP:

What can we tease our fans to look forward to in the coming months?

DANIEL:

I think you are going to see an emotional unraveling of someone that had the ability to put everything they have neatly packaged in a box, because that is what they have done for so long. You’ve seen a person who drops his guard after it was up for so long, and now all of a sudden, he is put in a position where he asks himself: should he put it back up? That, plus Cane is going to become a corporate powerhouse who puts all his angst into something he can control. He knows he can control the business side of things.

TV SOAP:

But will he lose his integrity?

DANIEL:

No. I would not allow him to lose his integrity. Eric Braeden is notorious for not allowing Victor to do non ‘Victoresque’ things. I am a firm believer that you are who you are at the core, and your morale compass dictates this is the direction you should head.

TV SOAP:

Should Cane and Lily fans be very worried?

DANIEL:

I think they will always root for the couple, but I don’t think they will always enjoy the ride. I think it’s hard, when you are a fan of a character or a couple, to sit back and watch everything fall apart. Especially, when you know that guy didn’t do what he is accused of doing, because the fans are on the inside.

TV SOAP:

As an actor, what did you think about the recent Christian Bale incident involving some form of abuse to his mother and sister?

DANIEL:

I don’t know what happened, but to be honest with you, nothing surprises me. Here is the thing: I remember watching a documentary called “Spielberg on Spielberg,” and he was talking about doing “Empire of the Sun” with Christian when he was 8. Christian had an orange on the table and he was asked a question from the press, and he did not know how to answer it, so he picked up a pencil and stabbed the orange and got up and walked away. I was like, “If you are 8 years old, and that is your reaction to something, there is something going on.” You look at the films, “The Machinist” and “American Psycho,” which I have to say, is one of the top five roles I would want to play. That being said, I am not surprised when you have an innate ability to play such a dark character, within you something must be lurking. I can’t judge whether or not, it’s the mother and the sister trying to cash in. I can’t judge, but I am not surprised by anything.