Interviews

THE EILEEN DAVIDSON INTERVIEW – THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Published

18 years ago

January 7, 2009

Michael

On “Y&R” and its crossover “B&B” she has played Ashley Abbott on numerous occasions over the past few decades. In October of 2008, Ashley returned to Genoa City with a rekindling of the legendary Victor/Ashley romance during the show’s Paris remote. But this time under very different circumstances. Will the relationship be fully explored and be built to last?

Actress Eileen Davidson shares her thoughts on: the show’s plans for Ashley and Victor, past attempts at “B&B” for her character’s love life, working with Eric Braeden 20 years later, and what makes this Abbott a force to be reckoned with.

MICHAEL:

Victor and Ashley’s romance is getting another chance after several missed opportunities during the last few times you were on the “Y&R” canvas. Did you know when you came back to the show this time that a romance with Victor would be imminent?

EILEEN:

Not initially, because they approached me last April.
By summer time they told me that’s what they
were planning.

MICHAEL:

Once you were told, I’m sure you felt good about it.

EILEEN:

I felt good about coming back before. Frankly, I had mixed feelings because it’s a real tricky subject, and it all depends on how it’s handled. It seemed they were bringing them back together rather quickly, but when I realized that the whole back drop with Paris and everything, it made sense. Victor and Ashley… they are sort of thrust together by circumstance, so she is not quite sure where it’s going. I have been trying to play it like that, because what intelligent woman wouldn’t under those circumstances?

MICHAEL:

She is treading water a bit….

EILEEN:

I don’t want to have her go 100% right back in like nothing happened. She has lived a lot of lifetimes, since the last time Ashley was with Victor. And so there has to be a little trepidation. There is still a little bit of trepidation, but it’s also the feeling that she needs to figure out what this is.

MICHAEL:

Was Ashley surprised that the old feelings were there, or did she know the feelings deep down would be there for Victor?

EILEEN:

I think that’s why she was kind of afraid to go save Victor in the first place. If there were nothing at stake, it would not be a problem. She has been down that road too many times and has been burned. Why would she want to go back in?

MICHAEL:

Nikki asks Ashley to go find Victor, and I really did like the plot device. Did you?

EILEEN:

I do like the plot device. I think Ashley was being sensitive to Nikki, and I know people are going to read what they want to read into that. But she does not want to hurt Nikki. She is trying to make peace with people in her life, but Nikki is coming at it as if she is all kind of pissed off with the whole thing.

MICHAEL:

It seems its been Ashley’s personal project to clear Victor.

EILEEN:

I think she knows he kind of has to do that, or there is no need to go forward. He needs to face the charges and the demons of his past, and to go forward.

MICHAEL:

You had left “B&B” and are now back to “Y&R”, and have gone back and forth. How is that for you?

EILEEN:

It’s really nice and I feel comfortable in both places. It’s a nice situation.

MICHAEL:

Do you feel like your time on “B&B” was another botched opportunity for you and Ashley? When we last did an interview together it was you, Kyle Lowder (Rick, “B&B”) and me, discussing how things had fizzled on air with your on-screen romance; and the characters at that point had nothing to do!

EILEEN:

I got fired from “Y&R” and Brad
Bell picked me up and employed
me at “B&B”. I had the opportunity
to work with people and do something
different than I had been doing over
at “Y&R”. I am actually grateful now. I think Brad gave me the opportunity to breathe new life into Ashley. Things change. It did not work out the way I was hoping it would, but I don’t blame anybody for that, or have any ill will. The bottom line is it’s a really hard gig to figure out story, and story that works. I have learned the way Brad and other writer’s work: that is, that something will appear and you go with it. How can I feel bad about being employed, and being treated exceptionally well? They wanted me back over here and it’s like
I never missed a beat. So I think I would be incredibly
ungrateful if I had anything but gratitude to Brad Bell
and the show.

MICHAEL:

I think it’s a testament to you as an actress and to your on-screen popularity, as well. But on “B&B” it’s a lot less show to tape, so that must have worked well with your family life.

EILEEN:

Definitely! I got a lot of family time. It’s incredible. A lot of the cast has families or kids…. Ronn Moss (Ridge), Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke), and Lesli Kay (Felicia). I like them all so much, and Kyle Lowder, too. And by the way, I happened to see a scene with Kyle the other day, and I love what they are doing with him. I love him mean. I was like, “Oh my God. I wish they would have had him mean when I was there!”

MICHAEL:

It was rough for Ashley on “B&B”. She seemed to float around with no real family ties.

EILEEN:

On “Y&R” it’s a better fit on the level of having history and connections to people than at “B&B”.

MICHAEL:

In a recent scene, the show brought back the old Abbott bickering breakfasts with Beth Maitland (Traci), Peter Bergman (Jack), you, and Billy. How is working with Billy Miller, as the new Billy Abbott?

EILEEN:

He is terrific! I like him very much. I have not done a lot of work with him yet, but it feels fine and nice. I worked with the new Abbe recently, and she is fifteen.

MICHAEL:

How did that come about? With in a blink of an eye, Abbe really suffered from a severe case of SORAS!

EILEEN:

Well, (A)…. they aged Noah and so they had to age Abbe if they aged Noah. And (B)… I now have a teenage daughter and I love it!

MICHAEL:

How is working this closely again with Eric Braeden as Victor?

EILEEN:

It’s very nice! Eric and I have a certain kind of groove we get into when we are working together. I think it works for the characters as well, that we are getting reacquainted as actors and as characters. I think that will work for us.

MICHAEL:

Should we expect there to be a commitment for a while in telling the Victor/Ashley romance?

EILEEN:

Reading ahead, there are a lot of problems with family coming up. It’s a good thing to have Ashley and Victor connected, and have Jack as the foil. It works so well.

MICHAEL:

What do you think is at Ashley’s core? What drives her?

EILEEN:

She basically is trying to get her life on track. She has been roaming around for a long time. I think at this point, coming back home and reconnecting with Victor is a real attempt at putting down some serious roots and figuring things out. Going into this relationship with Victor, and going in with her eyes open…. not knowing what’s going to happen with this because they never had any closure… is certainly something that drives her, as well.

MICHAEL:

How was the Paris Remote? Did you like it?

EILEEN:

I did. I thought it was epic. It was a lot of work, but I thought it was awesome!

MICHAEL:

I hear that the Paris remote and schedule was very daunting at times?

EILEEN:

Yes, we got in on Sunday. Then Sunday afternoon we had a meeting, and then we went and did photo shoots, press conferences, talks shows… and I would have to shoot with early morning call times. Then, my son got sick so I had to take him to the hospital. Thank God it turned out to be nothing. The stuff I was supposed to do Thursday afternoon, I had to do Friday morning and that was all the stuff on the Seine with Victor. Then we had a luncheon with fans, and that evening was the Sony party. I had more publicity to do than anyone else, it seemed. I had new things added onto my plate everyday. In fact, there was a big party on Friday night after the Sony party that Billy Bell was doing for all of us, and I just couldn’t do it. It was this big fancy, expensive restaurant in Paris, and I was getting sick. I was so disappointed. Finally, when you get a chance to have fun! I was so wiped out. It was that kind of a trip, and I was back to work right away.

MICHAEL:

What did you think of “Katherine’s” funeral scenes, where you were sitting in the pew waiting for Victor and you knew as Ashley what was going to happen?

EILEEN:

I did not see the scenes, but I liked it and I thought it was a great set-up. I hope I did not come off as being too huffy! I was trying to play it as I am being protective of him, and that this is going to rock everybody’s world when he shows up!

MICHAEL:

What does Ashley think of Nikki?

EILEEN:

I think she’s thinks she is not stable. She is too emotional and freaking out all the time.

MICHAEL:

And Ashley is a much more controlled character?

EILEEN:

She is desperately more in control now, given her situation.

MICHAEL:

Wouldn’t you like to see her have a breakdown again?

EILEEN:

No, I don’t think so, not for a while. She needs to have some stability and a life, and then she can have a breakdown. But you have to establish that first.

MICHAEL:

How is your book doing?

EILEEN:

Its doing great! I did some recent book signings over in Southern California. “Death in Daytime” is a mystery novel. It’s based around a female actress who is on a soap and all the things that go on behind the scenes, and then some. The second book is coming out in a few months, “Dial Emmy for Murder”. Basically, this is a soap opera series. The lead character is Alexis Peterson, who is an actress on a soap. In the first book, she is on the “Yearning Tide” and in the second book she is on “The Bare and the Brazen”, where she is presenting at the Emmys and the person she is presenting with is nowhere to be found. I just pitched the concept of the third one. It’s all about death! (She laughs) It’s available at Barnes and Nobles and Amazon.com.

MICHAEL:

What can we say is coming up for Ashley in 2009?

EILEEN:

More of Victor and Ashley, and a bumpy
ride. I am going to give it a shot. I like
that they are both giving their romance
a shot… and they are hoping it’s the
right time.

Related Topics:eileen davidson Interview The Young and the Restless

Up Next

DGA nominees announced for year's best directed soap episodes!

Don't Miss

THE THAAO PENGHLIS INTERVIEW – TV SOAP AUSTRALIA -DAYS OF OUR LIVES

Click to comment

0 Comments

oldest

newest

Interviews

‘The Young and the Restless’ Eric Braeden Talks Daytime Emmy Nomination, State of Nikki and Victor’s Marriage, and His Co-Stars (Exclusive)

Published

7 days ago

July 30, 2026

Michael

Eric Braeden has been playing Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 46 years. The iconic star of the #1 rated daytime drama series has thus far won once for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Daytime Drama Series back in 1998 in a ceremony he did not attend. Fast-forward to 2026 and the 85-year-old Braeden is once again nominated in the category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Earlier this month, Eric, along with 4 other actors learned they were going for gold at the ceremonies on October 30. In a twist of fate, fellow co-star and also Lead Actor nominee, Christian LeBlanc (Michael, Y&R) and Braeden submitted the same scenes which centered around Victor firing his longtime attorney and friend, Michael Baldwin.

In a new interview, now on You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Braeden shares: his thoughts on the nomination, if he will attend daytime’s biggest night of the year, what he thinks will happen with the current cracks within the relationship of Y&R’s Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victor, his reaction to the heartbreaking scene where Nick (Joshua Morrow) admits to Victor that he has a drug addiction, and much more.

Photo: JPI

VICTOR NEWMAN AND MICHAEL BALDWIN EMMY SCENES

On his Lead Actor Emmy-nominated reel, Eric recalled, “The show submitted it for me and I said, ‘Yeah, go ahead.’ Had I known Christian was part of it, I would’ve said, ‘No!’ I’m kidding. It’s difficult to do a scene with Christian without beginning to laugh in the middle of it. Anyway, he’s wonderful to work with and he did a wonderful job, and I’m grateful for the nomination.”

Braeden also shared plans for attending this year’s Daytime Emmys with his granddaughter making it all the more special, “I will go this year. You know why? It’s an honor first of all, and secondly, my granddaughter, when she heard about it, she says, ‘Opa, can I go? I already know what dress I would buy.’ I mean, it was so sweet. But you bet. Now, I’ll really go to the Emmys!”

Photo: JPI

CAN NIKKI AND VICTOR’S MARRIAGE SURVIVE?

Over the past year, Nikki and Victor’s marriage has been on shaky ground, especially after Victor caught his nemesis, Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) alone in a hotel room with his wife. Nikki went on a bender and Jack was her AA sponsor, but in order to help her, he almost OD’d himself. Victor believes the two hit the sheets.

Now in 2026, Victor was there after Nikki woke up after surgery to save her eyesight, and she has yet to see post-procedure. However, Braeden notes ‘not so fast’ on a reconciliation.

“I would say it will be a rocky road, because you don’t get over these things so quickly. You don’t,” teased Eric. “It’s jealousy and it’s a very, very deep emotion, and every time there’s something that reminds Victor of that incident, he will feel that emotion. It’s an emotion that is not taken seriously enough by people. Relationships are very difficult because of that sometimes.”

Photo: CBS

JOSHUA MORROW DOING THE FINEST WORK OF HIS CAREER

Back in March of this year, in one of the most unforgettable in this, or any soap season, Nick Newman accompanied by his brother Adam (Mark Grossman), came to see Victor where Nick admitted he now has a drug addiction to fentanyl and how he is so ashamed of himself. In the scene, Victor goes to comfort his son, calling him, “My boy” while broken-hearted.

Eric recalled the taping of the scene: “It touched me deeply and it was one of those moments that a father and son don’t want. They’re horrified by that. I think Joshua made an enormous leap in acting in that scene. He showed what he is capable of. It was a very, very touching scene. We had some scenes after that, again, about the same thing. Now, there’s a whole deeper connection between father and son. Any father would almost have a breakdown knowing that his son is on drugs or his daughter. It was a very well-written scene.”

Photo: JPI

ERIC BRAEDEN AND MICHELLE STAFFORD MUTUAL ADMIRATION SOCIETY

The Young and the Restless led the 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Nominations with 18, more than any other series or programs. One of the nominations belongs to Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) who nabbed another Lead Actress nod.

Recently, Eric and Michelle have shared much screen-time since Phyllis took Victor’s company from him. During the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!, Stafford she loved working opposite Eric in the storyline, to which Eric has now responded.

“It’s mutual because I love watching her work,” exclaimed the TV icon. “I just don’t know what she’s going to do in a scene and I love spontaneous moments. I don’t like it to be set and adhered to. I like it to be improvised as much as possible. Michelle is just so facile, so quick, so smart as an actress. She’s wonderful.”

Check out the full conversation with Eric below.

Now weigh-in: are you happy to see Eric receive a Lead Actor nomination? Do you think Nikki and Victor will continue to have issues in their marriage? Did you like the scenes with Michelle Stafford and Eric, and of course the hankie-inducing moment between Joshua Morrow and his TV dad? Weigh-in via the comment section.

Interviews

‘The Bold and the Beautiful’s’ Scott Clifton Talks His Lead Actor Daytime Emmy Nomination, and the Omission of His Scene Partner, Annika Noelle (Exclusive)

Published

2 weeks ago

July 25, 2026

Michael

Less than two weeks ago, The Bold and the Beautiful’s Scott Clifton (Liam Spencer) received the news he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy in the Outstanding Lead Actor category at the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

Clifton delivered what may have been the best work of his career in 2025; in a heartbreaking story arc where a believed-to-be-dying Liam tries to come to terms with his fate, and what his exit from the land of the living means, and what it would do to the daughters he leaves behind, the women he’s loved, and his father.

Going into this year’s Emmy race, Scott is already a three-time Daytime Emmy winner and a record holder for being the only actor to have won in the three acting categories throughout his career: the now defunct Younger Actor, Supporting Actor and Lead Actor.

Shortly after receiving the news of his latest nomination, Scott shared his reaction and what scenes he decided to include on his now Emmy-nominated reel when he participated in the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live!

During the conversation with Scott, it was very apparent that he feels his on-screen partnership with Annika Noelle (Hope) was a key to his success in 2025, and one of the reason for a key scene he chose. However, Annika’s name was left off the nomination list which disappointed Clifton as he shared below.

Photo: JPI

HOW SCOTT CLIFTON WENT ABOUT CRAFTING HIS LEAD ACTOR REEL

“They got a lot of reels to watch. So, I just picked three scenes. It’s important to create a context so that people aren’t completely lost,” explains Clifton on his best practices strategy. “I picked the scene where Liam found out the diagnosis (about his inoperable brain mass), where Finn (Tanner Novlan) and Steffy (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) tell him which sets the stage. And then, there is a scene where Liam is saying “don’t tell anyone.”

Next, there’s the scene at Il Giardino between myself and Don Diamont (Bill) where Liam is telling his father without telling him, by saying, ‘I just want you to know how much I love you, and how grateful I am to you.'”

Then, the final scene, and I owe it all to Annika, was between Liam and Hope. This is where Hope kind of says, ‘I know,’ and then they just have a conversation about their lives and their daughter. Liam also talks about his mom. It just seemed real to me and the best way to close it out. That was it. That was the whole reel about 11 minutes long.”

Photo: JPI

ANNIKA AND SCOTT’S BITTERSWEET EMMY MOMENT

When Scott connected with his on-screen wife, Annika Noelle, following the news of his nomination, which actually came on the Monday before the full nominations were revealed on Tuesday via Extra, there were a rollercoaster of emotions.

Scott detailed, “Annika sent the most beautiful congratulations, and I was trying to figure out if they had announced her category. However, it was in the middle of that conversation that she said. ‘no.’ And then, the conversation turned into my rage for her not being recognized because that whole story was just as much hers as it was mine.”

“My, God,” Clifton continued. “The way that she had to downplay so many things and keep the secret that she knew, that I knew, that she knew. The end of that scene, I couldn’t not include it. It’s more a scene about her and how hard this is for her than it was about Liam. It blew me away that she wasn’t recognized for it this year, but she will next year.”

You can check out Scott’s segment on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 Live! below at roughly the 25:46 mark into the show.

So, were you happy to hear what scenes Scott submitted that earned him a Lead Actor Daytime Emmy nomination? Do you think he’s one of the frontrunners to take home the gold when the Daytime Emmys are handed out on October 30? Do you feel as Scott does that Annika Noelle should have been a nominee for her work in 2025? Let us know via the comment section.

Days Of Our Lives

‘Days of Our Lives’ Christopher Sean Opens Up About His Daytime Emmy Nomination to Honor His Late TV Father, Drake Hogestyn (Exclusive)

Published

3 weeks ago

July 18, 2026

Michael

There was not a dry eye in the house when in June of 2025, Paul Narita (Christopher Sean) gets up to eulogize his father, John Black (Drake Hogestyn), after the iconic character passed away and his funeral brought Salem together for one last goodbye.

In real life, Drake Hogestyn had passed away of pancreatic cancer at the age of 70 back on September 28, 2024. When DAYS taped the funeral episode, Drake was still alive and had given his blessing to the series longtime executive producer, Ken Corday, that it was OK with him to kill off his character and to have a memorial. Sadly, shortly after the cast filmed the scenes, Drake died leaving a lasting legacy on DAYS that will never be matched.

Earlier this week on Tuesday, Christopher Sean received the bittersweet news that he had received a Daytime Emmy nomination in the Outstanding Guest Performer category for the upcoming 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards for his performances. Christopher appeared shortly after the news of his nomination on the Michael Fairman Channel’s Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2026 were he shared his emotional reaction. Here’s part of what he expressed below.

Photo: JPI

WHAT DID CHRISTOPHER SEAN SUBMIT?

“I submitted Paul’s lowest moments in his life, and Paul’s highest moments, meaning the eulogy with John Black, his father, and for my hero, Drake Hogestyn, and Paul getting married to Andrew (Colton Little). So it was two very opposite ends of his life. But what a great culmination of 12 years of being on Days of Our Lives it was.”

ALWAYS BEING GRATEFUL TO DRAKE HOGESTYN

“Even talking about it now, I have so much love for Drake. I’ve got him here on my wall and I wake up every day and I try to make him proud. It’s hard to talk about it, but I feel that my life is on the path that I am because of him, because of him being my role model, because of him loving and guiding me, because of everything that he has taught me on and off the set.”

Photo: JPI

THE EARLY STRUGGLES WITH PAUL’S EULOGY AND HEARTFELT ADDITIONS TO THE DIALOG

“I had been texting back and forth with Drake and I was actually pretty angry, because I felt that we shouldn’t exploit this, but Drake was so attached to the fan base that when Ken Corday spoke with him and gave him the permission to allow the fans to grieve with us, that’s when I said, ‘OK, if that’s what he wants, then I’m going to go full throttle with it.’ In Paul’s eulogy and monologue I’d read it and without asking the writers, I added a few lines and they allowed me to keep them.”

Christopher continued, “One of the lines was, ‘anytime I see a rainbow in the sky’ and I said, ‘and a baseball up high, or a rainbow in the sky,’ because I wanted to attribute it to baseball and to Drake. It was already perfect the way it was written, but that was my nod to Drake. We all loved him and there’s not a person I know who didn’t love him. Drake lit up any room he was a part of. I would not be here, again, without Drake.”

You can catch Christopher’s conversation on the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special at the 2:14:25 mark below.

The 53rd annual Daytime Emmy Awards will be handed in a ceremony on October 30 from the Hollywood Palladium in Hollywood California. Current plans are for the event to stream live on the National Academy Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS), watch.theemmys.tv and associated apps.

So, will you be rooting for Christopher to take home the gold for his heartbreaking performance of Paul’s grief over losing John and then marrying Andrew? Were you touched by how much Drake Hogestyn had meant to his life and career? Let us know via the comment section below.