Courtesy/CBS

As fans of The Bold and the Beautiful witnessed in September, Brooke and Ridge got married … again!  But this time there was a twist, and it didn’t happen in front of the camera, it happened behind-the-scenes.  Ronn Moss’ unexpected and seemingly sudden decision to leave his role as Ridge Forrester after 25 years, made these on-air nuptials all the more meaningful and shocking.  And, for series star Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) it meant an end of a huge chapter for her – both on-screen and in the workplace – having to say goodbye to her long-time scene partner and friend.  But with that news, came more! Katherine also learned another one of the original “core four” cast members of the CBS soap will depart the series too, when Susan Flannery (Stephanie) announced her plans to exit come the end of this year.

However, through all the changes, Katherine signed on the dotted line with B&B to continue giving fans worldwide an opportunity to see more of Brooke’s perils and experiences, and the new possibilities for her character.  On-Air On-Soaps sat down with Katherine to get her thoughts on all the upheaval, to give us some insight into what’s next for Brooke, how she handled her final tape day with Ronn Moss, and what she wants her fans, who have stayed with the love story of Bridge for 25 years, to know.

While B&B’s executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell, has teased a new love interest for Brooke, we wanted to know how Lang felt about it so soon after the Bridge “I do’s,” and you will find out her answer!  We also delve into Katherine’s remarkable success with the series, and why Brooke has become so beloved internationally, even though she has done some pretty questionable things in her past, or shall we say unknowing mistakes?  Whatever the case, one thing can be said: Let’s get this talented and beautiful star her long overdue Daytime Emmy nomination soon!   And with that, here is the effervescent Katherine Kelly Lang!

MICHAEL:

Last month, we saw your final episode with Ronn Moss, when Brooke and Ridge got married once again in front of family and friends.  Those tears streaming down your face when you looked at Ronn were so touching and heartbreaking, all at the same time.  I heard from Ronn and Brad Bell, how emotional that day was.  How was it for you?  And, how did you get through it?

KATHERINE:

Courtesy/CBS

I did not want to go to work that day, and I was dreading it.  It was hard to believe, and it’s still hard to believe, that Ronn is not here.  And that was the last day tape, and we were supposed to be getting married on-screen and being happy about it.  But meanwhile, Ronn and I tried that whole day to avoid each other while saying to each other, “Let’s just do our job and get through this!”  I remember when I walked down the aisle and I really had to look at him and engage, and then it was over.  I just stood in front of him, and we just couldn’t look at each other before that, because we knew what would happen and we would both fall apart.  But we just waited.  Then even in rehearsal, I had to take a moment because I started crying, and then we went back and we taped it.  And of course, I was crying when we taped.  But, you can cry at your own wedding! (Laughs)  But I tried to make it happy tears, even when everybody who watches the show knows he is leaving!  It was a very emotional day, and sad, and it was hard.

MICHAEL:

When we all learned of Ronn’s decision’s to exit the series, I was concerned for you and how you would take the news of his departure.

KATHERINE:

It was weird.   It felt lonely, and like a family breaking up after all this time.  I feel like Ronn was definitely a part of my family, and then he’s gone.  Working so closely together for 25 years, he was Brooke’ soul mate!  Ronn and I have a great friendship and that will continue, but it’s just sad not to see him here.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Cliff Lipson/CBS

As I told Ronn, I think it would be a lot worse to have made the announcement he did and then sticking around at B&B for months longer.  So in that way, perhaps a quick exit was better.  It may have made it unbearable, otherwise.

KATHERINE:

It would be worse for him, and maybe a little bit easier for all of us to get used to the idea, but harder for him to stay.  Once you make up your mind and make a decision, you just want to do it.  It worked out the way it was suppose to.  Change happens … it’s a part of life.  We will just make the best of it, and the shows goes on.

MICHAEL:

Katherine, you are now the backbone of the show as Brooke.  Do you feel more of the weight on your shoulders with the exits of Ronn, and then coming up, Susan Flannery (Stephanie)?

KATHERINE:

No.  I don’t feel the weight on my shoulders, but I do feel it will definitely be different. John McCook (Eric) and I will be the original people here, and Hunter Tylo (Taylor) has been here a long time too … but it will still be different.  The whole feeling about the show in general has already changed, and that is great because the young group we have on the show are fabulous.

MICHAEL:

What did you think when you heard that Susan Flannery was also leaving?

KATHERINE:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Oh, my Gosh!  Double whammy!  Susan has been saying for years she is going to go.  And I would say, “Susan come on!”  Now she was like, “No. I am leaving!”  So it’s taken some years for that to happen, but it’s sad.  I just have to make a point to see her and Ronn outside the studio.

MICHAEL:

Susan and Ronn were your scene-partners, your touchstones, in which so many stories were generated through Brooke’s relationships with Stephanie and Ridge.  So, it will be quite an adjustment for both Katherine and Brooke.

KATHERINE:

Actually, this past year I have more scenes with Kim Matula (Hope) as my daughter, and what she was going through, and Brooke looking out for her.  So there has already been a transition of my scene partners.  It’s just the history that was there, and all the memories that will be really missed.

MICHAEL:

Do you have a Brooke and Ridge moment that is closest, or special to you, in your heart? Clearly, it couldn’t be the way the relationship just ended so abruptly …  over a text message debacle! (Laughs)

KATHERINE:

(Laughs) I don’t know if the fans love a particular moment, but we could be anywhere, in our bedroom, in the office, or on the beach, and what they like is that chemistry and that spark that is so sincere, and so honest.  It’s just real, fun, and sweet.  They appreciate that.  They have always been diehard fans, because they think it’s so romantic, and so real at the same time, and that is how easy Ronn is to work with.  Ronn is very accessible.  I could look into his eyes and there is a connection there.  He made it so easy and comfortable.  Brooke and Ridge had a great relationship.  So that is all very special to me.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/FabulousPenguinAus

I saw your tweet in your initial shocked reaction to Ronn’s departure.  Did you know at all what was going on with him, and that he may leave?

KATHERINE:

We kind of knew what was going on … but I was still shocked!  I was shocked that it was all happening the way it was happening.  It’s not something you picture happening, and it happened, and so it was shocking!  You know, we probably all thought we would be here together and be one big happy family forever.  Then when it starts changing, it was like, “This can’t be happening, but it is, and it’s OK.”

MICHAEL:

Brad Bell has teased a new love interest for Brooke.  In new episodes, she is going to be helping Bill locate an MIA Katie, leading many fans to speculate that perhaps Brooke and Bill might be a romantic pair down the road.   How do you feel about having another love interest, no matter who it might be?

KATHERINE:

My question to that is why?  Why does it always have to be about a man?  I would like Brooke to have her own story about something.  There is no way, after being with the man she loves for 25 years, she is just going to fall in love and have sex.  I think it’s just weird.  I am just hoping whatever it is, it doesn’t happen that fast!  I hope it takes time to develop.  I was on the set and I was flirting with Adam Gregory (Thomas) today!  And Adam and I do that and pretend, because of the Berry storyline, and so we were doing that today! (Laughs)  Maybe things could happen there, I don’t know.  But again, I ask, why another man?

MICHAEL:

Jon Hensley is working on the show in a recurring capacity right now as Dr. Meade.  What would you think of a Hensley/Lang pairing on-screen?  I think it would be kind of “hot”!

KATHERINE:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Jon Hensley is fabulous.  He is handsome, sexy, and talented and that manly character that would fit in well with this show.  I can see Brooke with him!  Jon is a sweetheart and I like him a lot.  To work with him would be fabulous.

MICHAEL:

Katherine, amidst all the contract talks with three of the core four members of B&B, you decided to re-up and sign a new contract that has been reported to be for two years.  Was deciding to stay, after all the turmoil behind-the-scenes, a difficult decision for you?

KATHERINE:

I love this show and I love being here, but it was at the moment a little difficult.  I am like, “Wait! Don’t leave!”   The show allows you time to do other things and have a life, and so my thing is I want to do both.  Our new schedule gives us freedom and time where we can sort of plan to do things, sort of.

MICHAEL:

The Hope/Liam/Steffy triangle had gotten so much airtime this past year, while many legacy characters were back-burnered.  What do you think about that?

KATHERINE:

I have done so much for so many years that it was kind of nice.  I liked what my character was doing.  She was being a mom and really caring for someone else other than herself for a change.  So that was fine, and also other people then had a chance on this show, and a chance to develop their storylines for those characters that are sticking around, and to build the next generation.  So it makes sense, until I read one too many comments that people wanted to see a story that involved other people as well.  Then I thought maybe the fans have a point.  And now I can say it’s coming back around to that, which is good.  It’s just involving different kinds of stories that incorporates everybody.

MICHAEL

On to an outside project:  You just completed working on the production of Crystal Chappell’s (Dani, B&B, Gina, Venice) upcoming new web series, The Grove!

KATHERINE:

Courtesy/OpenBook Productions

I loved working on The Grove and being a part of it.  I was there behind-the-scenes as an associate producer on the show.  I worked with Crystal Chappell on some location scouting, and trying to hook her up with the right people.  It was doing whatever needed to be done, and then being on set, and on script, and watching the monitors to see if the shots were blurry and framed right, and checking on the booms.  We had three monitors set up, because we were shooting three different cameras.  It was fun to be a part of that process, and Susan Flannery was directing.  It kind of felt like being at B&B!  I did not want to act in it.  I wanted to get into the producing side of it.  It is something that I could learn.  My step-dad is also a producer, so I have seen him through the years do what he does.  It was kind of nice doing that, and being more on that side of the business, and not having to memorize lines and be in front of the camera!

MICHAEL:

How did the shoot for The Grove ultimately go?

KATHERINE:

Actually, the shoot for The Grove went amazing!  Crystal is amazing and a great businesswomen and such a creative person … and too is Hillary B. Smith (Ex-Nora, OLTL, Stacy, B&B, Venice, Fumbling Thru The Pieces).  These are very talented people that were involved in it.  I was very happy to be a part of it.  I would love to do more of that.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

What you do know of your upcoming “story” on B&B?  What can you tell us?

KATHERINE:

I know my story to an extent.  I have an idea of what is happening and the basic story.  And yes, it will be with people that I am very excited to work with.  I think there will be some major drama ahead.

MICHAEL:

Sounds very encouraging!  Then can we pick your Emmy reel with this new material?  I am determined to get you an Emmy nomination!

KATHERINE:

Yeah! (Laughs)  Someone jokingly in the B&B office said, “Oh, Katherine will win sometime. There are only four shows left!” (Laughs)   But that cracked me up!  It’s kind of good motto to go by!  Even if I don’t win then it’s O.K.  Look to me, it’s about working and people enjoying your character, and me being happy with the job that I do and what I put into it.  There are so many actors, both men and women, who have not won a Daytime Emmy through the years that deserve them.  It’s just that I have been on a lot and so long, and have not gotten nominated. (Laughs)  But honestly, there is no animosity there.

MICHAEL:

You have to admit, there has been more behind-the-scenes drama on the soaps over the past year, that it has become much more interesting to fans than what is airing on the shows themselves!

KATHERINE:

I have always said, real life in general is a lot crazier then what goes on in the soap operas.  Some people don’t believe that! (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

In my recent interview with Ronn Moss, he thought the future of the soaps would not be on network television, but on the Internet.   How do you see the future of the daytime drama?

KATHERINE:

I am concerned about the future of network television. There is too much money involved in network TV. And as far as what Ronn was saying in regards to web series, and having just working on recently, you see the quality you can do now for a lot less money, and everybody’s heart is still in it.  There are going to be people flocking to do web shows … and they already are!

MICHAEL:

Katherine, all over the world you are on magazine cover after magazine cover.  You have become so iconic and synonymous with B&B globally, and a fan-favorite here domestically, as well.  You have to pinch yourself on all this!  What is like to be you?  Is this the dream you had?  Did you want to be that actress who was on all the covers?

KATHERINE:

I wanted to be a movie actress, not a TV actress.  I kind of looked down on all TV, not just soap operas.  I really wanted to just do movies, and stick with that career path and see what happens.  But, you have to make a living also.  Now seeing the career that I have had?  It’s pretty amazing.  I have to say, “Wow.”   I will give myself a pat on the back for that one.  It’s pretty good that you took the job and you stayed there, and you did what you did with the character, and it became what it has.  And … B&B is one of the biggest shows in the world!

MICHAEL:

And might I add, Brooke is beloved!  She can do all those ridiculous things or missteps, and still is adored by the fans!  The audience of this show cares about Brooke.  So whatever it is you have done storyline-wise, fans worldwide have come to love and care about her, I would say, more than any other character on B&B.

KATHERINE:

Photo Credit: Gilles Toucas

I am kind of that way as a person.  I try to be really positive and not put out any negativity, and put that out in my own life. You then in return, get so much more back and more happiness.  People gravitate to that and so appreciate that.  They so look to you for that kind of energy, whether it be through your character, or as a person.  I see that a lot now because of Twitter.  It still is amazing to me that kind of social network outlet is there.  I get so many comments or tweets from fans.  I love how you can have so many conversations with people around the world, all the time, and anytime of day.

MICHAEL:

What do your fans and followers tweet to you the most?

KATHERINE:

They all say they love the show, Brooke, or Bridge.  But, they appreciate me for who I am and the work that I do, and that makes me feel really good.  It’s not just about the work.  It’s about what you do for others, and that you mean it.

MICHAEL:

Do you see yourself at some point exiting B&B, as your co-stars just recently did?

KATHERINE:

I can at some point, but it could be who knows how long?  It could be many, many years down the line.  It is hard for me to look too far in the future to assess things.  As of now, I see myself at B&B for a long time, as well as incorporating other things in my life.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/CBS

You appeared on the season three premiere of the CBS daytime talk The Talk.  And, with the panel of co-hosts, along with Y&R’s Michelle Stafford (Phyllis) and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki) you were on the air with no make-up!  Knowing you as I do, I don’t think that was a big deal for you.   How was it?

KATHERINE:

It was great and a lot of fun.  I have never been in a room with that many women wearing no make-up.  And the audience had no make-up on and all wore the same robes we were wearing on the panel.  You never go to a function, or even a spa, and see that!  Even in a spa, women still have their make-up on! (Laughs)  At The Talk, all the women on the panel and everyone in the audience looked beautiful!  And, you can really look at them and talk to them for who they are.  Sometimes it’s weird.  Make-up does give you a bit of a mask and a bit of a cover up.  You may not really see who that person is then for who they are inside.  Actually, I feel more comfortable without make-up.

MICHAEL:

You have always been this natural and outdoorsy beauty.  You never wear a lot of make-up.   So how do you feel when you have to get made-up?

KATHERINE:

I have been really made-up on the red carpet for the Emmys, but it goes with the whole look.  You have too!  I mean, can you imagine?  No make-up and you are wearing this gown?  (Laughs)  It just doesn’t really go together, and your face will just get lost.  So you have to kind of go with the whole look.  There have been times where I have gone to events, not a red carpet, where I just don’t feel like wearing make-up.  Then I go and kind of regret it.  I feel so out of place, because everyone there is so “done”.  So, it can be sort of awkward sometimes.  But in my real life, I just don’t wear make- up.  I like to be more down to earth and natural.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: Kathy Hutchins

Before we end our conversation, what would you want to say to the fans of Bridge, who rooted and stood by this couple for years and are having a tough time with the departure of Ronn Moss?  And, what that in turn means for you on-air?

KATHERINE:

I don’t know what to say to make them feel better, because I know most of them are very upset.  But, I can say that I think the Brooke and Ridge wedding was great, even though how sad it was that day to tape, but in the end, as I said, I think it was a really nice wedding.  I think the fans will be in tears over it whenever they see it.  Somewhere in the back of my mind, just like Brooke thinks, I think Ridge/Ronn will be back!  I just don’t want to believe it!  So somewhere deep down inside, I am hoping he will be back.