By Michael Fairman

-Are Rick and Steffy ‘up in smoke’ or the real deal?-

On “

The Bold and the Beautiful”, Rick and Steffy have turned up the heat…literally! In shocking and BOLD moves, the soap has changed Rick Forrester into a smug and selfish cad seeking revenge on his family. Meanwhile, Steffy has lost her fraternal twin, Phoebe, through all of the dramatic twists and turns and is now head over heels with Rick, her sister and mother’s ex beau!

TV Soap sat down with actors Kyle Lowder and Jacqueline Macinnes Wood to get an insight into what’s going on in their character’s head, and how they are making steamy windows!

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:

Jacqueline, this pairing between Rick and Steffy came out of the death of Steffy’s twin sister, Phoebe. Were you surprised when you first read the scripts that your character would be linked romantically with Rick?

JACQUELINE:

I was completely shocked how fast we are moving! It was less than a week when I found out that Rick was next. Steffy’s feelings were raw and she had been going through so much. It happened through Phoebe’s death, but I was in shock about it.

TV SOAP:

So now, how does Steffy really feel for Rick?

JACQUELINE:

Steffy is head over heels in love with Rick right now. She wants to give herself to him. When that does happen, nothing is going to stop them or tear them apart.

TV SOAP:

As the story unfolded, it seemed that out of their mutual grief for Phoebe dying in the car crash, they got together. Kyle, what is your take on that?

KYLE:

Yes, they came together at the height of their emotions when Phoebe died. Rick was a shell of a man, and everyone was coming down on him. One day, Steffy came to him and said, “I believe you. I know you are not responsible for this.” With their physical attraction to each other, (this was there from the beginning) I don’t think it was love at first sight. I think they were drawn to each other over a mutual grief and found solace with each other, and outside it was dark and scary. They were each other’s support system.

TV SOAP:

So, as we have seen, Brad Bell (executive producer and head writer “B&B”) has been known to write very intriguing stories, and yet throw some “curve balls” to the actors and the characters that one would not expect.

JACQUELINE:

We do shoot a lot and are thrown “curve balls”. It’s good to finally click with your character and get your character, even though you are being thrown curve balls. I am Steffy now. The things we get to play can be crazy, and we play great off of each other. With the Rick and Steffy relationship it’s complete honesty and no games.

TV SOAP:

Kyle, you have taken Rick through a 180! He is now kind of despicable. How did you feel when they told you of the character change? How did it come about?

KYLE:

They did a little experiment after Rick got paralyzed as to what Rick would be like. I think it was a nice test and they did like that aspect. He was now a catalyst to bring out a side of Ridge that people had not seen on the show, and I think it worked. Phoebe’s death was supposed to bring the redemption of Rick and make him not evil anymore and come out of that. I think it did for a while. However, the show wanted to get back to having him be the antagonist. I feel I am not alone in saying that first of all, “Of course, I am going to go all out when playing a scene. However, you don’t want to be downright unlikable.” You need to maintain, as they say in the scripts “roguish charm”, which they start writing in the scripts now. (He laughs) You want them to love you, or want them to love to hate you. I have said this so many times before, but it’s so true. If people down right hate you, then they don’t want to watch you. Then you become indifferent, and you become dead in the water. My challenge every day is to maintain almost a charming likeability in the midst of being so unbelievably self -centered and down right sleazy at times, for people to be like, “Oh, he is so deliciously gross.” That’s been the challenge!

TV SOAP:

What has been the feedback from Ron Moss (Ridge) or Susan Flannery (Stephanie) to your portrayal of Rick?

KYLE:

They have each said in their own way, “ We never thought Rick could be like this.” That is the highest compliment, because it’s coming from the vets of the show. At first, they were wondering how it was going to work. I have been evil with all of them, and they want me to go further with it. I would be lying if I said it did not worry me at times. And I quote, as some people have said to me, “Brad’s really writing this character into a corner.” I feel as long as I keep doing my work I don’t see it that way. A character does not always have to be likeable, or a hero and charming all the time to stay on the canvas and be liked. If anything, it’s a lot more fun to be the antagonist.

TV SOAP:

What was it like working with Susan Flannery, in all of those recent scenes of conflict between Stephanie and Rick?

KYLE:

I really have nothing but the highest respect for her. She makes me a better actor. Susan has one of the most intimidating stares on camera and when you happen to be at the receiving end of it…watch out! She makes me want to be so angry to Stephanie. She raises my work to a different level. Every time I know I am going to work with Susan, I really look forward to it.

TV SOAP:

Jacqueline, how is working with Susan for you?

JACQUELINE:

I love Susan. You can tell when she knows people work hard and studies their lines, but she likes to challenge them. Susan likes it if you can be on point. She has thrown things at me and played moment to moment, and so has Kyle.

TV SOAP:

Recently, Rick enlisted in the Army and the move was a bit of a controversial choice. Please explain the background as to Rick’s rationale for that out-of-character decision.

KYLE:

I think the only way I can put this, is to be as respectful as I possibly could be, in respect to where we are as a nation. It’s not exactly a taboo subject matter, and it’s not something like, “Lets do something to shape him up. Let’s put him in the army and that will be a fun story.” No, it was this: Rick needed some structure and discipline. He had gone so far in one direction in betraying his family’s trust; selling out his father and the company’s designs, and had gone too far in everyone’s mind. Rick has gone way too far in his crazy “leap before I look” mentality. He had got himself into the biggest hole and he thought, “I cannot get out.” So, the only way to illustrate he was changing was showing people that, “What other way can I show people I am serious about changing my life, than to commit myself to the military and serve my country?”

TV SOAP:

Jacqueline, what did you think of the military component of the storyline?

JACQUELINE:

I have to say, it was a surprise how fast he cleaned up to his act and went into the Army. I thought, “Now, what was Steffy going to do?” For Steffy, it was the love of her life leaving, and everyone was against her.

TV SOAP:

What ended up happening, that stopped Rick from being shipped out?

KYLE:

The Army rejected him because he had been paralyzed.

TV SOAP:

So, do the two of you think with all of the drama thus far, that Rick and Steffy are ultimately star-crossed lovers?

KYLE:

Here’s what I think: I really believe Rick loves Steffy more than life itself. The problem right now is that he has so much baggage with this whole thing. I think his general love for Steffy is clouded by the fact of his revenge against Ridge. I think he has become so obsessesed with making this relationship work. I don’t think it’s about Steffy and being ‘happily ever after’ anymore, as much is it is about winning to prove a point. I think when all was said and done, the family said, “Good, be together.” I think Rick would sit there like, “I do love her, I really do,” but I think he is too obsessed with the family. I believe in this couple. In my opinion, if and when it does not work out I believe there is a nice foundation being laid. Not to compare us to a Brooke and Ridge, but it’s not the amount of times they break-up. It’s that something will always draw them back together again and viewers would want that.

JACQUELINE:

At the beginning, Steffy was just so strong. Not to mention even before that she slapped Rick across the face telling him, “You are not going to touch me.” Her foot was down on it and you don’t know what’s next. I had to play that my fraternal twin is gone, and maybe I am doing this to live her life as well as have fun. She had to fill that void, and she could not talk to anyone. She lost apart of herself. I have to stress that to the viewers. You have to keep remembering that she did lose her fraternal twin, and I think people tend to forget that because we do shoot so fast, and that’s how it’s started. It was about the honesty and it was raw, and we could open up to each other in the heat of the moment! I could tell from the crying and screaming and making out on the floor where this was going to go. It just all happened so fast. I know it’s kind of weird, because of the closeness between Rick and Phoebe. Steffy felt if she was close to Rick, then she can feel she is close to Phoebe.

KYLE:

I really don’t know the fate of this couple, but what I can say to the viewers is it is a couple to really watch. There is a multi-million dollar company affected by their relationship because of the people that work there. There are families affected by this relationship. There are aspects of this relationship where they have no business being together, yet they persist. We are talking about a man and a woman who are so attracted to each other, and really do love each other, but everything is stacked against them, and it’s their effort to win this war, sort to speak. And, who knows what will happen to them when the war is over? Can they survive without the drama? Feedback is divided with people who are for it or against it. Rick was engaged to her mother, Taylor, and her twin-sister!

TV SOAP:

Jacqueline, what is Steffy and Taylor’s relationship at this point?

JACQUELINE:

I think Steffy and Taylor do have closeness there, but I think sometimes they treat it more as friends, with Steffy giving Taylor advice or vice-versa. Steffy is growing and wants to be a woman, yet there is always this competition like, “Oh yeah, you are going to tell me what to do? I don’t think this so. You have not been there for me. I have been in Europe this whole time. Who are you to tell me who to be with? “

TV SOAP:

How is working with Hunter Tylo (Taylor)?

JACQUELINE:

I love working with Hunter.

KYLE:

She is unbelievably meticulous about what she wants to say and her intention behind that. She definitely takes what’s written and owns it. I have worked with her for months, and she works her butt off
and knows her stuff. I respect
that!

TV SOAP:

Jacqueline, what did you think when you first saw Kyle and knew you were going to be working with him?

JACQUELINE:

I thought, “He’s incredibly hot!” Kyle is down to earth and funny. I am in tears sometimes from laughing so hard between scenes. You can chat with him for hours.

TV SOAP:

Kyle, what did you think about Jacqueline?

KYLE:

It’s along the same lines. You look at Jacqueline and she is slamming “hot”, and we have a similar sense of humor. She rides a skateboard and roller blades to work. I think that’s really attractive, especially in Los Angeles where you have good-looking people everywhere. She does not saunter outside into her Bentley and designer clothes and drive home. She gets on her roller blades! So there is a down-to-earth quality to which makes her approachable.

TV SOAP:

And you have some “hot” on-screen sex coming up! How is it to do those love scenes?

KYLE:

When you are having “screen-sex” with someone you are not romantically involved with, it’s not the most comfortable thing, but to lighten the ice and have a comfort level, it’s always going to help the chemistry. When working together and sleeping together on-screen, we have been able to accomplish that.

JACQUELINE:

My parents watch the show and love it. However, I must
admit my dad feel’s very
awkward about the love-making
scenes. I don’t think he likes it at all!