THE TAMMIN SURSOK INTERVIEW – THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS

Published

18 years ago

August 28, 2008

Michael

By Michael Fairman

Listen to the audio:

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TV SOAP:

You made several of the top ten best-dressed lists at this year’s Daytime Emmys. How was that ‘Red Carpet’ experience for you?

TAMMIN:

The crazy thing was the dress was in fuchsia pink, and in some magazine and it was green! I thought they somehow morphed my dress into some old green dress. To clarify, I wore pink. It was designed by Marcasa. She is fantastic, and it was an honor to wear something by her.

TV SOAP:

Even though you lost in your category of Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series, how was the night?

TAMMIN:

It was great! I had my parents there and it was actually low key. Normally, you get a little nervous before-hand but I had the people I love around me, and we had a really good time. I did not have a speech prepared. So, I was nervous right before they called my name. I thought in the moment I would say what I would need to say. Hopefully, I will have that chance another time.

TV SOAP:

You recently left “Y&R” for a short time to do a feature film. Tell us about it.

TAMMIN:

I did the film for three months, up in Vancouver, British Columbia. It’s Nickelodeon’s version of “High School Musical”- all singing, all dancing, and sort of a cute story based on show choirs. Show choirs have a huge fan base in America, which I know nothing about, but it’s a huge phenomenon. The people do it when they are in high school, and everyone competes at the end of the year for money and trophies, and it’s a really big honor to be part of this thing called, ”Show Choirs”. The film is really based on what show choirs are, and how it affects people.

TV SOAP:

Is there story coming for Colleen?

TAMMIN:

I hope so. I am ready to mess things up a little bit and be a bad girl. I have a new relationship starting to kindle and hopefully that will go somewhere.

TV SOAP:

Is the whole Adrian/Colleen relationship fizzled and done with?

TAMMIN:

Well, for now, I think it is. The ex’s always comes back into your life, even if you don’t want them to. They are always there.

TV SOAP:

So with Daniel being the new love interest in Colleen’s life, what did you think when you first heard of the pairing?

TAMMIN:

It was quite a shock for me when I read it, and it opens doors to many different storylines.

TV SOAP:

So, you like getting the chance to play the bad girl?

TAMMIN:

I am so not a bad girl, in my real life, so I think it’s really cool as an actress to be able to play out so many different things that you can’t really do in a normal day. I would love to do some more catfights. Anything like that would be fantastic!

TV SOAP:

Now with Hogan Sheffer and Maria Arena Bell at the helm of the writing team at “Y&R”, have you noticed anything different in the scripts?

TAMMIN:

Not really. I think there is a lot of storylines going on at once. It used to be one storyline and then changing to another. You know, by having so many storylines it’s good, because it keeps the cast all working. We keep ourselves fresh by doing this everyday and being intertwined.

TV SOAP:

Are there some scenes of you as Colleen that you are most proud of?

TAMMIN;

When I got to break-up with Adrian I got to flex my acting muscles, and that was exciting. I had two weeks to really go there as an actress, and I hope there will be more of that.

TV SOAP:

Do you miss Australia?

TAMMIN:

Oh, it’s my home, and I will always be an “Aussie”. That’s where I want to have my children one day… and NO, I am not pregnant! I am not married, but that’s where I want to settle down. I miss my family and friends. I miss that you can actually swim on the beaches… no offense to LA, but the water is really warm in Sydney. I just had my first earthquake experience yesterday. It took me by surprise! At first, a friend of mine and I were giggling and we thought it was fun, and then it became quite scary, especially if you are in a building on the 9^th floor. It is scary, especially if you have loved ones overseas who hear about it and are so far away from you. Australia has no natural disasters, really.

TV SOAP:

Dan Goddard (Cane) said that you and he share an “Aussie” thing on the set. Can you elaborate from your perspective?

TAMMIN:

Sometimes you get backlash because I don’t have an American accent. I have an Australian accent. I choose to speak in an American accent when I am on-set, because for me, subconsciously then, I don’t have to think about it. For me, it’s really hard to play an American character with an Australian accent before the taping and then having an American accent when they yell, “Action”. I mean, some people are great at doing that, and for me it’s difficult. So, I try to do that while I am in the States, and when I go home all of my “aussie-ness” comes back.

TV SOAP:

What is some Aussie slang that can cause confusion over here in the States?

TAMMIN:

I got this email that “thongs” here are underwear, but in Australia it’s something you wear on your feet. So if I say “thongs” here, people think it’s rude. “Rubber” is a razor and “A Git” is an Idiot. “The boot of the car” is the trunk of the car. A duvet is a throw rug.

TV SOAP:

What about “Shrimp on the Barbi”?

TAMMIN:

We never say that! Shrimp are Prawns, but Prawns are huge like the size of a hand. We have the biggest seafood in the world. I miss barramundi. Actually, it’s a great fish! But “Shrimp on the Barbi” is grilling some shrimp on the barbecue, and no one says that. And, we don’t have kangaroos in our backyard, and Koalas are actually mean. I don’t know if anyone knows this, but eucalyptus plants make them high, and that’s why they are so docile. Afterwards, when they come off that, they can get aggressive.

TV SOAP:

Speaking of Koalas, what about flying Qantas? We hear it’s one of the best airlines in the world!

TAMMIN:

I love Qantas! I think their hospitality is fantastic, and when you are nervous flying sometimes you need that.

TV SOAP:

Have your parents caught you on “Y&R” back home in Australia?

TAMMIN:

They have seen me a couple of times, and they are thrilled. I obviously can’t watch myself very well, so I tell them not to watch, but they obviously do.

TV SOAP:

You have done so much at such a young age: music, acting, records, etc. Are there still things you want to do?

TAMMIN:

I think I am a bit of an overachiever and a perfectionist. I am very grateful of what I have achieved, but this is only the start of things, hopefully. There are so many things I want to do yet.

TV SOAP:

From your hit CD of a few years back, “Whatever Will Be”, is there a track that when you listen to it now is your favorite?

TAMMIN:

“Tender”! It’s the kind of music I wanted to come out with, and the type of music I still want to come out with, which is Alanis Morrisette, crossed with Tori Amos. I think lyrics are so important in songs, and they evoke so much emotion. I love listening to pop and R&B, but it’s not necessarily what I wanted to do, or ever wanted to do. But sometimes you have to sell records to get to do what you want to do. There is a long ways to go… and If I do music again, you have to know what you want and you have to have a hand in everything.

TV SOAP:

Have you been approached to do another CD?

TAMMIN:

I have been approached, and for some odd reason, music is following me, even if you try not to do it. Maybe it’s the path you are supposed to follow. I have been approached in the last couple of months to do another CD, so we will see. If you do it from the heart, the way I would want to do it, then I would love to do another CD. For me, I am going to be careful.

TV SOAP:

How is it working with Eyall Podell, “Y&R’s”, Professor Adrian Korbell?

TAMMIN:

He is very smart and we have a lot of fun together. We talk about the business a lot, which is great. I miss him. I hope he will be coming back soon.

TV SOAP:

What about working with Greg Rikaart (Kevin)? When we last talked it seemed like there might be an underlying budding romance between these two.

TAMMIN:

I thought I would subconsciously play that I was in love with him when we did our scenes, but we haven’t worked together in a while. In daytime, anything could change at any second. As long as you are playing something underlying in your scenes, it can go in many directions. With the new guy that Colleen has just been set up with, I have been playing underlying… that I liked him.

TV SOAP:

You character is best friend with Lily on-screen. How do you feel about Christel Khalil, who plays the role?

TAMMIN:

I love her! The two of us got on from the day I started. She is kind and very professional. When you start in this business the first thing people need to know is professionalism. It is so important, and then they will always hire you.

TV SOAP:

Have you gotten a lot of fan mail from all across the world?

TAMMIN:

I didn’t for a while, and then I thought no one liked me! Then I got this huge bundle of letters that they were keeping upstairs at the studio. It was such a shock to be recognized by all different types of people. I try to get back to people with a response, because your fans are the ones who keep you on a job.

TV SOAP:

Being in show business and in soaps, how do you handle a compliment about your looks?

TAMMIN:

I have learned to say, “Thank you.” But, I was a chubby little girl with fuzzy hair who had my first boyfriend when I was 18… which in this day and age, is considered a late bloomer. I know everyone won’t believe it, but I have photos to prove it. So, I started eating well, and exercising, and taking care of myself and all of a sudden I got role in TV when I was 15. Looks fade, and in Los Angeles there is always this need to look so perfect. I just think that the flaws are what makes you beautiful, and I think it’s so important to have those. If someone tells me I am a good actress or intelligent, that to me is a far greater compliment.

TV SOAP:

Do you think taking good care of one’s self is essential to success?

TAMMIN:

To be a woman and to take care of yourself is good, but to have Botox and to have surgeries because you think that’s what people want, that’s when it starts to affect your soul.

TV SOAP:

In closing, what can we tell your fans to look forward to from Colleen in the months ahead?

TAMMIN:

Stirring up Genoa City a bit more… and having a hot love affair and love connection!

Related Topics:Interview Podcast tammin sursok The Young and the Restless

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

Published

4 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

1 week 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

2 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.