Interviews

The Thorsten Kaye Interview – The Bold and the Beautiful

December 10, 2013

Courtesy/CBS

Courtesy/CBS

In the soap shocker of 2013, The Bold and the Beautiful pulled off one of the biggest casting replacements in the history of soapdom, when they announced that very popular soap opera leading man, Thorsten Kaye, has been cast as the new Ridge Forrester! As BOLD fans know, Ridge was last played for 25 years by Ronn Moss, who departed the series on his own accord well over a year ago. In story, Ridge was last seen in Paris after Brooke and Ridge’s honeymoon went bust!

Kaye, who has been so beloved in the role of rugged business man Zach Slater on All My Children for nearly a decade, surprised everyone when he signed a contract to appear as the new Ridge, while the state of the second season of the online revival of AMC was still in a state of flux. With things though heading south, it would turn out to be a wise move for Kaye, since All My Children was for all intent and purposes canceled again, leaving him open to new opportunities and a primo role on the most-watched soap opera in the world … B&B!

On-Air On-Soaps chatted with Thorsten to get his outlook on: taking over the role of Ridge, how the character may have changed since he was away, what it was like working with his new leading lady, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke) for the first time, and his own bold move of agreeing to join the cast of the soap opera, without knowing the part he would be playing! Imagine his surprise, when Kaye found out he was the new Ridge Forrester! Viewers will first see Thorsten on the Friday, December 13th episode of the CBS soap opera. Here’s what Thorsten shared with us on his new daytime adventure!

MICHAEL:

How did this come about that you landed on The Bold and the Beautiful? Did you have a meeting with executive producer and head writer, Brad Bell? We heard you actually did not know you were signing on to play Ridge! Is that true?

THORSTEN:

Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

We did not really have a meeting. I got a call from my agent that there was interest from The Bold and the Beautiful. I said, “O.K. Let me know what it is.” My agent said, “Brad Bell would like to call you at home.” I said, “Alright, well I’m here.”   So he called and said the coolest thing and obviously, you want to start out the right way and he is a smart man. Brad called and said, “Look, I know the puck is about to drop at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, so I know we don’t have a lot of time.” So obviously, Brad did his research and found out I was a hockey fan and the big game was about to start, so I was already in! (Laughs) We talked about travel and what it would mean, and being away from my family, and all that kind of stuff, and how many days and how long. We never really talked about the character. I don’t know if it’s because he did not want to say, or I am so conceited that I think I could do anything! (Laughs) But it just never came up. So then a couple days later when we got a deal together, and decided we would try this for awhile, I then said, “So Brad, what do you need? What do you want me to do?” Brad said, “You’re going to be the replacement for Ridge.” I said, “That’s great, that mean’s nothing to me.” But then, he went on to say the name, “Ronn Moss”. I have met Ronn before, and now I think we may be in a little bit of trouble, I said. That is not an easy thing to do! (Laughs) They obviously have decided to go completely in a different direction with the character.

MICHAEL:

You are so beloved by the fans of All My Children! Did you make the decision to join B&B, because you were seeing the writing on the wall that things weren’t working out for a second season of AMC online?

THORSTEN:

Photo Credit: Sue Coflin/Max Photos

I have to tell you, if All My Children had worked out, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We were taping AMC a half hour from my house in Connecticut. It was never about not wanting to be on All My Children, or wanting to be on The Bold and the Beautiful. There comes a time in your life where it’s not really about you anymore. Ten years ago, my first daughter was born, and then you try to maintain, and it’s kind of like working out. I am just trying to maintain, and it’s the same thing with my career at this point. If I can just get by, and not hurt anybody .and my kids can eat and go to a good school, then I am fine. But it was the only choice I had, because All My Children wasn’t there. They kept talking about being there and coming back, but they weren’t, and they kept saying they were, but try to tell that to the gas company … they don’t buy it. They just want their bills paid every month.

MICHAEL:

With all the issues that plagued the first season of AMC’s revival online, did you expect All My Children to be canceled a second heartbreaking time? (First on television by ABC, and second by the production company Prospect Park, who resurrected the show online.)

THORSTEN:

I am not sure what I expected. There are so many good people over there. I am not sure what happened between when we took a break, and when Oprah wanted the next 20 or 40 episodes, and how people were now starting to figure out Hulu, and the computer and how to use it, and a DVD player to get there. They were just getting to that point when Prospect Park decided not to do the show anymore. So I am not sure what happened. It makes me sad; there are a lot of good people out of work.

MICHAEL:

When you started becoming the new Ridge Forrester, did the show give you carte blanche? Was it an open slate? Could you inherently make the character different than Ronn Moss’s Ridge?

THORSTEN:

Courtesy/CBS

I think I got hired because of what I have done in the past, and not what I could do in the future. They were obviously going a different direction, and if they had a choice, Ronn Moss would be doing this role, but that wasn’t an option anymore, as I understand. So they had to get somebody else. So as a producer you think, “Well, we could get someone who is really good-looking and sensitive, and can bring what Ronn brought to the role, or do something completely different.” I think the jury is still out on that. I have not aired in the U.S. yet. But, you have got to bring the tools that you have to the stage. And we don’t really get paid to be chameleons in this industry. I think people hire you because of what you have done before. I don’t think they would hire Arnold Schwarzenegger to be the new head of The Smurfs, although that would be funny! (Laughs) As an audience, you want to know what you are getting yourself into when you spend $12-$15 bucks at a movie. You want to make sure Bruce Willis doesn’t get killed in the first five minutes.

MICHAEL:

What happened when you became part of the cast and signed on the dotted line? Did you chat with your new leading lady, the series superstar, Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke)? Had you met Katherine, previously?

THORSTEN:

I had never met her before! She is a classy lady, but she and John McCook (Eric Forrester) actually called me at home before I started working on B&B. He said, “We are really looking forward to having you, and it’s a real cool group, and it’s going to be a lot of fun.” And Kelly did the same, but she did say that she doesn’t think just anyone can play the role of Ridge, which I am not sure what that means, but we will see if she changes her mind on that. It has got to be hard for her. She has been with the same guy on-screen for 25 years, and they are very good friends off-screen. Ronn is a good guy and something didn’t work out. He did not get fired or anything … if he had, this would be a different conversation. I don’t know if it had happened that way, if I would have taken a part like that, because it never ends well, for anybody. But he decided it was time to move, and he had this conversation with Kelly, and I don’t know too much about the behind the scenes stuff. But, we will see. This is a completely different play now. I can not recreate what they had, so we have to come up with something new.   Whether it’s better or not, that is not up to me. I am just going to show up and do what I can. This is the other thing: I walk into the studio and one of the producers says: “Kelly is sweet and pretty, but don’t be nervous. She has chemistry with anybody” And I go, “Oh, I don’t really know how to take that?” (Laughs)

Courtesy/CBS

MICHAEL:

So, for the long time audience of The Bold and the Beautiful, it might take an adjustment period, because here comes in an Irish Ridge Forrester! Will you use your natural accent? Or, are you changing that for the character?

THORSTEN:

You can pull that stuff off such as …. changing accents in a movie … but the thing about daytime, and I say this when I get to teach class … you have to bring as much of you to the role as you can, because otherwise, you can’t maintain it. You can’t pretend to be somebody completely different. You have to make the role a part of you. In a movie, there is a beginning, middle, and an end. You can create something. Here in soaps, because the writing is so fast, I kind of have to bring me to it. All the parts I play are very similar. I am not going to lie to you.

MICHAEL:

Did you watch any old clips on You Tube of Ridge and Brooke’s star-crossed romance to prepare for taking over the part? Or, more notably, did you check out Ronn Moss in the role?

THORSTEN:

I don’t see the upside of that. You can see how much better looking this dude is, and then you got to go to work. That is like playing for the Red Wings and saying, “I am going to watch Gordie Howe videos.” It’s a different thing. It’s a different game. It’s something that somebody wanted. At the end of the day, this is the entertainment business. If we can find a way as a group, and it’s not up to me, to keep entertaining people, then we are in good shape. If it’s not entertaining, that it doesn’t matter who is playing the role.

MICHAEL:

When Ridge comes back into the picture, will he have a chip on his shoulder? After all on-screen in story, things did not end well for Ridge and Brooke after they got married and went on their honeymoon!

THORSTEN:

Photo Credit: Gilles Toucas

I am playing it that he has chip on his shoulder, because I am playing it! (Laughs) I don’t know if a chip on his shoulder is the right thing. There has been some stuff in his past that I was not part of, that I am aware of, that wasn’t dealt with. Like everything, there is Ridge’s story, Brooke’s story, and then there is the truth. And whether we are going to get to that or not, I don’t know. But, I think both those people come into it with unresolved issues, and that is always fun for soaps. Unfortunately during that time, Katherine was busy with other members of the cast! It is heightened reality, but I got to tell you, the set up is good.

MICHAEL:

Fans are looking forward to seeing two very strong leading men go head to head with each other! Namely, you and Don Diamont (Bill)! Have you taped scenes already with him?

THORSTEN:

Yes, I have. It’s fun working with him. I think the dynamic he has with Ronn was different, and that is all I am going to say about that.

MICHAEL:

B&B has also recast the role of Ridge’s son RJ! Have you had scenes with him and we understand he will be somewhat older, but not 30! (Laughs)

THORSTEN:

Courtesy/CBS

I have had scenes with him. RJ is not one of those kids who are going to return after he is 23-years-old after going up to get the skis, or whatever the story is. He is still quite young, and again, it’s a sense of family and what it means. Can you swallow your pride and get past the problems that you created, that she created, and can you get back that family unit? Or, is it better to start all over somewhere else … and is it better for the kid?

MICHAEL:

Soap viewers have loved you for all of your tough romantic leading guy characters. That being said, could B&B be planning on making you, as Ridge, an out and out villain to stir the pot?

THORSTEN:

Well, there is always fine line. What’s a villain? A villain is somebody who does bad things and doesn’t really think they are bad. We have all done that. I am not saying Ridge is going to be a villain, but I do think he will stand by what he feels is right, and sadly, in those situations, someone always get hurts.

MICHAEL:

Photo Credit: HutchinsPhoto.com

You are married to two-time Daytime Emmy Award winning actress Susan Haskell (Ex-Marty, OLTL) and the two of you share children together. What was Susan’s reaction to the fact that you would be leaving Connecticut and flying to Los Angles to tape B&B a lot?

THORSTEN:

Well, it wasn’t, “Oh, by the way, I am leaving!” Susan was part of this discussion from the very first phone call, and the kids get it. But luckily and sadly, the kids miss me when I am not here, and I miss them, and we have to figure all this out.   I don’t know what’s going to happen in three or four years! And once they start airing this stuff, it may not be my decision, anyway. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, and I get it.

MICHAEL:

You know it’s a different time we are living in. Now, soap operas are giving actors contracts and jobs, even if they don’t live in Los Angeles or New York, and flying them in as part of their deals. Recent examples are: Steve Burton (Dylan) who lives in Nashville, but flies in to tape episodes of Y&R, and many of the actors who lived in Los Angeles. who were flown to Connecticut to tape the reboots of AMC and One Life to Live.

THORSTEN:

It is an interesting time. You have to chase work a little more. It’s also that people look for different things. It’s funny to me when people say it’s the economy, and we can’t pay you what your supposed to be paid, but when I take my kids to the movie theatre, it’s still $65, and so that hasn’t change. If you can’t pay actors to do the job they have done in the past, and the salary they have worked toward and that you should be earning now, if you can’t pay them that, then you can’t charge the same for the product.

MICHAEL:

Courtesy/ABC

Did either of your former All My Children leading ladies, Alicia Minshew (Ex-Kendall) or Paula Garces (Ex-Lea), say anything to you once they heard you took a role on B&B?

THORSTEN:

I think my leading ladies want to run away from me as fast as they can! (Laughs) Katherine Kelly Lang has actually moved and changed her telephone number! (Laughs) Alicia is married to one of my best friends, and it’s a business, and this was never meant to hurt anybody, and Alicia knows that, and so does everybody at All My Children. It’s about feeding my family first. Listen, I wish we were still doing All My Children, and I could just drive to work and be home by 5PM and put these kids to bed, but as you said, it’s a different world we live in.

MICHAEL:

When you look at your body of work as Ian on Port Charles, Patrick on One Life to Live, and Zach on All My Children, are there any storylines or moments, where you were proud of your performance? Actors are very often critical of their work, so this may be a hard question to answer.

THORSTEN:

Courtesy/ABC

You know what? I am critical and for good reason. I think all actors should be. Otherwise, you are not going to be any better. You just read the good reviews and throw the other ones out. I think every show I have been on had moments where people did great work, and if you were lucky, you would be a part of that. Was there one storyline where I thought I did a great job? I am looking at my shelf and I don’t see any Emmys, so my answer would be “No!” If you can’t find that thirty second scene that is going to make you smile and connect with somebody, then don’t be an actor, because it’s not all going to be Hamlet! And I have to tell you, I have done that show, and it wasn’t all that great, either! I can’t blame the writer on that one! (Laughs)

MICHAEL:

You also have an on-screen half brother now … in the form of Winsor Harmon (Thorne Forrester)! Have you had the chance to work with Winsor? He is a lot of fun!

THORSTEN:

Yes! Winsor has been to my house before.   Now, let’s talk about that accent! He must be my brother from Southern Italy! (Laughs) They are all great people over at B&B. I can’t say a bad thing … I mean, not yet. But ask me in a couple of months, and I might have something to say on that!

MICHAEL:

Finally, any nerves about how the audience will receive you when you debut as the new Ridge Forrester?

THORSTEN:

Courtesy/CBS

I didn’t until just now! (Laughs) Television is different than live theatre. In the theatre … you can’t help but have nerves about it, because you can feel the energy of the audience. I am not going to watch my debut on The Bold and the Beautiful, because I can find a thousand reasons why I don’t like it. I have moved on from that already. I am working on new material for the coming weeks. This is a very different way to approach the part. I think the role of Ridge is very important to the show. It’s a small cast and playing him differently may not work in the makeup of it, but I can’t pretend to be Ronn Moss, I am not. I can’t do what he can do. I can’t bring what he brought to it. That would be like him playing Zach Slater … it’s very different. And that does not mean, it’s better or worse, it’s just different.

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Guest

ethel

OMG!!! i have been a huge fan of thorsten since he first started on oltl – he is such an extraordinary actor & so passionate about his work – i have no doubt he will be a big hit on b&b and i will be right in front of my tv cheering him on….
every interview of his that i have read he comes across as such a real down to earth kind of guy – he seems to tell it like it is, in other words he keeps it real……..

thank you michael for another excellent interview!

Guest

B&B Fan

I am looking forward to Thorsten as the New Ridge. I was a Ronn Moss fan for years but he chose to leave B&B. So they had to recast Ridge. Whoever has a problem with it too bad. The show must go on. Ronn moved on. So why can’t B&B too? I heard some are upset with this Recast. Well many were very upset when Ronn chose to leave B&B & leave his fans high & dry too. What did he expect us to be all happy because he left after watching for 25 years & then no more Ridge… Read more »

Guest

Beth

There are so many reasons to love TK. He has always been true-blue loyal about AMC and I’m sure if there had been an AMC to return to, he’d be there. I remember Eric Nelsen (AJ) and Alicia tweeting support and good wishes when his B&B hiring was announced so the fact that she understands why he’s making this move doesn’t surprise me at all. As he says, they’re close in real life, which has always made the Zach and Kendall pairing extra special, IMO. As the new Ridge, I wish him well on B&B. He’s such a good actor… Read more »

Guest

Emma

Great Interview. So, so , so excited about TK joining B&B.

Guest

Cherie

Been a fan forever. Can’t wait to see your spin on Ridge. Good Luck TK. Will be watching

Guest

Sporrester

Not one single word about TRIDGE. BAD INTERVIEW. ASK BETTER QUESTIONS!

Guest

k/kay

Oh TK you naughty boy you just confirmed what CBS has been denying for months that the golden boy Steve Burton got a fly in deal that ABC would not do for him! Priceless! Love that man he always speaks his mind. KKL & DD are going to be forced to step up their game or they will look even more foolish then they do now we have an actor on the set now.

Guest

KansasGuest

I don’t know why CBS wouldn’t confirm this. I’m a GH fan and his “fly in” deal and 2-3 day shooting schedule was confirmed months ago. Didn’t Burton confirm it in an interview before he started on Y&R?

Guest

Harry

What a huge improvement. I never understood Brooke and Taylor fighting over an over sized Ken doll. I will tune in just to see Thorston who was also excellent as Patrick on OLTL.

Thank you for the great interview.

Guest

Mark

He is so neat and rugged i can’t wait till Friday

Guest

jaybird369

Me, too…LOL!!!!!

Guest

Scott (ATWT Fan)

I cannot wait to see Thorsten as Ridge. Ronn wasn’t always my favourite in the role, so I hope Thorsten is able to win me over completely!

Guest

Pah

Thanks for a great interview. TK’s personality always shines through and he tells it like it is. I’ll always miss Zach, but am looking forward to seeing what he does in this new role.

Guest

Apres Ski

BB needed Ridge sooooo badly & was glad to see TK get the role. Now, for the fireworks! Can’t wait!

Guest

pat pitre

T K IS SO SEXY AND WAY BETTER LOOKING THAN RON MOSS. WE NEEDED SOMEONE MANLY AND GORGEOUS. GOOD LUCK AND WE WATCH THIS SHOW EVERDAY AT WORK.

Guest

judith

I have watched b & b for years and loved the character of ridge and brooke. I am excited about the new man and hope that he fits right in. I am and will continue to watch this new excited turn the b & b show has taken. That’s what keeps us watching!

Guest

MARY

I THINK YOU HAVE IT WAY OVER RIDGE. YOU SEEM SO SINCERE AND WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU END UP WITH KATIE. SHE DESERVES YOU. I WAS’NT SURE ABOUT YOU THE VERY FIRST TIME YOU APPEARED ON BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL, BY THE END OF THE PROGRAM I LIKED YOU MORE AND MORE. I HOPE THEY HAVE YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH KATIE, LET BILL HAVE BROOK, THEY DESERVE ONE ANOTHER. SERIOUSLY, I THINK WERE ALL GOING TO LOVE YOU, ESPECIALLY IF YOU WIND UP WITH KATIE. ALREADY IT LOOKS LIKE YOU HAVE SPECIAL FEELINGS FOR HER, OR SHOULD I… Read more »

Guest

MARY

P.S. I HAVE TO AGREE WITH PAT PITRE. I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM BEFORE
I KNOW HE WILL BE GREAT. HE HAS THE GREATEST EXPRESSIONS AND
DEEP LOVING AND SINCERE LOOKS WHEN HE’S WITH KATIE. WISH THE
SHOW RAN FOR AN HOUR.

Guest

Louise Cousineau

I just love Thorsten Kaye. He is an incredible actor. He looks exactly like what a man should look like. Rugged and reallllllly sexy. I hope that Katie and Thorsten end up together. They look fantastic together. I am so glad that he joined the show. I never get bored looking at him. He is sooooo gorgeous.

Guest

MARY

MY THOUGHTS EXACTLY, LOUISE. I HOPE HE STAYS THE WAY HE IS
AND NEVER CHANGES. I’D LOVE TO SEE HIM WITH KATIE, TOO.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT SHOW. LET’S KEEP ROUTING FOR
HIM TO STAY THE WAY HE IS AND DOES’NT CHANGE. SOME PEOPLE
WANTS HIM TO SHAVE, CUT HIS HAIR, ETC., ETC.
I LOVE HIM THE WAY HE IS.

Guest

T.L.Mattimore

I am really happy and excited for Thorston Kaye in this new chapter of his career and a new chapter of B & B. I’ve been watching B & B since it began and feel the pang of this change, but at the same time am open to it. I watched him today as I caught up on episodes and he is wonderful. Ridge WILL be different, and that’s exciting. Thorston is engaging to watch, I love his accent and I think he will bring a new facet to Ridge Forrestor we’ve not seen before, and that is compelling. I… Read more »

Guest

Zara

Love the “new and improved” Ridge. Enjoyed seeing Dollar Bill and Ridge “engaging” in their battle for the love of the Logan gals. How this quad ends up will be interesting……….would like to see it as “surprising” to all four. As much as Brooke wants Katie to go back to Bill, Bill wants Brooke, Katie is betrayed by the two most important people in her live, Ridge comes back to reunite his family………………may “slowly” find that the Logan he yearns for is “little sis”. Hope the writer’s can draft this love story so carefully that we see these two falling… Read more »

Guest

Sankie

HI, Welcome Thorsten! you will be the best Ridge ever. At last a man that is sexy in the role.☺ Loved u in AMC.

Guest

Andrea

Thorston is doing a great job as Ridge, always need a little time for the fans to adjust to a recast.

Guest

Carolyn. Harshaw

If Bold and Beautiful try and make the character Ridge Forrester out to be a Sodom and Gomorite” I guarantee “They will be off the Air so fast”, it will make their head swim!!!” Many of your fans are Christians!!! And I promise you” the shiw will struggle and Die”!!! You have a good thing going with Bold and Beautiful”!! Why ruin it with “FILTH”!

Guest

Soapluv

Carolyn Harshaw,
There’s not a Christian bone in your body. You’re a bigot, plain and simple and God – who is the creater of ALL is NOT, so don’t presume to speak for him through your thimbleful of warped perspective. Just leave God out of your little opinion masquerading as truth.
Signed, Married for 35 years with 3 grown children and god- given love , wisdom and discernment.

Guest

k/kay

@ Carolyn they are not doing that if anything it showed me how ignorant Bill is that you have to be gay to comfort another man or to go support a friend at a gay pride event.

Guest

Katherine

I dont watch this show anymore since Ronn Moss left.TK cant hold a cancle to Ronn. TK may be good actor but he is only fake Ridge! He will never replace Ronn. NEVER.

Guest

MARY

UNLIKE YOU KATHERINE, I CANT GET ENOUGH OF B & B SINCE TK TOOK RONN MOSS’S PLACE. FACE IT, HE IS A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CHARACTER. TO ME
HE IS MORE NATURALLY BETTER LOOKING. R.M. WAS TOO PUT ON. HAVE YOU
LOOKED INTO T. K.’s EYES WHEN HE TALKS? HE IS SO CONCERNED AND TRUE
WITH HIS FEELINGS. FORGET R.M. HE’S NOT THERE ANYMORE. GIVE T.K. A
CHANCE. I LIKED HIM IMMEDIATELY. I COULD’NT STAND R.M. SORRY!

Guest

Traci

I totally agree! TK is beautiful in all ways – physically and sensually. I love his voice it is so alluring. I hated Moss and the way he played Ridge. I also don’t like it that Moss’ wife has been talking trash about Thorsten. She sounds like a bitter B****.

Guest

Allure

I agree with you both Mary & Traci! TK is sexy and a better Ridge!

Guest

cheryle

I did not know of thorston kaye until bold and the beautiful that I have been watching for 25 years . I think he make’s a great ridge.I usually don’t like when they change character’s, I can’t wait to see the new Ridge now…My sister and me text every time he come’s on.how goodlooking he is, better than ron moss. Hope he continue’s on the show…

Guest

sammie little

it was so nice to see they replace ridge. he was getting boring. I have watched the show for 20 years. thorston is good looking kind hearted and doesn’t walk like he he stuck up. ridge was good but wore is out. hope thorston sticks around , goes well with Kathie. goody luck to thorston kaye

Guest

MiMi

Love Thorsten Kaye as Ridge on B&B. He is a softer version, great to look at and very convincing with his scenes with Katie. Hope they end up together.

Guest

sammie little

please keerp thorston he is so much better to watch. keep him with katie

Guest

daring sally

I don’t want Katie hurt anymore. I also want Katie to become a serious business woman and never let Bill have that company back. I want her to become the business woman of the year and take it to the max. HT is an excellent actress and they need to write for her to showcase more of ther talents. The girl has what it takes. Now all she needs is the writers to bring it on.

Guest

cissy

I want to say I love the New Ridge. He has soul, such a love in his eyes and you can feel it in his heart! I would truly like to see him and Katie come together and remain one of the greatest loves on BB. He is very good looking and manly. Katie has come to herself, let her finally have the man in her life, send someone else too Brooke, it’s time for her to become someone else besides a Forrester! As for Eric I believe he is the most fascinating man on TV, find a beautiful, mature… Read more »

Guest

Traci

I have watched B&B since day one and I must say that I have always hated the character of Ridge Forrester. I hated the way Ronn Moss played him – so egotistical, arrogant, just plain mean. Not too mention that he always forgave Brooke on all of her scandals, all Brooke had to do was look at him with those big eyes, shed a fake tear, then seduce him. I absolutely love Thorsten! This is the first time I have even heard of him as I only watch Y&R and B&B, never any other soap. I love the new Ridge… Read more »

Guest

Linda

I love Thorsten Kaye in the role of Ridge. There is just one word to describe him and that is SEXY! He has beautiful eyes and very expressive. I also love him with Katie (Heather Tom). They have so much chemistry together. I don’t see the same chemistry with Brooke (KKL). Please writers don’t mess it up. Keep him with Katie. Don’t put Ridge back with Brooke. We’ve already seen that done for the past 25 years. Time to make Katie and Ridge the new couple on B&B.

Guest

Cindy

I so agree with Linda!… I hope the writers please keep Katie and this Ridge together.. The chemistry is there! I think also the writers did a good job by letting us know that Ridge had been away and had a life changing revelation about himself so TK will own that role of the new Ridge ……

Guest

MARY

BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL IS MY FAVORITE SOAP OPERA SINCE T.K. BECAME
RIDGE. PLEASE KEEP HIM WITH KATIE. THEY WERE MADE FOR EACH OTHER.
WISH IT WERE A ONE HOUR SOAP OPERA. I JUST LOVE IT. IT SEEMS LIKE SO
MANY PEOPLE DONT LIKE WYATT. I THINK HE’S PRESCIOUS. LIAM WAS NOT
FAIR TO HOPE AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN EVERYONE WANTS HIM BACK WITH
HOPE. POOR WYATT, HE’S GREAT ENTERTAINMENT. SORRY, THIS IS NOT
ABOUT HIM, ITS ABOUT TK. HE’S REALLY TOPS. KEEP HIM WITH KATIE.

Guest

Nancy Morgan

I am so enjoying Thorsten in the role of Ridge. Look forward to seeing him and wish he was in every episode.

Guest

athenamoore

It was a shocker for me! He’s sure different! I think once all gets used to him playing this role, he will be loved! Just do u new Ridge! Or gonna do fine!

Guest

sammie little

please get rid of baby brooke and her stuck up kids

Guest

Doris Hughes

I was so upset when Ron Moss left. But I wanted to give Thorsten K a fair chance. Turns out he’s better than Moss could ever be. So sexy and that voice. Oh that voice. I’ve been watching B&B since the beginning and I know Thorsten K will only make the show 100% better. How could it not.

Guest

I’m sorry but I don’t like the new Ridge. Whenever he speaks, it sounds like he’s whispering.
Speak Up!!! The same with Justin.

Guest

Maggie Ames

Thorsten, I think you are doing a wonderful job! You are sexy, classy and so kind…I’m hoping they will give you a chance to see where it will go with Caroline. She is a beautiful lady and your chemistry is off the charts! I swear my TV was cracking~!~ Keep up to good work. You have added so much to the show. Looking forward to what’s next.

Guest

pushpa patel

I simply love tk, his rugged looks his smile his voice and that killer body of his, can make me weak to my knees

Guest

sandra

I WAS JUST WONDERING WHERE WERE YOU BORN AND DID YOU GROW UP IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

Guest

Jean V Canada

I have only recently started watching Thorsten K in B & B, never heard of him before BUT am in love with his looks & character. 4/8/15. A seniors view.

Guest

JRA

I am a huge fan of B&B. My favorite actors are TK & LG. Excellent actors with good chemistry. Please keep both of them on the show as a couple. The show needs a lasting couple.

Guest

JRA

Please keep TK as Ridge. Don’t lt him leave the show. You’ll be sorry

Guest

Elaine Jones

Like the Ron Moss look better. He had the look of a fashion house ceo. Thorsten does NOT look the part. Too scruffy looking. Need to have a cleaner look. It’s a LA Fashion House with beautiful looking people. He is not a good looking guy for this show. It’s only my opinion but he is not the type of man I would want to see on tv every day. Sorry.

General Hospital

GH’s Laura Wright Talks on Mob Boss Carly and Her 30-Year Evolution in Daytime

June 2, 2021

She’s a fierce, force to be reckoned with, one who delivers raw and emotional performances time and time again, while never forgetting from where she came, and always willing to pass on to her newer co-stars’ the wisdom she gained from the grind of performing in front of the camera in the toughest acting genre there is … daytime drama.

General Hospital’s Laura Wright’s (Carly) real-life soap journey actually has a very humble beginning when in 1991 – fresh off a job at a gas station – she landed in Corinth and the role of Ally Rescott on ABC’s Loving. Up next, a jaunt to its re-imagined version, The City, until the series ultimate demise in 1997. But that was just an appetizer for soap fans of Wright’s burgeoning talent, when next she ventured to Springfield and CBS’ Guiding Light to take on the role of a stripper with a heart-of-gold who ultimately would be crowned a princess, Cassie Layne. Then, after a popular 8-year-run, she would head to General Hospital, and one of the most coveted roles in soaps, that of Port Charles’ Carly Corinthos following in the footsteps of powerhouse actresses, Sarah Brown and Tamara Braun. In her 20th year in daytime, Laura took home the gold for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series back in 2011, and that brings us to now. Next week on June 7th, marks Laura’s 30th year in daytime filled with memorable on and off-screen moments that she has cherished.

Meanwhile, currently on GH, Laura is getting to play Carly in a whole new set of circumstances as she enters her three-decade soap anniversary. In story, we find Carly stepping up to run the mob, now that she and everyone else believes her husband, Sonny Corinthos (Maurice Benard) is dead, and while her best friend and mob enforcer, Jason (Steve Burton) had to go on the run. And from the looks of it, Carly is adjusting to the mob boss role quite well … but is she really?

Michael Fairman TV spoke with Laura to get the lowdown on Carly’s life without Sonny, which has pushed her front and center into managing crimes and misdemeanors, mafia-style, all to protect the ones she loves, and to reflect on her amazing ride in daytime; which has made her one of the all-time leading ladies of the soaps. Here’s what Laura shared about it all.

Photo: ABC

When you first found out what the structure of this storyline was going to be, where Sonny was going to “die” along with Julian (William deVry), and then he turns up alive and has amnesia, what was your initial thought? Did you know how far they were going to take this for Carly, as far as her now running the mob in Sonny’s place?

LAURA: I had no idea about the mob part of it until about two months ago. As far as Sonny having amnesia and having another life now, I love those kinds of stories. It also gives you as an actor something to play, and what else are you going to do with Sonny and Carly? You can’t really break them up. You’re talking to the person who is game for almost anything, so I loved it. What does Carly’s life look like now as everybody believes that Sonny has died? How does she even take care of herself? For me, it gave me great material to play because of how it all started to crumble. Ava (Maura West) takes Avery, Cyrus (Jeff Kober) starts taking over the territory and the town, and Carly starts losing all of this security in her life as she knew it in trying to protect her family, and it was scary for her.

Photo: ABC

Of course, viewers could see where this storyline was heading once Carly lit in to Nina (Cynthia Watros), when Nina was in Nixon Falls and saw that Sonny was very much alive! You could see that Nina was going to seek revenge on Carly and not tell her about Sonny, aka “Mike”, all the while getting closer to him. What do you think Carly would do if she found out that Nina was with Sonny and kept it from her?

LAURA: You know, Carly before taking over the mob would have been awful, but now… and I was thinking about this the other day … I’m like, “Carly would go after her with a gun!”

For years, I’ve always loved this idea of, “What if Carly became a mob boss?”

LAURA: If they did have Carly go after Nina, then Jason and Sonny would be like, “You cannot do this.” I think there is this blind rage, at least for a moment. It can’t just be standing there and yelling at her, do you know what I mean? Carly would probably take action and then Nina would disappear, or it’s like ‘get me away from her because I am going to kill her’ for what this woman did. So, you have to have at least an episode of that before you come to your senses and realize that you have children and responsibilities, and you’re going to have to do this the right way, but you have to have the moment of losing it. It’s stealing their life. It’s great stuff. My other thoughts are, “Poor Cynthia,” (laughs) because she’s got to be the nicest human being on the planet, and she is so fun to work with, and so great and committed, so we are going to have some interesting times getting through whatever they write. I have no idea what they’re writing by the way, and I have no idea when it’s going to happen, but I am sure it will be great.

Photo: ABC

With the way GH shoots their taping schedule, I am assuming now you barely see Maurice, because you are basically in two different parts of this interconnecting story?

LAURA: We shoot by set. So, if Maurice is working in the morning, and I am scheduled at let’s say at noon, by the time I get there, he’ll be gone. So, it’s fascinating. It’s kind of running parallel of what is happening on and off screen because I don’t see him at work, either.

Photo: ABC

Carly seems that she is becoming pretty comfortable in this mob role. There was a scene that recently aired between Diane (Carolyn Hennesy) and Carly, where Carly was discussing her options of what to do with Gladys (Bonnie Burroughs). Does Carly like the power this brings her?

LAURA: I think so, but it’s not like she’s sitting around going, “Oh, this is amazing.” It’s seriously what she has to do. What she is seeing is that there are so many moving parts that she didn’t realize how difficult it was. Sonny made it look easy. There’s not a time to even take a breath. You’ve got to always be on your toes. You know, she is doing it in ‘Carly fashion,’ so it’s always entertaining, and trying as a woman to put out all the fires, but there’s 20 fires behind it, because there is just someone constantly trying to take your seat, trying to hurt your family. There’s just always something to look out for whether it be from the other families or law enforcement. I think that Carly is surprised that she is good at it and surprised at how making these decisions is becoming easier and easier for her, but I don’t know if she sits back and enjoys it. At this point, from air to what we are taping, the decisions don’t stop, and the danger doesn’t stop, and more decisions have to be made, and there is no one else to do it. This is a world that is life or death. This isn’t like, “Well, if they don’t like me, I’ll just find someone else to do the job.” There’s nobody else to do that job. It’s not that world. You don’t get to walk away, and she is learning that more and more, as she plays in the big world.

Photo: ABC

So, Jason went on the run with Britt (Kelly Thiebaud). How does Carly feel about that?

LAURA: Britt saved his life. She said that on camera. “She saved your life; she can take you wherever. I trust her.” Carly saw how Britt stepped up and helped him. I don’t think there is anything else that Carly is thinking right now. Carly doesn’t have the luxury of being old Carly and being snippy, catty, wanting to vet every person in Jason’s life. It’s just not her reality right now. That would be a luxury if she could go back and be that person, but that’s not it. Right now, it’s assessing the situation. “Is he safe? Is she taking care of him? Great. I don’t care about anything else right now.” This is the difference between old Carly and mob-boss Carly. Those days are gone. She would give anything to go back to those days because she didn’t have to have the world on her shoulders because Jason was safe, and Sonny was alive. It’s not where she is now. It’s a different dynamic that she was forced into.

Photo: ABC

When you and Steve Burton are in scenes together, whether it’s just in your eyes, or expressions or emotions, there is so much going on, or at least that’s how it plays to the audience. Is the relationship between Carly and Jason one of your favorites to play, because it’s so unique and deep rooted into their history?

LAURA: Oh, I love the Carly/Jason relationship. It’s the loyalty and that their dedication to each other is unbendable, unbreakable. It’s so unwavering. It’s great to play because it’s like being in a really good relationship, even though he’s not her ‘person’, but he kind of is. It’s being in a great relationship that means that you get to be 100% you and everything that means, and that person loves and accepts you. There’s such incredible love and freedom, and that’s what it’s like to work with Steve because Steve approaches our scenes – and almost every scene when I watch him with other people – that there is no undercutting judgment, only help. If I’m struggling with a line or I don’t want to do something, he’s either like, “Yeah, I agree. That’s unnecessary; cut it,” or he gives me a really great way of looking at it, where I’m like, “Oh, that is a really interesting thing, thanks!” So, then you have full freedom to feel and play and do anything, and that’s kind of what you see. There’s just a confidence, and I think it is also the relationship. I think it has to be there when I work with Steve because the relationship between Carly and Jason is that way.

Photo: JPI

Carly and Jason accept each other for who they are, all their flaws, and the dangers that come with their lives. Wouldn’t you say?

LAURA: She accepts him 100% for who he is. She wants to manipulate the world around him, so he is safe, and perfect, and always there, but she still accepts him when nobody else does and vice versa. He knows that Carly is going to destroy things, and mess up, and spiral. Like, she had that scene where she said, “Even when Jason knows I’m wrong, he supports me.” It’s really that right there that is everything between the two of them, and it’s the hardest thing to find in any relationship, real life, TV, etc. We always want to change people to make them be who we want them to be so that we feel okay. It’s a great soap opera relationship because it causes conflict in every other relationship that they have, which is great for storytelling in a show because then there is always a challenge, always a hurdle, always a problem built-in if you need drama. It’s because there is so much acceptance and unconditional love and support that they are free to be who they need to be, and I feel that as an actor working Steve as well. I think that’s what you see when you say there’s ‘a lot going on’.

Carly’s plan for Gladys took quite a turn!

LAURA: Well, Carly thought the second that Cyrus finds out that Brando (Johnny Wactor) is the father of Sasha’s (Sofia Matteson) baby that Cyrus is going to want to take him out, so she basically said to Gladys, “Look, I’ll set you up. I’ll give you all the money you want. Hell, I’ll even buy you a house. Leave town, but you have to tell everybody that you lied about Jason,” and she doesn’t bite the bait. So, you then have Carly saying, “Well, we can do this the easy way where I just pay for your life and you go, or we can do it the hard way,” and the hard way is me letting her know that, “You have a grandchild on the way, and your son is going to be murdered if you don’t do this for me,” because it puts Cyrus back in prison because he is on probation, and he has now obstructed justice. It’s all on Gladys’s testimony. That was Carly’s plan. Right now, her biggest threat is Cyrus and obviously as viewers have seen things did not go as planned!

Photo: ABC

June 7th you will be celebrating 30 years on daytime! Do you remember your first day on Loving? What happened?

LAURA: I do. Oh, God! I remember what dress I had on. I remember how my hair was.

Were you like in “Oz”?

LAURA: I looked like Oz. (Laughs) I looked like Dorothy… the dress they had me in, the hair, are you kidding? I didn’t know what a boom was! I was really loud. I had one line: “Grandma!” and that was it, and then they had to note that because I kept saying, “Grandmaw,” and they were like, “It’s not ‘Grandmaw.’ It’s ‘Grandma.’” Then, I did whatever they said at first, but then the longer I was on the show, I was like, “I say ‘Grandmaw.’ I’m not saying ‘Grandmuh.’ I don’t care. (Laughs) Everyone gets their own personalization of how they say what they say.” That was my big argument, and now I’ve had a thousand arguments over 30 years, but that was my first big pushback because I would be doing, what in my mind was great work. I got all of the lines out, my God, and that was before we could do pickups, and when we shot the show in order. Those cameras had wheels. So if you were on set, and they shot the scene before us, you had to be ready to go, and they would fly down the studio on those cameras to set up to start shooting the next scene. If I got through a scene and they had to do it over again because I said, “Grandmaw,” I would be so angry. (Laughs)

Photo: ABC

Who helped you the most on Loving?

LAURA: Nada Rowand, who played my grandmother, Lisa Peluso, who played my aunt on the show, and Eric Woodall was my best friend and he played Matt Ford. He and I would get together every Sunday night, and here’s a little bit of trivia for you … Eric lived with Billy Porter! They graduated from Carnegie Mellon together. So, I would go over to his apartment, and on Sunday night, we would go over all of the scripts together for the whole week because Eric graduated from Carnegie Mellon; I worked at a gas station. (Laughs) We had very different talents that we were bringing to the table for this soap opera job. Eric helped me a great deal, my gosh, and so did Bernie Barrow (Ex-Louis).

Bernie was an amazing actor and the only Daytime Emmy winner, ever from Loving!

LAURA: I had scenes with Bernie because he played my grandfather on the show. I had no idea about half the notes that they were giving me. Bernie would pull me aside and explain what they meant and teach it to me in a way where I knew how to incorporate it into my scenes and adjust and take the notes. He was extremely helpful. Then, there is the famous Noelle Beck (Ex-Trisha) story, where two weeks after starting the show, Eric and I were invited to go to the Daytime Emmy Awards. I was dying because I grew up watching daytime television, and I grew up watching the Daytime Emmys. So, when I was allowed to go, I told my mom to ship me my prom dress from my senior year of high school, which was this poufy, emerald green thing, and it looked like something from Dynasty with jewels all over it. I got it, and I was so excited, and everyone on the show was like, “Oh, my God, someone has got to tell her … she cannot wear that dress.” I didn’t know you could go to wardrobe and ask to borrow a dress, because I’d only been on the show for two weeks maybe. The same day, they came to me and said, “So, if Susan Lucci (Ex-Erica, AMC) doesn’t win, you’re going to be interviewed on Good Morning America the next morning about how the gas station girl got a job.” So, it was a big deal. I’m getting ready for the Emmys, and to put this emerald-green dress on, and there is this knock on my door, and it’s Noelle Beck. She has this beautiful, black, strapless dress. She’s like, “Your dress is beautiful, but I don’t know, I think this is really simple, and I think you might really look beautiful in it if you want to try it on.”

Photo: JPI

Her dress?

LAURA: Her dress! It was a dress that was in Noelle’s closet on the show because she went to wardrobe and was like, “Laura cannot wear that emerald green prom dress. She will be laughed at.” I would have been mortified because I did not know what people wore. I had never been to a red carpet! Noelle went to wardrobe, and they all came up with this dress, and so she came to me and said, “Your dress is so pretty, but I think this might go better with Eric’s suit,” or however she sold it! I tried it on, and I just felt so sophisticated, and I was like, “It’s okay if I wear this!?” and she’s just like, “Oh, my God, yeah!” When I think back to that story, I’m like, ‘thank God for Noelle Beck’. It was one of the funniest stories ever, and her dressing room was right across the hall from me, and she was from Maryland; I was from Maryland. She was like a sister. Noelle was always looking out for me, personally.

Photo: ABC

Over the years, you have become one of the great leading ladies of daytime. Was there a moment, when you were like, “I’ve got this down now … I really know what I’m doing.”

LAURA: There have been different moments. I remember the first time where I felt like ‘an actor.’ It was when they shot and killed Casey (Paul Anthony Stewart) on Loving, and he had to die in my arms. I embodied something and felt it in a way that was different. I didn’t know what it was at the time because I was playing my emotions of Paul leaving the show. I was really confused because I was like, “Do I really like this guy?” like in real life, because I didn’t know. I didn’t have any tools of acting to know how to separate. I was so in love with the characters’ love story, which was also my feelings at the time because I didn’t know the difference. I didn’t know where Ally stopped, and Laura started. I was just kind of playing myself. I remember they called Paul to the set for a goodbye, and they were giving him a big cake and everything, and I could barely hold it together. I couldn’t believe he was leaving. I was like, “You’re going to say, ‘I changed my mind,’ right?” and I really believed that. I really was like, “There’s just no way he’s going.” Then, we had to shoot his scene, and I was very emotional and upset. But, it was the next day where I had to go and play the scenes where he is dead and talk about it to the family, and that was when I just lost it. I just changed as an actor in those scenes. I remember having an opinion. When the writers were telling me the story that they were going to tell, I remember saying, “Well, I think the interesting moment is she is not going to believe it,” and they were like, “What do you mean?” I say, “When she comes home from the hospital, I think she needs to be like, ‘We have to go back. Casey is at the hospital, and he needs us,’ and they were like, “That’s such a great thing to play.” That’s what shifted for me. I just remember there was a moment where Ally couldn’t lie anymore. She couldn’t convince herself, and then she had to tell her son that Casey wasn’t coming back. I really understood what it was to get lost to a scene; what it was to not be Laura going, “I’m going to act now and play this scene.” I learned how to become the character and transform in the moment.

It’s was on-the-job training.

LAURA: Oh, for sure on-the-job training, because I went to one acting class thinking that in New York City I need to know what I’m doing, and I was so terrified to get up and speak in a scene that I literally could not talk. I couldn’t even function outside of the safety of what I knew on a soap opera set. I had that happen with my meditation teacher training a few years ago. I almost left the training because it was terrifying for me to get up and not know what I’m going to do and have the script, no cameras in front of me! It was very bizarre.

Photo: CBS

And later, Guiding Light came your way!

LAURA: When The City got canceled, I shot a pilot that did not get picked up, and my agents were like, “What do you want to do?” and I was like, “I’m really good at daytime… can we just stick with that? I don’t really want to do this auditioning thing.” So, then all of the sudden within a week of me saying, “I think I’ll do daytime again,” I had a screen-test for All My Children and Guiding Light at the exact same time. I was like, “What are the parts?” and I wasn’t going to pit them against each other because my agent was like, “It’s bad taste. We don’t represent that kind of negotiation.” You have to pick because before you go into any screen-test, you already have a pre-negotiated contract, and the deal has been placed. So, you know going in what your situation will be. So, it was All My Children, playing a doctor, or a stripper with a heart-of-gold on Guiding Light. It was the role and that Guiding Light just had a better money offer that pushed me towards that screen-test. Then, I had to go in and meet Paul Rauch (Former EP, GL) before I screen-tested, and then Jim Brown and Barbara Esensten who were now the head writers at GL. They wrote for me on The City. They were the ones who said, “Let’s get Laura Wright in here and see if she wants to do this.” It’s interesting, because when they were shooting Annie’s (Cynthia Watros) big trial on Guiding Light, and Kim Zimmer (Reva) had these incredible, long days and tons of dialogue in the courtroom scenes. Then, they throw this screen-test at her with me in the middle of the afternoon! I remember when we were doing the scene. Kim had jumped to another part in it, and of course, I knew the script backwards and forwards because I’ve had it for a week and a half. Kim had probably looked at it that day because she’s got a thousand other lines that she’s learning for that week of shows. We were in the middle of the scene, and they’re rolling cameras, it’s very emotional, we’re going at each other, and Kim had jumped to the next page of a line, but I knew exactly where she went, so I went right there. We got back on track and ended the scene, and Kim goes, “She just saved my ass in that screen-test!” and we just started laughing. It was a great moment.

Photo: LWInstagram

The cast of Guiding Light was so amazing!

LAURA: So amazing, and that’s where I met my man.

Wes Ramsey (Ex-Sam, GL, now Peter, GH) at the time had a crush on you if I recall the story.

LAURA: Yes, he had a crush. I don’t know if he wanted to go out with me because when I first came on, I was pregnant, so that would have been weird! (Laughs) We have a funny story that he told me four years ago when we got together. Wes was going through old photos that he had logged into his computer and was trying to put things in different files, and he’s like, “Oh, my God.” He had come back a few times on Guiding Light after he’d left, and one of the times was after I’d had my son, and this was when Richard had died, and Cassie had chopped all of her hair off. So, he was going through these photos and he showed me that he had snuck a picture of me. (Laughs) Then, he’s like, “See, I told you I had a crush!” I’m like, “Oh my God, that’s so funny!”

Do you and Wes run lines together at home, even though you are in different storylines on GH?

LAURA: If he needed me too, I would, but Wes has a totally different way of learning his lines than I do. His prep work is very different than mine. His is very professional and probably how you should do it. He is a Juilliard graduate. So, he was taught well, and I’ve just figured it out. Mine is just pure survival …’the gas station girl’.

Photo: ABC

What was the impact Guiding Light had on the trajectory of your career?

LAURA: Guiding Light was 100% an actors show. They told a different kind of story, and the actors across the board were serious and wanted you to take it just as seriously. You were either going to sink or swim on that show, and I had to figure out how to swim. I think I spent the first six months in my dressing room crying when I wasn’t on set, trying to figure it out. I was really taken care of on Loving. I was 20-years-old when I got that part, 27 when I left. When I went to Guiding Light, it wasn’t like I wasn’t taken care of and protected, but it was a new energy. No one knew me. No one knew what I was capable of. I didn’t even know what I was capable of at the time, and you weren’t going to phone it in there. I started working with Kim Zimmer and Jordan Clarke (Ex-Billy Lewis). My God, you’re thrown in with people who make you feel things and play things that are uncomfortable, because that’s what we do as actors. We make it uncomfortable, and we stretch the boundaries, and we play these emotions that are so raw and real. One day I was freaking out over a scene with the characters of Edmund and Dinah, and I just said I would never do this. I was just adamant. The director, said, “We have to do this. So, you have to give me one reason where you could stay in this room.” I said, “I guess my daughter could walk in the door, and I don’t want to leave her,” and he goes, “Great! That’s great,” and I go, “Or…” and it just opened this door of there’s a thousand ways I could play a scene.

Photo: CBS

When you came onto General Hospital and embodied Carly, did you feel like this was it now… and that you were in command of your craft?

LAURA: No, because it took me a long time to get comfortable. I’m the fourth Carly, so you want to honor what they’re writing, you want to honor the fans and what they love about the character, and there were three women who played her before me and somebody loved something about all of them. So, you want to bring that, as well as make your own mark. You’re taking over a leading female role of the show with that much passion and dialogue that comes with the character, so it was a lot of pressure at first, but I was excited for it. I showed up every day ready to kick ass, but as far as feeling like, “Ha ha, it’s mine; I’ve made it!”, I’ve never felt that.

Photo: ABC

I have spoken to many of your co-stars through the years, and they often share how you helped them within a scene, or with something they were struggling with. That is where experience can be a great asset for a performer in this medium.

LAURA: As a female lead on the show, I do think it’s important to lift other women up to become their own female leads, and I do mean that. If I’m working with someone, and I see them get a note that they don’t understand, or it’s a technical note, but gosh, it’s an important scene for them emotionally, anything I can do to help them in that moment, whether it has anything to do with me or not, I am there for. There was a bathroom scene that I think aired a week or so ago with Carly and Sasha. In the scene, Sasha (Sofia Mattsson) has all of her makeup in front of her, and the shot they need to get is through the mirror. Sasha has a full conversation with Carly, who is standing upstage. It’s very difficult to do that when you don’t have rehearsal time to figure it out. They gave her the note that they needed her to say her line into the mirror, or they can’t get her face, right? I’m like, “Hey, do you have any idea how you’re going to do that?” because it’s so hard! I wanted to help. Having 30 years’ experience in something feels great, and it’s shocking because where did those 30 years go? What incredible memories I have, but what it’s gifted me the most is being able to help people through my experience, and through what I have learned along the way. The whole show shines when we all shine, not just when one person does.

Photo: LWrightInstagram

What do you think your late parents would say about your 30 years in daytime?

LAURA: Oh, they would be so proud… so happy. It’s just so crazy that it’s been 30 years, and 2020 being the longest year with what we all experienced with Covid-19. Looking back on my daytime career, I don’t know why, the shows didn’t let me go. I think it really was work ethic. I can really say my work ethic is a huge part of me sticking around because I never got lazy. I was never not going to figure it out. I was never one to show up not knowing her lines, or being a problem, or not caring. I think that’s what kept me going, and then listening, watching, feeling, and I’m just so grateful. I’m like, “Wow, what a ride!”

Photo: ABC

… And what can you say about what your time as Carly has meant to you within your now illustrious daytime career?

LAURA: I love every second of it. It’s my choice how I show up on that soundstage. After 30 years, I am not bored. I have had my moments of trying to find the fun in it and caring about Carly’s storyline at the time. That’s my own choice though, right? It’s a choice – how I choose to show up every day there – and what I choose to find interesting and challenging, and I do. No matter what storyline they’ve given me, I can choose for it to be, “Okay, I’m here. I’ve been doing this for so long, I could do it in my sleep,” or I could choose to show up and go, “Where am I going to kickass today? Where is the moment?” Now, I don’t love the amount of time it takes for my hair to get blown out; I’ll be honest (Laughs). I’m an antsy person. But when I get on set, it’s my choice to find the love and the fun of it, whatever that is for me. I choose to open up every script I get, the second I get it, and am always excited to see what I’m doing.

Photo: ABC

Finally, what would you say, as a tease of what we should look forward to in the coming weeks involving Carly?

LAURA: All I can say is there is amazing stuff coming, amazing performances, amazing excitement, amazing heartbreak, amazing surprises. It’s all coming.

So, are you into Carly running the mob? What do you think will happen when and if Carly finds out Nina has been with Sonny aka Mike for months? What has been your favorite moment of Laura’s on the soaps throughout her 3 decades in daytime? Share your thoughts and congrats to Laura in the comment section below.

Interviews

Y&R’s Telma Hopkins and Bryton James Talk on their ‘Family Matters’ Connection, Amanda Sinclair’s Past, and the songs of Tony Orlando and Dawn

June 1, 2021

This week, kicks-off a very special guest appearance by Telma Hopkins on CBS’ The Young and the Restless. Hopkins plays Denise Tolliver, a private eye with some very important intel for Amanda Sinclair (Mishael Morgan), about her past, her father, and her biological family drama.

Photo:CBD

Telma’s guest stint on Y&R reunites her with her dear friend and former on-screen son, Bryton James (Devon Hamilton) after they appeared together on the late 80’s and 90’s sitcom Family Matters. Fans of the comedy series remember a very young Bryton as Richie Crawford and Telma as his mother, Rachel. Year laters, they now have the opportunity to work together in Genoa City.

Photo: CBS

In a new interview out today on the Michael Fairman Channel, Telma and Bryton chat virtually with Michael, and we learn that Telma is a longtime fan of Y&R, a huge fan of Mishael Morgan’s, and just how Denise Tolliver’s arrival in Genoa City will set the stage for fireworks to come.

And while Telma and Bryton reminisce about first their first impressions of each other on the Family Matters set, we also delve into another key part of Hopkins career as part of the iconic singing trio Tony Orlando and Dawn, whose hit singles included: “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole’ Oak Tree”, “Candida”, “She Don’t Love You” and more.

Photo: CBS

So, excited to see Telma and Bryton together again? What were your first impressions of Telma as Denise Tolliver on today’s Y&R? What is your favorite Tony Orlando and Dawn tune? Did you watch “Family Matters” with Telma and Bryton years ago? Share your thoughts in the comment section. But first check out their full interview below.

Days Of Our Lives

WATCH: Daytime Emmy Nominations Special 2021 Replay

May 27, 2021

Last night, during the Daytime Emmy Nominations Special Livestream on the Michael Fairman Channel, 15 nominated performers who will be going for gold on the upcoming 48th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, shared their reactions and their excitement at learning they were in the running in the major Daytime Drama performer categories as chosen by their peers.

Throughout the livestream, the actors also shared what scenes they chose for their reels in the competition that landed them in the top spots in their respective categories.

Photos: ABC, CBS, JPI, NBC

During the broadcast, Michael welcomed: The Bold and the Beautiful’s Darin Brooks and Courtney Hope, General Hospital’s, Maurice Benard, Finola Hughes, Max Gail, Briana Lane and Dominic Zamprogna, The Young and the Restless’ Bryton James, Melissa Claire Egan and Alyvia Alyn Lind, and Days of our Lives nominees: Victoria Konefal, Cady McClain, Wally Kurth, George DelHoyo, and Tamara Braun.

In addition, NATAS President and CEO Adam Sharp shared insight into this year’s nomination process, the year in daytime, and teased what to look for on the upcoming Daytime Emmy Telecast on June 25th on CBS, where the award show recently got a two-year pick-up.

In case you missed it, enjoy this kick-off to Emmy season and watch the Daytime Emmy Nominations Replay below. Then let us know what moments you enjoyed the most during our show, and who you are rooting for to take home Emmy gold in the comment section.