Connect with us

Interviews

46

Y&R’s Joshua Morrow Chats On Phick’s Future, His Co-Stars & Nick’s Penchant For His Exes

Photo: CBS

Viewers of The Young and the Restless knew it was just a matter of time before Nick (Joshua Morrow) and Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) truly circled back into each other’s orbit and hit the sheets again … they’re seemingly favorite thing to do together, that, and video games!

It’s been several years since Michelle Stafford and Joshua Morrow had worked together romantically in a storyline, and created the on-screen magic that fans on social media dubbed as the duo known as “Phick”. But now that Nick and Phyllis have the ‘hots’ for one another again, is that all there is to their relationship? Or this time, maybe this time, the two might make a go of it and find the deeper connection that they came close to having previously, but failed miserably at? This week on Y&R, may mark a turning point in their relationship, but which way might it turn?

Michael Fairman TV chatted with Joshua Morrow who day in and day out is one of daytime dramas MVP’s. Always delivering solid performances, and always championing the show he is a part of, and the actors who are part of the team.

Morrow weighed-in on: if he thinks Nick and Phyllis stand a fighting chance at an enduring love, and what it has been like working with one of his favorite all-time scene partners in Michelle Stafford. Plus, we take a look at Nick’s complicated history in the love department which seems to keep circling back to three main women: Sharon (Sharon Case), Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) and the aforementioned Phyllis. And if that wasn’t enough, there is his ongoing feud with half-brother Adam (Mark Grossman) and other key Genoa City denizens that keep Nick on his toes. Here’s what Joshua shared.

Photo: JPI

Michelle Stafford comes back to Y&R, and finally, we’re getting back around to the Phick hotness and relationship with your recent screen-scenes together. Did you know the show was going to finally revisit this?

JOSHUA:  I wasn’t sure.  I don’t really go in and want to know future story.  I just kind of want to play it as it comes, but I think the writing was kind of on the wall especially when Michelle Stafford came back.  I just love the energy that these two people have around each other, and with each other.  Listen, Nick’s love life is a game of musical chairs.  The music is playing right now for Nick and Phyllis.  I don’t have any prediction on how long it will last, but Stafford and I are going to play the hell out of it while we can.

Is there any pressure coming back to Phick years later?  Like, “I hope this will still be as great and fun and sexy as it was before?”

JOSHUA:  Zero pressure, and it just simply comes from my unbelievable confidence in her and me playing it as fun and light and sexy as we usually do.  You know, writers put stuff on paper, but ultimately, it’s up to two people having the charisma and chemistry to be able to pull it off.  Michelle and I have always had fun with each other, and I think that’s the underlying quality usually: it’s fun and sexy, and Nick and Phyllis usually have a lot of fun and a lot of sex.  It’s been great.  I love Michelle.  I love her brain.  I love the unpredictability of it all, and she’s a home-run hitter, every time.

Photo:JPI

Right now, where is Nick at in his head with it? Does he want his relationship with Phyllis to go further than fun and sex … and be all-in emotionally?

JOSHUA:  Well, listen, he’s crazy about her.  I think ultimately, what he wants is for the two of them, like a couple of grown-ups, to decide where this is heading.  They’ve been playing games with each other just based on their previous back and forth, and I just think Nick’s like, “Listen, it either is or it isn’t.  We’ve got to decide if we are either doing this … or we’re just going to keep playing these games,”  I think there’s a part of Nick that’s okay with that if that’s what she wants, but they’ve just kind of been ignoring this kind of conversation.  Nick just wants to know what they’re dealing with here.  He kind of puts her back against a wall and is like, “Hey!  Where are we going with this?  If it’s this thing, then we are going to do that, but if it’s not, then we’ll keep doing this.”  I just think he’s trying to be as grown-up about it as possible so if they are going to go down this path, the relationship is as healthy as it can be.

Photo: JPI

Would you say; Nick is not sure where Phyllis is at with where to take their relationship?

JOSHUA:  I think she is definitely more reluctant just based on where things ended last time.  You know, she rolled over on Nick’s sister and his mom, and those are the ladies in Nick’s life, and you just don’t do that, and it ended very badly for them the last time.  So, she is probably still reeling and little hurt from that.  Nick did not understand at all what she was doing, and in typical Nick fashion, was very stubborn and heard-headed about it, and all he does is want to protect his sister and mother at all times.  So, she was a little sore still from the way things ended, and again, their track record is not amazing.  They tend to hurt each other on a regular basis, but they have fun while their doing it, that’s for damn sure.

If Nick and Phyllis were a bonafide couple, Nikki (Melody Thomas Scott) and Victoria (Amelia Heinle) would not be happy about it!

JOSHUA:  I don’t think anybody is happy about it, literally not one person in town, but one of my favorite qualities about Nick is that he just doesn’t give a crap about what anyone thinks.  He does what he wants.   Nick angers his father on a daily basis because he doesn’t care about what he thinks of what he is doing.  He’s just going to do what he wants on his own terms and that’s that.

Photo: JPI

Sharon is going through her cancer, and things aren’t going well for her with the treatment at the moment.  They have to figure out if she will have surgery next, etc.  Nick is obviously going to be there for her and the kids.  How is he feeling about what Sharon is going through?  

JOSHUA:  Nick knows this is the battle of Sharon’s life, and she has to commit fully to this.  So, Nick will offer her anything he can in any regard whether it’s just being a friend or spending more time with the children or helping Rey (Jordi Vilasuso) out, he’s going to do whatever it takes to make this as easy as possible for her.  Ultimately, this battle is just about Sharon and her ability to fight it, but he’s going to do what he can and be the guy that everybody knows he is.

But doesn’t it break Nick’s heart that here is this woman, who is his star-crossed love though the years, and she is frightened for her life and what could become of it?  It must hurt him deeply on some level.

JOSHUA:  Of course.  He’s very hurt by this, and he sees the pain and the toll that it’s taking on her, and he knows that he can only do so much.  Nick has fought his whole life to protect Sharon and can definitely be too overbearing at times, but he wants to help her.  He loves her still.  Right now, there is nothing romantic going on, but it doesn’t detract from the love he feels for her.  This is his first love and the mother of some of his children, and he cares deeply about her.  So, it’s just a matter of being there for her as much as he can.

Photo: JPI

I have to say that I don’t know anybody quite like Nick!  He is somehow able to stay friends with all of his exes.  Who does that? (Laughs)

JOSHUA:  You know, it’s funny, but if you think about it, he just kind of can’t turn the page on them.  He finds these great loves in his life, and he always goes back to them.  He can’t be single.  You know, he’s danced around the sheets with a few random chicks, but he knows who he likes, and it’s a few of these women in town who he just keeps going back and forth to.

For example: let’s look at Nick and his relationship with Chelsea.  Where does he sit with that now that she’s with Adam?  Does he still love her?

JOSHUA:  Well, of course, he does.  When he sees Chelsea, he sees what should have been.  He knows that his love for her is what forced him to ultimately decide for the both of them, “We can’t keep doing this.”  He knows that there was some story left untold between her and Adam because of the circumstances with the explosion that “took his life” and Victor and all of that stuff, and he had to make a very difficult decision.  I don’t think it was ever going to work for them this time, not to say that it never could, but she’s got to figure out her situation with Adam – if he was the love of her life and was taken away from her – then she’s got to figure out what’s going on.  Now, that being said, Nick is seeing some qualities from Chelsea kind of bubble to the surface that he is really turned off by.  You know, Adam can be very manipulating, but it doesn’t seem like Chelsea is a real wallflower in this.  She seems toe-to-toe with him showing some pretty devious behavior.  I think Nick’s a little taken aback by the turn that she seems to be taking.   He cared deeply about this woman, and he really wanted to be a good man to her, and to Connor, and to really help the two of them get past this thing, and I think Nick sees this as one of his biggest failures.  He really thought that he could help the two of them get through this situation with Adam, but he just couldn’t do it.  It didn’t matter how hard he tried or how much he pushed; he just couldn’t get the foothold that he needed to make a healthy relationship between the two of them.

Photo: JPI

How can Nick stand to be in the same room with Adam?  

JOSHUA:  He can’t.  He literally hates him.  I so much appreciate that the show has decided to take this route.  I remember when Justin Hartley (Ex-Adam, now Kevin, This Is Us) was on the show, and they were playing it as Nick was stepping up for Adam.  I’m like, “Really? This is not what they should be doing!”  I love watching these two characters in a room together, and any scenes they have, I’m like, “I am never going to play a scene where I look like I am going to trust this guy for a second.” Nick just can’t stand him; he is evil incarnate to him.  Now, Adam can be on his best behavior, but he’s just got a thing about him that Nick does not trust, nor does he like.  He just can’t even be around him.  In the scenes, I want the hatred between them to feel palpable.  Nick is just waiting for this guy to do something so Nick can bash his skull in.

Photo: JPI

Does Nick have the same feeling for Billy at this point?  

JOSHUA:  Jason Thompson (Billy) and I laugh about this all the time.  I think deep down, Nick badly wants to be friends with him, but the problem is Billy just keeps crapping on his sister, who is of course his favorite human being on the planet.  So, they’ve got a very complex relationship which Nick fully understands.  He’s been down this path with his own loves of his life, and Billy just can’t be the man that Nick feels Victoria deserves.  Now, it may be a pedestal that in Nick’s mind is way too high.  Maybe it’s never attainable for any man to be what Nick thinks would be a good fit for Victoria, but he knows that Billy has got a place in Victoria’s heart, it’s never going to go away, but he keeps disappointing her, and if you’re going to disappoint Victoria, then you’re going to be on Nick’s bad side …  period.    I love the kind of energy that these two have with each other.  You’ll see that it goes in cycles.  There will be times that Nick and Billy are kind of joking around with each other because I think deep down, they like each other, but that Newman/Abbott blood war is thick, and it’s hard to get past.

When Mark Grossman first came to Y&R as Adam, did he talk to you, and did you give him get any pointers?

JOSHUA:  Mark did the exact right thing, which is he came in, he watched the show, he picked up a lot of history, and he asked questions. He kept asking questions to everyone who mattered, and that inquisitive part of him is what really helps translate on screen.  He’s done an amazing job.  The thing that I think he’s done the best job with is that this character has done horrible things in life, horrible, awful things.  He’s hurt this family up and down.  What is crazy is that the fans have such empathy for him.  They get it.  They know that he is a wounded person who has been through a lot.  I promise you that is 100% due to the kind of soul and heart that Mark Grossman has playing it.  My biggest compliment to him is he has taken this absolute, pathological, sick character and made the audience feel sorry for him.  That is a true testament to Mr. Grossman’s abilities.  He’s great.

Photo: JPI

Recently, Adam has been back to playing dirty pool against Victor (Eric Braeden).

JOSHUA:  Right, so, he of course, can’t just function within the family.  There’s been moments where it’s like, “Okay, he’s on his best behavior.  I know he’s a good dad.  He seems to have Chelsea’s best interests at heart,” but he just can’t let it be.  He’s got to try to take over the company, and screw over the family, and show everyone that he’s smarter than everyone.  So, it’s just kind of par for the course with him, and ultimately, that is either going to be his downfall, or he will rise to this level that he thinks he should be at.

Now, are Victor and Nick in a good place?   I also just want to say; when you gave your speech at Eric Braeden’s 40th anniversary on set celebration back in February,  I loved what you said, because you had some fun antidotes about working with Eric that people probably never heard before.

JOSHUA:  Oh, thanks man.  I love Eric so much.  Eric cares so deeply about the show and the people who are on it, and the quality of it, and he and I have had a great relationship since I started on Y&R.  As far as Nick and Victor go, I think they’ve finally gotten to a place where they’ve just said, “To hell with it.  I am never going to get this guy” (and I’m talking about both of them) and to accept what each other is trying to do.   Victor is trying to carve Nick and make him be the next him and run the company, and Nick is just not into that.  He’s like, “I’m going to be who I am,” and I think Victor is slowly like, “I’m never going to fix this guy.  He is who is he.  He’s not what I was hoping, but I know he’s a good dude at heart.”  So, I just think they’ve kind of reached an impasse.  They’re just like, “We are going to get along for the good of the family.”   Nick promises him that he’s not going to let anyone hurt the family.  Victor is getting older.   I just think they’ve kind of accepted who each of them are for the time being.  Now, that won’t last, but right now they’re in a good spot.

Photo: JPI

Will Summer (Hunter King) be pro-Phick or no-Phick?

JOSHUA:  She will not be pro-Phick.   She, like everybody else in town thinks that this relationship will have a shelf life.  They’re not a picket fence pairing.  I don’t think they’ve got the love that’s going to stand the test of time.  There is going to be fireworks at all times, both good and bad, and for the most part, I don’t think that really plays to a very healthy relationship for the long haul.  For the short term, yes, it’s exciting, and fun, and sexy, and they love each other, and they can’t wait to take each other’s clothes off, but a relationship is built on so much more than that.

There’s always that Paris remote to go back to where Phyllis in that hat and she comes upon Nick and Sharon kissing with the Eiffel Tower behind them burned in her memory.

JOSHUA:  Exactly!  In Phyllis’s defense, she knows this guy does not have a great track record for being with one woman for an extended period of time.  So, I don’t fault her.

Photo: CBS

Did Michelle ever talk to you and say, “Okay, they’re putting us back together.  Do we really want Nick and Phyllis to be together?”  Have you ever been concerned that if they married Phick, it might make them a boring couple?  

JOSHUA:  I’m not worried about that at all because it’s just not who they are.  I am so excited that they are together.  I love it and I love Michelle to death. I never have as much fun as I do with her.   If they get married, great, because I know there will still be some fireworks in it either way.

Photo: CBS

It’s a very strange time now for everyone during the COVID-19 pandemic. How are you, and your wife, Tobe, and your kids been dealing with it?

JOSHUA:  One of the great things about our country and our way of life is that you can just kind of do whatever you want; you don’t have to answer to anyone.  For everyone in our entire society to have these restrictions placed on them; it’s like this almost unbelievable psychological experiment.  It’s been tough.  It’s been harder on the kids because they lost all of their sports, they lost their school, they can’t see their friends, they, for the most part, know they’re going to be healthy, but all they see is their dad preventing them from doing the things that they love.  It’s hard.  I live an extremely active life.  I like working; I like working out.  You just have to find a new normal.  It’s crazy.

Photo: JPI

And then … all major league sports and college hoops have been affected by the coronavirus and seasons or events postponed or canceled.  I know how much you love “March Madness”, so I’m sure you were going through the roof when they eighty-sixed that.  I was bummed too!

JOSHUA:  I can’t even talk about my depression about that – and it sounds so small to even complain about it.  Sports is everything to me: from watching my kids play, to me playing, to watching it on TV.  I mean, March Madness was an absolute gut-punch that we did not have it.    At the end of the day, you’ve got to think about the people struggling to stay healthy.  We are all doing our best to stand as one to beat this in the most efficient way possible.

So, what is your prediction … will Phick go bust or go all-in for a relationship together? Who do you want Nick ultimately to wind up with? Do you like the Adam vs. Nick feud? Share your thoughts via the comment section below on our conversation with Joshua.

Leave a comment | 46 Comments

46 Comments
oldest
newest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Love Phick!!! So happy Michelle is back and that they can play this again. Thank you Joshua.

Good article, but sorry Joshua Morrow I know you like and love Michelle since you worked with her first and for many years, but Gina T as Phyllis was so much more awesome and when they did have you with her on screen ya’ll were a very hot couple together. Gina T is missed dearly!

The story lines of the Y&R with this dump writer are just re-runs that we seen in the past, boring boring boring, the only story line that is awesome is Sharon Case dealing with something major.

The love scenes with Michelle every time ya’ll are together is plain stupid your 19 anymore! All it is is take off our clothes and go at it, really this is not acting at all, it’s plain stupid and boring.

I have to fully agree with Denis Pompa. He hit the nail on the head and I think they treated Gina very badly

Agree on all fronts!

Boy – I am thrilled that Y&R was smart enough to have MS come back as The REAL Phyllis! That was a brilliant move! GT is a lovely actor but she was NEVER Phyllis

I’m sorry guys Michelle Stafford is an awesome actress she’s fuñny gorgeous sweet but yet gets to the point with things(acting) she tells it the way it is I love her character & Joshua(Nicholas)morrow they(Phyllis&nick)make an awesome couple

Nancy Herman
Washington pa

And all the people said, Amen!

I agree totally with you I just can’t handle the show anymore but I think we will all agree Gina left with class and you never read or heard about her whining on social media ! Class act all the way!

Sorry!! Your wrong MS is the best always was Phyllis & always will be
Nancy Herman
Washington pa

ABSOLUTELY spot on!

I agree

Gina had ZERO sex appeal!

Nick thought Chelsea was a good person after how she left town next time and how she came to town? It shows he never knew or loved her at all. Adam does and loves her flaws and all, and she loves him the same way. Josh has a super simplistic view of Adam. Adam is half devil, yes, but he is half heroic angel too. He saved the lives of half the town, including Victor. His bad deeds mostly come out of a place of hurt and rejection and desperate need to be accepted by the only family he has left. Victor did terrible things to him, including set him up for murder twice and he manipulated him in regards to NE seceral times. In fact he blackmailed Adam to force him back to NE. Nick is not this perfect guy. He has done some atrocious things. He is also a fickle, immature lazy jerk who goes from job to job and woman to woman.

Nick and Phyllis is a joke, you call Adam evil , but you look at evil every time you sleep with evil you have a daughter with evil, Phyllis is the most evil person Y&R she is right up there with Victor, the show is boring !!

It is boring just a lot of sex with Nick and Phyllis the show is like watching trash tv.

Sorry…I’m never going to walk away from Shick. Nick and sharon remind me of Gary and Val from Knots landing. They had a good marriage until it fell apart from nowhere and they spent so many years where it looked like they would find their way back to each other. That’s what Shick reminds me of.

I agree with Nick and Sharon always and forever

Love phick!!!!zYou two are a super staple..Love Adam would LOVE to see him GET A BREAK,respect,and for Victor to accept and love his protégé.I wish someone would knock Victoria off her high horse and Adam Do a SUPER job at Newmans.young and restless the BEST

I don’t like Phyllis and Nick together I feel that they have nothing in common but the sex, they’re very immature as a couple, and I just don’t see them working again in the long run. I love Michelle Stafford and so glad she’s back because NO ONE can play Phyllis like she can, she’s the originator, but she needs a more mature man who can really handle her not someone as wish washy as Nick. With that being said, I will always prefer him with Sharon I feel they are the Victor and Nikki of the future for the show and they are one another’s true love.

Sharons to boring, sometimes you have to have fun. Sparks & firewoekd. That’s what phicks is. So I love michelle stafford, she’s bold, like adam, everybody expects the worse, they both like victor are bold and people are afraid of boldness. But I love adam victor & phillis,(michelle stafford). Nick has always been my favorite, the rich dude is no longer the rich snot people look at, he makes his own decisions.

I’m glad Josh is happy to work with Michelle. I haven’t watched a day since the far superior Gina Tognoni was let go. Michelle has two modes – over the top sideshow clown or sexpot. It’s not cute. It’s not entertaining. It’s not anywhere near appropriate for a character that should have experienced some level of evolution with age and experiences. When you hire a limited actress, you also limit a character. It’s a real shame writers don’t have the ability to see this.

GT had to modes too; surely and scowling…Phyllis is supposed to be outrageous, sexy, saavy, and dangerous!!

Love Joshua Morrow and love his portrayal of Nick Newman!

Sorry, ain’t down with the Nick and Phyllis reunion. Just because you have sexual chemistry, it doesn’t mean you will have a mature and loving adult relationship. If this is why they dropped Gina Tognoni to recapture the lust between Nick and Phyllis, then Gina is better off, because she is too talented and versatile for that. Nothing against Michelle, because she deserves a better storyline as well.

Huge fan of Joshua Morrow! However I ve never ff’d sooo many scenes of his as I have in the last month. The scenes of him and Phyliss are pointless and gross. Theres no consequences to their relationship which is the only time they work. Nick only works with a vixen if theirs a price. Listening Phyliss s insecurities about them together like shes a sweetheart innocent flower is revolting. Nothing against Michelle Stafford either but both actors must really be rolling their eyes at this crapfest. Nick should be supporting Sharon and Phyliss should be threatened Play off that angle at the least. Abby vs Phyllis is slso a joke as im quite confident not a single viewer finds these hijinx entertaining viewing. Bring back Avery as a real thorne in Phyliss side, if Nick cant be with Sharon yet, he and Avery were sweet together.
Sidenote: I wonder if Josh Griffith is surprised he hasnt been fired yet. The writing screams : Im writing nothing that makes sense ( Victoria getting stabbed by who?)and im making up plots that disapear in weeks(Tessa, Mariah, shirtless hot rocker)and I ve broken up cpls overnight( Lola and Kyle ) for no reason! Fire me alreadyyyy!!

In total agreement!

Did you hit the nail on the head, or what?!!

Hey! I like him. He sounds like fun. Never watch Y & R, but think I would like to watch him. Down to earth. Comfortable with himself. I like that.

Put someone with Phyllis that will challenge her narcissism and her superiority. Someone she can’t control with her sex.

I want Nick and Sharon back together
I really liked Phyllis and Jack together. I still really like Victoria and Billy. I have been watching Y&R 40 years. I cried like a baby when Katherine Chancellor died, and Kristoff St. John. I felt like I lost family members.

Totally agree!!

I also absolutely love Joshua Morrow. I really would stop watching if he left the show.

I want Nick and Sharon to get back together. Sharon is Nick one true love and Nick is Sharon put them together like Victor and Nikki is and make it last forever.

Nope, sorry, Phick is played out. We are talking about two middle-aged people (Phyllis being a grandmother, no less) acting like two immature, horny teens. We’ve seen this all before. It’s stale and uninteresting. I never bought villainous Phyllis as the type of person “good guy” Nick would ever fall in love with and stay with. Come on. Bill Bell no doubt has been rolling in his grave over the debacle the show has made of his masterpiece super couple Sharon and Nick, modelled after Victor and Nikki. It’s great Josh and Michelle want to hang out and joke like frat bros on set, but it doesn’t work as a believable “love story” onscreen based on character histories. Phyllis is too over-exaggerated and over the top. Too. Much. All. The.Time. I can’t watch because I feel like I’m watching a cartoon! Phyllis’ best pairing by far was with Jack and her character has way more layers with him. Phick needs to end fast and I’m waiting for the inevitable news of Josh Griffith’s firing. Sorry, but his writing for all the couples and storylines is wash-rinse-repeat. Pass.

I love, love,love that Phick is together again. They are magical together. This is acting at its best. They bring excitement to Y&R. And for those who complain that they did Gina T wrong, I wont speak on that. I just know that Michelle and Joshua have much better chemistry together.

Michele stafford and Joshua morrow have chemistry off the charts. They were my favorite couple all those years back and I stopped watching when she went to GH. Now that she’s back I’m back to y&r and enjoying every second of phick. Always hated him and Sharon what a bore. Good job y&r!!!!

I want Nick and Sharon back together. I don’t like him with Phyllis.I want Nick and Adam to have a good relationship. Maybe Adam and Chelsea can even become part of Team Sharon. They could all deal with it together as a family.

I have always seen the love in Nick’s eyes when it came to Sharon and same with Sharon. She is an amazing sweet person and puts 100% love and dedication in every relationship especially she and Nick. Unfortunately Nick always finds a way to hurt and betray her when it comes to them being together with Phillis and I don’t get it. Everytime Nick gets close to Sharon, it’s almost like Phillis gets jealous. So, but either way we know Phillis and Nick isn’t going to stay together. It’s based on sex and the physical attractions and I feel nothing more while Nick and Sharon have a whole foundation.

Nick and Sharon has always been my favorite. Been watching for 35 years and this my true opinion. Phillis has always been the reason Nick and Sharon can’t make it. The part about Cassie’s adoption just put me so much more insync with them and how the Newman’s accepted Cassie as their own. Nick has 2 blood children with Sharon. And if you count Cassie/Mariah, it’s 4. Why can’t they 2 just find happiness especially now that Nikki is being so supportive of Sharon. Btw did he forget how Phillis threw Sharon, Nikki, and Victoria under the bus?!?!?! Nikki defended her daughter. Sharon was going to do the right thing but “Miss priss” Phillis just had to mess things up then throw all the Newman’s under the bus. Nick just needs to leave her alone. Also y’all messing with the kids minds with chelsey and Nick and Chelsey and Adam and Nick and Sharon and Nick with Phillis. Nick for goodness sakes choose one person and hopefully it’ll be Sharon. Faith is just going through teen years. She needs both her parents now more than ever with Sharon already going through cancer. Nick needs to be more supportive. Not just “there”. I loved the team Sharon thing with Rey Nick Faith Mariah and Noah. Love these people together. Please bring it back to the way it needs to be. I want to see Sharon with Nick and the kids at a holiday family meal at the Newman’s ranch with Victor and Nikki’s support more than ever.

I can’t stand the fact that every other day it’s sex with Nick and Phillis. Their not teens I mean get over it now!!! Geez, the mother to two of his biological kids life is at stake and this is all he can think of while his kids is hurting and during this hard time. Nick you have always been one of my favorite characters you and Sharon. Please don’t sink down to phillis’s level.

Never liked Phick,and I still don’t. Always loved Sharon and Nick together. Writers should make them like Victor and Nikki whereby they always end up together because it’s a great love!! However, I just hate the way the writers made him cheat on Sharon with Phyllis the last time Sharon and Nick were supposed to remarry. I think it was that head writer Mal White’s horrible and stupid idea to bust up what was to be a beautiful love story.

Me too I love Nick and Sharon ❤. I don’t like phick either.

Personally I enjoy Nick and Phyllis as Friends with Benefits for a good time not a long time! They have a good FUN chemistry! Nick and Chelsea were horrid together – boring! I still would like to see Nick and Sharon find themselves together again! They have so much chemistry it just sizzles! I truly think that Sharon can give Nick the stability that he needs and he can give her the joy that “true love” can bring! Rey is a nice guy but he and Sharon are only friends – there is zero passion or any chemistry at all! It would be great if Nick was the one that ultimately was there for Sharon, in every possible way… Good Grief Nick needs to more mature— he can’t be Little Nick anymore; it’s just not attractive into your 40’s… and lay off the excessive hair product

Really! Nick and Phyllis? Not again.

Get a new women!!!

I love. Nick with Phyllis….

Days Of Our Lives

Days of our Lives Star Blake Berris Chats On the Everett Lynch/Bobby Stein Mystery, Working with His New Co-Stars, and the Last Christmas Episode with Bill Hayes

On Days of our Lives, the return of Blake Berris is making for some very intriguing drama, with the audience guessing just which way the story will go.

When Berris arrived back on Days of our Lives, after previously playing Nick Fallon, he was taking on the new role of Everett Lynch, who has a past with Stephanie Johnson (Abigail Klein) and Jada Hunter (Elia Cantu). Only, as it has been revealed, the past he had with Jada was under the name “Bobby Stein,” who from what we can tell was far from a nice guy.

Blake visited the Michael Fairman Channel for a livestream interview this week, where fans in the live chat were weighing-on what could be the truth about the guy – is he a split personality suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder? Did the accident that cost him a year of his life in a coma, never happen? Recently, someone set fire to the beloved Horton house. Fans are suspecting it would have been “Bobby” who is working for Clyde Weston (James Read). Others believe that Everett/Bobby could actually be Clyde’s son. With upcoming therapy sessions with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall) about to start, things are about to get more juicy in Salem.

Photo: JPI

Here are just a few excerpts from our conversation with Blake on a myriad of Everett/Bobby subjects. Make sure to check out the full interview for more.

Did you know that they were going to make Everett Lynch a Jewish character? This is only the second time in the history of the show that they have even had a Jewish character on the canvas. Didn’t they reveal this at the Horton family Christmas episode?

BLAKE: No, they never asked me. I am half-Jewish on my dad’s side. There was never like, ‘You’re Jewish, right? We can call you Jewish on the show?’ At the Horton Christmas, “They made a real point of it, yeah.”

And now the new ‘character’ is “Bobby Stein” …

BLAKE: “Right, and that suggests more Jewish, and then Lynch must be coming from somewhere else, maybe the mother. I was so curious because I think the show has been historically, I’m gonna say, Catholic more than like Wasps. With the Bradys there’s this sort of Irish influence, and then the DiMeras, that’s Italian. So, we’ve got Catholics sort of on both sides that are dominant. Now I, “represent”.

Photo: JPI

What has it been like working with Abigail Klein?

BLAKE: I think she is extraordinary. We start off sort of frosty, or she’s frosty with me, like she doesn’t want to let me in. And then, for a while things are going really well. I just could not adore Abigail more. She’s such a good actor. I could always rely on her to bring me back into a scene and be there in this emotionally, supportive way.

Photo: JPI

Everett and Chad seemed to be becoming friend-ish, when all went awry when at the PCPD interrogation room, Everett let him know about Elia and Bobby Stein, and Chad let him have it for worming his way back in to Stephanie’s life.

BLAKE: Billy would call us the ‘disgusting brothers’ and that’s a reference from Succession, because all of a sudden they’re just so chummy with each other. It’s like all of a sudden we just had this like ‘Bernstein and Woodward’, sort of dynamic duo. I think that Everett really started to think of Chad as a friend and feels sort of disappointed, and he feels, “Oh, it’s that easy? I just needed to have some other identity and now you’re a fair-weather friend?”‘

Photo: JPI

In recent scenes, Jada sees Bobby Stein for the first time, and we see you and Elia Cantu share scenes with each other for the first time. What is it like working with Elia?

BLAKE: She’s fire, man. She comes in hot and she tells you the way it’s going to be. I think early on, we were trying to suss each other out and the more we worked together, the more comfortable you get with somebody. I think actors do this sometimes with each other; if there’s spice on screen, you like to keep some of what you have on-screen in your (real-life) interactions because it helps … it helps the work.  Eventually, we just sort of wore each other down and we’re like, ‘I actually totally get you, and you’re great.'”

Did you know that they were going to make Everett Lynch a Jewish character? This is only the second time in the history of the show that they have even had a Jewish character and didn’t they reveal this at the Horton family Christmas episode?

BLAKE: No, they never asked me. I am half-Jewish on my dad’s side. There was never like, ‘You’re Jewish, right? We can call you Jewish on the show?’ At the Horton Christmas, “They made a real point of it, yeah.”

And now the new ‘character’ is “Bobby Stein” …

BLAKE: “Right, and that suggests more Jewish, and then Lynch must be coming from somewhere else, maybe the mother. I was so curious because I think the show has been historically, I’m gonna say, Catholic more than like Wasps. With the Bradys there’s this sort of Irish influence, and then the DiMeras, that’s Italian. So we’ve got Catholics sort of on both sides that are dominant. Now I, “represent”.

Photo: JPI

You were on set and in the annual Horton Christmas episode which sadly marked the last for Days of our Lives legendary Bill Hayes, who passed away in January of this year.  What do you recall of that tape day?

BLAKE: It was the Christmas episode when we were watching Susan (Julie) and Bill, say ‘Merry Christmas.’  And there was something about it that just felt like it could be the last time. I mean, it wrecked us all on set. Bill gets so choked up and there was something really profound about the moment. They kiss each other as they have so many times before on the show. It was just beautiful. It felt beautiful to be there for that last Christmas. He’s just such an icon. Every time I’d see him, he was so with it … he knew my name, he knew his lines. What an incredible, incredible man.

Photo: JPI

Fans will get to see Everett in therapy sessions with Dr. Marlena Evans (Deidre Hall)? Would you say she is helping the guy?

BLAKE: Deidre’s always making jokes about Marlena, ‘She’s the worst therapist in the world’ (Laughs) I remember in the first therapy session, we almost couldn’t get through the scenes because it’s just so clear that Everett has a litany of very profound psychological issues that he is going to have to work through. He’ll keep coming back. This guy’s gonna pay the bills!

Photo: JPI

Viewers are waiting to see how they mystery of Everett Lynch/Bobby Stein plays out. What can you say as a tease for what’s to come?

BLAKE: As far as a tease, I would say, you have all these characters sort of, trying to wake up the ‘sleeping giant’ in a way. I think it’s safe to say that like if you poke a bear, the bear might wake up.

Watch the livestream chat with Blake in full below.

Now let us know, what do you think is going with Everett/Bobby? What has happened to him in his past? Share your theories in the comment section below, and make sure to catch Days of our Lives next week on Peacock for more to his story.

Continue Reading

Interviews

Y&R’s Melody Thomas Scott Talks on 45 Years as Nikki Newman, the Keys to Playing Drunk, And Those Genoa City Relationships

February is ‘Nikki Newman Month’ in soapland as the The Young and the Restless iconic Melody Thomas Scott celebrates her 45th anniversary in her leading role.

My how time flies! Nikki has had numerous marriages, and some to the same man, battled her addiction to alcohol too many times to count (and we loved it all), and faced so much heartache in the process.

Currently, on all-new episodes of the top-rated CBS daytime drama series, Nikki can’t quite get a grip as Jordan (Colleen Zenk) is out there and in the middle of her next master plot to make Nikki suffer, all the while Nikki is drinking again. Thanks to the heinous plot concocted by Jordan and Claire (Hayley Erin) that revealed itself last November.

Photo: JPI

In a special conversation for You Tube’s Michael Fairman Channel, Melody shared her thoughts on a myriad of subjects including: her current story, those long tape days at Victor and Nikki’s weddings, why she plays drunk better than anyone on television, plus we take a mini-deep dive into Nikki’s past.

Y&R fans were stunned when the powers-that-be had Nikki kidnapped and then hooked her up to an IV of booze. Just how much did Melody know of the story going in? She elaborated, “I knew Nikki would be terrorized. That’s all that I knew. I thought that sounded like great fun. I didn’t know for a little bit that she was going to fall off the wagon in the process of it. And then when I heard how it would happen, I was thrilled to bits. I did kind of want to have a little leader (or crawl) down at the bottom of the screen saying, ‘Hey, people don’t put an IV with vodka in your arm because that will kill you.’ But, poetic license, I suppose.”

Photo: JPI

Melody also weighed-in on if she thinks Nikki will stop drinking anytime soon, expressing, “She just can’t get out of this. Then of course, Jordan’s not letting her out very easily. Just when Nikki thinks she is mentally strong enough to never take another drink, well, of course she does, because something else happens. I think it’s also a learning point for people who are watching the show who may have an addiction problem. Now, I could be wrong, but I think it’d be highly unusual for somebody to be just mentally strong to be able to stop.”

If you wondered if Melody enjoys playing a drunk Nikki, look no more, “I do. That’s simply for selfish reasons,” she shared. “That’s for my enjoyment. I take great pleasure in it. It’s fun for me, and just the process of pretending to be drunk. I love the end result. I try not to do too much because there’s nothing worse when an actor is overplaying drunk. So you have to kind of keep it a little bit underneath (the surface). However, sometimes because of Jordan, Nikki does get much sloppier than I normally would play it.”

Photo: JPI

In recent episodes, it seems that Jack (Peter Bergman) and Nikki are gravitating more to each other, as both are drawn together through their shared experiences with addiction. Victor (Eric Braeden) is not happy that his arch-nemesis is helping Nikki try to stay sober. Could Melody see Jack and Nikki becoming romantic again? “I love Peter. I mean, Peter was my second favorite husband on Y&R. It would be wonderful, but I don’t know if the fans would go for that,” she explained. “They’re so invested in Niktor that I think they would really be upset about that unless Victor did something really crummy, then I could buy that.”

Photo: JPI

One of the more ‘out there’ stories during Melody’s 45-year run, was when Nikki was paired with Crazy Edward, and he took her home to meet his mother … who was in an urn! You would think maybe Melody didn’t like the story .. but think again! “Bill Bell (co-creator, Y&R) was writing the show in those days, and Bill kept that information pretty tight. I don’t remember us knowing even a week in advance. Maybe, we would get our scripts, three or four days in advance and that was it. You knew nothing about future story, but I loved the story,” she raved. “It was almost Hitchcockian, shall we say. The actor who played Crazy Edward, Paul Tulley was so magnificent and such a sweetheart. We loved working with each other so much, but man, when that red light came on the camera, he scared the you-know-what out of me. He was absolutely terrifying. But then, the minute the scene was over, we’re fooling around and laughing and everything. He was so good. So good!”

Photo: JPI

According to Melody, the pairing of Victor and Nikki was not something she, nor Eric Braeden, initially thought would made sense: “I was a little terrified when I heard that he and I would be doing scenes. I thought, ‘What, what?’ He also wondered, ‘What am I going to be doing working with that young kid, that snotty kid?’ We had no idea what Bill Bell saw. He had a vision with us and somehow knew that we would have chemistry. It didn’t take Bill long to show us in the scripts why he put us together. Then, we started to see it. Although, it was hard to imagine at first, certainly we knew it worked by the time Nikki had baby number one during the ‘Who’s the father?’ storyline. Nikki and Victor weren’t even married yet. So, we did figure it out pretty early on.”

Photo: JPI

From her early years as Nikki Reed, Melody reflected back on some major story points in her character’s history, relating, “I actually did like her in the very beginning when she was just a little brat living with her sister and her father, who of course ended up trying to rape her…  and she had hit him over the head with a lamp … and he died. I did not care for the stripping storyline at all. Only because I knew that I didn’t have the natural dancing ability. I wasn’t fluid enough to really look good up there stripping. I know they hired wonderful choreographers and everything for me, but I just didn’t feel worthy of being up there … I guess is what it was. Of course, now I look back on it and I think, ‘Oh, I guess it wasn’t too bad.’ Later, there was a strip she did in the Colonnade Room. At the time, she was married to Jack. Victor’s sitting there with some other woman and she’s drunk. I saw that scene recently, and I thought it was great. I didn’t at the time, but looking back, I thought, ‘Wow, that was good.'”

Photo: CBS

Watch the full 45th anniversary conversation with Melody below.

Now let us know, are you enjoying Nikki being back on the bottle? Would you want to see Jack and Nikki try their relationship one more time? What has been your favorite storyline of Melody’s over the last 45 years on Y&R.  Let us know in the comment section.

 

Continue Reading

Days Of Our Lives

Days of our Lives Legendary Susan Seaforth Hayes Talks on the Horton House Fire Storyline, Mourning the Loss of Husband Bill Hayes & His Near-to-Final Performances

It has been an emotional time for longtime fans of Days of our Lives and beloved veteran, Susan Seaforth Hayes (Julie Williams). On-screen, the iconic Horton home was burned to the ground in what appears to be a storyline-dictated decision that shocked many. In real life, Susan is mourning the loss of her husband and DAYS enduring favorite, Bill Hayes (Doug Williams), who passed away at 98 in January. Over the weekend, during the 2024 SAG Awards In Memoriam tribute, Hayes was remembered along with other motion pictures and television stars whom we lost over the past year.

Since the Peacock streaming soap opera tapes months ahead of air, the Horton home fire and its aftermath are currently playing out in all-new episodes with more on this story featuring Susan to come. Bill Hayes also appeared in several of these episodes making it all the more touching and heartfelt.

When Julie came back to the Horton home to see what remained of it after the fire, Days of our Lives fans were treated to a heart-tugging episode that streamed last Wednesday, February 21st. In it, newly-taped scenes of a young Tom (Zach Chyz) and Alice (Sydney Kathrann Smith) Horton telling the story of how they came to live in the house to raise their children, juxtaposed with Julie and Doug (and members of their family and friends), surveying what’s left of the beloved house, brought many a tear.

Michael Fairman TV talked with Susan Seaforth Hayes for this very candid and heartfelt conversation to get her feelings on the Horton house fire, and being given the opportunity to have a storyline at this point in her storied career. In addition, Susan provides some insight on what it was like for her ailing late husband to tape scenes at DAYS shortly before his death, what the series plans to do about writing off the character of Doug while honoring the legacy of Bill Hayes, and how she knew she had the greatest love affair that anyone could hope for in their lifetime, which in turn, has inspired all of us.

Photo: JPI

I was shocked when they decided to burn down the Horton house. Were you at first devastated … and did you know that there would be a big story surrounding it?

SUSAN: I did not know how big a story was with it. I knew that many years ago, another regime had planned on trashing the set and getting rid of the set because nobody cared about the Hortons anymore. It was stopped by one person, and I was eternally grateful for that. This time I thought, “Oh, my goodness! I guess I’ll be meeting people for a cup of coffee at the Horton Square. No home, no roots, no reason to be called in,” and thinking that’s the end of Julie. That’s the end of Doug and Julie. Then, when they began to structure a story around it, I think all of this came up during the writer’s strike. So of course, I was curious to see how this was going to turn out. I enjoyed the aftermath, because in the aftermath, and a little bit before the fire, if you saw the show, I get to talk a bit about the history of the household and the people in it.

Photo: JPI

In the special episode that aired last Wednesday, Julie gave Leo (Greg Rikaart) the family tree history of the Hortons for his story in the Spectactor.

SUSAN:  I’ve had a couple of good long soliloquies about the past. I’m fated to be the character that does that because I’m the one still standing. I must say, I do enjoy doing them. Emotionally, all I have to do is rerun some of the actors and my own family in my mind and the emotion starts to come, you know, the emotion starts to flow.

Julie talks to Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) immediately after the fire. She is upset that the Horton family Christmas ornaments are gone. Fans were not happy that they could possibly have burned up. Thank God! There was a happy ending when they were located and unscathed, or there would have been hell to pay! 

SUSAN: I knew that they were in the prop room and that they still existed. But how much they were going to put a story around their loss, I did not know. We don’t get to ponder the plot. We just get to show up and start doing it. I think on this particular matter, something as important as a structure of the original set of the show, there’s been quite a bit of interest. So, I can appreciate that.

Photo: JPI

I was thinking, ‘Did they decide to burn the house down, because they were finally retiring the old Horton home set?’ What was the purpose of it?

SUSAN: They’ve done everything to make quicker set changes, which is remarkable and very efficient right now. The set designer said, “I’ll be interested in your input,” which was nice. The one thing that I loved that had been done, didn’t work. You couldn’t shoot into it. It was a federal mirror over the mantle. I loved it. The size was perfect. I was just delighted. And then, we tried to shoot it, and because of the roundness of the mirror, you got a perfect view of camera one and camera three. So, it came down.

This is Julie’s project to renovate the home. She’s determined to bring back all the memories and redo it?

SUSAN: Absolutely, which is another nice note to play for my character. She’s determined to make the house something that her grandparents would recognize and still feel comfortable in.

Photo: JPI

What did you think of the episode that just aired where the show incorporated flashbacks of a young Tom and Alice Horton?

SUSAN: Well, I set it up. They had their own their own lovely scenes. I read them, and I’m sure the audience was charmed.

What do you remember when you first came to DAYS, and you were in that house, in that set?

SUSAN: What did I notice about the set? I noticed that it was a strange shade of green. (Laughs) It was explained to me that that dull color meant that your face would pop on color TV. I understood that. I loved the little window up the staircase. I’ve always loved that. And at one time, there was a model of the house that sat on the set on its own little pedestal, a little playhouse of the exterior of the house. Whenever the house was on (and remember this is when we were a half-hour and practically live, but not live, because there was no editing), there would also be the sound of a barking dog whenever we reached the Horton house neighborhood. We never saw the dog, but I’m sure his name was “Spot”, and I’m sure he belonged to someone.

PhotoL JPI

You shared so many scenes with Frances Reid (Alice) and MacDonald Carey (Tom) in the Horton living room set and up till they passed. Did they get along well with Bill? Looking back, how was your relationship with them?

SUSAN: They loved him. Well, Mac and Billy had worked together before in theater. Mac was very kind to me at the beginning and helpful. Frances was as well. As Frances got older, she got a bit testy. When someone says, “You’re not going to read the line like that … are you?” It catches your attention. (Laughs). I got peeved at Frances from time to time, but her intent was always to make everything as good as it possibly could be. I saw her come back from her stroke. learn to talk again, learn to do it all again. Not do it easily, but to do it at all was wonderful, and the same with Mac. In his last shows, he was very frail, but we’re actors. We liked being there.

Photo: JPI

During the taping of the episodes surrounding the Horton house fire, Bill was mostly in them with you. How was Bill doing at the time you taped these scenes?

SUSAN: He was okay. He was up for it. He had difficulty moving at that point. So, they restricted his movement a lot. Bill always enjoyed coming to work a lot, and it was extremely difficult for him because he was blind, and didn’t move very well. And now, to do a scene with people who may or may not, have rehearsed with you, who may or may not, give you the exact cue, and when they are attempting to have you look each other in the eye, you can’t see who’s eyes they are, that was the hard part. The easy part was working with him, which was lovely and was a gift. It was a gift from Corday Productions that he was able to work within three weeks of his death, which I thought was super and extraordinary.

Photo: JPI

That is amazing. Did Bill understand everything that was going on at the time of the tapings?

SUSAN: Absolutely. He understood what was going on. He just couldn’t see it or touch it.

The timing couldn’t have been easy for you with Bill’s declining health, and that the show was going to burn down the Horton home where you shared so many scenes and memories.

SUSAN: Well, it hasn’t been my greatest stretch. But I knew that life would be like this. I’ve had five decades of an absolutely wonderful, blessed marriage and a chance to work and a chance to live in my own home and travel, all good. And now, we’re going to have the epilogue. And the epilogue is the hard part, seeing rapid change around you and losing the people that were the center of your life. I’ve just been very fortunate to have cultivated some wonderful friendships, and to have a wonderful large family of Hayeses.

Photo: JPI

You do realize that you and Bill were the gold-standard of what we all should be lucky enough to have in our lives. What an incredible, beautiful, passionate, loving marriage that the two of you had. You don’t see marriages like that anymore. We were all just in awe of the two of you. To us, it was the greatest love affair. You got to have that which is so extraordinary.

SUSAN: I know, and it was all Bill. I mean, any idiot could have been married to Bill Hayes and been deliriously happy. The guy was so perfect in every way that you really would have to pick something and blow it out of proportion to ever complain about any of his traits of character. He was just all good character, goodwill, and good humor. I just followed along and tried to live my life for him, with him, and follow his style, which I hope to carry on. I hope to be as good to people as he was to people, and, not be selfish.

Photo: JPI

I always remembered how the two of you would come to the studio with your suitcases, ready to work no matter what material, large or small, they gave you. You showed up. You just had such great work ethic and you don’t see that as much anymore.

SUSAN: At the moment, it’s hard to find it everywhere. I think it’s probably generational. You cannot get too angry at people that are still holding up their phones in the one rehearsal that we have. I think it’s more convenient to receive your work electronically, but somehow it doesn’t seem quite as real. You don’t have a script in your hand anymore unless you print one up yourself.  Sometimes you haven’t met the person you’re working with. Well, that’s not unusual, but no rehearsal at all, that’s kind of marvelously new.

Photo: JPI

Does Julie lean on anybody for emotional support as she tries to rebuild the Horton home. Who’s there for her?

SUSAN: As far as I can tell, nobody. I’m supposed to be the wise woman, and Marlena (Deidre Hall) is supposed to be the other wise woman. I haven’t had any scenes with Marlena for help. I would think Marlena would be the person I would be going to for grief counseling, for friendship, for all of that. I haven’t seen it in the scripts, yet. I’m still deeply entwined with Chad’s (Billy Flynn) storyline.

How is Billy Flynn to work with?

SUSAN: A pleasure. Billy Flynn has grown a lot as a human being and as an actor since I’ve known him. I’m really enjoying his company and really enjoying doing scenes with him. We rehearse and then we get on other subjects and laugh and talk and inform each other. We’re interested in a lot of the same things. He’s a new parent. He’s really devoting himself to that, to that experience in the best possible way. So, I’m lucky.

Do Julie and Chad try to figure out who set the fire?

SUSAN: Oh yeah.

Photo: JPI

I kept thinking about how Julie got burned in the kitchen fire years ago and her face was scarred, At the time, your mother Elizabeth Harrower was writing DAYS and wrote that for Julie. Did you hate that story?

SUSAN: Well, I know where the story came from. It came up from something in mother’s own life. I knew the people involved, and I wasn’t crazy in love with the idea. Then, when it was supposed to go for six weeks and went on for months and months, I was concerned. Mainly, I was concerned that my face was going to be affected because of the appliance, the scars, that I was wearing. I was told by a dermatologist, “You’re going to have a little beard after this. Ripping your face every single day to get this off is going to be hard on you.” But, I seem to have survived.

Has the show even addressed with you how they plan to handle writing-off the character of Doug Williams, and how they want to honor Bill?

SUSAN: Only in the smallest way. I had a conference call with the producers and our head writer last Friday. I was informed about the immediate, immediate future. I’ve also been promised that they’re going to keep me busy. It’s a cast of over 40 people. I’ll be happy to show up and to be included.

Photo: JPI

I was just hoping that whatever they decide to do with the character of Doug that they were going to run it by you, first.

SUSAN: They have, and they have been very sweet about it.  I’ve got to tell you, this regime, they have a sign up on the wall now, that says, Things we expect on this stage.”  The first one at the top of the list is “kindness.”

Have you watched your work back all these years? I know some actor’s never like to watch the scenes they taped.

SUSAN: I think you learn by watching yourself, if you have an open mind, and if you are not hypercritical, or dismissive. I cannot be dismissive of a character that has given me such a wonderful life. I’m still interested in Julie, perhaps I wouldn’t have been if I’d been on the show for three years and never returned to it. But I’m quite interested in her now, and what she has to offer as a member of this ensemble.

Photo: JPI

Julie’s ties to the whole history of Days of our Lives from this point on are very important. How do you feel about that?

SUSAN:  There are those that don’t care about the history of the show. I know that. I know there are those that only care about continuing with something snappy to keep eyes on the screen through action, adventure, drama, death, kidnapping, missed opportunities, all that, which I suppose that’s what the audience craves. But, that’s not just what the show can do. What the show can do so well is character. There’s a lot of people over 70 who are still on the show now. I’m the oldest one, but I’m not the only one. We’re coming up on the 60th anniversary. I don’t think the show is worn out. And if it is, it’s had a remarkably successful six decades.

Lamon Archey (Eli) is back on DAYS for a stint. What has it been like to work with Lamon as his on-screen grandmother?

SUSAN: I think he’s terrific and visually he is so beautiful, so appealing. I think both Eli and Lani (Sal Stowers) are very appealing as characters. I’m delighted to be connected to Eli as a family member. That was a lucky break for me.

Photo: JPI

Do you think DAYS fans are going to continue to be emotional in the aftermath of this fire and all the story that comes out of it? Do you think we’ll be touched by what Julie goes through to get the remains all cleaned up for a new house?

SUSAN: I think anybody in America who’s gone through a disaster, and have unfortunately had the disruption of their home, will be sympathetic and interested in how it all turns out. It’s a nice note to play. We haven’t had to do that very often. We just go from one lovely apartment to another without much discussion. I think this is the one set that meant a lot to people. I was very sorry to lose “Julie’s Place,” as it turned into kind of a sandwich shop. I still loved having a business, a tangible place to be, and an alternate place for people to meet.

Photo: NBC

Upon reflection, what was your favorite scene with Bill? Was it when Julie and Doug got married on-screen, or was it something else that was much more intimate?

SUSAN: I think our last scene is going to be more important, emotionally. I think the first wedding was beautiful, but the material around the time of our second wedding, when Brenda Benet (ex-Lee) came back on the show and Doug stood up to her and says, “I’m not going to be manipulated anymore,” was also strong. There has been a lot of very important times – when Doug was killed-off by James Reilly, and we met in the tunnel of light. That was a day. That was a difficult day, which I certainly can’t revisit right now emotionally. When Julie found out Doug had run off and married her mother, Addie, that was a day. It was a day because, I went to the producer at the time, Jack Herzberg, and said, “Is this it? Am I not going to work with him anymore?”And he said, “Right! That’s it. You’re not working with Bill Hayes anymore.” We were not married at the time, and I thought I was going to go through the floor! That wasn’t a happy day.

Photo: JPI

In terms of Bill’s final day on the set with you, did you know that it was his last, and what would turn out to be his last scene?

SUSAN: Well, they didn’t know. But I knew. I had been allowed to rewrite it. So, I can’t tell you Bill’s last line now, of course, but I will in time.

What do you think about the sentiments shared by Susan on her late husband, and this storyline? How do hope the show properly honors Bill and Doug Williams when the series writes-off the character? Are you enjoying the Horton house fire story arc or does it upset you too much? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.

Continue Reading

Video Du Jour

Peter Reckell returns for a second visit with Michael Fairman following the wrap-up of his recent run as Bo Brady on Days of our Lives.Leave A Comment

Recent Comments

Power Performance

Kim Coles as Whitley

Days of our Lives

Airdate: 7-24- 2023

Popular