When The Young and the Restless finally decided to resurrect the character of Adam Newman, it was one of the most highly-anticipated returns in the soap genre.  After all, when viewers last saw Adam, then played by This Is Us star, Justin Hartley, he was presumed blown to smithereens in a cabin, thanks to first, being tranquilized by a dart gun by an unstable Chloe (Elizabeth Hendrickson), who holds Adam responsible for the hit and run that killed her daughter, Delia.

Fast-forward to summer of 2019 and Y&R fans got a very much alive Adam, vengeful as all get-out, picking right back up where he left off; only this time the role is being played by soap newcomer, Mark Grossman.  In what has to be one of the most sought after roles on television for any young actor to play, Grossman nabbed it and has come on to the scene hitting the ground running and is quickly becoming one helluva soapy badass on the Genoa City canvas.

Michael Fairman TV sat down with Mark at CBS Television City where Y&R is taped to talk about: how his journey has been thus far in a role that has put him under the microscope from viewers to critics.  Many will agree that in short order, Grossman is making the role of Adam his own, as he has been so in the mix with the iconic staples of the series, to those performers who just made exciting returns.

This week on Y&R, Adam is going to take down his brother, Nick (Joshua Morrow) by any means possible to gain custody of his biological son, Christian.  As they face-off in a custody hearing, Adam is up to his chicanery, and viewers will see the fall-out.

Here’s what Mark had to say about his castmates, the opportunity and the pressure of being Adam on the top-rated soap, and why he loves getting to be bad.

Photo: CBS

Adam is so integral and key to the canvas.  How are you settling into the pace of Y&R? Did you have any idea that it was going to be this amount of work when you signed on?

MARK:  I had an idea, and this is actually my first soap.  I had always heard that the amount of volume is a lot, but yeah, it was kind of a steep learning curve, but it got much easier as time has gone on, and the memorization got a lot easier.  You adjust to it, and you just get used to it.

A few years back, I attended the premiere of the indie film you were in with Melissa Archer (Ex-OLTL and DAYS) called South32.   In that, you played one bad dude.  I remember thinking, “That guy plays evil and creepy so well.”  Your character was horrible in the film!

MARK:  Oh, yeah.  My character’s name was Donny.  That was a bad guy.  That was a really bad guy. I just remember I had a lot of fun because Melissa Archer was great, and Sean Kanan (Ex-GH, Y&R and B&B) was in that too, and they both are in the soap world.

Courtesy/IMDB

So when I saw that Y&R cast you as Adam I was like, “Oh yeah!  Great choice!  He can play a real jerk!” (Laughs)   So, why do you think you play bad so well? 

MARK:  I don’t know.  I just have that face… the jerk face?  (Laughs)

(Laughs) Do you practice those looks in the mirror?

MARK: (Laughs)  No.  I like to think I’m a really nice guy, actually.  I think I’ve always liked characters that are more broken and are trying to do the best they can with the cards they are dealt or trying to overcome something.  I mean, in South32, that’s a different story.  I’ve just always gravitated to those kinds of roles more than a stereotypical love-interest or something like that, or kind of a more vanilla character.

Let’s talk about the audition process for this sought-after soap role.  Did you know when you first were in the running for the character that it was to play “Adam Newman”?

MARK:  I had no idea because it’s all under codenames.

What was the codename?

MARK:  The codename was “Jeremy”, and I had no idea I was auditioning for Adam, because they change all of the names, and I wasn’t up-to-date with everything that had been going on with Y&R.  When you’re out there as an actor you are auditioning for all kinds of stuff (and I don’t really watch much TV as it is).  I think it was at the network test when a couple of the other actors, who were there, kind of let it slip what part this really was for.

Photo: JPI Studios

You had your screen-test with Sharon Case (Sharon).  What was your first impression of her?

MARK:  I adore Sharon.  She’s wonderful, and she was so, so helpful.  She’s coming up on twenty-five years on this show, and that is amazing.  I really love working with her.

Once you knew the role was that of Adam Newman, did you begin to do your research? Call people?  Phone a friend (laughs)? Take to You Tube?

MARK:  Oh yeah!  I went way down the rabbit hole.  When I did my research I watched tons of scenes on YouTube, and then everything on the internet, Wikipedia, and every site that had information on the role.  Before I started, I also had lunch with a couple members of the cast, and they were probably so annoyed at me for asking so many questions about just about everything that came to mind.  (Laughs)

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

You follow in the footsteps of other great actors who have played this role; Chris Engen, Michael Muhney and Justin Hartley.  Did you have trepidation taking the role knowing the bar was set so high?

MARK:  Yes, of course.

In the world of daytime drama, recasts happen all the time; that is just the nature of the beast.  You hope the fans will give the actor stepping into a role a chance to establish themselves in the part, because they can get initially very reactionary.  In your case, there were some immediate tweets that went out right when you were announced as the new Adam with some fans commenting: “He’s too young!”  That happened even before your first episode aired, so no one had seen you embody the part yet.   What’s your take on all of that?

MARK:  I get it, trust me. You watch somebody for years, and you really enjoy watching this person, and then all of the sudden they’re gone, and somebody new comes on.  That’s hard to get used to.  So, that was a little daunting, but it just is what it is.  You just have to go in and put your stamp on it, and the audience will say what they do.  That’s all you can do.  Just, “this is what I think it is,” and do your best job with that, and yes, people will say what they’re going to say.

Courtesy/CBS

So, you meet Y&R icon Eric Braeden (Victor).  You’re playing his on-screen son, the black sheep of the Newman clan.  What was it like meeting Eric, and then actually getting on set and getting to work your first scene with him? 

MARK:  It was great.  He was really supportive.  I remember I would get together with him and ask if we could rehearse, and we’d just end up in his dressing room talking for like twenty minutes about the show and life.  I just feel so lucky that I get to play you know, the problem child. (Laughs)

It’s fun for actors in soaps to be a storyline catalyst.  However, sometimes the catalysts can be short-term roles, and this one isn’t.  Catalysts shake things up, and Adam is so entrenched with so many characters and has such a checkered past, and there is much to him.  In finding out his back-story; what was the one thing that you were shocked to find out about him?  That he ran down Delia?

MARK:  That’s a huge thing.  There’re people who think that Adam actually really didn’t do it.  I mean … then there was … pretending that he was blind … wearing dresses.  There’s so much!

Photo Credit: JPI Studios

It’s a great part.  Adam would literally do anything to get what he wants. (Let’s not forget he apparently had sex with Rafe).

MARK:  It’s a great part.  I’m looking forward to what he does next.  I hope they throw me in a dress and let me mess around and pretend to be other people. (Laughs)

So, how are you playing Adam’s motivations now?  He comes back to Genoa City with amnesia after being in Vegas, and gets shot.  He seems a nice guy, but then his memory comes back, and now he is literally back to old tricks and wanting to screw everybody over who he feels wronged him.

MARK:  I think he wants his kids back.  Adam is going to do whatever he wants to do to get his kids, and I think he is justified.  Obviously, the way he goes about it is very shady and sometimes illegal, but I think he comes from a place of really wanting to be a father to his kids because of the stuff that happened with Victor, and being abandoned, and his blind mother, Hope.  The issue of where Victor was while he was growing up and how Adam’s life could have been so different always weighs on him.  Adam feels, “If there is one thing I need most, it’s to make sure my kids don’t go through what I went through.”  I think that’s where he is justified in that regard, but the way he goes about it is obviously very questionable.

Photo : JPI Studios

So, what happened when Joshua Morrow and you met for the first time?

MARK:  I met him at my screen-test too.  At the screen-test, we had to do scenes together and Joshua is such an awesome guy.  He’s a total professional, but he is so funny.  He is hilarious.  We’ll always have these scenes where we are at each other’s throats, and then we’ll just crack up laughing.

Do you think there could ever be brotherly love between Adam and Nick?

MARK:  I’ve actually been thinking about that lately. You know, I have a half-brother in real life. I think there are definitely possibilities for that with Adam and Nick.  I think somewhere deep, deep down, on some very small level, Adam could possibly want to have a relationship with Nick.  I think it could be possible, but I don’t know, and they’re so different from each other.

Then, there is the return to Y&R of Melissa Claire Egan (Chelsea).  And another task you were handed was to see if you can create the same on-screen magic for the duo known as “Chadam”.

MARK:  I sure hope we can create that.  Melissa is another person in the cast who is just so awesome.  You probably think I’m lying, but everybody who works on this show is so nice, and they want the show to work.  They have the best interests of the show at heart.  You feel like you’re on a team here.  I had watched Missy on YouTube with the other Adams.  So, when I first met her I was all, “Oh, you remember this scene … and this scene … and when you were doing this?”

Photo: JPI Studios

And Missy was like, “No, I don’t remember.” (Laughs)

MARK:  She’d go, “No I don’t…”  And then she would go, “Oh! That scene!”  I had watched as much of her stuff that I could get my hands on.  When I first met her, we had a big scene to do.  We just kind of had to dive in.  She was great.

So, where do you think Adam’s heart lies? 

MARK:  I think he has a deep love for Chelsea and Sharon.

Why does he love Sharon?

MARK:  Oh, Sharon has been there for him when nobody else has, and they have so much past together, but I know there’s always the Chadam/Shadam thing!

Photo: JPI Studios

Welcome!  You’re right in the middle of these fan wars between camp Chadam and camp Shadam.  That’s not a bad place to be.  You’ve also been working with Greg Rikaart (Kevin) and Michelle Stafford (Phyllis).  Adam has been horrible to Kevin, and poor Kevin is being blackballed by him.

MARK: (Laughs) We have so much fun.  Those are great scenes.  I really love working with Greg.  It’s fun when you get to manipulate and blackmail someone, and Greg, as an individual is great, and obviously he’s been part of this show a long time, and he was really helpful too.  So, I asked him questions.  You know, “Fill me in on Adam and you before.  What was it like, and what was your dynamic like?”  Things like that.

There has been a total refocusing of Y&R.  They brought in you as Adam, and they brought back Melissa, and Michelle Stafford, and you’re kind of in there with all of them. There have been some great scenes between you and Michelle Stafford, too.  There was the scene where Phyllis is sitting alone at Adam’s eating a whole cake by herself with her champagne glass, and it was so funny.  I’m like, “Did Michelle make that choice to sit there with the whole cake, or was it written like that?”  She is a firecracker!

MARK:  She’s great.  I love Michelle.  She keeps you on your toes.  It’s funny, I actually had done a little, independent movie.  I popped in for a day.  She was in it, so I knew who she was, but I had never met her.  She wasn’t there the day I was there.  You never know which way she’s going to go in a scene.  I enjoy that.  You just have to be present because a lot of times we are doing these scenes in one take on Y&R, so you’ve got to be in it. Michelle is really fun to watch.

Photo: JPI Studios

Are your family and friends checking you out as Adam on Y&R?

MARK:  I have an aunt who is a big Y&R fan in Pennsylvania.  She was so excited when she found out I was playing Adam.  My dad is like, “I watch twice a day,” and my mom works during the week, so I think she watches on the computer at night.  They live in Arizona.

Can you watch your work back?  A lot of actors I have interviewed over the years in this medium have told me they do not like to watch their work, as it would then make them to aware of any quirks they may have and detract from their ability to deliver their performance, etc.

MARK:  I watch, sometimes.  It’s weird, isn’t it?  I’ll go back and forth.  I’ll watch myself sometimes with the sound off, and then I’ll slowly start creeping the sound up, and I’ll see … and then I’ll rewind it, and I’ll slowly start watching it.  I’ve got to ease myself into it.   Sometimes; I’ll ask other people if they’ve seen the scenes I was in, and I’ll be like,  “Well, how was it?”

Photo: JPI Studios

There is major bad blood between the characters of Billy and Adam.  How has it been working with Jason Thompson (Billy), and what do you think of the Adam/Billy dynamic?  Billy is considering taking a bullet to Adam and pulling the trigger.  Billy holds Adam responsible for the death of his child, Delia and perpetrating much hurt on those he loves.

MARK:  That’s a tough situation, and as for Jason Thompson, man.  Jason Thompson is just such a great actor, I think.  I just love watching him.  He’s just so real, you know?  You really feel what he is going through and what he is saying. I know there is a lot history between Billy and Adam, and yeah, Billy is becoming a little unglued.

Adam has that effect on people.

MARK:  Adam does!  It’s such a tragic thing that happened with Delia.  How does one get over that?  How many times can Adam apologize?  So, I don’t know if they can even make amends and be friends.

I don’t think we want them to be friends.  Do we?  No.

MARK:  No.  There’s a lot of good drama there.

Photo: CBS

Then, we have Elizabeth Hendrickson as Chloe.  So, what does Adam think about Chloe?  Does he understand why she is constantly unhinged?

MARK:  Yes.  I think he understands that you lose a child, and that really affects you.  I guess you don’t really know what you’re going to do until something like that happens.  I think Adam tried to clear the air … and be honest about what actually happened that night, and say, “Look, if we keep this up, one of us is going to end up dead.”  So, we’ll see if she can move on.  I don’t know… Adam has got to keep watching his back.

And … watch out for dart guns. (Laughs)

MARK:  Look out your window!

Victor thinks Adam is the smartest of his kids.  Do you think so?

MARK:  I think so.  Adam went to Harvard.  I think he is the smartest of the three.  Obviously, he is the outcast, but I think he is the smartest intellectually of the three.

Photo: JPI Studios

They’re talking a lot on the show, about the missing years when Adam supposedly went to Vegas.   So there is a lot to yet be discovered about what happened to him and what he was really up to.

MARK:  Maybe he was faking this whole amnesia story because he really wanted Sharon?  I don’t know.  I would imagine we would be delving into where he was.  At least, I hope so.

Would you like to play some scenes where viewers get to see the more tender side of Adam?

MARK:  Yes.  I would love to explore the real sadness with Adam and Victor and why his father wasn’t there for him.  I would love to see more of that, and scenes with the kids… get Connor back, and stuff like that.

Now speaking of doing anything to get back his kids, Adam, who professes to love Chelsea, kind of screwed her over after her new husband Calvin (John Burke) suddenly died, and he is kind of using that to his advantage with her.

MARK:  Well, hey!  You don’t mess with a man’s kids.  It’s his son.

Adam is such a polarizing character and is driving story.  Do you open the script and go, “Oh, man! I’m doing this today?”

MARK:  Oh, sure.  I’m always excited, because I’ll get a new episode, and I’ll open it immediately, and I’m like, “Oh, yes … oh, wow… oh, wow!”   I feel like that’s what it’s been like though since I’ve been a part of this show,  Adam is always stirring the pot and bringing a lot of that drama to it.

Photo: JPI Studios

This week on Y&R, it’s the custody battle for Christian between Adam and Nick.

MARK:  Yes, we are going to be in court, and we are going to go head to head over this custody battle for Christian.  I hear Chloe might be back.

Do you get to make a statement as to why you’d be a good father while everybody is like, “Oh, God?”  Do you get to say how your kids were taken from you?

MARK:  Yeah, I do!  Adam pleads his case.

Photo: JPI Studios

It’s going to be interesting to see how this progresses with you as Adam, and how the fans take to him.  Will the audience be at all compassionate towards him in certain circumstances, even though he’s screwed everybody over?

MARK:  I hope so!

So, are you enjoying Mark’s portrayal of Adam?  Who do you hope Adam winds up with romantically? Do you want Adam to get custody of both of his sons? Share your thoughts via the comment section below.