Q&A: Don Diamont Moves From Young and the Restless to Bold and the Beautiful
Source: AOL
Posted: 07/06/09 9:40AM
Filed Under: Television
By CHRIS JANCELEWICZ
Young & the Restless fans across North America (and probably elsewhere) were shocked by the sudden death of popular character Brad Carlton, played by Diamont, when he drowned in a lake in February 2009. Though he was a man of many secrets and love affairs, Brad was ultimately a good guy who sought to protect his family at any cost. Even if you hated his character, it was still painful to see him go.
Any despair felt by the fans didn't last long. Less than a month after being let go by Y&R, Diamont was picked up by another CBS soap opera, The Bold and the Beautiful ("I get to work right across the hall from my old job," he says with a chuckle).
Long considered Y&R's 'sister soap', many characters jump from Y&R to B&B and back again. Several B&B actors were also one-time Y&R cast members, including Jennifer Gareis and star alumnus Heather Tom.
Top 10 Soap Opera Titans
Eric Braeden
Love him or hate him, Braeden's Victor Newman is the heart and soul of Young and the Restless. In 1980, he was offered the role of self-made magnate for a 26-week run. His character imprisoned his wife's lover, and he became so popular his contract was renewed. Still on the show today, Braeden won a Daytime Emmy for his work in 1998.
AP
Ronn Moss
A long-standing icon on The Bold and the Beautiful, Moss has been playing Ridge Forrester since 1987. The dynamic fashion magnate (Forrester) has been involved with countless women and has had numerous affairs with past and present characters on B&B.
Getty
Drake Hogestyn
Believe it or not, Hogestyn began his acting career by entering a Columbia Pictures talent search that had 75,000 people pitted against one another. After a few roles, he was scooped up by Days of Our Lives in 1986, and given the part of John Black, a debonair, mystery-solving kind of guy. John was 'killed off' in late 2007, and it was rumoured he was officially dead and would not be back. It turned out that John was not really dead at all. Hogestyn eventually returned to the show in the role he created. Sadly, it was confirmed in November 2008 that he, along with his long time co-star and other half of Days' super-couple, Deidre Hall, were let go due to budget cuts.
Getty
Anthony Geary
No, his hair isn't like that anymore. Pictured here in the 1980s with TV wife Laura, Geary has played Luke Spencer on General Hospital since 1978, with a break between 1984-1993, after which he returned in full force. Geary's character began as a 'hit man' and later as a rapist who fell in love and subsequently married his victim, teh aforementioned Laura. The character became so popular that the writers turned Luke into a protagonist. Luke and Laura's 1981 wedding began what was arguably the greatest love affair in the history of General Hospital, if not daytime television.
AP
David Canary
Canary first shot to stardom as Candy Canaday on Bonanza. After that show ran its course, Canary moved onto All My Children. Since 1983, he's played one of two identical twins, Adam or Stuart Chandler. Interestingly, he gets paid doubly for playing two distinct roles.
Getty
Joseph Mascolo
What would Days of Our Lives be without evil villain Stefano DiMera? Mascolo appeared on the show from 1982 to 1985, returning briefly in 1988, again from 1993 to 2001, and making sporadic appearances since 2007. His heavily-accented character is one of the world's favourite soap opera enemies. He played the character of Massimo Marone on The Bold and the Beautiful in 2001, but decided not to renew his contract due to a lack of storyline, and returned to his more solid role (and diehard fans) on Days.
AP
Don Diamont
Diamont started as humble gardener Brad Carlton on Young and the Restless in 1985, after a brief stint on Days of Our Lives. Brad eventually grew into an astute businessman. Diamont's character was abruptly killed off in early 2009, allegedly because of budget cuts. He was quickly snapped up by sister soap The Bold and the Beautiful, where he plays the swashbuckling Bill Spencer, Jr.
AP
Jordan Clarke
Clarke plays Billy Lewis on Guiding Light, having portrayed the role on and off since 1982. Clarke also played the role of Dr. Tim Ryan from 1974-1976. In 2006, he received his first nomination and won his first daytime Emmy for his work. He was arrested for possession of cocaine and drug paraphernalia in March 1998, but has not had any criminal charges since.
Getty
Robert Newman
Newman is best known for his role as Joshua Lewis on Guiding Light, a role he has played from 1981 to 1984, and again from 1986 to 1991, and 1993 to present. The character of Josh was initially introduced as a bad boy, and paired with several female leads. With the arrival of Reva Shayne, played by Kim Zimmer, Josh and Reva became a popular 'super-couple'. Newman and Zimmer's characters have become the cornerstone couple of the show, although Newman has been paired with other actresses.
AP
Benjamin Hendrickson
Hendrickson was best known for playing Harold 'Hal' Munson Jr., the chief of detectives for the mythical town of Oakdale, on As the World Turns. He played Hal for over 20 years in what was initially a short-term role. As Hendrickson joked, when he "impregnated the leading lady" (the character of Margo), he signed a contract with a longer term. Sadly, Hendrickson committed suicide in the summer of 2006 after the deaths of his mother, father and brother.
AP
Diamont plays Bill Spencer Jr., a devilish and deviant departure from the morally-righteous Brad. AOL sat down to talk with him about leaving the show he'd starred in for most of his adult life, and what it was like to start fresh as a new character on B&B.
It must have been hard for you to part ways with 'Y&R'.
It was hard, very emotional - the hardest part being that I'd spent my entire adult life there. So many relationships with the cast and crew, production...
You got a proper send-off, though, didn't you?
Yes. Peter Bergman [who plays Jack Abbott on Y&R] and my wife, Cindy, completely organized a whole good-bye party on the set after my last scene. I was totally taken by surprise. It was just a sea of people out there.
Who do you think you're going to miss working with most from Y&R?
Well, you know what's nice...because I'm on B&B, I see everybody. We work right across the hall from each other.
If you can reveal it, what was your favourite storyline on 'Y&R'?
Earlier on, that cage one was just a fun thing to play, especially for a young actor. It was out-of-the-box and challenging for me. Then there was the one where Ashley and my unborn son were in the car accident, that was very emotionally-challenging for me. And then the reliquary storyline, some people didn't like it so much...but it had some significance for me. It gave a lot of answers to Brad's history. This was a much more complex guy than anybody ever knew, obviously, living a double life. But the cage thing, it's not as absurd as one might think, considering it's happening in the world; people getting locked up by these sickos. Art imitates life, I guess.
How has it been, adapting to your new character?
It has been such a blast. Little did I know, on the other side of this whole thing, was a character this dynamic waiting for me. Brad Bell [head writer and executive producer of B&B] created this force of nature, and he's given me the opportunity to take the ball and run with it. Actually, in Soaps in Depth magazine, the July 6th issue, I'm their Star Performer. That's just some nice recognition and validation of my work.
Well, it says something about your likability, that you were snapped up so quickly.
I certainly hope that's the case! [Laughs] I've been doing what I'm doing for a long time and Brad Bell is a really stand-up guy. He knew that I wouldn't let him down. I told him I wouldn't let him down, so...so far, so good.
And Brad Bell is the son of William Bell, who created 'B&B' and 'Y&R'?
Yes, and in fact, my character on Y&R was named after Brad Bell. Now, ironically, my character's name is Bill.
Ha! Strange how that worked.
It's wonderful.
Also, on 'B&B', you're working with Heather Tom and Jennifer Gareis. How has that been?
It's great. I never really worked with Jennifer on Y&R. Heather and I got to work together a bit. But we're really having a ton of fun. We're actually together quite a lot.
Having a little reunion of sorts?
You know, Heather is a sweetheart. And she's such a talented actress. A fun person, a good person, and she's a pleasure and a pro.
How does Bill differ from Brad?
I describe Bill as a politically-incorrect, sexually inappropriate, and a win-at-all-costs kind of guy. He does not take no for an answer, he's ruthless. He sets his sights on something, and he will go after it, no holds barred. He's a publishing magnate, a combination of Richard Branson, Jack Sparrow [Johnny Depp's character from Pirates of the Caribbean], with a dash of Hannibal Lecter thrown in. He's a very fashion-forward kind of guy. He wears a lot of jewelry, a lot of really cool clothes.
Don't forget the facial hair.
Exactly, and the facial hair. He is a vast departure from Brad Carlton.
Brad was always kind of debonair, sort of a ladies man. Will Bill follow that same path?
Yeah, but it's in a different way. Bill's a little more predatory. Brad's more of a mid-west version of Bill.
Funny thing: I typed your name into Google, and one of the first things that came up was a video of you on YouTube in a red Speedo.
Oh, that's nice. A red Speedo on YouTube? You're kidding me. That must have been from a long time ago, 20 or 25 years ago.
You've been in a couple movies, but it's been a while since your last one. Are you interested at all in pursuing a film career, or is TV enough for you right now?
Well, I would certainly do something if it came up, but I've done that enough in my life to know that I don't like being away from my family. I'm a very hands-on dad, very involved. It would really depend on the situation.
I understand you also do a lot of work for people with multiple sclerosis. Can you tell me more about that?
My niece was diagnosed several years ago, and as a result, I started doing what I could for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, and any other events and organizations that needed some help. If I get called upon, I'll be there in any way I can be.
You definitely have some diehard fans, that's for sure. Do you recall any strange incidents with a crazed fan?
You know, I get asked that a lot, I've never really had any crazy experience with a fan that really sticks out in my head. Nothing threatening or inappropriate. I guess one of the oddest things ever was being sent a fan letter that had a woman's pubic hair in the envelope. That was pretty out there.
Catch Diamont as Bill Spencer, Jr. on 'The Bold and the Beautiful', which airs weekdays at 1:30 pm on CTV.
100 %
0 %
