Will The Bold And The Beautiful's Heather Tom Leave Katie Behind For A New Career?

Actress Heather Tom is well-known for her role as Katie Logan on "The Bold and the Beautiful," but she actually got her start on daytime as another popular character on the sister soap "The Young and the Restless." 

Tom was cast as Victoria Newman in 1990 at the age of 15 and remained in the role until 2003. She also had a brief stint on "One Life to Live" as Kelly Cramer. It was then that she moved over to "B&B" and became one of the infamous Logan sisters. In September, Tom celebrated 15 years on the sudser. Tom has been nominated for a total of 19 Daytime Emmy Awards for her performances on all three soaps and has won the trophy six times. There's no doubt that she is a talented and well-respected actress, but she has ambition behind the screen as well.

Since 2016, Heather Tom has been trying her hand at directing. According to Soaps, she became the mentee of "B&B" director and producer Cynthia J. Popp, with the support of executive producer and head writer Bradley Bell. Not long after she began shadowing Popp on set, Tom was accepted into the CBS directors program where she continued her education. In the time since, she has gone on to direct 26 episodes of "B&B" and even one of "Y&R." Her capability was so apparent that she also landed directing gigs on the primetime shows "Good Trouble" and "Dynasty." However, between Tom's venture into behind-the-scenes work and her lack of screen time on "B&B" lately, fans are wondering if she's intending to make her new career path permanent.

Through an interview with Soap Opera Digest, Heather Tom expressed her joy at learning the ropes behind the camera, particularly at "The Bold and the Beautiful." She said, "It was something I had been wanting to do for a long time ... I had this idea that I knew what the basics were — I had no idea! I can't believe how many moving parts there are. It's a miracle that the show gets put out every day and it's a testament to all of the people who work in all of the different aspects of getting the show out." 

This work was only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic when "B&B" was forced to adapt to new on-set rules. At first, the actress was wary of how her co-stars would react to her directing episodes of the soap, but she was touched by their support and championed everyone's desire to see their colleagues succeed.

However, in a statement that put longtime viewers at ease, she was also adamant about her love for her character Katie Logan and how much she enjoys working with her soap family. When asked if she would move to directing full-time, she said, "I don't want to obligate myself to anything. I love Katie and I love acting. I've been doing it my whole life and yet directing is really exciting. I've always wanted to keep learning no matter what, and this is an exciting way to do that." 

Fans can now breathe easier with the knowledge that Tom's success in the director's chair doesn't necessarily mean she's leaving "B&B" or Katie Logan behind any time soon.