What The Young And The Restless' Eric Braeden Has To Say About His Co-Stars May Surprise You
"The Young and the Restless" has been going 50 years strong with a top tier cast, peak storylines, and powerful one-liners. Though it's gone through many changes over the past few decades, "Y&R" has rightfully earned its No. 1 ranking with the level of commitment the soap opera brings day in and day out, per Soap Opera Network. As they mark their 50th anniversary, they are back with a new logo and opening credits.
Soaps.com dubbed this major milestone a new beginning for the soap. On "Y&R," the endless drama is what keeps fans coming back for more, and the characters that they love to hate are part of that. As Victor Newman, soap legend Eric Braeden commands a room almost effortlessly with his booming voice and sharp demeanor. He's always in control and 10 steps ahead of everyone. Victor's forever war with his son Adam (Mark Grossman) never fails to pull in viewers, but his iconic feud with Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) is a close second.
Any interaction between Victor and another character, friend, foe or lover, is bound to be gold because of his chemistry with everyone. According to Braeden, that same chemistry exists behind the scenes.
Eric Braeden had nothing but kind words for his castmates
The patriarch of the Newman family has spoken. In a September 30 interview with TV Insider, Eric Braeden spoke fondly of his castmates on "The Young and the Restless." Braeden first voiced his frustrations over the bad rep that daytime television gets from the entertainment industry, before putting into words the sheer hard work and dedication the "Y&R" cast and crew display.
"We have actors on our show whose work makes my mouth drop open — Jason Thompson [Billy], Christel Khalil [Lily], Mark Grossman [Adam]," Braeden sang their praises to the entertainment outlet. "I remember when [Mark] came to our show and he had so much work to do. He handled it absolutely well."
Braeden also gave his onscreen daughter and namesake Amelia Heinle a shout out for her portrayal of Victoria Newman and acknowledged that she "works so hard especially lately." After celebrating his castmates who have been on the show for years including Peter Bergman and Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman), he added that all of his fellow actors go through over 70 pages a day.
The soap legend is over the disrespect/ridicule that soap operas receive from non-viewers and even primetime actors. In October 2018, he called out actor Daniel Newman for making a generalized comment that the acting in soaps is contrived and over-the-top. Braeden condemned his comments in a pointed tweet, writing, "Before you open your arrogant, condescending mouth, WHY DON'T YOU TRY IT, BOY!!!!"