Soap Opera Digest: On their fourth try, Brooke and Bill finally tied the knot. Did you ever reach a point where you wondered if it would ever happen?
Katherine Kelly Lang: I thought it wasn’t going to happen. I did! And then when it happened the way it happened, I was like, “Oh, that was it [laughs]?”
Don Diamont: I was confident that it would happen and I’m thrilled that it did. I think all the “Brill” fans are deserving of having those characters together, and I think Bill and Brooke are good together.
Digest: What do you say to the “Bridge” fans who wanted to see Brooke and Ridge tie the knot in Australia?
Diamont: I say to them, give this a shot.
Lang: We use the term “soul mates” a lot on this show, and I also think it’s great they’re giving this couple a shot. I mean, if Brooke and Ridge can’t get it together after 30 years, maybe they’re not the soul mates they thought they were [laughs]. I love the story between Bill and Brooke and how it all came about. I think they’re a great couple and a great power couple. I’m also curious about what’s next. I want to know, just like the fans. What is happening? Somebody tell me!
Diamont: Bill believes that Ridge had manipulated Brooke and hurt her and toyed with her for decades, all under the guise of, “I love you.” But, “We’re destined,” and all of that nonsense? No. Give “Brill” a shot. They are together because they connect on a soulful level, so maybe it is Brooke and Bill who are the true soul mates.
Digest: With Ridge out of the picture due to the whole Quinn/Eric debacle, this couple seemingly has no obstacles standing in the way of their happiness.
Lang: We’ll see how long that lasts!
Diamont: All I can see from the story at the moment is that their only impediment would come from something business-related, something that Bill’s doing. There’s not a romantic challenge to their relationship because Bill is truly committed and head over heels.
Lang: Yeah, it’s got to be Bill. It’s funny because now that we’re married and we’re happy, you don’t see us [laughs].
Diamont: Kelly and I haven’t worked much together now that they’re married and happy.
Lang: I guess they’ll be happy for a little while, but this thing with Bill and his “little white lies” makes me think, “Okay, this could be interesting.” White lies are always the worst.
Digest: Did you sense the chemistry between the two of you from the get-go?
Diamont: It’s funny you ask that because I thought there was great chemistry with Heather [Tom, Katie] and I, and for Bill and Brooke to work, given that Bill and Katie were so powerful together and that love story was so beautiful, Kelly and I really had to have that kind of chemistry for it to be successful and really challenge Katie and Bill. Likewise, if there was going to be any legitimate challenge to Brooke and Ridge, then Bill and Brooke had to have the bond and chemistry and soul mate connection that I think they do have. I think the audience feels it. I hope they do. And we like each other personally, so that works on camera, as well.
Lang: Chemistry is such a weird thing. It always surprises me. But, I think it is tied to the ease of working together. I think when it’s there and you’re in the middle of it, you don’t really feel it. It’s more like everything just comes easily, and that’s what happened with Don and me. He’s the nicest guy and he’s so funny — and he has so much energy that sometimes I have to tell him to zip it.
Digest: Don, you joined Y&R as Brad in 1985. And Kelly, as an original cast member, you’ve been on B&B since its 1987 premiere. That means you two passed each other in the halls of CBS for over two decades before Don came to B&B. Did you know each other well when you started working together?
Diamont: Not in the slightest. We literally passed in the hallway, said, “Hi, how’re you doing? How’s your day today?” And look at us now.
Lang: I’m not even sure if I met him. We all just wave and go about our business, but I was excited to see him come over. Don was a great addition here because he’d been on that show for so long, and he was a big, strong character over there. I thought, “Okay, this is definitely a BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL guy.” I thought he fit the part and he would fit in well — and he has. Bill is such a great character. I like that Don really came in with lots of ideas for the character and how he wanted to play it. He knew how he wanted to dress, even down to the sword necklace and the beard. He’s bigger than life, and we need those characters. And as I said, he’s very funny.
Digest: Speaking of humor, there’s always been a comedic element to this couple to balance out all the drama they’ve been through over the years. Do you think that’s a necessary element to the “Brill” mystique?
Diamont: It’s very important. That’s part of their charm. It’s part of their connection. I try all the time to bring humor to Bill, whether it’s sarcasm, wit or a comedic take unique to him. If it’s not inherent in the scene, we’ll try to inject it into the scene one way or another.
Lang: I think you always have to add in the comedy, and B&B has always had that. It’s important to throw that in when things get a little heavy.
Digest: The “stallion” has become quite a successful running gag. How’d that come up?
Diamont: They wrote that. It wasn’t mine. It was when Brooke walked in on Bill and he didn’t have his towel on and then they added in the whinny noise, and from then on, it was something I kept doing.
Lang: In fact, when we were in Monte Carlo shooting the scene where Brooke and Bill were talking on the jetty, they said, “Ad-lib a whinny.” It’s cute, so even if it’s not scripted, we’ll throw it in in places where it’d be appropriate.
Digest: Like when Brooke surprised Bill with the stallion statue while dressed in the nightie made of dollar bills.
Diamont: That was great. I saw my face on more than money. My face was in all kinds of places. It was funny because when I hugged her, I had to be careful not to break the getup.
Lang: That was cute. I would have made the nightie a little more flattering, but I did love the idea. I thought it was hysterical seeing his face on the dollar but honestly, I thought it was a little inappropriate for where Bill and Brooke were at in their relationship. They were just coming back together. Maybe if they were back together for a while and it was just something cute Brooke did, but I thought it was a little weird for when they were just coming back together.
Digest: Romance is a very important component of any soap pairing but “Brill” has had a lot of those great, sweeping romantic moments. What’s your favorite?
Diamont: Well, certainly Aspen.
Lang: There was that kiss in front of the Prince’s Palace in Monaco. That kiss and the buildup to it was really romantic.
Diamont: That was very special.
Lang: There was Dubai and Abu Dhabi … There are so many!
Diamont: Well, if you’re forcing me into one place we went on location, it’s probably Aspen because that was the birth of their relationship — that hot air balloon ride. It’s where they blossomed and took form as a couple.
Lang: Aw, that is romantic.
Digest: When it comes to romance, considering everything that your characters have been through and all the love and heartbreak they’ve experienced both together and apart, what romantic advice do you think your character would offer to their children?
Diamont: Be all in. Don’t try to put a square peg in a round hole — like Wyatt and Steffy. No matter how much they wanted it to work, that wasn’t organic. Liam and Steffy is a more organic relationship whereas Wyatt and Steffy was more a matter of convenience — or inconvenience, as it turned out. So the point is, be all in and don’t try to make something be something that it isn’t.
Digest: Kelly, what do you think Brooke would say?
Lang: Oh, my God. With her history? Maybe that’s why she hasn’t given her kids any advice. You never hear Brooke talk to her kids about love advice. Never!
Diamont: Well, let’s give Brooke and Bill a couple of months of wedded bliss and then maybe they’ll have some good advice to pass down. This honeymoon ain’t over yet — not by a long shot! w
