John McCook (Eric) reminisces about his top six BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL moments, giving Soap Opera Weekly a peek at what makes this patriarch tick.1) My first day (1987): It was backstage at the fashion show. Ronn Moss (Ridge), Clayton Norcross (ex-Thorne) and Joanna Johnson (ex-Caroline) were there. We had all these models walking around and we’re trying to be casual about it, but Ronn and I were like, “Oh, my God!” We had the steamers up and, we’re all so used to this now, but the art department, set decorators, wardrobe and everybody had done such a job that it blew us a way. “Oh, this is real, man!” We used to be such idiots and our acting was awful, but I will never forget the first day.2) Eric and Brooke’s first wedding (1991): It was a big remote and most of the cast went down to Palm Springs. That was cool. I was on a horse all one day with Katherine (Kelly Lang, Brooke) and for me to be on a horse one day is two weeks recovery, but it was like nothing to her. That was fun.3) Rotterdam concert (1994): Darlene (Conley, Sally), Jeff Trachta (ex-Thorne), Bobbie Eakes (ex-Macy) and I did a concert in Rotterdam two nights in a row. It was at an indoor arena where they played soccer. Diana Ross and other big acts would play there and it was just like that, with a big orchestra on the stage and 50,000 screaming B&B fans. Oh, my God! When are we ever going to be able to do that, again? We were on stage being cool, and making faces [of amazement] at each other. I think cameras caught that every once in a while. It was being shot as a television show at the same time. That was very cool. One of the songs I sang was Have I Told you Lately that I Love You and I was supposed to bring somebody on the stage. Well, I brought (my wife) Laurette up on stage. They hooted and hollered: They didn’t know it was her. They just thought it was some fan. She thought it was sweet.4) First trip to Italy: Within two years of getting on the air, we were huge in Italy. There was a party in Rome given by a big magazine and we were invited. The party wasn’t about us, but they put us up in the hotel where the party was going to be. We’re having champagne on the second floor at the front of the hotel, waiting to make a live TV entrance down a big staircase, and we look out the windows. There are three different streets merging there and they’re all full of people! They weren’t there for the magazine party: They were there for B&B. Ronn and I stepped out on the balcony, behind one of the big marquee letters and came around. Then, they saw us: They went nuts! They were pushing police over and knocking down barriers. We told Katherine, “Go out there and let them see you. You’ve got to see what it’s like.” She didn’t want to go, but we said, “You’ve got to: it’s funny! Just walk out and wave to them.” She finally went out and they all started screaming, “Brooke! Brooke!” She came back in flushed and gaping, and then went right back out. Now, it’s the big Evita moment. We were like, “Get back in here, you idiot! Something bad is going to happen.” It was very funny. That was when we realized. From then on, we’ve always had bodyguards, not to protect us but to help us get through crowds. Oh, my, my.5) 2002 Emmys: It was a real high the year that Susan (Flannery, Stephanie) and Jennifer Finnigan (Bridget) won Emmys and Justin Torkildsen (Rick) was nominated. That was pretty cool. We’re West Coast actors, so when we get to go to New York, we feel pretty special. I think maybe the New York actors don’t understand how flattered we are that we get to go there. It’s wonderful. New York is like Rome. It’s a world-class destination. We feel like tourists, and yet we’re treated well when we go there. You get used to it and then you pay your own way and you go, “Where’s my limo? I have to hustle my own tickets to The Producers?” They take care of that for you.
6) Sweet Susan: My best moments with Susan Flannery have been many. Anytime I get to demonstrate affection for Susan, that’s a good time for me. The confrontation stuff is always high octane, but the highlights are mostly when we do the sweet stuff. When Stephanie had her stroke, Eric sat next to her hospital bed and we talked through a whole episode about each other and I asked her to marry me again. It affected us both very much. It’s so sweet to know we don’t have to use substitution. We love each other and know each other enough that if a scene requires us to be touched by one another, we can just really do it. We don’t have to go to, “Imagine my dog died,” to make ourselves cry. I don’t hang out at her house, but we’re comrades, colleagues and really good friends here. I feel that way about Jennifer (Finnigan), too.
