Ronn Moss has been portraying the No. 1 Forrester son, Ridge, during the entire eight years The Bold and the Beautiful has been on the air. Times have changed, the show has changed, but what about Ridge and the actor who portrays him? Sitting in his dressing room at CBS Television City in Hollywood, working on a plate of steamed veggies from the studio commissary, the actor admits he doesn't think he's changed very much at all, at least not in any important way.

"Little awareness and things," he allows in his quiet, reflective voice, "I'm sure I've acquired. I can't say specifically what they are, because they sort of synthesize themselves into me, where I don't even think about them."

The actor, who achieved success early in his career as a singer/musician with the rock group Player (which had a No. 1 single, Baby Come Back, in 1978), agrees to provide some honest insights into what makes Ronn Moss tick: "I would probably describe myself as having a couple of different personalities. Not necessarily like Sybil," he grins, "but I have a very quiet, mediative side that I've grown out of a little bit. It's a side that really relied on the Zen aspects of my life. That's where I get my calm from. I have had that side for a long time. When I was younger, people said I was just being shy, being quiet. But it was actually being extremely observant and meditative about my life and the things around me.

"On the other side, another personality is the kind of wilder, talkier side, where I can just ramble about pretty much anything," he continues, "that part that goes onstage when I play my music, the side of me that's a lot more outgoing, much more extroverted. So I just swing back and forth between those two distinct personalities, depending upon what I need to do."

Growing up in Hollywood, Moss admits, "I was 90 percent introvert and 10 percent extrovert. Now it's just about evened out. That's probably why I took up acting, trying to even that out more. I think I'm still basically very shy. So the acting has helped me pull the extrovert out of myself - by force or whatever; it's become a part of me as well. I'm much more comfortable with it.

"There were years and years when I couldn't even stand to have my picture taken," he declares. "When I was a little kid, I would run away from cameras. It was too exposing to me, I guess."

Ironically, Moss' lean, finely chiseled physique has been exposed in a Speedo or towel ever since B&B's debut in '87. Being shy, he acknowledges those scenes have been difficult to do, "But I knew I had to get over it. So I just set my mind to do that, because its part of what I want to do. I did make a pact that I wouldn't do publicity shots in a Speedo or with my shirt off, because I really don't want to project that image. I'll do it in the context of the show, because it's right for the show, but otherwise, no. I see these guys doing all these thing where they're trying to look like 'Mr. Stud,' and it looks silly to me."

A self-described loner, Moss reveals, "I spent a lot of childhood time by myself, and I was fine with that. I was never one of those kids who felt lonely, because I always had myself - and whatever personalities I had there to talk to. I had a very vivid imagination, so I created imaginary characters to talk to."

At about 14, Moss began to study martial arts, including "the spiritual side of the arts," he says, which led to reading and talking to others about the teachings and philosophies of Zen Buddhism as well as meditation and visualization.

This talk of childhood triggers a natural thought progression for the actor. Moss suddenly smiles and says, "I've added a daughter to my life. That's one thing that's certainly changed - and that is extremely positive for me."