Whip is finally back on BOLD AND BEAUTIFUL after months of fan anticipation — and no one's happier than Weekly and Rick Hearst! We dish Whip's new boss, Jackie, where Whip may fit in, and how long it's been since Hearst won his first Emmy.

Soap Opera Weekly: Whip will obviously gravitate toward his ex, Brooke, but he also finds inspiration in Jackie — for which I can hardly blame him. Lesley-Anne Down is awesome.
Rick Hearst: Yeah, she's an extraordinary lady. With as much work as she's doing now, she runs circles around half of us and delivers consistently, every single time.

Weekly: She does. And sometimes, her scenes with Nick are so well-done, it's like Jackie and Nick are almost a better couple than "real" couples on the show.
Hearst: I know! You look at them and you go, "Really? Mom and son?" Even when I had my first scene, I was looking [at the script], and I thought that was a misprint. And it's not to say anything against Jack Wagner (Nick), or to say Jack is too old to be her son. I mean, the bottom line is, I know how old Lesley-Anne is and I know how old I am, and I know how old Jack is playing, and it doesn't fit [laughs].

Weekly: Plus, their vibe is so electric.
Hearst: Yes. But I find on this show, everybody is attached to everybody in some way, and everybody's got a vibe going on somewhere.

Weekly: That's true. It's a very vibe-y show. You'd better watch out where Whip's going to end up.
Hearst: "Oh, look out, somebody's going to fall on the bed! There they are; oh, my God!" [laughs]

Weekly: "Surprise! Look who's having sex this week!"
Hearst: This week? What are you talking about? This act [laughs].

Weekly: Are they doing that obligatory chemistry-test period, shopping Whip around with various women to see where you fit now?
Hearst: Whether it's a chemistry test or whether it's just seeing what story I can [fit into], I love that they're putting me everywhere. My thing is, "Put me in the scene! What is this scene about? I don't know; okay, I'll make something out of it!" That's what you try to do [at this point]. It's very interesting. You throw it against the wall and you see what sticks.

Weekly: And you've been on so many shows at this point, you're such a pro.
Hearst: Oh, God [laughs]. I've had so many names and so many suits.

Weekly: I'm glad to see you back on another show so soon after GENERAL HOSPITAL. You sound so pumped.
Hearst: I have to be. The schedule is daunting. Ten years ago, man, I'd burn it up: "Keep going, more, more, more. I want to work, work, work." Now I'm like, "Holy cow!" I love to work, but I'm also like, "I've got to catch up a bit here." But it's great. Hitting the ground running this way, it gives me the opportunity to dig in, to try to get the audience to know this guy and see him in different scenarios, and see him with different characters on the show. And to know that he's definitely a permanent part of this canvas now.

Weekly: It's amazing, because you've had such a long career in daytime, yet it feels like it's just a blink and you're standing on the stage of the 1991 Emmys saying that your son, Nicholas, was born the night before.
Hearst: Yeah. That's the truth [laughs]. I do feel that way sometimes, especially when I look at him now and he's 18. It freaks me out, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I remember the other two Emmys, in 2004 and 2007, like [they were] yesterday, and it was not that long ago. So we'll see if we'll have déjà vu coming up anytime soon.

Weekly: I hope so! And I'm glad you're finally airing. I feel we've been talking about Whip forever, like the kid in the backseat going, "Are we there yet?"
Hearst: Exactly. I mean, I'll be three months into the story and [people will] be like, "Hey, welcome. You just started airing on the show." "Yep. Been there for about three months. You liking it so far? Because I can't remember what the hell I did way back then." [laughs]