Peter Bergman (Jack): “At first, I was definitely a little intimidated by Peter because I knew who he was — who doesn’t? — and I heard from everybody how amazing he is. When we met, he immediately put me at ease because he was so welcoming and nice, and right away gave advice about how the show worked, because every show is different. He took me under his wing and made it a safe space for me. He did mention that he had watched me on B&B and that made me feel wonderful. I’m very prepared when I come to any set. I’ve worked with a wide range of people in different genres and there are some who show up and choose to work it out as you’re actually filming, as opposed to actually being ready to play. So, it’s great when I get to set that Peter’s ready to run our stuff and explore different things because we’ve already put in our own work. Once we get together, it’s really about finding the different nuances. It’s very refreshing to work with such a talented and professional actor.”
Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren): “Aww, I love Tracey. She was actually the first Y&R actor I worked with just because of how the scheduling went and it was so great working with her. It was also really cool because she worked with Darlene Conley [B&B’s original Sally]. My thing from day one with playing [my] Sally was to find out as much as I could about Darlene, so it’s been fun talking to Tracey and hearing her experiences with Darlene. Tracey and I are so much alike. We’re both spiritual and into different types of fitness and we love animals, so I immediately gravitated toward her. I think she’s a stunning person, inside and out. I’ve enjoyed having her as sort of a mentor and I respect her so much. Having her as part of my first day took a lot of my anxiety away.”
Judith Chapman (Gloria): “I really enjoy Judith a lot. I appreciate people who are larger than life and she’s definitely one of them. She just is who she is and I love that. It creates such unique characteristics whenever she’s acting. You just want to watch her in life and on screen. When I first worked with her, I was excited. I love yoga and she’s a yoga teacher, so she’s super-flexible. When I saw that, I was like, ‘Jeez, woman!’ She’s very nice and up-front.”
Hunter King (Summer): “I was actually the most excited about working with her, because I felt more comfortable that I kind of knew who she was from saying hi to her while I was on B&B, so there was a little familiarity there. I just knew she would be so sweet and nice and I was right. She’s an incredible actress. I just really, really liked her from the beginning and she’s a joy to work with.”
Michael Mealor (Kyle): “Michael is such a sweet, very down-to-earth and humble guy. He’s so honest and doesn’t put on any airs, and I appreciate that. It’s very disarming and he’s a fantastic actor, as well. It’s lovely working with him and it’s fun to figure out what the dynamic is between Kyle and Sally. Michael is so kind and nice that when Kyle gets angry, we kind of laugh at that because Michael is not that person at all. He’s always in a good mood. I think that’s a testament to how talented he is. He’s a very calm and sensitive guy.”
Melissa Ordway (Abby): “I could tell that I was going to immediately like her. When we were first running our lines, we got into a conversation and I discovered that we’re a lot alike in many ways. She’s very sweet, very honest, and she likes to laugh at herself. I got to work with her when her husband [Justin Gaston, ex-Chance] was on the set and it was fun to watch her just light up around him. We have had a few moments to chat off set and I adore her. Hopefully, I’ll get to work with her more.”
Michelle Stafford (Phyllis): “She is such a force, she really is. Michelle exudes such a confidence, which I felt as soon as I met her, and I really respect and admire that. I think the reason the Phyllis/Sally dynamic is so interesting is because Michelle loves to play pretend and that’s right up my alley. She worked on GH [ex-Nina] with my fiancé [Chad Duell, Michael], so I knew and heard about how great she is, so it’s been fun getting to know her on my own and I love my scenes with her. There’s this constant back-and-forth with our characters, where they’re poking and prodding each other and it’s just a blast. It doesn’t feel like work. What I also appreciate is that I never know what I’m going to get from Michelle. We’ll go through our rehearsals and when they say, ‘Action!’, our scenes could become something totally different and I love that. Keeps me on my toes and I love to play back to her. Phyllis and Sally are cut from the same cloth so they really know how to push each other’s buttons.”
