JPI
Adam told Nick that his goal for 2024 was not to engage in any self-destruction. Two months in, how would you say he’s doing thus far? “I think he’s doing pretty well so far. He’s walking the straight and narrow and he hasn’t burned anything down lately. So, yeah, things are looking pretty good right now, but we’ll see what happens.”
Fans enjoyed the scenes where Adam opened up to Nick over beers about his fears regarding Connor. What is your take on this new-and-improved dynamic between the brothers away from the office? “Connor being in distress puts Adam in a position where he desperately wants to help his son. Nick obviously is a good father and has a lot of experience — and a lot of kids — so when Adam went to Nick and asked him for advice, that kind of [took] priority over the drama with Adam and Nick. So, it was nice to have those scenes and to see them having a brotherly bonding moment. It was a nice little change of pace.”
What do you think it means to Adam that their relationship has evolved to the point where Adam can let his guard down with Nick like he did? “It means a lot. I think deep down they both probably want that even though they probably won’t admit it most of the time. But, yeah, it means a lot. And when stuff hits the fan, if you can’t turn to your family, who can you turn to? So, it’s nice that when things get serious, there’s moments like this between them and they can put things aside and address what’s going on because their children are top priority.”
Has it been fun for you and Joshua [Morrow, Nick] to get to play this less contentious version of their relationship? “Yeah, I think so. We’ve had fun doing it. We laugh a lot and there actually was a scene where we improv-ed. I remember when they made the pitch to Victor, it was written [that] Nick was supposed to say that it was his idea to rename the company, because it really was his idea, but we actually thought it would be funny if Adam chimed in and tried to take credit for it. So I just improv-ed that I thought it up and there was a funny beat where Nick was like, ‘Of course you would do this.’ The fun thing is it’s so new and rare for [our characters] to get along. Every time we have a scene where we get along, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I don’t know where it’s gonna go or how it’s gonna feel. But the scenes at the bar I thought turned out really nice. [Adam and Nick are] at each other’s throats so much, that any time we have any sort of bonding, it’s refreshing.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Setting The Bar: Now that they’re not constantly sniping at one another, Adam was able to get solid parenting advice from big bro Nick (Joshua Morrow).
Adam seems to be listening more to what others are saying, such as when he got upset about Connor’s school performance and Chelsea calmed him down. What do you attribute that to? “It is rare for Adam. He’s usually hard-headed and stubborn and I think he thought, ‘I just need to get to my son!’ but Chelsea opened his eyes to make him see that’s not the best thing to do. There’s an evolution there and I think being back with Sally and reigniting that [relationship] has had an impact on him because she’s a voice of reason. She definitely helps talk him off the ledge and gives him a different perspective, so I think that’s a big reason for it.”
The shift in Adam hasn’t been jarring; it feels like it didn’t happen overnight. From an acting perspective, how have you gone about calibrating your performance to show this slow and steady turnaround? “It’s a few things. Half of it is on the page, but then the other half is trying to plot it out where you don’t want to just flip a light switch and all of a sudden, you’re agreeing to everything, [and] you don’t have any defense mechanisms. I always try to make sure that there’s still all that underlying stuff, like wanting to trust people at their word but being skeptical. Sometimes we get ahead of ourselves and then we realize that somebody else may be right, but sometimes it’s hard to admit that and it takes you a little bit of time to come around. So, I just think about that a lot and then I try to find moments where I could layer that in a little bit, so I hope it’s coming across. Historically, Adam is known for having an edge and a chip on his shoulder and I love that character trait about him. I don’t think that should ever go away, but it’s nice when we don’t see that as much and we’re in this period now where he’s trying to be better. We’re all human beings and we all go through that similar stuff, right? Nobody’s perfect and when people point out things about us and we try to do better or change things, it could be a little clunky. But that’s what it is to be a human being.”
Victor and Nick seem to recognize and appreciate the change in Adam, while Victoria and Nikki remain skeptical. Do you think that bothers Adam? Is earning their approval important to him at this point? “Victoria never gives [Adam] any love, so I don’t think it’s surprising. And personally, the relationship between Adam and Nikki — as far as when I’ve been on the show — we haven’t really explored much of that. The relationship with Adam and Nikki is always very curt and standoffish and I don’t know if either one of them really care to change that relationship. It’s almost like there’s just this acceptance of ‘this is what this relationship is’ and maybe one day, [the writers] will write something and it’ll change. Victoria never really seems to give him the benefit of the doubt, so it’s kind of expected that she’s always skeptical that Adam’s going to change, especially with the Claire stuff.”
Adam has been positioned as the Newman sibling least open to accepting Claire into the family. Where do you think that comes from? “Adam’s on guard with Claire and Victoria is not happy about that. She’s welcoming Claire into the family, so that’s another reason Victoria has to throw jabs at Adam because he’s not welcoming Claire into the family with open arms. I love doing scenes with Amelia [Heinle, Victoria] and we don’t get to do them that often, but I do enjoy the dynamic between [our characters]. It’s usually very standoffish and sarcastic and I always have a lot of fun when they write some scenes for us.”
Victoria claimed that Claire was a threat to Adam’s ego. Do you think there’s any truth to that? “There’s truth to that. Adam, being the black sheep of the family, [he] kind of wears that as a badge of honor to a degree. And here comes this new person in the family that kind of has a checkered past. So [Adam’s] like, ‘Wait a minute, that’s my role. What are you doing? Get out of here. I want a lot of attention. Bye-bye.’ ”
JPI
Parent Trap: When the going gets tough, Adam and Chelsea (Melissa Claire Egan) are usually able to put their son’s needs first.
Why do you think Adam has been so hard-hit by Connor’s struggles? “There was a long period of time where he wasn’t in Connor’s life, so there’s a lot of guilt around that. The last thing that a parent wants to hear is that the child is troubled [by] something. You want to help them as much as you can, but there’s some things that you’re powerless over.”
How would you characterize the dynamic between Adam and Chelsea these days? “It is very much about Connor. A lot of times they don’t see eye to eye, but at the end of the day, they come to a decision and are trying to do what’s best for Connor. It’s prickly at times, but then it softens, and they are on the same page and more in sync. It’s an important relationship, to co-parent when there’ a problem, with someone that you’re not involved with anymore. So, it’s always nice when [Adam and Chelsea] come together. They butt heads but then they end on the same page. There’s a respect for each other and I like that a lot.”
Your soap son, Judah Mackey (Connor), is back taping scenes. What was your reunion like with him? “It’s been great. I mean, he’s 13 now! He’s a teenager, which is insane. He has grown so much since when I started and it’s like, ‘Where did the time go?’ He’s almost as tall as me now! He’s had such a growth spurt, so he’s this lanky teenager now. It’s crazy. I mean, he’s going to be driving before you know it! We have some scenes with just him and me, so I’m looking forward to those. He’s been doing a really good job with this storyline. It’s an important story. I’m excited to see where the storyline goes.”
