What has been the best thing about playing Sheila for all these years? “Being awarded the part of Sheila Carter has really opened an entire new world to me as Kimberlin Brown. It has given me the opportunity to travel and do things that I may not have ever had the opportunity to do and I am forever grateful.”
What’s the best thing about being a soap bad girl? “It’s fabulous! Being a bad girl in the early days, truly, I guess, is the best way to put it. I had fun every day. Bill [Bell, Y&R’s co-creator] wanted this character to cause havoc and open new doors and new windows, and Sheila was the one he had climbing through them. It was such a great opportunity. At first, I was like, ‘Gosh, I wish I was a good girl like all the others,’ and then once I started playing my character and started getting into her and exploring the ins and outs and the nuances that Bill had created, I became addicted to Sheila myself.”
Do you recall what was your best line? “ ‘Your baby is not the utmost concern in my mind,’ something like that, which Sheila said to Lauren, and I think, ‘It was actually your dead baby.’ ”
What’s the best thing about working with John McCook (Eric)? “John McCook is a genuine person. He has such a warm heart. He is always willing to talk or listen and he will give you one of the most amazing hugs you’ve ever had in your life. I adore him for that!”
What is the best thing about working with Sean Kanan (Deacon)? “I love working with Sean Kanan. Sean brings a comedic flair to Sheila that I have never been able to experience before. When they first had me interact with him, I said, ‘I will not treat him the same way that I treat anybody else on the show. It needs to be different. It needs to be special,’ and Sean and I really tapped into that by bringing a light-hearted, comedic flair to things that we do. It’s such a pleasure to work with him because he brings something new to the table for us to try every single day. That’s a credit to Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] and the writers. They give us such great stuff to work with. I did know Sean outside of work and I am so happy to finally engage with him in front of the camera.”
What is the best thing about working with Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke)? “Katherine Kelly Lang and I actually have a lot in common. Besides the fact that she is down-to-earth, she is kind and polite to everyone. Everyone gravitates toward her, just like John McCook. You just want to be around them and have them as a part of your life. I’m blessed to have her in my life, as well. We love horses. We love doing things outdoors. We both are very invested in charity work and helping good causes. It’s always nice when you have that much in common.”
What’s the best thing about working with Ian Buchanan (ex-James)? “Ian has sexy legs. Ian, besides his sexy legs, is a hoot to work with. He is a true professional and he knows his stuff. He is on top of the storyline and he also brings so much to the table. I was so blessed to work with someone of that caliber. When I was pregnant, and it might have been a pregnant woman thing, but I will never forget when he came and sat at the edge of my bed in that kilt. Now I can understand why men like to see women in a skirt because I’ve got news for you, I sure liked seeing him in a skirt [laughs].”
What is the best thing about working with your longtime on-screen foe, Tracey E. Bregman (Lauren, Y&R)? “There are too many things to say. I can’t put my finger on one. It was wonderful to have an action partner that was always there for me. We might have had some of the hardest scenes in daytime. There were long days and long nights, and there was incredible physicality involved and Tracey trusted me to take care of her and made sure she wasn’t going to get hurt and vice versa. Because of that trust, I think our characters really engaged and that’s why that storyline took off in the first place. It was awesome to be able to work with someone like Tracey.”
What was your best storyline? “I always say the best is yet to come.”
What was your best location shoot? “I haven’t had a lot but I think the one I had the most fun with was at the Bates Motel at the Universal Studios lot. There was so much history there and I was such a huge fan of [legendary director Alfred] Hitchcock. It was so neat to be utilizing a space that I grew up watching. We had amazing actors as part of that storyline as well. We had [David L. Lander, ex-Marty] who played Squiggy on LAVERNE & SHIRLEY!”
What was your best TV wedding? “Are we still talking about Ian wearing a kilt or what [laughs]? Obviously, the love of Sheila’s life has always been Eric, so that wedding is the one she’d always hoped for and it was beautiful. It may not have been as grand as other Forrester weddings but it was all she needed.”
What was your favorite plot twist? “Oh, wow. That’s a hard one to answer because there are so many. The one that really shocked me the most was when on Y&R, I had to cut off the birthmark on Lauren Fenmore’s baby. When I got that script, I was like, ‘You are kidding, right?’ There was hate after I did that. I actually had to lay low for a couple of weeks. That, I don’t know if that’s a plot twist, but it was part of a plot that was twisted, and I certainly was not expecting it.”
Who is the best guest star you’ve worked with? “All of our guest stars deserve kudos. The ones that I remember are the ones I grew up watching. The Squiggys and the Scottys [James Doohan, ex-Damon, of STAR TREK fame] of the world, those are the ones I truly remember the most. I admired them for years, just as a person growing up, and to have the opportunity to actually share a scene with these incredible icons of Hollywood, that was always amazing to me, so there is no best guest star. I’ve been so lucky to work with so many numerous and talented guest stars.”
Who is Sheila’s best adversary? “Everyone will say Lauren, and that’s where she and l began and probably why it’s so prominent in people’s mind. That’s where the turmoil in her life started and things unraveled. And Lauren was hell-bent on making sure Sheila’s life would unravel. So, in the beginning that, and now … Can we just say the entire Forrester family or is that too broad? I have to say that my scenes with Susan Flannery [ex-Stephanie] were some of the strongest. Let’s say Tracey on Y&R and Susan on B&B.”
What is the best thing about playing a soap mom? “Mothers give more of themselves than anybody else, and I try to bring that to Sheila. She loves unconditionally, regardless of how much the child hurts you. Parents will always try to make things better and always try to make things work, so having the opportunity to do that off screen and on screen, it’s just come full circle, in my opinion.”
What has been your best dramatic and comedic moment? “Best comedic moment is what’s going on with Sean and myself because you see a lighter side of Sheila. She is having fun — and she smiles. Best dramatic moment? There are too many! I did really like wearing the black cloak on Y&R. I also think of shooting my son and jumping off a building, and jumping off another building … There are so many dramatic moments to name.”
What’s the best thing about being back at B&B? “I’m so happy! I am so happy to be an actress of age and come back to work. It’s the best phone call you can get. At this time in my life, I’m at a point where I’m just happy. I wake up in the morning and I am so excited to go to work and at night, I look at my script and I’m so excited for the next day. It’s a great time.”
What was your best Emmy moment? “I would have to say two. It was this last Emmy Awards and my daughter [Alexes] was with me on the red carpet, and it was the Emmy Awards in New York when I had my son, Nicholas, on the red carpet. That was when I was on ONE LIFE TO LIVE [ex-Paige] and Bobby Woods’s [ex-Bo] wife watched Nick the night of the Emmys and I went with Bob. All of those pre-Emmy events when I had my little man wearing his suit, it was the best. I love having my kids with me.”
