Already have an account?
Get back to the

Interview

ICYMI: Lawrence Saint-Victor Interview

B&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor (Carter) Is Embracing His Favorite Role: Husband And Father

The past year has been life-changing, to say the least, for B&B’s Lawrence Saint-Victor, who welcomed his first child, son Christian, in August 2018. “To say it’s a journey is an understatement,” he muses. “You wonder who you were before. What did I do with my time before? Having a little human being that you just love unconditionally is beautiful and weird. Here comes this baby who hasn’t really done anything, but I love him with everything I have — he hasn’t done anything to ‘earn’ it; it’s just unconditional. It’s crazy.”

Saint-Victor marvels at how far his boy has come since his premature birth. “I won’t say ‘hiccups’ because nothing got scary,” he explains. “But we were on close watch for so long. Shay went on bed rest because his development in the womb … He wasn’t growing the way they thought he should. They were concerned about how active he was. But to us, everything felt fine. He was born early. He was born August 21 and he was supposed to be born September 11, but they made a decision to deliver him once it was safe. We went to go get checked out by our doctor and he was like, ‘Okay, I’m calling it. You’re having your baby today.’ So when he came out, he was small. They put the tubes and stuff in him for breathing, but he was good. The precautions they took were only because he was quite premature, but he was good and strong. He went home in less than a week.”

Since then, Christian has made great strides. “Time moves so fast!” Saint-Victor sighs. “The second I think I figured it out, he hit that next stage of development that requires more attention. My wife and I will need more support from each other to conquer this new stage. He’s been walking since, like, 9 months and he just wants to move now. He’s so strong and fast. He has no cares, no fear. We’re just trying to keep him alive. Before, we could get work done if we were with him. Now, it’s like, ‘No, no, no!’ ”

The actor proudly reports that Christian is a chip off the old block. “Right now, he is all me,” Saint-Victor chuckles. “I think he looks just like me, but it depends on who you ask. Yes, he is very active and very physical. He’s very silly and loves to laugh, but that’s also what Shay’s mother tells us — that’s how she was when she was a baby, just laughing all the time. He seems to be a good blend of his parents.”

Saint-Victor credits his own father with setting a good example for him. “My dad is literally a superhero,” he praises. “And I’m not just saying that. He is one of the best people I’ve ever met. If you’re with my dad in my hometown, he’s like the mayor. No matter where you are, where you go, someone’s always calling his name, giving him a hug. You can’t go out of the house without someone saying, ‘Jose!’ and giving him a hug. He’s the kind of guy that’s like, you do good because it’s good, and that’s the only reason you need. If I can even be a fraction of who he is, then I think Christian will have a really great male figure in his life.”

The actor says he’s received some paternal support from his B&B co-stars. “I talked to Thorsten [Kaye, Ridge] a lot. He just lights up when he talks about his girls. Don [Diamont, Bill] is the same way when he talks about his sons. Seeing them as fathers was always inspiring, even before we were planning on having a baby. Just seeing the kind of men they are. You know, you see Thorsten and Don and they’re like these gruff, strong men, and they are. But to see the soft spot they have for their children, I was like, ‘Man, I want to experience that.’ When Shay was pregnant, Scott Clifton [Liam] gave me good advice. He said, ‘Listen, when your baby’s born, however you feel, however you’re coping, it’s good. Don’t let other people or your own thoughts put pressure on you.’ Basically, he was saying to just be present and just go on the journey. Having your baby, you think, ‘I’m going to be perfect and I’m going to look at him and just love him with everything.’ And he comes out, and all I felt was fear. It was nice having somebody say, ‘That’s okay, too.’ And now I get to see Darin [Brooks, Wyatt] going through the process. He’s next up!”

But perhaps the best thing about parenthood for Saint-Victor is seeing his wife as a mother. “It’s so bizarre!” he enthuses. “We’ve been with each other for, like, 17 years; married for 12. I don’t feel any different than I did when I was 24, but to think that I’m old enough to be married for 12 years, it’s just like, ‘Dang!’ It’s funny, too, because this was our 12th anniversary but having a kid made it very different. It’s a new union. Twelve will always be very special because now it’s the three of us. I’m just happy he wasn’t born on our anniversary. It’d be like, ‘Dude, now you’re trying to take that, too [laughs]?’ But I love seeing Shay as a mom. You think you know this person and you’ve seen everything there is to see, and then a baby is born and this whole new persona comes out of your spouse who you haven’t met before. Shay is a fantastic mother. She’s strong and sensitive. Her intuition is like her superpower. I’m like, ‘How do you know that?’ To see that come out has been amazing. Now, I don’t want to speak for her but she might feel the same way about me — at least I hope so — but I always say she’s ahead of the curve when it comes to being a mother than I am a father. I’m still figuring it out.”

 

Just The Facts

Birthday: June 14

Hails From: Rockland County, NY

Soap Dish: Saint-Victor has played Carter since 2013; he previously played Remy Boudreau on GUIDING LIGHT from 2006-09.

The Good Wife: Married Shay Flake on September 1, 2007.

The Son Also Rises: Son Christian Lavelle was born on August 21, 2018.

Family Time: “We like to go to a place called Giggles N’ Hugs. He loves to move and climb and grab stuff. We also like to take him to the park — anywhere he can just run and be free. We just get out of his way.”

See Me Now: “I appeared in an amazing short called The Treadmill that was directed by my cousin [Stefan Dezil], which was recently on Revolt TV. I’ve also been doing some cool commercial print shoots for athletic apparel, Colosseum Active. It’s been a lot of fun. And I’m always writing.”

Meet Cute: Christian has met Karla Mosley’s [Maya] daughter, Aurora. “They’re born four days apart. It took both of their birthday parties for them to finally meet. It’s not like me and Karla haven’t seen each other. We see each other all the time, but they saw each other on Aurora’s birthday and then on Christian’s birthday. It was great!”

Parenthood

n Though they are both new parents, Saint-Victor and Karla Mosley’s web series, WED-LOCKED, is not going to venture into babyland anytime soon. “I think we want to hold off on children,” he chuckles. “If it goes a couple more seasons, maybe down the line. There is just still so much to navigate between how men and women communicate and being in a relationship — and in life, having a kid changes that dynamic between the parents. We want to still be with Robert and Denise as they’re learning each other first. I think it will be funny if and when they get each other. Once it’s like, ‘Yo! I know you. You know me. We’re good,’ then the baby comes and changes everything!”

Comments