In her new memoir, Always Young And Restless, Melody Thomas Scott chronicles her surprising and inspiring path to Genoa City. The actress opens up about being raised by her grandmother, a compulsive hoarder whose cruelty was shockingly abusive; abuse at the hands of industry men; the intensity of acting in feature films with Alfred Hitchcock and Clint Eastwood; dealing with mental illness; how she finally took control of her life and career and more.
Soap Opera Digest: When did you first start thinking about writing a book?
Melody Thomas Scott: About 10 years ago. I knew I had a very unusual story to tell, due to the unusual events and circumstances of my early life. It was just a matter of coming to grips with sharing them with the world.
Digest: What was your process?
Scott: For some reason, I tended to write the darker chapters first. Maybe that was my psyche’s form of protection, getting the heavier aspects of my life out of the way.
Digest: You reveal a lot of personal, and, I imagine, painful details about your life. Did you go in with a “nothing but the truth” philosophy?
Scott: Absolutely. There would have been no point in writing a book about my life if I had only included the light without the darkness.
Digest: How long did it take to complete?
Scott: I had a few false starts. When I first sat at my keyboard and tapped out a few chapters, the pain (that seemingly never leaves you) reared its ugly head and brought panic attacks and some PTSD. I had to take pauses that could last anywhere from a month or two to a few years. From the very beginning to completion, it took about 10 years.
Digest: You talk about your incredible memory. Plus, you kept your diaries and datebooks. How did both of those help when constructing your narrative?
Scott: Extremely helpful. Though I do have a freakish early childhood memory, referring to the original documentation of events was invaluable. When rereading them, I could actually flash back to the day I wrote them.
Digest: What did you enjoy about the writing process? What was difficult for you?
Scott: The most challenging aspect was organizing my life in concise chapters. I found formatting my story to be almost impossible as I don’t have the organizational skills to segment my life. My amazing collaborator, Dana Davis, does have those skills, and she did a beautiful job. I could not have done that on my own. She was also a great sounding board. She spent many hours with me at my home discussing, laughing and, yes, crying together. The most enjoyable aspect was reliving all the high points of my life so far!
Digest: I imagine revisiting the troubling aspects of your childhood was a challenge. What was it like for you to tell that part of your story?
Scott: Some of my upbringing was so bizarre that I worried that readers wouldn’t believe it. But then again, you can’t make this stuff up!
Digest: Were you worried about sharing as much as you did?
Scott: Again, the dark and the light must go together; otherwise, don’t write a book. But I also was hoping that I had the capacity to help others by revealing my adversities. That thought always nudged me along.
Digest: In terms of how you characterize your childhood, was acting and playing other roles a way out for you, both mentally and physically?
Scott: Definitely. I knew from a very young age that I was not living the life of a “normal” little girl. But having the opportunity to go to a soundstage and play the part of a normal little girl was such a respite for me.
Digest: Though you wound up doing some pretty amazing roles, do you ever think about how different your life may have been if you had been cast as Marta in The Sound of Music or Marcia in THE BRADY BUNCH? Scott: I actually don’t. I’m very much a fatalist and firmly believe that the path that life took/ takes me is where I was/am supposed to be. In fact, I felt this way even as a child. Hollywood kids are dealt with fast lessons about dealing with rejection. One learns very quickly that not getting a certain part has nothing to do with you personally. It could be something as simple as wrong height, eye color, hair color, etc. I always took these decisions in stride, knowing that tomorrow was another day and, hopefully, another interview!
Digest: How would you describe your life during those teen years when you weren’t working? Did you consider never returning to acting?
Scott: I spent those years working at my beloved Broadway Hollywood, selling women’s shoes, which I loved. I continued my piano studies and also enjoyed having my very first boyfriend, which, of course, was against my grandmother’s rules. I was quite the rebel.
Digest: Getting cast in Posse in 1975 seems to have been your re-entry and you never looked back. How did Posse help you find your true calling?
Scott: Talk about fate! It was absolute kismet that I answered the stockroom phone that I had been told by the department manager not to. As if years had not passed since my last interview, my childhood agent gave me the address for a new Kirk Douglas film. Incredibly, I got the part, small though it was, and that was the beginning of my relaunch into the only world that offered me true joy.
Digest: Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, John Wayne, Robin Williams … those are just a few of the many co-stars you have worked with over the years, not to mention incredible directors like Alfred Hitchcock and Brian de Palma. What does it mean to you that this is part of your showbiz history?
Scott: I am very blessed to have worked with so many legends. I learned so much from every one of them. I look back on these experiences fondly.
Digest: Prior to joining Y&R, what role was your favorite or most memorable?
Scott: Though every role is a memorable experience, I enjoyed my time on THE WALTONS immensely. They were a wonderful company, and I would never have left if not for Y&R!
Digest: You were up for a part in Animal House but didn’t take it because it required nudity. Any regrets?
Scott: None whatsoever!
Digest: You also discuss your battles with anxiety, panic disorder and agoraphobia. Is this something you felt you could have written about 20 or 30 years ago?
Scott: I don’t think I would have been ready to talk about any of that then. I needed to have the passage of time as a buffer. Plus, no one talked about these things until very recently. The stigma was too great, which scared off so many victims from speaking out. Thankfully, that is changing.
Digest: A fun soap tidbit is that you played Genie Francis’s Laura’s babysitter on GH. What do you remember about your GH experience?
Scott: I specifically remember wondering, “Who is this woman [Denise Alexander, ex- Lesley] who is now playing the mom? She looks completely different from the woman in curlers whom I did that morning’s camera rehearsals with!” I had never done a soap before and was clueless as to the format of “blocking” before “glamorizing” (ah, the wonders of hair and makeup!). All these years later, I’m sure many of our new, younger Y&R actors wonder the same thing about me!
Digest: There is a lot in the book for fans of Y&R, from anecdotes about your co-stars — certainly the Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla) story stands out — to meeting your husband, Edward Scott [then-Y&R Producer, now B&B Supervising Producer], and how people reacted to your coupling, and more. In revisiting your years on Y&R, getting hired, becoming a household name, did it give you a new perspective about how much the show has brought to your life?
Scott: Y&R impacted the course of my world in so many ways. It changed my life profoundly, not just in giving me a fabulous job, but without Y&R, I wouldn’t have met my husband or had my children, so I am greatly indebted to the late [Co-Creators] Bill and Lee Bell for entrusting me to play Nikki.
Digest: Your various interactions with mediums are quite remarkable. I was struck by how prescient they all were. Did you take the comments at face value at the time?
Scott: It seems that this question is more related to psychics than mediums. It often takes the passage of time for their words to come to fruition. I don’t hang on their predictions, waiting for things to happen. I just go about my life, and when their words suddenly come true, you are amazed at their gift all over again. A good medium can help you come to terms with a dearly departed, facilitating a session where your loved one communicates to you through the medium. I have been so fortunate to have sessions with some of the finest mediums in the world, primarily George Anderson, which I touch on in the book.
Digest: Did you show the book to your children before you sent it off to be published? How did they react to it?
Scott: Yes, I had the whole family read the more sensitive chapters in advance so that if any of them were uncomfortable with me revealing certain things, I would have, of course, honored their request. As hard as it was for them to read certain passages, they were unanimous in my decision to include them.
Digest: What do you hope is the readers’ take-away from your story?
Scott: First of all, I’d like them to discover that there is always hope. I would also love for them to feel encouragement and know that everyone can emerge from the darkness to the light. Happiness is possible for all of us. It takes longer for some of us than for others, we just need to stay determined. And focused. Happiness is worth fighting for. I am rooting for them.
