COURTESY OF J.EDDIE PECK
When you were asked to come back to the show, did you have any idea that it would be for such a huge, far-reaching story? “I had no idea. As a matter of fact, a friend said, ‘When you first mentioned this, I thought it might be a day or two. You’re still there?’ [Chuckles] Initially, it was supposed to be a day or two. I’m sure [the writers] had some thoughts [about expanding Cole’s presence] but I didn’t know just how much Cole was included. I’ve never asked! I did not know what lie ahead as far as the storyline, but what I love so much about the storyline is the spinoffs that have come from Jordan and Claire and Cole coming back, certainly with Nikki’s story spinning off as a result of this, this kind of cascading story that happens. I love that! When I see that, it just makes me really think that Josh [Griffith, executive producer/head writer] and the others are really looking at this story and really at how things affect people in real life. There are so many repercussions of things that happen when catastrophic things come into play within people’s lives. The way they have done this has really been cool, and there’s so much they can do with it. No doubt about it, I’m the happiest person in that [studio] building.”
When Cole was first hit with the idea that Claire could be his daughter, do you think he wanted it to be true, or do you think he was hoping it wasn’t true? “The way I really see Cole is that he wanted a child, and certainly this child with Victoria, so badly that he would take the guilt and the repercussions that came along with that. There was never a time, through all of the turmoil in the beginning, did I ever think that Cole wished that he had not helped bring his child into the world. Feeling responsible? Yes. Feeling guilty? Yes. There is a lot of guilt there, as you have seen, a lot of guilt and regret and questions from both Cole and Victoria, as to how this happened [that Jordan managed to steal the baby]. Even though Cole wasn’t responsible at all, he was a complete victim to Jordan’s scheme. I still think that he feels as though he has to take on some of the responsibility and blame for this. This is the way he deals with it: ‘I should’ve been there. There’s something I missed. I should have never taken my eyes off that maternity ward.’ Never has he wished, ‘I hope this is not my daughter, this evil, horrible person.’ I think that both Cole and Victoria believe that [with] the combination of the two of them, there has to be goodness in this child. She was a victim, too; she was manipulated. Cole never had a shadow of a doubt about his commitment to aiding her and having the belief that she could eventually overcome this.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Parent Trap: Cole feels an incredible amount of guilt that he wasn’t able to protect a newborn Claire (Hayley Erin) from being taken from him and Victoria (Amelia Heinle).
Tell me about working with Hayley Erin (Claire). “Hayley is wonderful to work with. I really enjoy our scenes one-on-one. When Cole has the opportunity to really look into her eyes and connect with Claire, there is just so much there, and so much potential there. I love one-on-one scenes; I think probably most actors do. And I really treasure that I have had with Hayley one-on-one [scenes]. I think they have the potential to solidify that connection for the audience, and I’ve noticed that the audience has really responded to those scenes. I think the challenge for Hayley has been that when you have a character whose emotional growth has been stunted as much as [Claire’s] has because of the isolation, the control, the [independence] she has not been able to have, and yet, the character is still intelligent, she’s well-spoken…there’s a fine line there. Hayley has to play that vulnerability, which she does, and [also show] that the character is growing and maturing. I think how she has done this has been really remarkable. Hayley is such a bright, articulate person and she has managed the challenge of [this character] really well.”
Cole and Victor had a sit-down a while back that I enjoyed watching. What has it been like to work with Eric Braeden (Victor) again? “Wonderful, just wonderful. That was one of those scenes where I just did not want to forget the history of our [characters’] relationship. That relationship fell a long way, from initially believing he was my mentor and friend, to, ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s the deceptive father who tried to squash me.’ You know what I mean? Cole and Victor had a lot of different turns, but ultimately, when he was my father-in-law, he welcomed me into the family, and they had a really wonderful relationship. So, in that scene, I didn’t want to forget any of that — but at the same time, Cole has to protect Claire. And then the third dynamic there is that [Cole] understands that Victor is wanting to protect his daughter, and he’s putting that ahead of his relationship and history with Cole. I tried not to let Cole take that too personally because he understands Victor’s objective is taking care of his daughter and managing this granddaughter that he’s not 100 percent sure is safe to bring in and around his family. And yet at the same time, he’s trying to help Victoria and Cole to get Claire the help that she needs, and he also has to protect his wife from this evil Jordan — so, Victor is dealing with a lot of things. Cole truly respects Victor. He was the father that Cole never had, and Cole never forgot that. He loves Victor in his own way. Cole is loyal to the people that he cares about, and he doesn’t forget that history.”
Cole also got to share a nice reunion with Ashley — until Victoria showed up and the interaction between his two ex-wives immediately got a little frosty. “Oh, I loved that! And it was beautifully played by both actresses [Eileen Davidson, Ashley, and Amelia Heinle, Victoria]. It was truly two [characters] remembering their history together and then mixing in their history together with Cole. They have their own set of issues but now we’re throwing Cole back in the mix. Yeah, neither one of them are in a relationship with Cole now, but their personalities came out with both characters. I thought it was wonderful!”
