LeBlanc’s Long Y&R Road
Christian J. LeBlanc: Hello. I’m waiting to be asked a spelling word…It was so nice to take the pressure off of [Greg Rikaart (Kevin, Y&R)]. He deserves it. He’s amazing. And they made me look good. The joke was that the tape I picked was one of him being unconscious because I didn’t want to be upstaged. I told him his best moments are silent.
Question: It sounded like you didn’t get to thank everyone you wanted to thank.
LeBlanc: I got played off. Actually, it was just me. They were fine. I had just leaned over to Michelle, who had my hand, and we were leaning and her mother was leaning, and I just said to Paulette, Michelle Stafford’s mother, “I have nothing. This is the worst part of it. I have nothing to say. After knowing my dad was in the audience, I had nothing.” I think I did mention the 59th Street subway station, so I was reaching. They probably did me a big favor playing. I’m still not quite sure what I said, but I know I thanked the three people I wanted to definitely do, which was my mom and my dad and William [Bell], the creator of my character. It’s just the thank yous are so big. They are. And it’s so interesting. This is the first time I’ve been out there, and then you get it. You get why people start rambling down that list of thank yous because it’s so not about you and the award, it’s about the journey. There were so many to thank, but my mother passed away two years (ago), and I see the Emmys every year through her eyes because she just had a good — just a great time. My dad is right there, front and center in the front row, and it’s for her. I remember sitting there one year, and there’s Aretha [Franklin] singing and THE VIEW and BLUES CLUES got it. I see it, it’s like taking a child to Disney World. You get a whole new viewpoint. It’s like, “Oh yes, that’s right, it is cool.” So yeah, I never lose that. I sit there, and I think, there was my father sitting next to Barbara Walters and there was all of these amazing actors that I’ve run into over the years, so yeah, I have more people to thank, but I do that every day. I really do. I walk through that front door with a big smile on my face, and it never leaves me. I’ve been unemployed just long enough to love that.
Question: Was it scary to switch categories? I mean obviously, it worked.
LeBlanc: Part of it was because I’ve only been nominated and never won before, there wasn’t kind of like, “Well, I won in this one, what the hell. I’ll go to Best Actor so they give me something.” You know, it’s not working. I think there was a point on the show where I wanted to be thought of a certain way, and I really was given such amazing work this year. It is a lot about how you feel about the stuff. I was given all this amazing stuff with Greg and Joan Van Ark (ex-Gloria); I had a mother. I came on, and I was only supposed to be on for two years, just like Greg, and they finagled some kind of wonderful way to keep me. That was ’91, so — it’s a jump, but it’s often a game. That’s my general [belief] about the whole thing, it’s a game. Now, if you’ve ever seen me on FAMILY FEUD or THE PYRAMID, I probably should never be allowed to play games, but if it is a game, the good thing about this is if you win, celebrate, it’s wonderful, if you lose, it was a game, and somebody won, and it’s still a party afterwards. You have to enjoy it. And if you don’t, don’t show up. We’re taught to [downplay] so many things and not to have, “Don’t celebrate to much, play it down.” This is a tough business, you all. This is a tough business. Life’s tough sometimes. Have a party, whatever excuse you need, have one.
Question: On top of all of your great Y&R work, you also got to do a quick little crossover to AS THE WORLD TURNS where you got started. Can you talk a little bit about that?
LeBlanc: That was so much fun. Michael Park (Jack, ATWT) and I keep going, “Well, we kind of laughed, was that the count? And we laughed all the way through to ‘cut.’ Are you sure you want that one?” We had the best time. It’s funny because I was never in Brooklyn, and I just saw Eileen last night, I didn’t get to see her, my mother, Eileen Fulton (Lisa) played my stepmother. It was the best fun. (Executive producer) Chris Goutman — they could not have made me feel more welcome. They’ve got that. It reminded me of a school building, when you walk up and down those aisles, I’ve never seen so many people in basic black on the street. It’s like, “We’re going to Jerusalem Deli tomorrow, and we’re going to have hummus today.” And then it’s like, “What else do you guys eat?” “Nothing.” That’s what they eat. It was the most amazing time. Michael Park, Maura West (Carly), Kin Shriner (Keith), all these guys. I used to have a real prejudice to Y&R because it’s the show I know, that we have the most amazing actors and we have the most amazing everything, and we do have amazing stuff, but I started TiVo-ing AS THE WORLD TURNS to start catching up because there’s a lot of names. You had to go, and there’s a lawyer like, “Buh buh buh, okay you go here, you go here, you go here.” You have to make it real. I realized what an amazing group of actors you have here at the Emmys I kid you not. I wasn’t too keen on, “We’re the best, don’t tell me otherwise.” AS THE WORLD TURNS got in line, when they gave that award, now I know I’m in knowledgeable taste when they gave that to Ricky Paull Goldin (Gus, GL), him and Beth [Ehlers] (Harley, GL) are amazing, they’re an amazing couple. And when I see Mark Collier (Mike, ATWT) and Michael Park and Maura, it’s really some intensely good people out there. Now I’m even prouder to bring one home. It’s like they don’t just schlock. If you’re going to go out there, they’re the best.
Question: What’s next for Michael?
LeBlanc: What’s next for Michael Baldwin? Hmm…there’s a lot of stuff coming up. You know Roscoe Born’s (Tom) come on as my stepfather. There’s more family drama with that too. I think it’s a great storyline. I have no desire to play any other character. They always ask you that question, and it’s Michael Baldwin. You kind of watch your back to see if you are getting bored, you need to jump, you need to go, because you don’t want to be bitter and stay. And I’ve never, it surprises me every day.
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