Who was Jack’s professional mentor? “Absolutely John Abbott. Jack learned a lot from Harvard Business School, so he’s a very educated guy, but what he learned from his father shaped his whole life and career. It took Jack a long time to learn this.”
What did Jack want to emulate about his dad as a businessman? “The fact that you could trust John Abbott without question. He was a man of his word. Always. That was his stock-in-trade but that’s not the first thing Jack recognized — or the second or the third. It took Jack a long while to learn that and put it into practice. Jack is still perfecting that.”
What do you think of Jack’s business attire? “I’m a great believer that Jack should always look like a successful businessman and the wardrobe people have done a wonderful job with that. Jack doesn’t just work at Jabot; he represents Jabot. Jabot is a company of cosmetics, fashion, flair, trends, the classics and lifestyle, so how Jack dresses is very conscious and careful. The wardrobe department determined that and I agree with them. You don’t see Jack hanging out at the coffeehouse in jeans. Some people lament that. For as long as I’ve played Jack, people have asked, ‘Does Jack sleep in a suit?’ I always say, ‘Yes, and he always showers in a suit.’ ”
Would you like to see Jack’s wardrobe loosen up? “Between boarding schools, the country club and showing up at events with his dad, Jack grew up wearing ties. While a lot of men feel like they’re choking in a tie, wearing one is second nature to Jack. Going on the wild side is when Jack takes his tie off. That’s him loosening up.”
Do you ever struggle with the corporate jargon? “Oh, yes! To my great fortune, the worst of it isn’t as bad as the easiest at playing a doctor [ex-Cliff, ALL MY CHILDREN]. I did that for 10 years and it was crazy. ‘This is diabetic retinopathy, sir.’ Give me the business talk any day. You’ll never hear me complain about professional jargon because I played a doctor.”
What do you consider Jack’s biggest accomplishment in business? “It has nothing to do with profits or successful product launches. For Jack, getting Jabot, the family company, back from Victor Newman in a way that it can’t ever be legally challenged again is his biggest accomplishment. Jabot will always be the Abbott family company. Yes, there are shareholders and a board of directors, but it’s a family company, through and through. He saw what losing the company did to his father and Jack was prepared to die to get it back. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.”
How would you fare in the corporate world? “Not well. The one thing I try to bring to Jack is that leadership matters. It’s not, ‘Oh, he has that fancy office.’ The way Jack carries himself, talks to others and treats everyone at work, you know he’s the leader of the company. Do I know enough to be a leader in the corporate world? No, but I do have a clear idea why companies with strong leaders do better.”
How would you rate Jack as a boss? “Today, I would say he’s an excellent boss but as recently as 10 years ago, his authority was too easily challenged. He didn’t trust his natural leadership ability to the extent that he does today. Part of sharing leadership with his son is learning all over again the qualities a good CEO has because he has to pass that on to Kyle. As Jack is teaching Kyle how a smart businessman handles things, Jack has to look at himself with every one of them. As Jack has helped Kyle, Kyle has helped Jack.”
Do you think Jack regrets firing his nephew, Theo, for being unscrupulous? “Yes, but one thing Jack has learned over time is, you can go to great lengths to help someone, but if they don’t want to be helped, that’s a recipe for disaster. He learned that all over again with Theo, who received nothing but love and support from Jack, but his nephew tested that over and over again. At some point, you have to say, ‘This isn’t helping the company or the family.’ It’s sad for Jack that it worked out that way but he doesn’t regret his decisions.”
If the writers asked you to choose a new career for Jack, what would that be? “Something I personally love, and it’s the same answer when people ask, ‘If you weren’t an actor what career would you choose?’ and that would be as an architect. I admire that field so much and it’s such a fantastic world filled with big decisions and permanent results.”
What is Jack’s strength as a businessman? “He is comfortable with who he is, he doesn’t need to prove himself to anyone anymore, so therefore, his ego does not get in his way. I think that’s a valuable thing in a chief executive.”
What about his biggest weakness? “Always family. There are times when it’s appropriate to tell someone in the family, ‘This is a business with shareholders and we have to look out for them,’ but Jack’s heart won’t go there. He’ll always protect his family, which is why it was difficult when Billy was at Jabot. Everything said, ‘You’ve got to get rid of this loose cannon in your company,’ and Jack couldn’t bring himself to do it.”
