JPI
How do you feel about the changes Nate has been going through lately, both personally and professionally? “I actually enjoy them even though I miss working with Amelia [Heinle, Victoria].”
Nate feels he was screwed over by the Newmans when Victor accused him of trying to take control of Newman Enterprises. Do you also feel that your character was short-shrifted? “I don’t know if Victor did it deliberately just to try to unite his family, but it was straight-up uncalled for. And Nikki, right away, was like, ‘Are you gonna quit? Are you gonna resign?’ Nate had so much respect and admiration — and he still does — for Victor’s business acumen and looked up at him as a father figure and mentor, so [Victor looking at Nate as the enemy] was a huge blow to Nate. That all went down quickly and I would love if they wrote a little bit more on that, as far as how Nate is dealing with being betrayed.”
Nate had really helped out the Newmans in the past, even putting his medical career on the line. Do you feel that Nate had already proven his loyalty? “One thousand percent, but it’s the Chancellor-Winters thing that’s still a dreary cloud hanging over Nate’s head. I’m sure Victor and Nick were thinking, ‘If he could do that to his own family, he can easily do it to us.’ But Nate is still a man of medicine, and he was only thinking of Victor’s well-being when he pretending to show the early signs of Alzheimer’s. Nate was a victim of Victor’s charade.”
What does it mean to Nate that his family was willing to forgive him and bring him back into the Chancellor-Winters fold? “He’s very grateful to be back. It was a huge stroke to his ego, being a top-tier surgeon and getting into the business world, having a falling out with Chancellor-Winters and then climbing up the ladder quickly at Newman Enterprises, doing great there and working side by side with the CEO. Then it was a huge drop going back to Chancellor-Winters, but it took Nate experiencing the Newmans to realize he has to, in some way, put family over everything as well. And if he has to start at the bottom and climb his way up to show his family that he’s fully on board, then I believe he’s willing to do that. In the back of his mind, he’s still like, ‘I should be somewhere else.’ But he’s going to swallow his pride and take it step by step.”
How do you like working with Veronica Redd (Mamie)? “In my first scene with Veronica, she really felt like an auntie to me. I love working with her. There’s something very familial about her. Nate gives Mamie more honor and respect than anyone else. I don’t know if fans can see it, so I hope I did that justice. Nate genuinely loves his great aunt and would never call her out the way he calls out Devon. Nate thinks it’s very important to show the respect Mamie deserves, especially when she went to bat for him. Still, I’m sure there’s gonna be a little bit of conflict, but that’s to be expected. It’s fun working with Veronica.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Familial Territory: Dominic is thrilled to share Genoa City DNA with Veronica Redd (Mamie).
How do you like sharing scenes with the C-W crew again? “I love it, because Christel [Khalil, Lily] and Bryton [James, Devon] were the first ones I originally started working with, so I really missed them. I was away from them for so long. It’s fun catching up with everyone, like Jess [Walton, Jill] and Jason [Thompson, Billy] and getting to work with Conner [Floyd, Chance].”
The C-W workforce is at a point where it’s pretty evenly stacked, with Devon, Lily and Nate on the Winters side, while Jill has recruited Billy and Chance to represent the Chancellors. “I told [Executive Producer/Head Writer] Josh Griffith that whatever is happening looks like it’s about to be fun. Nate seems to be more appreciated by his family this time around. I wonder how long that’ll last.”
It’s been a while since Nate pivoted from medicine to the corporate world. Do you think he misses being a doctor? “Oh, one hundred percent. He enjoys the challenge of the corporate life, but he misses being the top-dog surgeon. If his hand was magically healed so he could operate again and he reached the pinnacle of success in business, he’d at least think about going back to medicine, but I think there are things he still wants to achieve in business.”
You shared a beautiful scene with Ameila recently when Victoria revealed Claire’s existence to Nate. It was clear there was still a lot of love between them. Do you think there’s still a chance for Nate and Victoria to get back together down the line? “Absolutely. They didn’t break up because they fell out of love. It was pretty much about her taking her family’s side and not sticking up for him. But I really loved that scene [talking about Claire]. It showed that Nate could still be there for Victoria even though he feels like he has to move on from her. I don’t even know if Nate thinks he did the right thing with breaking up with her, but he needed to get away from Victor and Nikki for a while. I do miss Amelia’s silly side. We’re like two of a kind with the silliness.”
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
The One That Got Away: Dominic wouldn’t rule out a Nate/Victoria reunion.
Do you think that another relationship with Elena is possible? She truly loved Nate and always had his back. “I think that would be more on her. He can beg and plead for another chance, but the last time they talked, Elena told him to stay the hell away from her. I think she would enjoy saying ‘I told you so’ — in a loving way.”
