You had a short break from B&B. What excited you about returning to work and picking Ridge’s storyline back up? “It was fun coming back. I think some people didn’t know I was gone [laughs], but it was nice to take some time off and see his story has totally gone in a new direction.”
What did you do in your time away? “As a family, we traveled. We spent time in Europe. I got some things done around the house. I got to spend time with my daughters and my wife and my dogs and our hedgehog, and just be here. It was very important, and it reminded me I’ve got to be home more.”
Upon your return, did you feel rusty when it came to memorization? “Learning lines has always been pretty easy to me, and I may not always know my lines correctly, but I know what I’m trying to say so if a word changes or you find a better one, this medium more than anything else is about listening.”
Who did you miss the most? “John McCook [Eric], hands down. I talk to John every week about everything because that’s just who he is. We always have a beer after work and talk about the important things like family and life and [Detroit] Red Wings.”
What did you think of the news that the show hired a new Ridge, Jr.? “I got to read with Joshua [Hoffman, Ridge, Jr.] and I think he’s going to fit in really well, not only because he’s a good actor but knows what he’s stepping into. He was respectful and he respected not just the people in the room but the text. I think it’s going to work out just fine. I’m looking forward to working with him. In fact, when we did our scenes together, I changed things just to see if he would listen. He did, and he came back. It’s fun to play tennis with someone like that.”
What are you looking forward to about diving back into the wonderful world of Ridge Forrester? “With everything that has gone on, and seeing the women in his life moving on, I look forward to seeing him move on, as well. Yes, somebody else. Usually in a relationship, if somebody thinks it’s really bad, the other person probably thinks that too; very rarely does one person say, ‘Hey, we’re going to walk away because this isn’t working,’ and the other person goes, ‘Really? Because I thought it was perfect. I don’t think it was perfect.’ For Ridge, it would be awesome to start with somebody else. Who knows? Maybe he’s going to find his cell phone and see if Shauna’s number is still in it. I like Denise [Richards, Shauna]. She’s a good lady. She was great with everybody and she fit in so well. I think that might be nice.”
