Next year will mark 10 years of you playing Ridge on B&B. How would you say your character has most changed since you began playing him? “Are you sure it’s 10? I saw pictures of us when I first started and I see pictures of myself now and I think Ridge looks like he’s 20 years older, so good luck to whichever woman he chooses. But to answer your question, I do think as he gets older, family means so much more to him than maybe it did when he was younger.”
What do you like most about your character? “He is dressed in Armani all day.”
What don’t you like about your character? “Whenever he is not dressed in Armani all day.”
What do you consider Ridge’s greatest strength? “He can love multiple women at the same time.”
What do you consider Ridge’s greatest weakness? “That he can love multiple women at the same time.”
Considering his marital history, do you think Ridge is too impulsive for his own good? “It may seem that way but I don’t think so. I actually think that quality has served him well over the years. When he married Caroline [in 2015] it seemed impulsive, and it was, but when it was good, it was good. If you have a quick start, sometimes you finish first and sometimes you get disqualified. That’s just the way the game goes. But I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
What family member is your character closest to? “Oh, his dad, hands down. This, of course, may reflect how I feel about John McCook [Eric] because we also have a bond in real life, but these guys on screen are equals and they have the utmost respect for one another. What Ridge feels for Eric is exactly how I feel about John. When Ridge grows up, he can only hope to be as good a man as his father.”
What was your most emotional storyline? “Well, it’s always better not to fall for your stepmother. That was such a betrayal on Ridge’s part but their father/son love was strong enough that they could work their way past it, and look around now, Quinn is nowhere to be seen so maybe in a way, Ridge did him a favor. And if it wasn’t Ridge, it would have been Carter, which it ended up being, so there you have it.”
Who would you say is your character’s best friend? “Carter, for sure. I really like Lawrence [Saint-Victor, Carter]. He takes his stuff very seriously. He also writes for the show so he has a lot invested in this, and it shows. It shows in the way he approaches his work. He is always committed. He’s always there and best of all, I really like him as a person. He’s just a good guy.”
Who is your character’s greatest rival? “Don Diamont [Bill] told me to say Bill.”
Is he one of your favorite on-screen fighting partners, as well? “Oh, yeah. Those are always fun to shoot.”
Who is the love of your character’s life and who is the one that got away? “Brooke and Taylor could be each of those. It’s funny you should ask that now with what’s going on in the story. I think that question will someday be the last chapter of this book.”
Who is the person your character turns to for advice? “Eric, 100 percent. He is the most stable character on the show. He’s very wise and that silver hair helps him, for sure. Eric is selfless. I can’t tell you how happy I am when I get scenes to play with John. On top of that, I can’t tell you how happy I am that his work was recognized [when McCook won his first Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor earlier this year]. He’s not just a best actor. It’s so much more than that. It’s not just who’s the best athlete on the team. It’s about which athlete makes the team better, and that’s what John does. He doesn’t steal scenes. He’s the guy who centers the scene and makes everyone else better, and that’s why he got the Emmy.”
How do you imagine Ridge spends his downtime? “I think he likes a good bourbon.”
What was your favorite drunk scene to play? “I don’t remember this guy being drunk ever. I don’t know what you are talking about.”
What character would you like to see Ridge have a story with? “I think I’ve worked with pretty much everybody in the cast but if R.J. came back, the father/son dynamic is always fun to explore, especially when the kid has something on the line. With everything going on with Brooke and Ridge right now, it would be interesting to see the kid’s take on things.”
If your character could go back in time and change one decision he made, what would it be? “I think I’d rather change some of Thorsten’s decisions [laughs]. But when it comes to Ridge, he has been involved with many women during the time I have played him. As you said, it’s not even been 10 years and he’s been involved with Brooke, Taylor, Katie, Quinn, Shauna and Caroline. Did I miss anyone? For a guy who’s all about family, he does get around.”
Do you have a favorite Ridge storyline? “I’ve got to tell you, the Caroline story is still one of my favorites. I wish Ridge’s relationship with Douglas went a little deeper, and it still may. Who knows? That may come up again. He wanted to raise this kid as his own so there’s a lot that could be mined there.”
You do have great chemistry with Henry Joseph Samiri (Douglas). “He’s a very good actor. I can’t wait to see where he’ll be in 20 years.”
What are the most memorable highs and lows you’ve played as Ridge? “Wow, there have actually been many of both of those times. I think for Ridge, one of the happiest was seeing Steffy come back from the brink, between the pills and the shooting…. That has got to be one of the happiest moments of any parent’s life, to see their kid come out of that darkness, but also it was the worst time for him because he wasn’t there to protect her, and those two things go hand in hand.”
What question do you get asked most often from fans about your character? “ ‘Why?’ It doesn’t matter the circumstances but it’s, ‘Why did you do this?’ ‘Why wouldn’t you do that?’ It always comes down to ‘Why?’ ”
What storyline are you most proud of? “Besides the Eric/Ridge separation, I think one of the best stories B&B has told, which Ridge wasn’t a big part of but he was still there for, was with Karla Mosley [ex-Maya] and the story she had with Rick [when Maya was revealed as transgender in 2015]. I loved that. Karla was so good in that. It got a lot of attention and at the heart of it, it really was a great love story.”
What is something Ridge hasn’t done that you would like to see your character do? “Quit Forrester Creations and do something totally on his own and totally out of character.”
What has been the best thing about playing your character? “Any job can become a job after a while. I don’t care how you do it. The best thing about this show is the people we get to surround ourselves with every single day. Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] runs a great ship. There are a terrific bunch of people who work here and I think that whenever my day comes, I’m going to walk away a better person for being here.”
