Y&R Exclusive: Beth Maitland Says Traci Will Be ‘More Cautious’ In Her Next Romance
Beth Maitland is able to look on the bright side about the heartbreak that just befell her Young and Restless alter ego, Traci Abbott, who discovered that the man she was poised to marry was not who she thought he was (upstanding psychiatrist Alan Laurent), but rather Alan’s psychotic twin, Martin. For one thing, it allows her character to join her siblings, Ashley and Jack, on the distinguished list of Genoa City residents who’ve been deceived by an evil look-alike. As longtime viewers will recall, Ashley was at one point unwittingly shacked up with Rick Bladeson, who had taken over the life of his identical twin, Ash’s then-husband, Alexander “Blade” Bladeson, while Jack’s lover, Emily Peterson, was, for a time, impersonated by Patty Williams, who underwent a surgical makeover in order to pose as Em.
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“Honestly, there’s nowhere else but daytime where these kinds of stories get to be played,” Maitland chuckles. “We all joke about how many last names [our characters] have from all of our marriages and divorces, but how many people can actually say, ‘Oh, yeah, I did that story with the evil twin.’ And some of us get to say it twice [laughs]! It’s only in daytime where this kind of thing gets to happen and it’s so much fun. It’s these amplified, amazing moments that never happen — but do, on our show! This is daytime drama and you’re gonna have some evil twins down the road somewhere, so you have to just agree to it.”
Martin’s exposure and arrest means that Traci is once again returning to the single life. As for the kind of suitor the actress hopes will come into Traci’s orbit next, she muses, “I think that all of the actual courtly stuff that we watched happened between Traci and Alan was so romantic and beautiful and so exact to [what people want from] their partners. They want to be cared for, they want to be considered, they want to be flattered, and all of those things happened for Traci with Alan. That part, I would love to see for her again.”
Of course, Traci is quite likely to be more protective of her heart than ever, having been burned so badly in her latest romance. “After this, she’s certainly going to be more cautious and she’s going to be suspicious and it might be really hard for her to be willing to trust again,” Maitland nods. “So the man that I hope comes for Traci down the line is someone who has their own life, their own confidence, and some life experience — even if it’s tragic — so that it would be two equals entering a relationship built on their history. Not their history together, but separately, making them strong, independent individuals that come together in a beautiful way that adds to both of their stories and that is mutually supportive. If we get to have a perfect end for Traci in the romantic area, it would be with a man who is already complete, the way Traci is, having lived through all of the things that on our life journey inform us and make us who we are. The tragedy, the triumph, the accomplishments, the loss, the devastation, the failure; all of that ends up making us someone valuable and whole. Every husband and partner that Traci has had was fantastic in so many different ways — Danny Romalotti, Brad Carlton, Steve [Connelly], her publisher… They were all these great, gorgeous men, but also great characters and great guys for Traci. We need another awesome, complete whole person, great guy for Traci.”
With the benefit of hindsight, Maitland points out that Alan perhaps didn’t check as many boxes as Traci gave him credit for. “Alan was never married before. Alan had this kooky evil twin,” she lists off. “There were some warning signs that everybody overlooked and Traci looked away [from]: that he had never been in a long-term relationship, that everything happened really fast. There were things about that that maybe should have tweaked her [as] red flags. However, the desire in us all to be loved overwhelms all of that.
Above all, Maitland agrees that getting a thorough background check done on the next guy who wants to woo Traci is a non-negotiable. “I think in the aftermath of [this ordeal with Martin], she blames herself and kicks herself for not being more eager to do a background check, so yeah, we’ll hire a detective if we have to. We can’t let Traci go through this again!”
So Happy Together: For a time, Traci found her Mr. Right in Brad Carlton (Don Diamont).
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