Actor Roundup

Brandon Barash (Jake, DAYS) “I would say John Aniston [Victor], when I sat down and had scenes with him for the first time. He’s got a presence to him. He kind of grumbled his lines, and you think that’s what he’s going to be like in person. But he’s a total sweetheart.”

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood (Steffy, B&B) “Susan [Flannery, Stephanie, r.]. She had such a strong presence and was such a perfectionist with her craft. But, that feeling didn’t last long. We connected quickly. Susan was a wonderful mentor. My character is, after all, her character’s namesake  so obviously, her favorite!”

Avery Pohl (Esme, GH) “Ms. Genie Francis [Laura], at first, because she is the queen, but you spend four seconds with her and you realize what an amazing, kind soul she is and that she doesn’t have an intimidating bone in her body. My follow-up is probably Maurice [Benard, Sonny], because he plays a very intimidating character. He is also such a softie — he’s only intimidating at first glance!”

Beth Maitland (Traci, Y&R) “Eric Braeden [Victor]! His persona was so larger than life, and I barely ever worked with him, so I didn’t see his sense of humor and personality till much later.  I was impressed and intimidated by his personal presence and remoteness. It turns out, he has been one of my greatest advocates and has become a lovely friend and colleague. He has a wicked sense of fun and a very caring concern for me and many of his other castmates.”

Amelia Heinle (Victoria, Y&R) “Eric [Braeden], but only because everyone told me to be intimidated by him. It didn’t take long to discover that he’s the sweetest guy and we’re very close. We constantly talk on the phone and he always has the best advice for me. He really is like a dad to me.”

Matthew Atkinson (Thomas, B&B) “Everyone. I was both fortunate and unfortunate that my first scenes were with practically the entire cast [after Caroline died]. I had to walk in and give a speech and cry in front of everyone. It was like your worst nightmare written down on a piece of paper but, I got it all out of the way at once.”

Donielle Artese (Beth, DAYS) “Jackée [Harry, Paulina]. I was a little nervous. Oh, my God! I’m in a scene with Jackée. She’s a little bit legendary and was someone I’d grown up watching.”

Lynn Herring (Lucy, GH) “The whole ensemble. Honestly, I was intimidated by everyone. In those years, GH had some of the best actors anywhere — daytime, nighttime — and I was joining a team that was extremely heralded. I wanted to be as good as they were and I didn’t want to let anyone down.”