Don Diamont reflects on some of his most memorable storylines as B&B’s Bill

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, 2009 Bill’s surprise romance with Katie led to love. What did you think upon learning you’d be paired with your former Y&R co-star, Heather Tom (Katie; ex-Victoria, Y&R)? “I loved that story. Bill was this powerful businessman who didn’t have time for anyone in his life, let alone allow himself to actually care for someone else. At the same time, Bill was able to give Katie confidence, which was something she really needed. Together, they just meshed.” What was your favorite part of their courtship? “He hardened her edges and she softened his. He brought her out of her shell and made her see herself as the dynamic woman that she had become. He saw that she really sold herself short and that she pulled up the rear when it came to her sisters. Bill saw her completely differently than that. She, on the other hand, really soothed Bill’s misogynistic demeanor, and she brought out a vulnerability in Bill that didn’t exist in him prior.” Do you think having worked with Heather on Y&R, when you were Brad and she was Victoria, added to your chemistry as Bill and Katie? “For sure. Heather and I always got along well. When she left Y&R [in 2003], I followed her in New York [as ONE LIFE TO LIVE’s Kelly] and would text her periodically while she was there. I was a great admirer of hers from day one when she showed up at Y&R [in 1990], and hearing that she reached out to Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] regarding me coming to B&B and she said, ‘I want Don Diamont,’ I was extremely flattered, because she’s such an exceptional talent. So, I was both professionally and personally touched by Heather’s desire to work with me. At Y&R, we had kind of flirted with it but they never really explored us working together. When that came to fruition on B&B, I couldn’t have been more thrilled.” Bill and Katie had a long run in terms of soap time. “I think that speaks toward the writing and the acting and the spark that’s there. I think we’ve done some terrific work together because we really do enjoy each other.”

MY THREE SONS, 2010-13 Bill learned he had two grown sons, and he had a third with Katie. How was playing those paternal revelations? “Knowing Bill had a son in Liam in the first place [in 2010] was a shocker in many ways. It was not just the surprise of that news, but Bill never saw his life going in that direction. Then, trying to process that, he learned that they were like oil and water. It was frustrating for him in the beginning, but Bill eventually grew to respect Liam and his sensibilities, and maybe that opened up Bill’s thought process. Liam’s very different sensibilities made Bill see something that he otherwise wouldn’t have seen, and that really altered his perspective in many ways.” What stands out now about the 2012 story when Katie gave birth to Will? “That was a very emotional story, because Katie was willing to risk her life, due to her own health conditions, to have this child. She nearly died giving birth and leading up to that, Bill wasn’t willing to risk his wife’s life, but Katie had faith and in the end, she was right, and Bill couldn’t have been happier or felt more blessed. There were some really touching beats in that storyline, which, of course, led to Katie’s postpartum story, which set so many other things in motion.” After Will’s birth, then came Wyatt in 2013. “Yes, that was very different than Bill finding out about Liam. Bill saw a bit more of himself in Wyatt, and that made it initially more copacetic. But that also ended up presenting its own share of challenges, as well. They did butt heads every now and then, especially over his mother, Quinn, but that also made for some memorable father/son scenes.”

“STILL” WATERS RUN DEEP, 2011-17 Bill and Steffy shared a serious flirtation while he was married to Katie. Describe that initial affair of the heart. “If you go back and look at montages that the ‘Still’ fans have put together, with Bill and Steffy from that first go-round, it was more than just sharing kisses. That was truly an intense and passionate relationship. You them consummate their relationship, but yes, it was intense. What might have started out as a flirtatious manipulation on Steffy’s part really turned into a heavy-duty love relationship. Steffy wanted Bill to leave Katie. She wanted to marry him, and Bill felt the same way about her — and he was actually going to do it. But then, Katie’s heart attack happened and Bill just could not reconcile leaving Katie under those circumstances. Yes, he had a genuine love for Katie, but the feelings he had for Steffy at that time overrode those feelings. Had it not been for Katie’s health issues, Bill almost certainly would have married Steffy. Remember the diamond encrusted sword necklace he had made for Steffy? That was a symbol of how much she meant to him.” Years later, in 2017, Bill and Steffy became hotter and heavier than ever, and finally consummated their simmering attraction. “Coming back around to that all those years later, it really became a vehicle for something else. Again, it was real and passionate, and as Bill had said during that storyline, he’s very good at compartmentalizing, and he did that very thing with Steffy over the years because of Liam. He just wouldn’t go there. But then, as things were failing between her and Liam, it just opened those floodgates and Bill and Steffy were off to the races again, ending up with them in bed together.” Many fans still speculate that despite the paternity test, Bill could turn out to be Kelly’s father. What do you think? “I have no idea, but we talked about this before. I think there is a lot more story there to mine, as opposed to it being just a vehicle for other story, so yes, I think there is a lot there.”

HER SISTER’S KEEPER, 2013-16 Bill and Brooke’s affair was way more than just a fling. It was a genuine love story.“There is so much to that because it was motivated by an undeniable chemistry that Bill and Brooke shared. Brooke brought out a bit more of Bill’s darker side. She definitely brought out his, ‘Take no prisoners. Win at all costs,’ mentality.” Katie’s postpartum first brought them together, but why do you think it was inevitable that Bill and Brooke fell in love? “Katie was trying to rein Bill in and she was holding those reins a little too tight. Bill pushed back against that, and Brooke was there. Katie had her postpartum issues, and the second time around, her drinking issues, and it all fed into that. Bill and Brooke tried for the longest time to keep their feelings at bay but Katie almost pushing them together gave them a pass, a freedom to explore those repressed feelings. Brooke let the stallion run free [laughs]. You can’t hold the reins on the stallion too tight.” You’re right that there was a lot of story there, as their love affair picked up again in 2016. “Bill has a genuine love for both women. They are very different loves but they are both deep and genuine and real, and as we just recently saw with the kiss, there’s still a lot of story there that’s left to tell, as well. Whether we tell it, we’ll have to wait and see.”

WHO SHOT BILL? 2018 What do you recall about Bill’s shooting? “Honestly, I love the way it was shot. Pardon the pun [laughs]. It was shot so beautifully. It was a dark and windy night. Opera was playing in the background. It was moody and atmospheric. I thought it was beautifully done. It was very cinematic. I liked everything about it.” What did you think of the fact that it appeared Liam might have done it? “That was a great twist. There was a whole list of likely suspects, like most of the cast, and Liam was the unlikeliest of all. Initially, it looked like Liam did it while he had blacked out after getting hit in the head again, which was pretty shocking. What do they say? It’s usually the least likely suspect, which was certainly true in that case.” What was your reaction when you found out the real culprit was Taylor? “I liked that resolution, as well. When the truth came out that it was Taylor, it really took everyone by surprise, myself included. Brad really pulled the rug out from under everyone, and I thought that was just terrific. Kudos to Brad on that. It surprised me and since it turned out not to be fatal, it turned out to be a really fun story for me!”