ICYMI Sean Kanan Interview

Carmen Arena (Gladise Jimenez, 2000-01): Deacon and Carmen had a volatile relationship, one that included her being so jealous of his son by the deceased Becky that she tried to toss him off a roof. “Yes, she was trouble,” Kanan chuckles. “That’s when the bad boy really kicked in. His apartment was red, which I think was supposed to be metaphoric for the devil’s lair. It was a great storyline while we had it.”

Bridget Forrester (Jennifer Finnigan, 2000-04): Deacon used a trusting Bridget to get back at the wealthy Forrester family. “I absolutely adore Jennifer,” Kanan raves. “We had a very special bond. That was a real friendship. We had a real respect for each other as actors. But Deacon was not in a place to recognize all of the amazing attributes that Bridget had to offer. Now as a more mature guy, Deacon would recognize it immediately but unfortunately, until you’re ready, you’re not ready. He wanted to be in a place where he could be that guy as much as she wanted him to be, and it was to his detriment because she would have been an amazing partner.”

Brooke Logan (Katherine Kelly Lang, 2001-02 and beyond): Deacon had an affair with his mother-in-law, which left her pregnant. “Deacon and Brooke had an electric intensity and a chemistry that was undeniable, even in the face of all the collateral damage it created,” Kanan remarks. “They are two people who operate on an emotional rather than a logical basis a lot of the time. It was so forbidden. It was hot, what can I tell you? I think Brooke is always going to have a special compartmentalized place in Deacon’s heart but this crazy thing with Sheila has filled up the rest. How many times can a guy be rejected, even if it is nicely? You want to find someone who reciprocates your feelings. As for working with Kelly, she is just so talented and the sweetest person. That was a very good time and I’m glad they keep noting that.”

Amber Moore (Adrienne Frantz, B&B, 2001, 2003; as April Knight, 2003; Y&R, 2009): Not only did Deacon get involved with Amber, who was taking care of his son, but he’d also been close with her identical twin cousin. “I had so much fun working with Adrienne,” he reflects. “She’s such a spitfire. We had a lot of fun together. We really did. The scenes that come to mind are Deacon dressing up like Elvis to woo her. Those characters were very much cut from the same cloth. They both came from nothing. They knew they came from nothing and there was a familiarity with the two of them, even before they got to know each other. They recognized that they were birds of a feather. They both had shared pain and experience and that forged a relationship with them.”

Macy Alexander (Bobbie Eakes, 2003): As recovering alcoholics, Deacon and Macy found comfort in one another. They wed, but Macy died shortly thereafter. “My wife [Michelle]and I have been friends with Bobbie and her husband [David Steen] for years. She’s a wonderful actress, she has a beautiful voice and she still performs on occasion, which is great. Deacon had finally found happiness, but it was tragically cut short. That was a memorable story.”

Jackie Marone (Lesley-Anne Down, 2004): Deacon fell for the British bombshell and they carried on an affair while her husband, Massimo, was paralyzed. “They made a great, mischievous pair,” he smirks. “My, oh my. There is not enough I can say about her. I adore her. She is such an amazing, cool lady with the most brilliant stories. We used to go back to her dressing room and rehearse and she would tell me crazy, crazy stories about the people she knew, and she worked with all for them, from Harrison Ford to Mick Jagger to Jack Nicholson.”

Victoria Newman (Ameila Heinle, 2009): After relocating to Genoa City, Deacon and Y&R’s Victoria had a brief fling, and the two ended up in the sack. “I had actually been a fan of Amelia’s for a long time,” Kanan shares. “I saw her in a film called The Limey and just thought she was terrific. I was very excited to work with her. She was very pregnant when we had one of our love scenes, with her husband [Thad Luckinbill, ex-J.T.] standing about five feet away from us. Yeah, that wasn’t awkward [laughs], but I enjoyed working with her.”

Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford, 2010): Deacon later played kissy-face with fiery Phyllis. Kanan notes, “For the short time we had story together, she was and is such a brilliant, strong actress. I like strong women and I think Deacon does, too.”

Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott, 2011-12): Deacon instigated Nikki’s fall off the wagon, then got her drunk and married her. “How crazy is that?” he laughs. “On its face, it’s insane. Deacon is a really great character to insert into any storyline when you just want to kick the hornet’s nest, and that was certainly kicking the hornet’s nest. I really enjoyed working with Mel. I could see why she might be intimidating to a lot of people but with me, she was not only kind but she is very funny, and I adore her husband Ed [Scott, B&B’s supervising producer], who I’ve had the privilege of working with every day. I’ve said if I ever got the shot to work with Mel and Eric Braeden [Victor], I had to take a breath and realize I was working with two of the very best in the business.”

Quinn Fuller (Rena Sofer, 2014-15): Deacon and Quinn were two outcasts who found love and married, but they disappeared off the canvas shortly thereafter. She later pushed him off a cliff. Kanan opines, “It would have been interesting to see how that relationship could have expanded over time and grew to a place of them really being in love. I feel like the relationship got cut short. However, I must say, Rena is a terrific actress. I’ve worked with her many times before and she always brings it.”

Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown, 2022): Kanan is excited about the Deacon/Sheila connection. “I had no idea I was going to be paired up with Kimberlin,” the actor shares. “But from the first time we did the scenes at Il Giardino where we were getting drunk at the bar, I got a sense of how she worked and what she brings to the table. It took me a minute before it started crystallizing in my head that they were probably, somehow, going to end up in a relationship. It was being written as this relationship of mutual needs and convenience in the beginning, and then it took on a life of its own. My assumption is they knew all along, but I didn’t see it coming so it was a pleasant surprise. I feel like Kimberlin and I did our level best to make it work, and I think it still does work, even though now they are apart.” The two have known each other for years. “Kimberlin and I have mutual friends, but this has really been wonderful because one of the nicest by-products of this entire experience is forming a real friendship. She’s a very special, unique person. I’m really happy that I’ve gotten the opportunity to know her on a completely different level. We absolutely have a bond of trust. Kimberlin works like I do, too. She wants to try new things and knows that she’s safe to do that with me. Their relationship was so unlikely and so many [fans] were initially against it, but if you can win people over by taking them on an emotional journey that they might not want to go on, [and] you do it effectively, they become invested and willing to stay with you.”