RIVAL SURVIVAL
With Katrina Bowden (Flo) back at B&B after taking time off to film a movie in Australia, look for the rivalry between Sally and Flo to heat up, which is just the way Courtney Hope (Sally) likes it. “Katrina and I have a lot of fun when we do those types of scenes together,” relays Hope. “I would love to play more of that. Sally tends to pick and choose her battles. She didn’t fight for Liam. She decided that wasn’t a battle she wanted to fight [with Steffy]. She fought for Thomas but in the end, it wasn’t a battle she could win. I do hope she gets a chance to fight for Wyatt because I think that would be something interesting to watch Sally go through.” Hope adds that while she misses Sally’s past rivalry with Steffy, she’s gratified to see the women have grown since then. “I think it’s nice starting off a rivalry with someone and later finding common ground and going, ‘Yeah, we’re different but instead of using those differences to pit us against each other, how can we collaborate and make something great?’ It’s been cool that Sally and Steffy have been working together and the fact that Steffy sought Sally out to be on her side [in the fashion showdown]. Whether that could ever happen with Sally and Flo, well, I doubt it but hey, you never know!”
BOYS WILL BE BOYS
Y&R’s Mark Grossman (Adam) has found an on-set buddy in TV son Judah Mackey (Connor). “We get along really well and I love working with him,” the actor enthuses. “We hit if off right away. That kid is so prepared when he shows up, he even knows everyone else’s lines. If you forget your line, you know he knows what it is. He loves working as an actor. His mother is always on the set and she’s also great to be around. Some kids are pushed into it by their parents, but that’s not the case with him. He’s almost 9 and very focused.” Creating the father/son vibe for the camera has helped Grossman in his real life. “I feel like I’m learning to be a dad on the show,” he smiles. “I don’t have any kids of my own, so it’s been really nice to play a dad and explore what that’s like. I want to have kids one day, so it’s nice to have Judah there in the meantime. We’re always goofing around. If there are toys on the set or a soccer ball or football, we like to play around while we’re waiting for setup, so we have a lot of fun. We’ll talk about his life, like school and what projects he’s working on. We also like to parade around the set and say our dialogue. We have fun together.”
APOLOGY ACCEPTED
GH fans were touched by the emotional scenes between Jason and Monica when Jason apologized to his mother for how he pushed the Quartermaines away after he sustained personality-altering brain damage in a 1995 car wreck. Steve Burton (Jason) says that the depth of feeling in the encounter took him by surprise. “That definitely wasn’t expected, what happened during tape, because it sure didn’t happen during rehearsal,” he shares. “I didn’t really plan on it when I read it because it was such a short scene. It wasn’t a buildup to, ‘Hey, I’m sorry how I treated you guys,’ it was just literally one moment by the elevator — and it turned out to be an amazing moment for both of us. It just hit me there, right in the moment. Sometimes you have to go with that stuff and not suppress it as an actor because we live for those moments. With Leslie [Charleson, Monica], it just happened. I thought it was a great moment. It showed a softer side or at least remorseful or reminiscent of ‘Hey. I wish I hadn’t done that to you guys. I’m sorry. I hope it’s not too late to say that.’ ”
MR. MOVIE
In his latest film, Full Count, soap vet Rick Hearst (ex-Ric, GH et al) plays — surprise — the bad guy, and it’s a role he relishes. “Full Count is a faith-based film I did with Natalia [Livingston, ex-Emily, GH],” Hearst tells Digest. “She asked if I’d be interested and she actually recommended me to the producers. Again, it’s a dark character. I don’t play the sweet guy. That just doesn’t happen. I play a corrupt deputy sheriff who really is the antagonist of the film. It’s a sweet story, and the actor who plays the lead, John Paul Kakos, is terrific. You’ll see him doing quite a bit in the future because he has a genuine affability and when he’s on-screen, you can see he’s got star quality. It’s that thing you can’t teach. I’m his [acting] coach, and I’ve been working with him now for about four months. He just brings it. It was a wonderful experience, and I’m thrilled that Natty and I got to do that. It’s currently streaming now. It’s got a great message without being heavy-handed. We’re both very proud of the film.”