Scene And Heard

GO WITH THE FLOW Steve Burton (Jason, GH) says that he has taken a more relaxed approach to his work since returning to the show back in 2017. “What fans don’t know is when we’re blocking the scenes, when the directors are giving us our movement for where we’re supposed to go, a lot of times they’ll be like, ‘We’re not feeling that [movement]. I don’t want to make that cross there.’ They give us the liberty to say, ‘How are you feeling? Would that be normal for you to do?’ And sometimes you’re like, ‘I’m not really feeling that,’ or ‘I wouldn’t stand up [on this line of dialogue]. Going back, I just wanted to be whatever the directors wanted to do. ‘I’ll do whatever you want! You want me to cross [the set]? I’m going to figure out how to make it work.’ I wanted to come back with kind of a fresh perspective on, ‘Let’s just make everything work.’ Instead of looking at it like, ‘Hey, I wouldn’t do this,’ or, ‘This isn’t my character,’ let’s figure out how to try to make this work! If it was something just so far out of my character, I would say something, but they have a good idea of who Jason is, so I don’t have to worry about it all that much.”

ZIPPED CODE “It was the experience of a lifetime,” smiles Robert Adamson (Noah, Y&R) of appearing on the Los Angeles stage last summer in Death of a Salesman. “I haven’t been in a full production of theater since college. This was a perfect storm. I had no job and time on my hands and so it all worked out.” Adamson reports it was by luck that he landed the role of Willy Loman’s son, since the part had gone to someone else. “When I saw that the play was being cast, I asked about it and was told that Gethin Anthony from GAME OF THRONES would be playing Biff, so I put it aside,” he explains. “But when they were in rehearsals, Gethin got another job, so they asked me to fill in. It was a massive investment in time and energy, but it was the most worthwhile thing I’ve probably ever done.” But during a preview before opening, Adamson got some unwanted exposure. “My fly was fully down,” he chuckles. “In one of the last scenes, I went backstage for a quick change and when I came offstage, I noticed my zipper. I was like, ‘This was down the entire time?!’ Welcome to live theater. I made sure that didn’t happen again.”

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH When the cast and crew of Sean Kanan’s (ex-Deacon, B&B) digital series STUDIO CITY gathered for its premiere, star Patrika Darbo (Violet; ex-Shirley, B&B; ex-Nancy, DAYS) couldn’t bring herself to watch her own performance. “Oh, honey, I never watch myself,” she tells Digest. “I can’t. I’m too critical of my work so I spent a lot of time in the ladies’ room [laughs].” The six-episode drama landed 12 nominations for the Indie Series Awards (ISA) and garnered Darbo a nod in the Best Supporting Actress — Drama category, where she’s competing against co-star Carolyn Hennesy (Gloria; Diane, GH). “I’m so happy for everyone,” Darbo says of her STUDIO CITY nominees, including Kanan in the Lead Actor — Drama category. The cast is also up for Best Ensemble — Drama. “Everyone worked really hard and gave 110 percent, so it’s nice to see that recognized,” she praises. As for B&B, the actress is uncertain if Shirley will come to town now that Sally’s dealing with a devastating illness. “I haven’t gotten a call so I really don’t know,” Darbo states. “I hope so. I talk to Courtney [Hope, Sally] all the time and she was telling me a little bit about it. It sounds like a really juicy story and I know she’ll do a fantastic job with it.”

HONEST AND FRANKLIN As one of the speakers at the celebration of Eric Braeden’s (Victor, Y&R) 40th anniversary of playing his iconic character, Peter Bergman (Jack) shared a memorable experience about his co-star. “A few years ago, I was in New York for the Emmy Awards and it was announced that Aretha Franklin would be singing the opening number,” the actor recalls. “You have to know that Aretha Franklin, to me, is the greatest voice ever recorded. She provided the soundtrack for my adolescence and my young adulthood. I own every one of her albums, including the gospel stuff.” On the night of the Daytime Emmys ceremony, Bergman, who was up for Outstanding Leading Actor, and his wife, Mariellen, were sitting in the front row. “Before the show, Mariellen was talking to Oprah Winfrey like they were old friends when this giant man in a black suit came straight to me, leaned down and said, ‘Ms. Franklin would like to meet you after the show,’ ” marveled Bergman. “I thought of little else during the show. I lost — again — and when the show was over this nice gentleman came to walk us backstage. He ushered us into a dressing room and I stood 10 feet away from Aretha Franklin looking at me, and she said, ‘Jack.’ I crossed the room and as I hugged the Queen of Soul, she whispered in my ear, ‘I love Eric Braeden.’ ”