1 00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,640 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening to Here's the Thing. 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:11,080 Speaker 1: Actor Peter Bergman is an undisputed master of one particular 3 00:00:11,160 --> 00:00:15,360 Speaker 1: corner of the acting world, the soaps. For ten years, 4 00:00:15,400 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: starting in ninety nine, he played Cliff Warner, the legendary 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:23,640 Speaker 1: good guy doctor on All My Children. Even if you've 6 00:00:23,680 --> 00:00:26,840 Speaker 1: never seen a soap opera, you've heard this. I'm not 7 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 1: a doctor, but I play one on TV. After a 8 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,360 Speaker 1: headline grabbing firing from All My Children, you'll hear more 9 00:00:33,400 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: about that coming up. Bergman took on another of the 10 00:00:36,640 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: most durable characters in the history of television, Jack Abbott, 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:43,760 Speaker 1: on The Young and the Restless. It's the role he 12 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:50,199 Speaker 1: still plays today thirty years later. Where doctor Warner was 13 00:00:50,240 --> 00:00:57,600 Speaker 1: a heartthrob good guy Jack is deliciously complex. He's perpetually 14 00:00:57,680 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: trying to live up to his father, medics tycoon John Abbott, 15 00:01:02,280 --> 00:01:07,280 Speaker 1: perpetually battling rival makeup baron Victor Newman was signed with 16 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:12,800 Speaker 1: perpetually remarrying Nicky Newman. Victor's ex I'm trying to be civil. 17 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:17,440 Speaker 1: It's soap perfection. I should know. I too, am a 18 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:20,679 Speaker 1: soap opera veteran. This is me in the early eighties 19 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,880 Speaker 1: on NBC's The Doctors. Tell them you forgot something, lie, 20 00:01:26,160 --> 00:01:29,760 Speaker 1: I have forgotten something. What's up? What it's like to 21 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 1: make love to you? A couple of years after that, 22 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:45,840 Speaker 1: I died. Jack Abbott, despite numerous threats to his life 23 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,880 Speaker 1: and fortune, is still going strong, the star of the 24 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 1: show even And that says something because when I started, 25 00:01:52,840 --> 00:01:56,240 Speaker 1: it was the mature characters who got the juiciest stories. 26 00:01:56,720 --> 00:02:00,120 Speaker 1: But now, with few exceptions, it's the younger generation. And 27 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,640 Speaker 1: to are the stars of the show. Well, I have 28 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,280 Speaker 1: been both both of the young and the old, and 29 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:08,359 Speaker 1: I now call it the young and the rest of us. 30 00:02:08,840 --> 00:02:11,400 Speaker 1: Um at your time where well, I'm very lucky. I 31 00:02:11,440 --> 00:02:15,040 Speaker 1: am still in a prominent place in this company, and 32 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: there are people behind me who are very unhappy to 33 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:22,600 Speaker 1: be behind me. I know that well. I mean, obviously 34 00:02:23,480 --> 00:02:28,280 Speaker 1: you and I have daytime TV in common. This one guy, 35 00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,520 Speaker 1: David O'Brien, played my fan, and he said to me, 36 00:02:31,360 --> 00:02:33,720 Speaker 1: he said, don't mock the material, said, don't make fun 37 00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:35,840 Speaker 1: of you. That's not going to help you. Try to 38 00:02:35,880 --> 00:02:38,960 Speaker 1: make it work, don't send it up. And or if 39 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 1: you're gonna do it, do it first thing in the morning. 40 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:45,040 Speaker 1: Let's get all our laughs out early and and and 41 00:02:45,160 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: play the absurdity of it all, and then let's all 42 00:02:48,520 --> 00:02:51,400 Speaker 1: get together and see how good we can make this. 43 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 1: We've got to figure it out. Um, you were born 44 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,840 Speaker 1: in Cuba. I was born in Guantanamo, baking thus the 45 00:03:00,120 --> 00:03:01,760 Speaker 1: you know Latin much of the most thing that you 46 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:04,239 Speaker 1: see right away, So I always make you a mistake 47 00:03:04,240 --> 00:03:08,640 Speaker 1: you for, Julio, exactly what did your dad do? My 48 00:03:08,720 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 1: dad was in the navy career, navy man, and we 49 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 1: moved every two years of my life. For what seemed 50 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:18,560 Speaker 1: like my entire life, we were in Guantanamo for probably 51 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:23,960 Speaker 1: four months. But strangely enough, I love Cuban music, I 52 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:26,920 Speaker 1: love Cuban food. I have a certain fascination and have 53 00:03:27,080 --> 00:03:29,519 Speaker 1: not yet been Did you grow up primarily? Where? Was 54 00:03:29,560 --> 00:03:31,640 Speaker 1: there one place that he settled for a while. So 55 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 1: by the time I was in ninth grade, we settled 56 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:40,080 Speaker 1: in Camp Springs, Maryland, outside of Washington, d C. Andrews 57 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: Air Force, And well, yes, exactly, and moving every couple 58 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: of years is as an odd thing. You probably talked 59 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,560 Speaker 1: to plenty of actors who are from the military or 60 00:03:51,600 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 1: from from foreign service or things like that. Every couple 61 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 1: of years, you move and well, let's figure out what 62 00:03:57,360 --> 00:03:59,720 Speaker 1: we gotta do here. Who do I have to be 63 00:03:59,800 --> 00:04:03,000 Speaker 1: for this group? And uh I was popular in the 64 00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:07,120 Speaker 1: last place, and I went to public schools. Did you 65 00:04:07,160 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: have a drama bug there where you are? Movie? I 66 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: sang in a band for a couple of years, you know, 67 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: rock and roll cover stuff and played dances and things 68 00:04:16,040 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: like that. So I had some nerve um, but not 69 00:04:20,400 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 1: not not any great talent for that. I certainly liked 70 00:04:23,839 --> 00:04:28,320 Speaker 1: my television. I watched old movies occasionally, but not with 71 00:04:28,360 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: a kind of fervor that that a lot of people watched. 72 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,480 Speaker 1: At the map for where you wanted to go, I 73 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:38,400 Speaker 1: didn't have a map. Strange strangely enough, if there was 74 00:04:38,440 --> 00:04:42,440 Speaker 1: an allegory for kind of my life in general, you know, 75 00:04:42,520 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: the first couple of homes you bought, you thought, oh 76 00:04:45,480 --> 00:04:47,880 Speaker 1: my god, how am I govern ever going to afford this? 77 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,119 Speaker 1: How am I ever going to make this? Mate work? 78 00:04:50,240 --> 00:04:55,000 Speaker 1: I I and and somehow it works out. And then 79 00:04:55,040 --> 00:04:57,800 Speaker 1: you go get another house and you think, I'm never 80 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,560 Speaker 1: gonna afford this one either, and you figure you're it out. 81 00:05:00,960 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: The drama bugs, strangely enough, was and almost an accident. 82 00:05:05,279 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: I was hanging out after school eleventh grade, yes, eleventh grade, 83 00:05:10,640 --> 00:05:14,760 Speaker 1: and there was a girl auditioning for the school play. 84 00:05:14,960 --> 00:05:18,240 Speaker 1: And I hung out after school with Margot, trying to 85 00:05:18,279 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 1: get her attention. She saw right through me. I was 86 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,839 Speaker 1: kind of popular and this was not I was not 87 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: a normal person to show up at auditions in the 88 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:30,360 Speaker 1: theater department. And uh, And so I asked, what are 89 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 1: we auditioning for? She said, Peter Pan. I knew this 90 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:38,479 Speaker 1: thing inside out. The Cyril Richard thing with Mary Martin 91 00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:42,120 Speaker 1: was part of growing up and it went at my age. 92 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:44,480 Speaker 1: I'm a little older than you are, and it showed 93 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: every year and I was parked in front of that 94 00:05:46,640 --> 00:05:52,400 Speaker 1: thing and I and look there you were. So so 95 00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:55,479 Speaker 1: there was a form to fill out part reading for 96 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,680 Speaker 1: and Margot uh handed it in. And when she handed 97 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:05,479 Speaker 1: it and she stopped and wrote Captain Hook. Only Captain Hook. 98 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:11,039 Speaker 1: I learned this much later. I was, well, well, it 99 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: was a long process. It's it's because of Mr Darling 100 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:17,359 Speaker 1: at the beginning. It's the largest role in the play, 101 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:20,640 Speaker 1: even bigger than Peter Pan. I'm in terms of dialogue. 102 00:06:20,960 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 1: And here you have a high school drama teacher who 103 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:27,000 Speaker 1: has his group of people he can count on. He 104 00:06:27,040 --> 00:06:29,480 Speaker 1: knows who's probably going to play Captain Hook, who's probably 105 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,039 Speaker 1: gonna play Peter Pan. Incomes this guy who is just 106 00:06:34,400 --> 00:06:38,880 Speaker 1: I just I had nothing to lose. I just didn't 107 00:06:38,920 --> 00:06:42,160 Speaker 1: care in a good way, in a good way. So 108 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:46,400 Speaker 1: that launch more school plays. Yes, it did it did 109 00:06:46,440 --> 00:06:49,000 Speaker 1: it got it got me going. I was I was 110 00:06:49,360 --> 00:06:55,560 Speaker 1: a pretty lost kid. Um, yeah, pretty lost. UM knows. 111 00:06:55,600 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: The moving around a part of I think there was 112 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:58,800 Speaker 1: a big part of it. I just want to have 113 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:02,599 Speaker 1: a home. There's a lot of you know, going back 114 00:07:02,640 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 1: to to my audition, um, mine was an endless process 115 00:07:07,600 --> 00:07:11,240 Speaker 1: that included um that I learned later. The head of 116 00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:14,320 Speaker 1: the drama department, Mr Messina, just passed away. Last year. 117 00:07:14,680 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: I went to the teacher's lounge and said, this weird 118 00:07:18,280 --> 00:07:20,120 Speaker 1: thing going on. I got this guy who keeps coming 119 00:07:20,160 --> 00:07:23,320 Speaker 1: in and auditioning really really well. I didn't even heard 120 00:07:23,320 --> 00:07:28,280 Speaker 1: of him. Well hoo Peter Bergman, Uh nah nah nah. 121 00:07:28,840 --> 00:07:32,000 Speaker 1: Now he's he's he's kind of all over the place. Um. 122 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:34,600 Speaker 1: And then I went in there and the last night 123 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: I had to read how still the night is nothing 124 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: sounds alive? Now is the hour when all children in 125 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,120 Speaker 1: their homes are a bed, their lips bright brown with 126 00:07:48,200 --> 00:07:52,160 Speaker 1: a good night chocolate, their tongues drowsily searching for belated 127 00:07:52,200 --> 00:07:57,720 Speaker 1: crumbs housed emptily in their swollen cheeks. I'm in eleventh grade. 128 00:07:57,760 --> 00:08:00,560 Speaker 1: This is the coolest thing I have ever read in 129 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:03,720 Speaker 1: my life. What a thing to develop a passion for 130 00:08:03,800 --> 00:08:06,920 Speaker 1: that language. Then, because when I was in high school 131 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 1: and I did a high school play, we did Mr. Roberts, 132 00:08:09,320 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: and the drama coach said to me, asked some of 133 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: your friends on the football team if they want to 134 00:08:13,280 --> 00:08:15,440 Speaker 1: come to Mr. Roberts or whatever? And I was half in, 135 00:08:15,560 --> 00:08:18,640 Speaker 1: half out. I didn't really care. But for you, when 136 00:08:18,680 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: you leave home, you go to New York after high school. Um, 137 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:27,080 Speaker 1: I go to community college nearby for a year and 138 00:08:27,120 --> 00:08:30,600 Speaker 1: a half. I studied what English uh? And they were 139 00:08:31,160 --> 00:08:35,800 Speaker 1: auditioning for a play and I was I won a 140 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:40,920 Speaker 1: best actor award. At a time another school was doing 141 00:08:40,960 --> 00:08:44,240 Speaker 1: a show called Celebration and the guy was so much 142 00:08:44,280 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: better than I was, and I won, and it drove 143 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:50,360 Speaker 1: me crazy. Really, he was so good. What do you 144 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,480 Speaker 1: think you won? Did he look like a cadaver? Was 145 00:08:52,520 --> 00:08:54,880 Speaker 1: he not a good looking guy? I don't know. He 146 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:57,520 Speaker 1: was he was. He was great. So I'm a I'm 147 00:08:57,559 --> 00:09:02,199 Speaker 1: a community college, and there's a poster for auditions for celebration. 148 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: I can make this right. I can be better than 149 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 1: he was in the same role. I did you and 150 00:09:10,840 --> 00:09:13,440 Speaker 1: I did and how I did and and uh. And 151 00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,439 Speaker 1: it worked out pretty well for me, It really did. 152 00:09:15,679 --> 00:09:20,040 Speaker 1: While in that a play, my one of the cast mates, 153 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 1: a fellow I had just met who became a lifelong friend, 154 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,240 Speaker 1: Tim Van Pelt, was playing another role, and he was 155 00:09:26,280 --> 00:09:29,040 Speaker 1: going to New York to audition for the American Academy 156 00:09:29,040 --> 00:09:35,200 Speaker 1: of Dramatic Arts. And I had no aspirations, no plans, 157 00:09:35,240 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: no anything. I said, you just want to be better 158 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:38,439 Speaker 1: than that other guy. I just want to be better 159 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:42,960 Speaker 1: than that other guy. And I was looking over my 160 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:46,560 Speaker 1: show the old time. I got to New York with 161 00:09:46,679 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: two audition pieces. One was from Tchekhov's The Board, and 162 00:09:52,240 --> 00:09:55,080 Speaker 1: I had quickly they sent an audition book, and I 163 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,440 Speaker 1: looked through the ones and I liked the words of 164 00:09:57,480 --> 00:10:01,080 Speaker 1: the check off the board. It was regal and stentorious 165 00:10:01,240 --> 00:10:05,199 Speaker 1: and and uh and a full of charm and dignity. 166 00:10:05,760 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 1: And I finished my audition and the fellow who was 167 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:11,880 Speaker 1: running the auditions, who was one of the big shots 168 00:10:11,880 --> 00:10:15,439 Speaker 1: at the school. Um said, okay, um, very nice, can 169 00:10:15,480 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: sit down. Um, so did you get a chance to 170 00:10:19,520 --> 00:10:23,400 Speaker 1: read the play? He said, Yeah, this guy is the bore. 171 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:29,160 Speaker 1: He's he's a beast, he's a dreadful, dreadful and George 172 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,360 Speaker 1: Sanders exactly. Um so anyway, Uh, he was able to 173 00:10:33,440 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: overlook that. But it but it kind of marks um 174 00:10:37,080 --> 00:10:40,240 Speaker 1: the beginning of my cheating to get there, the foundation 175 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:42,680 Speaker 1: of your career, The foundation of my career is false 176 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:45,200 Speaker 1: and ugly. But he lets you in. He let me 177 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:49,079 Speaker 1: in because I was, I think, honest with him, and 178 00:10:49,160 --> 00:10:52,240 Speaker 1: he maybe saw something in my my thing. And I 179 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:57,360 Speaker 1: was a tall, straight white guy. So uh so yes, 180 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:01,800 Speaker 1: I spent two years there and uh in that time, 181 00:11:02,360 --> 00:11:07,040 Speaker 1: UH got to play many roles again because I was 182 00:11:07,760 --> 00:11:10,400 Speaker 1: a tall, straight guy, and and they gave me a 183 00:11:10,440 --> 00:11:12,960 Speaker 1: lot of a lot of the really plumb roles. And 184 00:11:13,040 --> 00:11:18,199 Speaker 1: I started to take it seriously, but still not seriously enough. 185 00:11:18,360 --> 00:11:21,360 Speaker 1: I was a lot of a lot came too easily 186 00:11:21,400 --> 00:11:24,079 Speaker 1: to me. A lot came too easily to me. Did 187 00:11:24,120 --> 00:11:27,000 Speaker 1: you think at any time that this wasn't enough? Because 188 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:28,680 Speaker 1: I know that when I would enter it, I thought, 189 00:11:28,679 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: people said to me, why didn't you study this? And 190 00:11:30,760 --> 00:11:33,400 Speaker 1: what did gw for political science for three years full time? 191 00:11:33,440 --> 00:11:34,800 Speaker 1: And people said to me, why don't you why don't 192 00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:36,920 Speaker 1: you study drama? And I thought, oh god, what a 193 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:40,280 Speaker 1: waste of my parents money. A degree in theater that's useless. 194 00:11:40,440 --> 00:11:42,199 Speaker 1: Did you think the same thing? No, No, I I 195 00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:46,240 Speaker 1: didn't die honestly, was just lazy. I I just was lazy. 196 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:48,840 Speaker 1: And I'm embarrassed to say that. And uh and and 197 00:11:48,880 --> 00:11:51,400 Speaker 1: I've spent the second half of my life catching up 198 00:11:51,400 --> 00:11:54,280 Speaker 1: with all of that, you know, making making right all 199 00:11:54,320 --> 00:11:57,400 Speaker 1: of those things. So so again I'm faking my way through. 200 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:00,680 Speaker 1: And in that time, I I met to the woman 201 00:12:00,760 --> 00:12:04,079 Speaker 1: who was to be my wife, then, Christine Eversoul of 202 00:12:04,160 --> 00:12:07,600 Speaker 1: course has quite the Broadway career. And Christine and I 203 00:12:07,640 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: were together for for five years, still good friends, and 204 00:12:10,880 --> 00:12:14,959 Speaker 1: I'm very grateful married to a lovely love American Academy 205 00:12:15,400 --> 00:12:18,720 Speaker 1: matter at American Academy. She was upstairs playing, uh Joni 206 00:12:18,840 --> 00:12:21,120 Speaker 1: Mitchell on one of the pianos, and I'm a big 207 00:12:21,200 --> 00:12:24,679 Speaker 1: Joni Mitchell fan, and I just uh love love the 208 00:12:24,920 --> 00:12:26,640 Speaker 1: sound of that that was coming out of that room. 209 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,319 Speaker 1: And then after you left American campy did you get 210 00:12:29,320 --> 00:12:33,560 Speaker 1: married another year? A year out both of us, both 211 00:12:33,559 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 1: of us unemployed, UM living where living on the Upper 212 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:42,199 Speaker 1: east Side, two between First and New York and uh, 213 00:12:42,280 --> 00:12:47,439 Speaker 1: and Christine's career took off well before mine. And all 214 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,360 Speaker 1: of what I told you in the lack of preparation 215 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:53,719 Speaker 1: and the inability to take seriously enough that this is 216 00:12:53,760 --> 00:12:57,679 Speaker 1: a choice that people make, that people make big sacrifices 217 00:12:57,720 --> 00:13:00,680 Speaker 1: for this. I'd heard all of this talk and everything. 218 00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: I just wanted to be a working actor, you know, uh, 219 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,600 Speaker 1: whatever you know, um, And it didn't happen for me, 220 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:10,240 Speaker 1: And I found out I wasn't terribly good at hustling, 221 00:13:10,720 --> 00:13:13,560 Speaker 1: wasn't terribly good at getting out there and just knocking doors. 222 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:16,720 Speaker 1: Now to make it all hapushing. I waited a lot 223 00:13:16,800 --> 00:13:20,200 Speaker 1: of tables in the place. It was like your your house. 224 00:13:20,520 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 1: I was a waiter at Studio fifty four. Oh okay, 225 00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,440 Speaker 1: so we're closing down. So so I worked at a 226 00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:29,560 Speaker 1: few places Signed of the Dove, so was UM. I 227 00:13:29,640 --> 00:13:32,320 Speaker 1: worked there for I did Gara don service and all 228 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:34,880 Speaker 1: of that business. And then UM I finished my waiting 229 00:13:34,880 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: career at Rustyes, Rusty Stabs Joint on Third Avenue. Now 230 00:13:40,400 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 1: when you talk about the when we talk about New York, 231 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:45,120 Speaker 1: then I get to New York and nineteen seventy nine 232 00:13:46,080 --> 00:13:48,200 Speaker 1: and Studio fifty four is over. No one's going. I 233 00:13:48,280 --> 00:13:50,559 Speaker 1: was a waiter. The bus boys were the ones that 234 00:13:50,640 --> 00:13:53,760 Speaker 1: wore the were the kind of Roman slave boy outfits 235 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:57,160 Speaker 1: with a little short shorts and no shirts that hustled 236 00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:00,520 Speaker 1: up and waist up. And I would go there and uh, 237 00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,319 Speaker 1: we used the place and clean all the glad, everything 238 00:14:03,360 --> 00:14:05,199 Speaker 1: was ready. And I turned to this one and all 239 00:14:05,240 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 1: the waiters were male models. They were all gorgeous and 240 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:10,920 Speaker 1: not always young. Some of them were like thirty five, 241 00:14:11,000 --> 00:14:12,959 Speaker 1: and for me that was older. I was twenty two. 242 00:14:13,480 --> 00:14:15,440 Speaker 1: And I sit there and they were the loveliest guys. 243 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 1: They treated me like I was their kid brother, and 244 00:14:17,040 --> 00:14:18,880 Speaker 1: I said I was. Then the music is playing and 245 00:14:18,920 --> 00:14:21,840 Speaker 1: nobody's there. It's empty, and it's nine o'clock. We've been 246 00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:23,960 Speaker 1: there since six thirty, and we're clean and everything, and 247 00:14:23,960 --> 00:14:27,040 Speaker 1: I stocking everything, and I go, what do we do now? 248 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: It looks like a child. I go, what do we 249 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:31,640 Speaker 1: do now? And they go what do we do now? 250 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:33,800 Speaker 1: And they go all poor drinks and we do lines 251 00:14:33,840 --> 00:14:37,400 Speaker 1: of Coke on the barbworld, dancing on the clouds. I'll 252 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,240 Speaker 1: show you what we do now. And it was the craziest, 253 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,240 Speaker 1: dumbest thing. But that thing of waiting in New York. 254 00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,640 Speaker 1: I mean I did that for a while. Yeah, And 255 00:14:46,680 --> 00:14:52,480 Speaker 1: I'm I'm quick to say I liked waiting tables. It 256 00:14:52,600 --> 00:14:56,280 Speaker 1: was performing, it was it was fine so out whether 257 00:14:56,320 --> 00:14:59,200 Speaker 1: they were looking for a butler to come to the 258 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:02,320 Speaker 1: table or they were looking for a charming fellow to 259 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:05,440 Speaker 1: just knock their socks off when you when you're there, 260 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:09,720 Speaker 1: the the you're waiting, you're there. You were involved in 261 00:15:09,840 --> 00:15:13,520 Speaker 1: some theater companies, wasn't It wasn't. I wasn't. Deed. Also, 262 00:15:13,600 --> 00:15:15,200 Speaker 1: on one hand, if you don't mind my saying so, 263 00:15:15,240 --> 00:15:17,960 Speaker 1: it sounds a contradictory. You're not very ambitious and you're 264 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:21,240 Speaker 1: not very uh you know, driving yourself, but you form 265 00:15:21,280 --> 00:15:23,760 Speaker 1: a theater company. Well yes, So life was catching up 266 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:26,480 Speaker 1: with me. So you could only fake it so long. 267 00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,680 Speaker 1: And I was learning that quickly. And I as I 268 00:15:29,720 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 1: watched Christine's career start to take off, I started seeing 269 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:40,040 Speaker 1: that that, uh, some investment is really important here and 270 00:15:40,320 --> 00:15:43,840 Speaker 1: uh and I started studying with a fellow named Bob Smith, 271 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:49,960 Speaker 1: a very famous UH Shakespeare scholar who worked Stratford for 272 00:15:50,000 --> 00:15:52,720 Speaker 1: a very long time before I had done a bit 273 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:55,840 Speaker 1: at school and and it was language that I liked 274 00:15:55,960 --> 00:15:59,560 Speaker 1: and worked for me. That went on for some time, 275 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:03,240 Speaker 1: well into all my children, and then I was one 276 00:16:03,280 --> 00:16:05,400 Speaker 1: of the heads of the company and putting all my 277 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:09,080 Speaker 1: children money into these productions that we were doing, so 278 00:16:09,080 --> 00:16:15,280 Speaker 1: so they overlapped. She started UM nineteen seventy nine. He 279 00:16:15,360 --> 00:16:19,360 Speaker 1: started All my Children in nine. UM. I. I actually 280 00:16:19,680 --> 00:16:22,240 Speaker 1: I got the job at all my children from Rustys, 281 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:24,880 Speaker 1: and I was so proud of myself. I gave them 282 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: a two week notice. I worked with plenty of people 283 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:29,800 Speaker 1: who the day they got the job, they were gone 284 00:16:29,800 --> 00:16:32,000 Speaker 1: the next day. And I was so proud of myself. 285 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:34,720 Speaker 1: I gave him a two week notice, and UH left 286 00:16:34,760 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 1: in some glory to this job. And then I get 287 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:42,720 Speaker 1: to all my children. And the audition story again supports 288 00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:44,880 Speaker 1: this thing we keep talking about it. You've got to 289 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:47,560 Speaker 1: be prepared for these things. You got you know, I 290 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,320 Speaker 1: had three auditions that day. I had a commercial audition 291 00:16:50,320 --> 00:16:52,400 Speaker 1: in the morning. Everybody looked just like I did. And 292 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:53,960 Speaker 1: I walked in there and it was you know, I 293 00:16:54,000 --> 00:16:56,200 Speaker 1: had I had to wear suit. It was summertime. It 294 00:16:56,320 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: was um. I went from that back to the York Theater, 295 00:17:01,320 --> 00:17:05,840 Speaker 1: where I had been yesterday reading a new Tennessee Williams 296 00:17:05,880 --> 00:17:12,000 Speaker 1: play called View Carrey, directed by the Jose Quintaro. So 297 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,040 Speaker 1: I read the play the day before. I went back 298 00:17:15,080 --> 00:17:17,919 Speaker 1: there and spent a couple of hours working on the 299 00:17:17,960 --> 00:17:20,800 Speaker 1: sides for what I was auditioning for that you had 300 00:17:20,800 --> 00:17:22,879 Speaker 1: to read it all backstage. And I stepped out on 301 00:17:22,920 --> 00:17:27,440 Speaker 1: the stage and everything that could go wrong did go wrong, 302 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 1: just right out of the gate. I was just horrible. 303 00:17:30,240 --> 00:17:34,520 Speaker 1: It was just just lost my place. And uh, and 304 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:39,920 Speaker 1: a very sweet voice from the audience said thank you, yeah, 305 00:17:40,280 --> 00:17:43,160 Speaker 1: And I left and I went back to my apartment 306 00:17:43,920 --> 00:17:48,760 Speaker 1: so disconsolate. I was having growing concerns that I was 307 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:50,600 Speaker 1: not going to help for this. This was not the 308 00:17:50,680 --> 00:17:53,879 Speaker 1: right idea. I'm not good enough, I'm not ready to 309 00:17:53,920 --> 00:17:57,080 Speaker 1: do the work. I'm not there's something wrong with me. 310 00:17:57,720 --> 00:18:01,000 Speaker 1: And I got to my apartment and Ricky, my agent, 311 00:18:01,080 --> 00:18:03,760 Speaker 1: I was with Don buck Wald and Company. I don't 312 00:18:03,760 --> 00:18:06,680 Speaker 1: know that name across your career legend, every voice over 313 00:18:06,720 --> 00:18:11,199 Speaker 1: it exactly right, um and uh, and Ricky Uh called 314 00:18:11,240 --> 00:18:14,200 Speaker 1: me as she never did to follow up on auditions 315 00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,880 Speaker 1: and said, how do you go? I said it was awful. 316 00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:19,320 Speaker 1: I was awful. I am awful. You should get rid 317 00:18:19,359 --> 00:18:23,199 Speaker 1: of me. This was a horrible audition. Terrible and uh 318 00:18:23,359 --> 00:18:25,160 Speaker 1: and I gotta get off the phone, Ricky. She said, 319 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:27,720 Speaker 1: don't forget you have that. All my children audition this afternoon. 320 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:37,080 Speaker 1: Ah ah. I don't even know where I agreed to 321 00:18:37,160 --> 00:18:40,240 Speaker 1: do this thing, and she she had kind of talked 322 00:18:40,280 --> 00:18:42,840 Speaker 1: me into it. Yeah, it's work, whatever you know. And 323 00:18:42,880 --> 00:18:45,520 Speaker 1: I went there and for an under five or like 324 00:18:45,560 --> 00:18:48,680 Speaker 1: a role for a role, for a role for for 325 00:18:48,920 --> 00:18:52,760 Speaker 1: for the role. And I went there and I didn't 326 00:18:52,760 --> 00:18:55,960 Speaker 1: know anything about any of it, but I didn't care. 327 00:18:56,359 --> 00:18:59,680 Speaker 1: I just didn't care if I get this, if I 328 00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 1: don't at this time, because there you are. And I 329 00:19:04,200 --> 00:19:07,560 Speaker 1: went in and everything that could go right did go right. 330 00:19:08,280 --> 00:19:11,280 Speaker 1: I'm I'm in the lobby and every every everyone's paired off, 331 00:19:11,520 --> 00:19:14,719 Speaker 1: everyone's paired off, and cute little couples and everything, and 332 00:19:14,840 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: it's me standing there and Mark la Mural walked through 333 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,120 Speaker 1: and I knew him from a co Jack episode i'd 334 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,280 Speaker 1: done a while back, and and he says, who are 335 00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:27,520 Speaker 1: who are with? And I said, I don't, Uh, I 336 00:19:27,520 --> 00:19:31,560 Speaker 1: should be important, and in walks this sweet blonde girl 337 00:19:31,800 --> 00:19:37,199 Speaker 1: who was just oh, she was just adorable and she 338 00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:41,360 Speaker 1: was so open and kind and lovely and absolutely appropriate 339 00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:43,360 Speaker 1: for the for the scene that I was doing with her, 340 00:19:43,680 --> 00:19:45,719 Speaker 1: and we kind of paired off and she was scared, 341 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,320 Speaker 1: and I kind of kind of hustled her through the 342 00:19:48,320 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: thing because we gotta go, We gotta I wish I 343 00:19:51,280 --> 00:19:55,640 Speaker 1: could remember her name. Um, so funny. What I didn't 344 00:19:55,840 --> 00:20:01,439 Speaker 1: know was this was the beginning of this wave of 345 00:20:01,600 --> 00:20:06,280 Speaker 1: daytime craziness. When I started, there were thirteen soap operas. 346 00:20:06,480 --> 00:20:09,760 Speaker 1: There are four now. Um they were all doing well, 347 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:15,160 Speaker 1: but ABC in particular that that love in the Afternoon thing, 348 00:20:15,359 --> 00:20:19,960 Speaker 1: I gotta go, yes a starting starting with loving Uh, 349 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:24,480 Speaker 1: Ryan's Hope, all my children, One life to live, General Hospital. 350 00:20:24,600 --> 00:20:28,080 Speaker 1: This juggernaut. David O'Brien, my father said, he said, let 351 00:20:28,119 --> 00:20:29,560 Speaker 1: me give you a piece of advice. And when we're 352 00:20:29,560 --> 00:20:32,080 Speaker 1: not working, he says, always refer to the other soaps 353 00:20:32,119 --> 00:20:34,280 Speaker 1: and our own soap in French. We save them in 354 00:20:34,320 --> 00:20:42,520 Speaker 1: French because let make it seem more serious to you 355 00:20:44,840 --> 00:20:48,000 Speaker 1: our show in Frances and the food or the fire 356 00:20:48,040 --> 00:20:55,320 Speaker 1: of Love. But uh, it was. It was crazy. There 357 00:20:55,320 --> 00:21:00,960 Speaker 1: were twelve thirteen million people watching us every day. Schools, 358 00:21:01,400 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: college campuses were just unshutdown for three hours during the day. 359 00:21:06,760 --> 00:21:11,160 Speaker 1: Everyone scheduled their classes around this. Elizabeth Taylor came out 360 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:13,880 Speaker 1: of the closet. Is the you know, the great General 361 00:21:13,920 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 1: Hospital fan Uh Carol, Carol Burnett because st yes you did. 362 00:21:19,760 --> 00:21:22,199 Speaker 1: Carrol Burnette couldn't stop talking about all my children. She 363 00:21:22,240 --> 00:21:24,760 Speaker 1: too came on. I got to work with her on 364 00:21:24,800 --> 00:21:28,359 Speaker 1: the show. Lucci Susan Lucci, of course was was was 365 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,840 Speaker 1: the far and away the most uh important person there. 366 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:35,360 Speaker 1: So I was. I was in a one of those 367 00:21:35,760 --> 00:21:38,640 Speaker 1: pretty two dimensional roles that you describe all of those 368 00:21:39,200 --> 00:21:42,960 Speaker 1: love story kind of things. I was young lochinvar the 369 00:21:44,119 --> 00:21:47,160 Speaker 1: and and that was my job. But here I am 370 00:21:47,200 --> 00:21:50,080 Speaker 1: on the soap opera and and my first couple of days, 371 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:52,520 Speaker 1: I walked in the makeup room and heard people talking 372 00:21:52,560 --> 00:21:56,760 Speaker 1: about plays they saw last night. I thought, oh, wait 373 00:21:56,800 --> 00:22:01,440 Speaker 1: a minute, and uh and pretty intelligent versation. And then 374 00:22:01,440 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: I'm introduced to Eileen Hurley. Eileen Hurley was was Gertrude 375 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,639 Speaker 1: to Olivier's Hamlet on the in the film. Uh. And 376 00:22:10,760 --> 00:22:13,639 Speaker 1: then I you know, and one by one read by 377 00:22:13,680 --> 00:22:15,960 Speaker 1: male area. I mean, oh my god. I did the 378 00:22:15,960 --> 00:22:18,600 Speaker 1: show and I would say to these people Jim Pritchett, 379 00:22:19,960 --> 00:22:22,880 Speaker 1: Jim Pritchett, and uh Jim Pritchett who looked like Burt 380 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:26,480 Speaker 1: Reynolds's father with that mustache. David o'briener played my father. 381 00:22:26,960 --> 00:22:29,359 Speaker 1: I could name so many more of them who the theater, 382 00:22:30,040 --> 00:22:35,600 Speaker 1: especially the doctors at thirty Rock in Midtown. Half hour, 383 00:22:36,520 --> 00:22:42,120 Speaker 1: so much of the cast, um, oh theater centric O'Brien 384 00:22:42,320 --> 00:22:43,560 Speaker 1: get his big and I said, what are you gonna doing? 385 00:22:43,600 --> 00:22:45,320 Speaker 1: Her big said, I'm gonna go do King John at 386 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,520 Speaker 1: the Paper Milk Player. And they would pre tape and 387 00:22:49,680 --> 00:22:52,639 Speaker 1: spring early in the day. The cast who had to 388 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:54,439 Speaker 1: be at a broad back we had the same thing. 389 00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:57,240 Speaker 1: We changed the schedule again and again to get people 390 00:22:57,240 --> 00:23:00,440 Speaker 1: out for curtains. Some very serious actress in this exactly 391 00:23:00,520 --> 00:23:03,680 Speaker 1: exactly so New York soaps were a great thing because 392 00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:09,920 Speaker 1: all of these Broadway actors and everybody in the old 393 00:23:09,960 --> 00:23:12,800 Speaker 1: and the Old after contract, people don't realize. It's like, 394 00:23:12,800 --> 00:23:15,560 Speaker 1: you know, you're in New York and people just want 395 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:18,280 Speaker 1: to make it. It's like what it was. What Law 396 00:23:18,320 --> 00:23:20,440 Speaker 1: and Order also did right, Who the hell wasn't on 397 00:23:20,520 --> 00:23:22,040 Speaker 1: Law and Order in a minute at some point. I mean, 398 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: it seems like everybody was. And so I'm around people 399 00:23:25,920 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 1: the David Canaries and the James Mitchell's and and I'm 400 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: telling you what these guys did on these shows. Oh 401 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:40,080 Speaker 1: my god, it was fantastic. It was absolutely I would 402 00:23:40,080 --> 00:23:43,639 Speaker 1: watch with wonder at what these actors could do in 403 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:49,080 Speaker 1: the TV show, the show I'm on. I'm stunned. So eventually, 404 00:23:49,119 --> 00:23:51,120 Speaker 1: did you have any I mean, when I'm assuming when 405 00:23:51,119 --> 00:23:53,840 Speaker 1: you're one of the stars of these shows and you 406 00:23:53,880 --> 00:23:55,800 Speaker 1: are indeed one of the stars that they showed doing 407 00:23:55,840 --> 00:23:58,359 Speaker 1: that ten years, you were there ten years, do the 408 00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:00,440 Speaker 1: writers and do the producers coming do you and start 409 00:24:00,520 --> 00:24:02,320 Speaker 1: to say to you, you know, what do you want 410 00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 1: to do to that? Never that never happens, that never 411 00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:07,040 Speaker 1: ever happens. What do you want? What do you want 412 00:24:07,040 --> 00:24:11,440 Speaker 1: to play? That job came to an end before I 413 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:13,439 Speaker 1: was ready for it to come to an end and 414 00:24:14,240 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: a confluence of things happening exactly the wrong time, or 415 00:24:18,040 --> 00:24:23,280 Speaker 1: it turns out exactly the right time. Soap opera star 416 00:24:23,359 --> 00:24:27,840 Speaker 1: Peter Bergman, I've interviewed one other Daytime Emmy winner on 417 00:24:27,880 --> 00:24:31,520 Speaker 1: this program and that, believe it or not, is Julianne Moore. 418 00:24:32,119 --> 00:24:37,160 Speaker 1: She won for her work as Franny Hughes and Franny's 419 00:24:37,200 --> 00:24:41,520 Speaker 1: twins sister Sabrina on As the World Turns. The dialogue 420 00:24:41,560 --> 00:24:45,320 Speaker 1: is so rough, so basic. All you're doing is is 421 00:24:45,480 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: establishing story. I used to do what they called emotional 422 00:24:48,760 --> 00:24:51,840 Speaker 1: I called it and any emotional applicate where if I 423 00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:54,960 Speaker 1: had to say something that was really just plot oriented, 424 00:24:54,960 --> 00:24:57,240 Speaker 1: I try to like cry on top of it or 425 00:24:57,359 --> 00:24:59,240 Speaker 1: laugh on top of it or anything just to make 426 00:24:59,240 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: it mean something. Here, Yeah, because it's all exposition. My 427 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:08,000 Speaker 1: interview with Julianne Moore, it's not just about soaps is 428 00:25:08,040 --> 00:25:12,360 Speaker 1: in our archive that Here's the Thing dot org more 429 00:25:12,440 --> 00:25:33,919 Speaker 1: with Peter Bergman when we return, I'm Alec Baldwin and 430 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:37,320 Speaker 1: this is Here's the thing. Actor. Peter Bergman is Jack 431 00:25:37,359 --> 00:25:39,720 Speaker 1: Abbott on The Young and the Restless, but before then 432 00:25:40,119 --> 00:25:44,000 Speaker 1: he was dashing rich Dr Cliff Warner on All My Children, 433 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:48,680 Speaker 1: married most of the time to Nina Cortland. Their relationship 434 00:25:48,800 --> 00:25:52,160 Speaker 1: was on the cover of Soap Opera Magazine throughout the eighties. 435 00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:56,200 Speaker 1: Soaps dot com and if it's not bookmarked, it should 436 00:25:56,240 --> 00:25:59,520 Speaker 1: be puts them first in a list of soap opera 437 00:25:59,560 --> 00:26:03,480 Speaker 1: super pupples. The couple even has its own Wikipedia entry. 438 00:26:03,920 --> 00:26:07,440 Speaker 1: Meina Courtland was played by Taylor Miller. If I had 439 00:26:07,480 --> 00:26:10,840 Speaker 1: to name the seven most important women in my life, 440 00:26:10,960 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 1: Taylor Miller would be in there. I, I, we, we, 441 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 1: We rode the crest of this spacetime rave together. John 442 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:24,080 Speaker 1: Rowland was my mother. You're on this juggernaut and and 443 00:26:24,200 --> 00:26:26,959 Speaker 1: and and when when it ends, you you didn't think 444 00:26:26,960 --> 00:26:28,600 Speaker 1: it was gonna end. You were prepared for it to end. 445 00:26:28,800 --> 00:26:31,800 Speaker 1: I wasn't prepared for it to end. Uh No, No, 446 00:26:31,960 --> 00:26:35,880 Speaker 1: they sent uh she Taylor and I off in the sunset. 447 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:38,720 Speaker 1: This is what the audience wants anyway. She's she wants 448 00:26:38,720 --> 00:26:40,920 Speaker 1: to leave. She wants to go have a family and 449 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 1: have a life in Chicago with her her husband, and 450 00:26:45,280 --> 00:26:48,360 Speaker 1: uh so she's leaving. So so we had a brand 451 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:52,000 Speaker 1: new produce, executive producer, brand new head writer, had no 452 00:26:53,240 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 1: personal commitment to the history of the show or the 453 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,439 Speaker 1: character I played or anything. And they've kind of, you 454 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:02,280 Speaker 1: know what, We'll just let them both go off in 455 00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:10,400 Speaker 1: the sunset. And I was just hammered by it. It's 456 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 1: going on without me. I found a home and again 457 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,040 Speaker 1: this goes back to the to the military thing. I 458 00:27:17,080 --> 00:27:19,400 Speaker 1: had found a home and I had made myself a 459 00:27:19,440 --> 00:27:22,160 Speaker 1: member of that family in a big way. And it ended. 460 00:27:22,400 --> 00:27:25,280 Speaker 1: And how much how long did you stay after it ended? 461 00:27:25,560 --> 00:27:28,600 Speaker 1: So to notify you, then you're gonna exactly right. So 462 00:27:28,640 --> 00:27:33,000 Speaker 1: they let me know in late January, and I worked 463 00:27:33,119 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: till September six. It was a long time. Yeah, it 464 00:27:39,320 --> 00:27:42,280 Speaker 1: was nasty and and I would love to tell you 465 00:27:42,359 --> 00:27:45,359 Speaker 1: I was strong enough to pick myself up, dust myself off, 466 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:48,919 Speaker 1: and and get onto the next thing. And I was 467 00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 1: thunderstruck by it. My wife was seven months pregnant with 468 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,680 Speaker 1: our second child. We had just bought the apartment next 469 00:27:55,680 --> 00:27:58,919 Speaker 1: door and joined the two. I met her through a 470 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:02,840 Speaker 1: blind date. Uh, my friend Michael had had introduced us. 471 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:05,200 Speaker 1: And what was she doing? And she was working at 472 00:28:05,320 --> 00:28:09,320 Speaker 1: thirty Rock. She worked in NBC Sports for the guy 473 00:28:09,560 --> 00:28:13,840 Speaker 1: that did contracts for everything. And we went to Odeon 474 00:28:14,240 --> 00:28:20,280 Speaker 1: downtown and with with Michael and uh, Marian's cousin Beth. 475 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:28,840 Speaker 1: Who who's Michael? Okay, here's here's a good twist. Michael Nader, 476 00:28:29,320 --> 00:28:34,960 Speaker 1: Michael Miner, Michael Miner, who's any bells? Okay? I have 477 00:28:35,000 --> 00:28:39,520 Speaker 1: a story for you. Three years ago, my closest friend 478 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:42,440 Speaker 1: in the world died. Not Mike Miner who lived in 479 00:28:42,480 --> 00:28:46,760 Speaker 1: my building, Mike Mimer, who was on Petticoat Junction. Mike Miner, 480 00:28:47,080 --> 00:28:48,600 Speaker 1: he was I lived in his building. I know that, 481 00:28:48,800 --> 00:28:52,160 Speaker 1: I know that very well. I live very well. Was 482 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,760 Speaker 1: missed myself today. I had no reason to do this, Alec, 483 00:28:55,880 --> 00:28:59,200 Speaker 1: I'm on a very busy schedule right now. This was 484 00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:03,560 Speaker 1: an opportune to say thank you for being a good 485 00:29:03,600 --> 00:29:07,080 Speaker 1: guy to my friend Michael. And some of his darkest days, 486 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: I'm telling you you're being kind to him outside your building, 487 00:29:12,600 --> 00:29:17,120 Speaker 1: in your lobby, would sometimes make his week. God. And 488 00:29:17,280 --> 00:29:19,560 Speaker 1: this is a guy who had quite a career. I mean, 489 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,680 Speaker 1: I said to my wife, I get a picture from 490 00:29:21,680 --> 00:29:25,720 Speaker 1: Pettico Junction and he's the boyfriend, strapping, good looking, super 491 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:27,200 Speaker 1: handsomely And I turned to my wife and I go, 492 00:29:27,640 --> 00:29:29,560 Speaker 1: that's Mike Minor that we know who lives across that. 493 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 1: Because he really smoked himself. He died about died of 494 00:29:34,960 --> 00:29:38,160 Speaker 1: a lifetime of bad choices, and he was talked to 495 00:29:38,240 --> 00:29:41,480 Speaker 1: him all the time. Struggle to take care of their health. 496 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,800 Speaker 1: One of the great sense of humors of all times. 497 00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:48,320 Speaker 1: And I don't know if you ever children. He was 498 00:29:48,680 --> 00:29:50,440 Speaker 1: him and all my children. He was there for a 499 00:29:50,440 --> 00:29:55,520 Speaker 1: couple of years and uh, Susan Lucci's boyfriend on the show. 500 00:29:55,840 --> 00:29:58,160 Speaker 1: So so Michael and I were on All My Children together, 501 00:29:58,280 --> 00:30:03,640 Speaker 1: became fast friends. And that time, Uh, Beth McCauley, who's 502 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 1: from Massapequa, Long Island, that's where I'm front. I know that, Uh, 503 00:30:08,760 --> 00:30:11,600 Speaker 1: this is weird. This is weird. So uh, Mike Minor 504 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 1: and Beth McCauley from Massapequa, UM took us to Odeon. 505 00:30:16,120 --> 00:30:20,280 Speaker 1: Beth head said my cousin's here, uh and said to Michael, um, 506 00:30:20,800 --> 00:30:22,400 Speaker 1: who can we hook her up with? And he said, 507 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:25,960 Speaker 1: she's a redhead. I'll called Burgman and uh and that's 508 00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:30,280 Speaker 1: how I'm married thirty four years now. Um so anyway, 509 00:30:30,360 --> 00:30:34,560 Speaker 1: we uh we we had a delicious first date. Uh. 510 00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:36,880 Speaker 1: And nice to New York, especially when you're younger and 511 00:30:36,960 --> 00:30:39,000 Speaker 1: a soul new It's nice to be in New York 512 00:30:39,040 --> 00:30:41,600 Speaker 1: with money in your pocket. It was the greatest thing. 513 00:30:41,640 --> 00:30:45,200 Speaker 1: I had a ticket agent. I had somebody I called Frank, 514 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,760 Speaker 1: and I told him I just read about a play 515 00:30:47,880 --> 00:30:50,720 Speaker 1: I want to see, and I would get a monthly 516 00:30:50,800 --> 00:30:53,920 Speaker 1: Bill from Frank and they were at will call. I 517 00:30:53,920 --> 00:30:56,040 Speaker 1: would just go and I had I first moved there 518 00:30:56,040 --> 00:30:57,480 Speaker 1: and I had jobs, and I would you know, I 519 00:30:57,480 --> 00:30:59,959 Speaker 1: would make a little dough. I mean, I just couldn't 520 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: stop going to see everything. Just magical time and uh. 521 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:05,840 Speaker 1: And I was able to drag Michael into those kind 522 00:31:05,840 --> 00:31:08,840 Speaker 1: of things. So your first marriage ends when while you're 523 00:31:08,840 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 1: on the sap, and my my first marriage ends while 524 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,720 Speaker 1: I'm on the soap, while I'm somewhat new on the soap. 525 00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,640 Speaker 1: Uh and uh and uh. It was and that in 526 00:31:17,720 --> 00:31:20,240 Speaker 1: itself as a soap, that in itself as a soap, 527 00:31:20,280 --> 00:31:22,080 Speaker 1: and then in itself is I mean, I I don't 528 00:31:22,120 --> 00:31:24,200 Speaker 1: know anybody who has a good divorce story. It was 529 00:31:24,280 --> 00:31:27,840 Speaker 1: just it wasn't It wasn't ugly. You don't I know 530 00:31:27,880 --> 00:31:30,760 Speaker 1: that I died, but but you know, it was a 531 00:31:30,840 --> 00:31:33,400 Speaker 1: terrible time. It was. It was. It was really sad, 532 00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:36,640 Speaker 1: very painful, cutting away the support system you've built around 533 00:31:36,680 --> 00:31:39,360 Speaker 1: yourself for a long time. And I'm very proud of 534 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:42,000 Speaker 1: the fact that Christine and I did manage to keep 535 00:31:42,040 --> 00:31:44,840 Speaker 1: a friendship all that time. We had some mutual friends 536 00:31:45,080 --> 00:31:47,560 Speaker 1: who we stayed in touch with, and I was literally 537 00:31:47,560 --> 00:31:50,920 Speaker 1: at a wedding with her last summer and uh, and 538 00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 1: I've loved seeing her her success and she's fantastic. I 539 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:02,200 Speaker 1: saw the closing night of when they did the I 540 00:32:02,240 --> 00:32:04,120 Speaker 1: don't want to see it was the workshop or whatever 541 00:32:04,200 --> 00:32:07,360 Speaker 1: whatever you want to call this early early I think 542 00:32:07,440 --> 00:32:12,200 Speaker 1: was at Playwrights when they playwrights. Yeah, when they did Yeah, Oh, 543 00:32:12,200 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 1: oh my god. She brought the house down. She's so talented. 544 00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,120 Speaker 1: But when you how soon after you get divorced, you 545 00:32:18,160 --> 00:32:22,000 Speaker 1: can be married. So I got remarried probably three four 546 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:26,840 Speaker 1: years later. I married this just amazing woman. Oh god, 547 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:33,840 Speaker 1: everybody should be loved like I am loved. Yeah, you're lucky. 548 00:32:34,480 --> 00:32:38,440 Speaker 1: When does l A become an idea? L A The 549 00:32:38,480 --> 00:32:40,800 Speaker 1: three things I was not going to do when all 550 00:32:40,800 --> 00:32:43,840 Speaker 1: my children ended. I was not going to replace anybody 551 00:32:44,240 --> 00:32:46,880 Speaker 1: with replacements and kind of work on all my children 552 00:32:46,960 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: when characters left. I was not going to do another 553 00:32:49,760 --> 00:32:53,320 Speaker 1: soap right away. I'm I'm just I'm doing soup right now. 554 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 1: And I was not moving to l A. There's no 555 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:57,840 Speaker 1: what happened. There's no way I moved to l A 556 00:32:58,080 --> 00:33:05,200 Speaker 1: replaced somebody. That's so so, I'm I'm unemployed on the 557 00:33:05,880 --> 00:33:08,440 Speaker 1: shores of Fairfield Beach, where we had a summer house 558 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,320 Speaker 1: we had already paid for. Um that we you know, 559 00:33:11,400 --> 00:33:14,040 Speaker 1: get get away Fairfield, Connecticut. Everyone else was going out 560 00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:16,560 Speaker 1: to Long Island and and Fire Island and and and 561 00:33:16,600 --> 00:33:20,040 Speaker 1: the Hampton's And we went to Fairfield, Connecticut and it 562 00:33:20,080 --> 00:33:24,760 Speaker 1: was swell right in the water. Uh and Uh. I 563 00:33:24,800 --> 00:33:27,080 Speaker 1: was walking up and down that beach and I got 564 00:33:27,080 --> 00:33:30,120 Speaker 1: a call from my agent saying, Um, the Young and 565 00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:34,000 Speaker 1: the Restless just called and want to know how tall 566 00:33:34,120 --> 00:33:35,440 Speaker 1: you do? You want to come out and spend the 567 00:33:35,480 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: rest of your life. I'm gonna pay you bags of money. 568 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:44,880 Speaker 1: It was how how tall? They wanted to know? Am I? 569 00:33:45,400 --> 00:33:48,560 Speaker 1: And I said, well, what is what? Don't even call 570 00:33:48,600 --> 00:33:51,760 Speaker 1: them back? So what I didn't know is Young and 571 00:33:51,800 --> 00:33:55,520 Speaker 1: the Restless had lost an actor named uh Terry Lester, 572 00:33:56,000 --> 00:33:59,240 Speaker 1: who had played the character of Jack Abbott for ten years. 573 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,560 Speaker 1: Very pop at her character, he had decided to to 574 00:34:02,760 --> 00:34:07,520 Speaker 1: move on. And uh and the executive producer, was married 575 00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:09,319 Speaker 1: to one of the stars of the show, and the 576 00:34:09,360 --> 00:34:12,000 Speaker 1: two of them were off on their way to Canada 577 00:34:12,239 --> 00:34:15,280 Speaker 1: in a flight and she had all these say uh. 578 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:19,280 Speaker 1: Melodie Thomas Scott and ed Scott on a flight to Canada. 579 00:34:19,400 --> 00:34:21,759 Speaker 1: She had some of her soap opera magazines with her, 580 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:24,040 Speaker 1: and I'm on the cover of all of them. I 581 00:34:24,120 --> 00:34:26,279 Speaker 1: was not a likely person to get let go of 582 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:29,920 Speaker 1: UM and I wasn't. I wasn't honest, always a surprise 583 00:34:29,960 --> 00:34:31,839 Speaker 1: to everybody. So I was on the cover of all 584 00:34:31,960 --> 00:34:35,240 Speaker 1: these magazines. And she turned to ED and they'd already 585 00:34:35,360 --> 00:34:40,880 Speaker 1: tested six guys and and COMI that week came in. 586 00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:44,120 Speaker 1: She was summarily dismissed in the same way some hot 587 00:34:44,160 --> 00:34:50,640 Speaker 1: dogs in Toronto. So so um Meldie Thomas Scott turns 588 00:34:50,680 --> 00:34:54,959 Speaker 1: to her husband and says, that's Jack and uh. He said, okay, 589 00:34:54,960 --> 00:34:58,640 Speaker 1: well find out how Tallly is first. So that's how 590 00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,400 Speaker 1: that first call happened. You know, in New York we 591 00:35:01,440 --> 00:35:03,759 Speaker 1: always had a very kind of looking down our nose 592 00:35:03,800 --> 00:35:06,719 Speaker 1: at the Los Angeles soaps. Like in New York you 593 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:08,640 Speaker 1: went to the theater, and you went to the symphony, 594 00:35:08,719 --> 00:35:11,279 Speaker 1: and you went to the uh you know, restaurants, and 595 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:13,319 Speaker 1: it was New York and out here everybody was sicking. 596 00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:16,160 Speaker 1: Everybody looked perfect. You've heard all the names because of 597 00:35:16,200 --> 00:35:18,359 Speaker 1: the show, the hung and the breastless and all those 598 00:35:18,400 --> 00:35:20,600 Speaker 1: put down names. When you get out here and you 599 00:35:20,640 --> 00:35:24,200 Speaker 1: start the show. It was night and day. I went 600 00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:26,799 Speaker 1: from standing in the makeup room talking about the show 601 00:35:26,920 --> 00:35:30,239 Speaker 1: last night, and I got here and everyone was off 602 00:35:30,280 --> 00:35:33,400 Speaker 1: in their dressing rooms. There were people that were on 603 00:35:33,440 --> 00:35:36,680 Speaker 1: the same episode that I was on for the first 604 00:35:36,719 --> 00:35:38,640 Speaker 1: two months I was there, and I never met them. 605 00:35:38,640 --> 00:35:41,040 Speaker 1: I never clapped eyes on them, I never saw them 606 00:35:41,040 --> 00:35:44,080 Speaker 1: in the makeup room. Everybody was off in their own world. 607 00:35:44,960 --> 00:35:48,520 Speaker 1: They're probably developing new ideas for something. And you know, 608 00:35:48,800 --> 00:35:51,480 Speaker 1: it was so different, different things. I walked down on 609 00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:55,360 Speaker 1: the set and there were cute cards everywhere, que cards. 610 00:35:56,400 --> 00:36:00,360 Speaker 1: But here's the cool thing. After ten years of watching 611 00:36:00,760 --> 00:36:05,839 Speaker 1: a couple of guys have those roles, the role I've 612 00:36:05,880 --> 00:36:10,399 Speaker 1: got the role on this ship about you, it's about me, 613 00:36:10,719 --> 00:36:14,680 Speaker 1: and it's and this is a mercurial character. One day, 614 00:36:15,000 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: the nicest brother anybody could ever have. The next day 615 00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:26,919 Speaker 1: a despotic boss and dreadful, manipulative, venal, self centered idiot um. 616 00:36:27,080 --> 00:36:32,600 Speaker 1: The next day, uh, careful kind lover the next day 617 00:36:32,640 --> 00:36:36,279 Speaker 1: it was one way, one of the roles. I got 618 00:36:36,320 --> 00:36:39,560 Speaker 1: one of the roles in daytime and it took off, 619 00:36:39,680 --> 00:36:41,879 Speaker 1: and I was there a year and a half when 620 00:36:41,880 --> 00:36:44,839 Speaker 1: I won my first Emity. You want three or four? 621 00:36:45,000 --> 00:36:57,200 Speaker 1: I won three, nominated, I don't, yeah, nomination nominated for 622 00:36:57,239 --> 00:36:59,360 Speaker 1: a lot of them, and you want a few. And 623 00:36:59,360 --> 00:37:01,759 Speaker 1: when you were there and you're doing the show. How 624 00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:04,359 Speaker 1: what happens to in terms of the culture of living 625 00:37:04,360 --> 00:37:07,960 Speaker 1: in Los Angeles um slowly as the kids grow up 626 00:37:08,120 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 1: and I get to coach their basketball teams and we 627 00:37:11,080 --> 00:37:14,200 Speaker 1: get to meet their friends, and we and school starts 628 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,759 Speaker 1: and we get to end. I got to liking it 629 00:37:16,880 --> 00:37:20,080 Speaker 1: more and more. But the first seven years I fought 630 00:37:20,120 --> 00:37:22,960 Speaker 1: this with everything. We kept to our apartment for seven years. 631 00:37:23,280 --> 00:37:26,240 Speaker 1: We kept our apartment on West ninety Street between Central 632 00:37:26,239 --> 00:37:29,759 Speaker 1: Park Western Columbus for the first seven years we were there. 633 00:37:30,040 --> 00:37:33,839 Speaker 1: I lived in the Eldorado for twenty years. Is that? Yeah? 634 00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:36,560 Speaker 1: I member? I member. El Dorado is at the end 635 00:37:36,640 --> 00:37:41,240 Speaker 1: of that block. I remember my trinity. You're touring liquors 636 00:37:41,440 --> 00:37:43,759 Speaker 1: right there. You are so there. You you know this 637 00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:44,920 Speaker 1: is I don't want to get into this now, but 638 00:37:44,920 --> 00:37:46,040 Speaker 1: it's like, you know, I'm not sure I'm wanna live 639 00:37:46,040 --> 00:37:49,400 Speaker 1: in New York anymore. Yeah, yeah, I get that. It's 640 00:37:49,400 --> 00:37:52,239 Speaker 1: a pretty hard line. Had I to do this all 641 00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:55,160 Speaker 1: over again. As I said, I fought it tooth and nail. 642 00:37:55,239 --> 00:37:58,040 Speaker 1: The thought that the dragged, kicking and screaming to the 643 00:37:58,080 --> 00:38:02,000 Speaker 1: best thing that ever happened to me. Um, I had 644 00:38:02,040 --> 00:38:03,759 Speaker 1: I to do it over again. The first day I 645 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,560 Speaker 1: would have bought a surfboard, and the second day I 646 00:38:06,560 --> 00:38:08,840 Speaker 1: would have bought a set of golf clubs. And I 647 00:38:08,880 --> 00:38:12,879 Speaker 1: would have embraced with life in southern California. What Rome? 648 00:38:13,000 --> 00:38:16,080 Speaker 1: I was standing there saying, well, this is a cultural 649 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:18,880 Speaker 1: waste land. Who would live here? As soon as his 650 00:38:18,960 --> 00:38:20,880 Speaker 1: job is over, I'm headed back to New York. I 651 00:38:21,040 --> 00:38:24,160 Speaker 1: fought it with everything, and that's right, that's right, that's right. 652 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:26,480 Speaker 1: Now I've come to embrace the healthy You mean, I 653 00:38:26,520 --> 00:38:28,239 Speaker 1: was one of the great l A haters of all time, 654 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:30,560 Speaker 1: and you learn to make peace with him. You get 655 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,080 Speaker 1: a break for how much in your contract you have 656 00:38:32,160 --> 00:38:35,840 Speaker 1: off two weeks in December? That's it? Well, you know 657 00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:39,120 Speaker 1: I haven't get out to vacation time. I have outs 658 00:38:39,200 --> 00:38:42,040 Speaker 1: in my contract. But could you do? But the way 659 00:38:42,080 --> 00:38:44,839 Speaker 1: outs work is is they have to cast it so 660 00:38:44,880 --> 00:38:47,720 Speaker 1: far ahead of time. I would do a play. Plays 661 00:38:47,800 --> 00:38:50,600 Speaker 1: are are hard hardest harder to do. It's quite a 662 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:54,160 Speaker 1: while ago, quite a while ago. So so it would 663 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:56,719 Speaker 1: be the taking schedule change, because everybody told me, like 664 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,440 Speaker 1: Kims Zimmer would tell me years ago when they reconstituted 665 00:38:59,520 --> 00:39:02,719 Speaker 1: Guiding Light and then you know, they were the I 666 00:39:03,080 --> 00:39:04,719 Speaker 1: remember whether they were going to cancel it or they 667 00:39:04,760 --> 00:39:06,600 Speaker 1: did cancel it or whatever, and they said to them, 668 00:39:06,640 --> 00:39:10,000 Speaker 1: we're gonna shoot multiple episodes. We're gonna we're gonna block shoot. 669 00:39:10,280 --> 00:39:12,359 Speaker 1: That's that's that's what you're doing. That that's the norm now. 670 00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:15,200 Speaker 1: So so we we take five or six shows in 671 00:39:15,280 --> 00:39:18,880 Speaker 1: four days. We only work Tuesday through Friday. Um, and 672 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:21,840 Speaker 1: not because it gives the actors a break, but because 673 00:39:21,880 --> 00:39:26,040 Speaker 1: it's less expensive and uh. And we pretty much everything's 674 00:39:26,080 --> 00:39:30,680 Speaker 1: in one take, which which is both good and bad. Uh. 675 00:39:30,719 --> 00:39:34,160 Speaker 1: If if I can get time with you to rehearse 676 00:39:34,400 --> 00:39:38,200 Speaker 1: in our dressing rooms, let's suit in one take. Yeah. Yeah, 677 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:41,279 Speaker 1: my first take is always my best, always has been 678 00:39:41,680 --> 00:39:43,600 Speaker 1: doing third and four take. That's what. I don't know 679 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:47,680 Speaker 1: the material. When you when you are doing film and 680 00:39:47,719 --> 00:39:50,600 Speaker 1: somebody's asking you for take nine, I don't know how 681 00:39:50,640 --> 00:39:52,640 Speaker 1: you do that. I go out of my mind. I'd 682 00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:55,560 Speaker 1: start adding words, I'd start you know, oh yeah, yeah, 683 00:39:55,800 --> 00:39:58,960 Speaker 1: I like I like to do six or eight takes myself, 684 00:39:59,560 --> 00:40:01,239 Speaker 1: just to play with it. But but but for me, it's 685 00:40:01,280 --> 00:40:03,520 Speaker 1: like you know that that I don't like to do 686 00:40:03,560 --> 00:40:07,400 Speaker 1: thirty takes. I mean money, yeah, but but every everything 687 00:40:07,480 --> 00:40:10,560 Speaker 1: is in one take. We we do things, uh it 688 00:40:10,640 --> 00:40:13,359 Speaker 1: up well if you flood will pick it up. But 689 00:40:13,360 --> 00:40:19,040 Speaker 1: but for the most part in scenes with me, um 690 00:40:19,080 --> 00:40:21,440 Speaker 1: and I say this is with as much modesty as 691 00:40:21,440 --> 00:40:25,240 Speaker 1: I can muster. Um. My job is to find you, 692 00:40:25,920 --> 00:40:28,680 Speaker 1: and you and I are going to build this scene together. 693 00:40:29,360 --> 00:40:31,520 Speaker 1: They sometimes they don't have time to direct at all. 694 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:36,000 Speaker 1: So what you the conversation you and I have about 695 00:40:36,040 --> 00:40:42,200 Speaker 1: what has to happen in this scene is a critical directors. 696 00:40:43,520 --> 00:40:46,480 Speaker 1: They are they and not because they're any less than 697 00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,200 Speaker 1: the directors we once had, but because it's going so fast. 698 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:52,480 Speaker 1: They are in a pressure cooker. They're making camera shots 699 00:40:52,520 --> 00:40:55,319 Speaker 1: work like crazy because we're directing on the fly with 700 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:59,440 Speaker 1: camera changes and things like that. So so it's up 701 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:02,839 Speaker 1: to act. So we've run this. You and I know 702 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:05,960 Speaker 1: this thing inside out before we ever go out there, 703 00:41:06,640 --> 00:41:08,520 Speaker 1: or I or I haven't done my job. When I 704 00:41:08,560 --> 00:41:10,880 Speaker 1: did thirty Rock, they always gave me, like the real 705 00:41:11,800 --> 00:41:15,160 Speaker 1: lengthy speeches I would do the character was windy and 706 00:41:15,160 --> 00:41:17,120 Speaker 1: they haven't got I would hold forth for like a page, 707 00:41:17,120 --> 00:41:19,200 Speaker 1: and I have two pages. And I never memorized the 708 00:41:19,280 --> 00:41:21,399 Speaker 1: night before because I knew they would change it, and 709 00:41:21,440 --> 00:41:22,839 Speaker 1: I knew I'd come in and saying, and we don't 710 00:41:22,840 --> 00:41:24,920 Speaker 1: have that. So I would sit down in the makeup 711 00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:27,400 Speaker 1: chairm memorize and I was a good study. And you 712 00:41:27,680 --> 00:41:30,440 Speaker 1: have to what kills me. People don't get this, they 713 00:41:30,440 --> 00:41:32,680 Speaker 1: say to me. I would have you know quite a 714 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:35,560 Speaker 1: few people during mic where they say, well, you're very 715 00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:37,279 Speaker 1: good at memorizing. Your aligned you to the soap w 716 00:41:37,440 --> 00:41:40,160 Speaker 1: I said I was on a soap. Yep, I said 717 00:41:40,160 --> 00:41:42,400 Speaker 1: I was on a soap. I had memorize. If it 718 00:41:42,480 --> 00:41:44,879 Speaker 1: was a thirty page script, I was in twenty three 719 00:41:44,920 --> 00:41:47,000 Speaker 1: pages of it. And I said the same thing fifteen 720 00:41:47,000 --> 00:41:51,240 Speaker 1: different ways. Gret I love you, Greta. Please don't leave me, Greta, Please, 721 00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:56,400 Speaker 1: don't you understand Greta. You know those environments, it's intense, 722 00:41:56,480 --> 00:41:59,480 Speaker 1: even before this block shooting. Now when they were in 723 00:41:59,480 --> 00:42:01,279 Speaker 1: the old way, you shot a show a day. Maybe 724 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:05,279 Speaker 1: it's a pressure cooker. Uh and the peacock men. I'm 725 00:42:05,280 --> 00:42:08,440 Speaker 1: not getting into like your show, but the peacock men, 726 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,080 Speaker 1: men who are the leads, men who drive the show. 727 00:42:11,480 --> 00:42:14,640 Speaker 1: People don't understand that there's a little competition there, you know. 728 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:16,640 Speaker 1: I mean, yeah, I mean you have to, you have 729 00:42:16,719 --> 00:42:19,800 Speaker 1: to hold your own. But it demands a kind of 730 00:42:19,840 --> 00:42:23,160 Speaker 1: faith in each other that I'm not just protecting my character. 731 00:42:23,400 --> 00:42:26,200 Speaker 1: How about I make you look really good and you 732 00:42:26,239 --> 00:42:29,040 Speaker 1: make me look really good. This is this is the 733 00:42:29,040 --> 00:42:32,000 Speaker 1: Peter Bergman school of doing this. And I can. I 734 00:42:32,080 --> 00:42:34,040 Speaker 1: can beat you down if you if you want to, 735 00:42:34,239 --> 00:42:36,960 Speaker 1: if you want to go toe to toe where you're 736 00:42:36,960 --> 00:42:39,600 Speaker 1: going to embarrass me, or you're going to uh in 737 00:42:39,680 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 1: a scene, in a scene and in a scene in 738 00:42:42,840 --> 00:42:45,640 Speaker 1: daytime television. You're not gonna do that to me. No, No, 739 00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:48,279 Speaker 1: that much I can handle. And so when you say, 740 00:42:48,360 --> 00:42:52,439 Speaker 1: you know, the big guys uh protecting their turf, there's 741 00:42:52,520 --> 00:42:56,360 Speaker 1: a little bit of that, but I hate that. Had 742 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:58,479 Speaker 1: a little bit of that. Now for you one lessing. 743 00:42:58,520 --> 00:43:00,839 Speaker 1: A couple lessons I want to ask you, um, the 744 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 1: you know, the soap proper culture. The fans, David O'Brien 745 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:07,000 Speaker 1: said to me, they know you. They watch you every day. 746 00:43:07,000 --> 00:43:08,920 Speaker 1: It's out like nighttime TV, he said, they see you 747 00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:12,680 Speaker 1: every day. And he said a relationship has formed, and 748 00:43:12,680 --> 00:43:14,680 Speaker 1: he's and when they meet you, they're ready for that 749 00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:18,560 Speaker 1: relationship to go to the next level. Yet so so 750 00:43:18,560 --> 00:43:22,399 Speaker 1: so there are different kinds of fame. Uh, someone runs 751 00:43:22,400 --> 00:43:26,839 Speaker 1: into Robert Redford on the street, What do you really say? Um, hey, 752 00:43:27,080 --> 00:43:31,360 Speaker 1: liked liked your your movie with I Love the Natural? 753 00:43:31,680 --> 00:43:34,680 Speaker 1: Um which what are your butch Cassidy And they just say, 754 00:43:34,719 --> 00:43:40,520 Speaker 1: oh my god, um me. They could have a half 755 00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:43,920 Speaker 1: hour conversation with me without ever discussing me or the 756 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:48,200 Speaker 1: role I play. Half an hour discussion. So there is 757 00:43:48,280 --> 00:43:51,680 Speaker 1: this kind of sense of ownership that we run into 758 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:55,960 Speaker 1: quite often with this kind of fame that that's in 759 00:43:56,040 --> 00:43:57,600 Speaker 1: my living room every day. Of course, I know I'm 760 00:43:58,000 --> 00:43:59,600 Speaker 1: going to talk. I'm not going to back off. I'm 761 00:43:59,600 --> 00:44:02,480 Speaker 1: gonna talk. Who was Jack married to? Now? Jack is 762 00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:06,240 Speaker 1: not married right now? Yeah, I've lost four wedding rings 763 00:44:07,040 --> 00:44:09,400 Speaker 1: by my characters not being married and being out on 764 00:44:09,440 --> 00:44:12,760 Speaker 1: the set and having the wardrobe guy goes and pointing 765 00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:14,920 Speaker 1: to my ring finger and I take it off and 766 00:44:14,960 --> 00:44:17,879 Speaker 1: I put it in my costume never to see it 767 00:44:18,160 --> 00:44:22,279 Speaker 1: again or something. I can't I if I lost my daughter, 768 00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:25,200 Speaker 1: but I know Jack's not married right now, and and 769 00:44:25,280 --> 00:44:29,560 Speaker 1: Jack is uh. Jack is now de facto the head 770 00:44:29,600 --> 00:44:32,279 Speaker 1: of the Abbot family. And they're really only two big 771 00:44:32,320 --> 00:44:35,400 Speaker 1: families in town, the Newman's in the Abbots. And thirty years, 772 00:44:35,520 --> 00:44:38,120 Speaker 1: thirty years. How do you want Jack to go out? 773 00:44:38,880 --> 00:44:42,920 Speaker 1: Or can you even say? You know? There? I want 774 00:44:43,000 --> 00:44:47,280 Speaker 1: him to be dragged off to prison for putting Victor 775 00:44:47,800 --> 00:44:51,360 Speaker 1: through a wall. There's a character has been his his 776 00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:55,000 Speaker 1: nemesis for the entire time he's been there. And Brandon, yeah, 777 00:44:55,080 --> 00:44:58,719 Speaker 1: and and and and it is written in the stars 778 00:44:58,800 --> 00:45:02,920 Speaker 1: that he has to win every battle. Victor Eric Britten's 779 00:45:03,000 --> 00:45:08,520 Speaker 1: character always always, always wins. I want to win one 780 00:45:08,560 --> 00:45:13,480 Speaker 1: major battle and be dragged out screaming at the penitentiary. 781 00:45:13,600 --> 00:45:17,360 Speaker 1: Off to the penitentiary. I guess that's my Jack's last day. 782 00:45:17,920 --> 00:45:21,279 Speaker 1: You're in Rome, and by the time the battle is over, 783 00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:25,160 Speaker 1: you're holding him down and like you keep fear and 784 00:45:25,200 --> 00:45:27,880 Speaker 1: as we close in on his face, he has to 785 00:45:27,920 --> 00:45:31,400 Speaker 1: make the choice do you pull up? But I've just 786 00:45:31,560 --> 00:45:35,720 Speaker 1: been through too much. I'm just gonna hold his face down. 787 00:45:42,040 --> 00:45:47,000 Speaker 1: If over thirty years, hundreds of writers and producers had 788 00:45:47,040 --> 00:45:50,719 Speaker 1: forced you to lose to your arch enemy over and 789 00:45:50,800 --> 00:45:53,919 Speaker 1: over again, well, you might have that kind of fantasy too. 790 00:45:59,080 --> 00:46:03,840 Speaker 1: The kind, gracious and very talented Peter Bergman appears today 791 00:46:04,640 --> 00:46:08,560 Speaker 1: and tomorrow and the day after that at on your 792 00:46:08,560 --> 00:46:15,440 Speaker 1: local CBS station, that's Central. I'm Alec Baldwin, and this 793 00:46:15,520 --> 00:46:16,279 Speaker 1: is here's the thing.