An actor from AMC recently told me that Frons is obsessed with one actress who had the left the show because she lived in Los Angeles. “He paid her a million dollars to return for a year,” the source said. “Now he’s moving the whole show out there hoping she’ll come back.” A rumor is also rampant that Frons wants to cancel ONE LIFE TO LIVE, his best-written, acted and directed soap.
As for Braeden, he started playing mysterious tycoon Victor Newman when Gerald Ford was president. The show’s been No. 1 ever since then.
Like most veteran soap actors, Braeden’s devoted his life to the show. It’s a double-edged sword. Soap actors get typecast, and work 18-hour days, so it’s not so easy to find other work. The shows become comfortable for them, but at the same time, the shows need them. The networks or production companies owe more to Braeden and the handful of remaining stars (Susan Lucci, Erika Slezak, etc.) than the actors do to them.
Soap actors rarely complain in public or even have publicists. One actor told me: “It’s an insular world. If you say anything bad, you could get fired. So no one speaks up.” The result is that they get little respect. They live in an alternate celebrity universe even though they probably have higher fan recognition than most indie movie actors.
Frankly, if I were an actor on one of the remaining shows, I’d contact my union rep, get a publicist, and start talking. Soon it may be too late.
Source: Showbiz 411
Interesting commentary. Good to know it's being covered outside the soap world. Do you have the link to the full story?
ReplyDeleteOh, and one mistake he made in there. Eric Braeden has played Victor Newman since 1980, when Jimmy Carter was president.
Ford's term of office was August 74 to January 1977.
James, the link is at the bottom. I'm not sure if he made a mistake with Ford or was stretching the truth on purpose like when he says GL was on for 200 years.
ReplyDeleteRealistically, how long is an actor expected to be contracted by a show?
ReplyDelete30 years is a long time at one job.
Mr. Braeden had a job for a long time, I hope he saved his cash, and I hope he is proud of his efforts. However, Y&R can and will continue forward.
On the other hand, it is interesting that Mr. Braeden does not seem to be generating much sympathy on the net.
Mr. Braeden is the iconic star of Y&R, and has generated some of its best moments.
ReplyDeleteY&R will undoubtedly endure a few more years after his departure, but as with the loss of Victoria Rowell, it's kind of akin to letting a little more air out of the balloon each time.
In this case, I think the biggest concern isn't really Mr. Braeden or Sony. It is the millions of fans who watch for their "Victor" who are cheated here, in this short-sighted little battle.
Mark, I actually made the Victoria Rowell comparison to someone yesterday as well. I understand things happened behind the scenes and she's not coming back, but fans don't care about that stuff. Drucilla was a very important character that they wanted to see. And look what happened to the Winters family after she was gone.
ReplyDeleteVictor means more to the show than eing just another character (despite what Adrienne Frantz might think).