So how would you characterize the situation then? You’ve hit a dead end? Or is there still hope?
It is not a fait accompli but I am seriously thinking about various other career options. As you know, I came to Y&R from film, from nighttime television, from theatre. It’s not that one isn’t willing to acquiesce to [a lesser salary], but it is the way in which I was approached. I was dealt with in a cold, deeply insulting and unconscionable manner and I’m a defiant bastard. I feel a great loyalty to the character and to the show, but that loyalty is not reciprocated. The daytime business has become cutthroat.
Where does CBS fit into this equation? Why isn’t Barbara Bloom, the head of CBS Daytime, doing something to stop it? Where’s Les Moonves?
I don’t know. I assume all this will have to be played out first [with Sony]. Let me put it this way, I’ve always had a great respect for Les Moonves, and I think it’s mutual. I don’t know who has what say and what power, but I would assume CBS has considerable power. And none of this, as I said, is a fait accompli. It’s not that I’m not cognizant of these difficult economic times. One has to be stupid not to be aware. I’m also aware of certain decreases in the [Y&R] license fee that took place recently, but now it’s sledgehammer time, you know? [And that’s wrong] when you put your ass on the line for this show for 30 years, and have done as much publicity as I have. I still sell more [daytime] magazines than anyone in this medium, as you know. And I am very proud of that association.
Read the complete interview at TVGuideMagazine.com.
The flipside is that unlike Hall and Hogestyn (sp?), Braeden is being made an offer instead of just kicked to the curb.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, this shows that contracts don't mean squat. Why should actors honor their contracts if their employers don't?
Great union those daytime actors have.
I'm not a big fan of Victor or Eric Braeden but I was very appreciative of the way he spoke about the daytime business and corporate treatment of individual workers. Braeden is obviously in a better position than most who have found themselves unemployed in this economy but the treatment he describes is representative of the way a lot of workers are being treated by corporations.
ReplyDeleteI've seen lots of comments on other sites that Braeden should just take the pay cut and shut up - and I understand where they are coming from - he's in an incredibly privileged position. But I hope others sympathize a bit with his position - and that this sympathy might make people think twice before arguing on behalf of the rights of corporations over individuals.