Ryan Brown has the distinction of playing two of the greatest Daytime "legacy" characters in TV history...both with the same name! He first appeared as the SORASed "Bill Lewis" on GUIDING LIGHT and then took over as "Billy Abbott" on THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS. In keeping with the very small showbiz world in which I inhabit, he was one of the first neighbors I spotted when I moved into my Manhattan apartment building! Since then, we've both moved to new homes in the same neighborhood but bump into each other all the time. We also share a gorgeous Degree of Separation: Ryan's beautiful wife, Victoria, who is a TV presenter colleague of mine. It's Happy Families on NYC's Upper West Side!
Even though the Bills are behind him, he was happy to chat with me about his time in Soaps and what he's been doing since leaving Springfield & Genoa City. And it's pretty impressive!!
Nelson Aspen: Playing two of the most iconic "Bills" in daytime, which one was your favorite?
Ryan Brown: I liked both characters, but I probably enjoyed playing Billy Abbott more. He was a bit of a darker character. Both characters were sort of ‘good boy’ roles. You always want to bring a little darkness to those characters, so they don’t play too one-dimensionally. The Abbott role allowed for more of that.