The long-awaited crossover between TV series "Beyond the Gates"« и «The Young and the Restless» will begin on June 9, when members of the Newman, Abbott and Winters families from «"Young and "The Daring" will appear in Fairmont Crest.
In the storyline, Victor Newman (Eric Braeden) from the series «"The Young and the Restless »" travels the country at the invitation of his close friend Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) from the series "Star Wars: Valor »"). Victor has supported Vernon's political campaigns for years, and Vernon, in turn, has advocated for legislation favorable to Newman Enterprises. Now, Vernon asks Victor to deliver the keynote speech at a political fundraiser for Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon).
For Braden, the agreement to travel to Atlanta to film episodes was instant. "Danielle Unger [CBS Vice President of Current Programming] asked me, and I love and respect her, and I said, 'Okay,'" Braden recalls. "I think there's a real need for a show with a Black cast; it's long overdue, so I said, 'Let's go.'".
Eric Braeden, Tamara Tunie, and Clifton Davis — "Beyond the Gates"«
Quantrell Colbert/CBS
TV Insider was the exclusive press partner of the set, and from the actors of the series «BTG» The same sentiment was expressed repeatedly: excitement at the prospect of filming scenes with Braeden. «That’s nice to hear,» he counters. «I’m glad to hear it, but I don’t take it personally because I know people who let it happen, and it changed them too much. I’ll be damned if that happens to me, so I don’t take it too seriously. I’ve seen horror stories where you stop recognizing someone after they buy into all the hype. They stop being who they were before.».
Stepping into yet another soap studio, he remembered the years before The Young and the Restless« made him an icon of daytime television. "When you've been in this business as long as I have, since 1962, I did a lot of bit parts in different series before I got into «"The Young and the Bold »"," he recalls. "The only thing you get tired of is traveling and changing locations. You go to a different city, a different hotel, and all of this affects how comfortable you feel. It all starts with the assistant directors, production managers, or costume designers, and they were all wonderful on filming "Beyond the Gates" »"They are really warm, wonderful people, and it lifts the spirits.".
Even in unfamiliar territory, Braden says he felt completely at ease. "No nerves whatsoever," he says. "The only thing every actor worries about is having to learn all the dialogue. But now I'm confident in that. I'm confident in myself, and that's probably the only thing I really care about: doing everything as well and convincingly as possible.".
Braden says he thoroughly enjoyed being a part of creating those iconic episodes. «I think they did a wonderful job,» he exclaims. «And I have to say, they were all a joy to work with. Steve Williford [the director] was the director of our show, so I knew him and felt comfortable with him. But everyone there was so nice, and they have a great studio, great cameras, great sets. I was amazed. I thought, «This is so much more modern than what we have here at TV City.» I was impressed.».
Even after decades in the industry, Braden's passion for his craft hasn't waned. "I love bringing it all to life," he explains. "I love when we're filming scenes written by writers who live all over America. I don't know them, they don't know me, and yet somehow we manage to make it all happen. I still enjoy it. If I had a night shift, I'd be directing, and I'd love that too.".
Joshua Morrow, Robin K. Johnson, Kobi Larinde - The Young and the Restless«
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Meanwhile, life in Genoa City occupies Braden both emotionally and professionally. The actor praised the story told about Nick Newman's (Joshua Morrow) fentanyl addiction, and was particularly touched by the moment when Nick finally confesses his problems to Victor. "That was a great scene," Braden praises. "It was one of those scenes where you're like, 'Okay, that's the point. I love that scene because it was real.' That's really what you do. And the money.".
Victor's marital strife wasn't just about Nick. Victor and Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott) also clashed, and Braeden still enjoys playing the role 42 years after their characters' first wedding. "Victor doesn't back down," he notes. "But the thing about Victor and Nikki is that it's just a green monster story. It's jealousy. In other words, Victor doesn't believe she's seeing Jack Abbott [Peter Bergman] for advice, to communicate. He suspects they did something in the hotel room [in 2024, when Jack was helping Nikki overcome her alcohol addiction]. Victor is pissed off about it, and she keeps seeing Jack, so it's constantly rubbing salt in the wound. That's the thing. He thinks Nikki's being dishonest, pretending everything's fine. No, that's not true, because Victor still suspects they were doing something in that hotel room, period. He's never been convinced otherwise.".
Melody Thomas Scott, Eric Braeden - "The Young and the Restless"«
Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
Amidst personal disappointments, Victor is also fighting to reclaim Newman Enterprises from Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), which reawakens familiar instincts within him. "It's forced him back into who Victor always was," Braeden notes. "He's a go-getter, he's tough, he's ruthless, and he has to be that way. He's a guy who doesn't trust anyone. From his time in the orphanage and being abandoned by his parents and his mother, it's a deep wound. So all the successes that have followed have masked it a little, but now he's in survival mode and fighting for his life. So that only makes him stronger.".
After more than forty years working on the show, Braden remains grateful for the material that continues to challenge him. "Josh Griffith [head writer] does a great job," Braden says. "You play what the writers give you, so you really have to rely on them in terms of coming up with storylines. We just interpret them, and he does a great job of that. That's all.".
«Beyond the Gates» , Weekdays, CBS, check local TV listings.
«The Young and the Restless» , weekdays, CBS, check your local TV listing.
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