Victoria Rowell TV Guide Exit interview

[Q Steph]

Victoria Rowell was robbed, suds fans. How else to explain why her name is missing from this year's Daytime Emmy ballot? Rowell wasn't even included on the pre-nomination list, which is madness considering the lady's acting tour de force in 2006. Consequently, it's been widely speculated that she quit her signature soap role as Drucilla Barber Winters on The Young and the Restless in frustration over the snub. In this TVGuide.com interview, Rowell tells it like it really is, helps us bid farewell to Dru and previews her busy life after Genoa City.

TVGuide.com: Dru tumbled off a cliff last week on Y&R. What's your take on exiting via the classic soap-opera cliff-hanger — literally!

Victoria Rowell: [Laughs] Dru will probably be hanging off the side of that cliff for the next 30 years.

TVGuide.com: Dru took a dive trying to help her girlfriend Sharon Newman. Never a good idea to get mixed up in Sharon's mess.

Rowell: We don't know whether Dru lives or succumbs to the fall. It could be an Amelia Earhart situation. I leave that to the powers that be to decide. All I know is I had such a fabulous time with the indefatigable Sharon Case (Sharon). I just loved working with her. She's a genuine spirit who brought nothing but joy to me while I worked with her.

TVGuide.com: People have jumped to the conclusion you left Y&R because of the Emmy snub. I'm sure that wasn't the only reason, was it?

Rowell: It was perhaps one of the catalysts. Many people have inquired why I was not pre-nominated. This is what I have to say to that: A restructure of the Emmy voting process has to come into play, so that apathy and jealousy don't dictate who gets on the pre-nomination ballot. It should not be a popularity contest. It should be about the merit of an actor's work.

TVGuide.com: Agreed. The "new and improved" procedure — where each soap decides their pre-nominees in house — does seem sketchy.

Rowell: Frankly, I wondered why I didn't get an Emmy in '91 and '92 and '93 and '94, and so on and so on. Now here we are in 2007. Your readers can look at this and make their own decision. I have 11 NAACP Image Awards for best actress in a daytime drama but not one Emmy. So yes, that is a catalyst for helping me move on. I made a responsible decision for myself, so I hope my fans will follow me to the bookstores!

TVGuide.com: Let's talk more about the racial concern you're bringing up here.

Rowell: There was a time when we had as many as 16 black actors — either series regulars or recurring — on our show. Today we have three black actors. That's my statement. I've fought for black writers; I wanted to write for Y&R, but I wasn't allowed the opportunity. It's obvious that if we diversified as a show, we'd be a stronger show. The authentic nature would infuse itself into the scripts. How can you write what you don't know? That being said, I wish them well. Even iron bends.

TVGuide.com: To end on a soapy note, is there anyone from Y&R you'll miss?

Rowell: Oh, I told you! Sharon Case was just great. And I will miss Local 33, one of our crews on the set. They gave me honorary membership. I would pretend to help them move furniture. Local 33!

TVGuide.com: Dru is one of a kind. I'll miss her. She's such a mix of sophistication and badass attitude.

Rowell: Dru has grit about her. That's what people love. She has always been true to herself. She has gained polish over the years but it is that grit, that Evita Perrone persona that people loved about her. She was about the people, for the people, and she never lost who she was as a person. She would wear her pearls and wear those clothes, but she might have to put her hand on the hip at Newman Enterprises, if necessary!

TVGuide.com: What did you think of Dru's story in the past year? You know, Carmen Mesta and Dru losing her cool and all that....

Rowell: I loved everything that [Y&R head writer and executive producer] Lynn Marie Latham gave me. It was seamless from [former head writer] Jack Smith, and I felt she held the integrity of the late Bill Bell's writing for my character. She breathed life into Dru. This is the strongest story line they've given me in a long time, so kudos to Lynn Marie Latham. That being said, she gave me a tremendous charge to play the very serious issue of mental health. It's an especially sensitive topic with women of color, who are not running to a therapist. Typically, [they seek] a faith and church-based resolution to problems. You do not air your dirty laundry. That's just a cultural issue around the world with women of color. It's a sensitive issue, so I gave it all I had. The audience definitely reacted to it and I am pleased by the feedback.

TVGuide.com: In your new book, The Women Who Raised Me, you are very open about your birth mother's mental illness. I wondered how, if it all, this might have informed your Y&R performance...

Rowell: Oh, most definitely. I dedicated my performance to Dorothy Mabel Collins Rowell, my natural mother. I told that to Lynn Marie Latham and Barbara Bloom, who is the VP of CBS Daytime. And they did not know about my mother! It's like the way Bill Bill channeled into me. Years ago, he wanted me to dance on the show, but he had no idea about my history with ballet. Lynn Marie Latham didn't initially know about my family history, yet she wrote this storyline for me. When the script landed on my coffee table, I thought, "This is rich."

TVGuide.com: I hear you. Enough said, right?

Rowell: Enough said. It was an amazing opportunity for me to have the run that I did in daytime television. The Young and the Restless served a tremendous purpose in my life. It gave me the opportunity to find adult independence in many different ways. I recognize that — and I look forward to the new frontiers in my life.

TVGuide.com: Tell me how you came to write The Women Who Raised Me, which is a memoir of living with all your foster mothers.

Rowell: I was still in foster care when I started writing my stories down in 1974. Throughout the '90s, I began crafting the story, and I talked to as many established literary personalities as I could for their mentorship. If you don't open your mouth, you won't get fed.

TVGuide.com: That's right. When you're forced to grow up fast, you learn to advocate for yourself.

Rowell: People in daytime have approached me over the years and asked, "How do you jump between mediums and keep it fresh?" I say that I've always been responsible for my own career by virtue of the way I grew up. The best agent I ever had was the Department of Children and Family Services, quite frankly. [Laughs] I always found a job by doing my due diligence. That's what I would impart to daytime TV actors who have an interest in diversifying. If you don't want to be classified only as a daytime actress, it's your responsibility to do your homework. You're gonna have to stay focused, pound the pavement and demand to be seen in another light.

TVGuide.com: You had to hustle! I use that word in the best sense.

Rowell: [Laughs] Oh, we don't minimize the word hustle here. When you talk about Victoria Rowell, you're talking grit and pearls. We try to be graceful, but there's a level of grit that goes into success. There's no two ways about it. A daytime actor asked me, "How did you find time to write a book?" I did it in my dressing room on my computer. I was very disciplined and put myself on New York hours. [Y&R tapes in Los Angeles.] I would get up at 3:30 in the morning, I would write, I would go to the set and do my show, and then I would "stay after school" and write more. I would send my pages [to my editor] from CBS and conduct a lot of business after school. I was at Y&R long after everyone had left the building.

TVGuide.com: I really look forward to seeing all the big stuff you have coming up after Y&R.

Rowell: My fans are excited because they have so many places to go! I have a lot to offer creatively. I have now found a home for my writing. I'm also featured in O at Home magazine for my interior design work. MGM is finally releasing my movie, Home of the Brave, on May 11. That's the day after my birthday! I'm so excited. I did that movie with Samuel L. Jackson, Jessica Biel and Christina Ricci. I also just did a movie in Chicago with Angela Bassett and Robert Townsend called Of Boys and Men. Oh, and Patrik-Ian Polk spoke to me about Noah's Arc the movie! It was nice to get that phone call.

[Ryan]

Victoria Rowell is an amazing woman who deserved better than the treatment she received at Y&R.

A socially conscious, intelligent, beautiful and talented woman who will live on in our hearts forever as the one and only Dru Winters.

[crc]

When you talk about Victoria Rowell, you're talking grit and pearls.

LOL! I LOBSTERLOVE this girl to death!

She has a cover story in this week's Jet Magazine. I just got it and haven't read it yet, but from just glancing at it, it seems mostly focused on her book and her ventures outside of daytime. I LOVE how they chose a picture of her from the show with Davetta Sherwood as Lily for the article. LOL!

I'll be watching her movie career or whatever else she chooses to do blossom. I even watched Diagnosis Murder all those years because of her.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

Well, best of luck to her and whatever she decides to pursue in the future. I'm still willing to bet she'll be back in the near future though.

But . . . She kinda did screw herself by submitting herself as Lead Actress. Like them or not, Stafford and Case were Y&R's lead actresses in 06 and the Phick affair and it's aftermath was Y&R's lead story in 06. Dru vs. Carmen and it's aftermath was a Supporting story. Kristoff landed himself an actual nomination by going supporting, why couldn't Rowell do the same? Though, I'd argue that this year Kristoff can submit himself in the lead category.

How Cooper got a nomiantion is beyond me, but she does have seniority over the other actresses. What also gets to me is I don't see anyone here who is upset Sharon Case and Judith Chapman were both snubbed.

[Port Oak Valley]

Dont forget to catch Victoria on The View tomorrow!

[Shawn]

Rowell: Frankly, I wondered why I didn't get an Emmy in '91 and '92 and '93 and '94, and so on and so on. Now here we are in 2007. Your readers can look at this and make their own decision. I have 11 NAACP Image Awards for best actress in a daytime drama but not one Emmy. So yes, that is a catalyst for helping me move on. I made a responsible decision for myself, so I hope my fans will follow me to the bookstores!

Oh GET OVER YOURSELF. What an egotistical bitch.

[Adam]

What a classy woman Victoria Rowell is. She lays it all out on the line in a very non confrontational kind of way. Very smart. I will miss her and her wonderful and fun portrayal of the great Drucilla Winters. Truly one of daytime's most original and creative characters.

[DeeeDee]

Oh please, that's nowhere NEAR 'egotistical'.

If you want egotistical, look no further than Michelle Stafford.

She's couldn't be more on the money if her middle name was Donald Trump.

Amen, Ryan. Amen.

^ Word, amcfan. VR & BB = Class Acts that will never be replaced.

[Shawn]

Sorry, but what else do you call someone stating that they were shocked that they didn't win Emmys for four consecutive years and then making it a point that they won eleven other awards?

I call it conceited and self serving.

[Sweet_VeeVee24]

Victoria is 100% class...

Is she on The View tomorrow?

[Becki]

Thank you!! I completely agree!

[Q Steph]

Stating the obvious, perhaps? Unlike Kim Zimmer for whom the description of egotiscal bitch is applicable, Victoria does not pander to the press simply to be lauded in print. She obviously wanted the recognition of her peers and the Emmy process should not be a popularity race. Granted, the NAACP Awards are a joke, but she has won them consecuively for many years, but she can't even be bestowed the same honors by those in her profession?

Also, I agree with the assessment that Sharon Case deserved a nomination; she was robbed the year Cassie died. Jeanne Cooper got it on name alone IMO.

[SeanM]

Mmmmmmmmmm... So she will only miss Sharon Case from the cast, that surprises me. No Christopher St. John or anyone from the Winters family or a cast member she worked together all the years? What is going on there?

[Q Steph]

I know she and Michelle Stafford got into a fight on the set.

But in Victoria's defense, she has always stated that she does not want to associate with her co-workers off the set; that her professional and personal lives are separate. In a previous interview, she did say she and Sharon weren't tight like that.

[Chris B]

The thing with Rowell is different because she got several nominations during her first run at Y&R, before the Pre-Nom process. Once it went over to Pre-Noms the cast has NEVER voted for her despite her having stuff every year. And before she WAS in Supporting. This year it was extremely obvious that they were playing some serious hateraid games. Too many insanely good actors were left off after MAJOR years, in favor of people who did NOTHING.

The woman got flak for her last couple interviews where she focused on all she does to help keep diversity on soaps, but with her and Renee Goldsberry's exits there is NOT ONE black lead actress on soaps! That is SHAMEFUL! All the work done for minorities in the 90s has been wiped out because these mediocre writers don't care about the real world.

Look at Luke on ATWT. His gay storyline was insanely well recieved, but he was dropped like a hot potato before the story even finished! Now we haven't seen him in almost a year which is just sick. They used him for buzz and kicked him to the curb.

Soaps have got to get it together, especially Y&R. I think it's great that Eric Steinberg is on the show and I'd love for them to bring on a family for him as well.