Victoria Rowell Uncensored: Part Two

By Nelson Branco

2007-12-18

The former star dishes about recent Daytime Emmy reform and reveals she won’t be back on 'Y&R' unless “the cast votes me back in.”

Are you sitting down?

Let’s review: The Young and the Restless’ divine Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters) quit the No.1-rated soap opera after failing to earn a much-deserved Daytime Emmy Award nomination because her cast didn’t throw her their support in the pre-nomination vote. The multiple NAACP winner chose Soaps In Depth and later, TVGuide.ca to lament, and speak out about the unfair Academy process — which encourages a dangerous “gang mentality” of recognizing popular choices instead of talented nominees.

In addition, she bravely — and quite accurately — labelled daytime “racist.” There were also a myriad of other reasons for her abrupt and shocking departure: Rowell was creatively frustrated after head writer and executive producer Lynn Marie Latham turned one of soap’s most unique divas into a caricature, prompting the actress to walk out. It caused quite the stir, to say the least. In our 2007 Soapers of the Year story, we hailed Rowell as a hero for speaking out in such a frank manner; it was revolutionary, especially in these “spin-it” times. Finally, the beautiful star was about to embark on an exhausting but rewarding international book tour, and Rowell wanted to focus all her attention on this sentimental project of hers.

Fast-forward six months later: Rowell is still on her book tour, promoting her important and very sweet memoir, The Women Who Raised Me (coming soon to paperback), while campaigning with presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton. TVGuide.ca thought we’d call up one of our favourite actresses of all time to discuss NATAS’ recent changes to the Emmy system which she single-handedly helped influenced. What we didn’t expect was the explosive bombshell she would soon drop on us about having to be voted back on Y&R!

TVG: Clearly, your disapproval over the pre-nomination, in-studio vote made an impact. Recently, NATAS implemented various changes to the system — including increasing the number of pre-nominations per show to three from two per category. I spoke with NATAS Executive Director Brent Stanton and he confirmed that it’s entirely possible that three nominees from the same soap could be on the final ballot. I’m not sure how this changes anything. Thoughts?

Victoria Rowell: [The system] is still tainted. The pool is still poisoned; it’s more of the same. The only positive in it, is that possibly, there is a shred of hope that someone who has done the work can be recognized by a group of actors on a show that believes they earned the opportunity. Now, there’s a third chance that someone deserving may end up on the ballot if they can somehow manage to avoid the popularity game this system encourages. I’d personally rather risk bloc voting and a return to the popular vote than the gang mentality that goes on — which certainly goes on Y&R.

TVG: I agree. Before NATAS made their changes official, word leaked they had actually scrapped the in-house/pre-nomination system, and I threw a party in my head, but that rumour proved too good to be true. Why are the Emmys so hard to get right? I mean, they’re not curing cancer here!

VR: There are several reasons — and everyone’s to blame. It’s easy to vote for actors like David Canary (Adam/Stuart, All My Children) because everyone knows that they deliver stellar performances every episode, regardless of whether or not they have a storyline. It’s easy to vote for what’s comfortable — you don’t have to watch the tapes, so as a voter, you get off scot-free. It’s hard to change this mentality; one that relies on word-of-mouth, friendships, and buzz instead of talent. Even though NATAS appears to be moving with the times, especially when it’s adapting new technologies, like going paperless, and moving online with voting, and clip submissions, but we have a long way to go before anything really changes. I admire actors like the talented and classy Erika Slezak (Viki, One Life to Live), who take themselves out of the running when they haven’t been front burner to give someone else a chance to break through and be honoured.

TV G: I’m still shocked that someone of your stature had the courage to speak out about the Emmy system. Do you think you affected anything?

VR: I like to think I provoked thought. I don’t believe for a second —hell, I know for a fact that people in America and Canada read my Soaps In Depth and TV Guide Canada’s articles regarding my departure because on my book tour, I’m meeting fans face to face and they mention it. Resoundingly, they’re all desperate for my character to climb upside the mountain she fell to her presumed death from. They also understand and respect why I spoke out and left the show. And that’s a demographic that goes across the board. The public is more aware — most importantly — of what’s going on in daytime. Me speaking out was not just an education of our industry and our in-house culture — it’s been an education for the viewers. We just don’t show up, put on our eyelashes, read the lines, worry about not bumping into the furniture, and look into the camera — my issues are about equality.

TVG: Have you watched Y&R since you left? I loved the show so much when Bill Bell and Jack Smith wrote it, but now it’s simply unwatchable. You got out before the going got tough, my friend! Are you watching the show; would you go back; and have they even asked you back?

VR: Let’s put it this way: I was told by a friend on-set that I’d have to be voted back in! How’s that for an exclusive? I found it ghastly, to be honest. By the way, I loved Jack Smith’s writing! Smith’s show was clearly an extension of Bell’s show and legacy.

TVG: Wow. What is this — Survivor? [Ed. we contacted CBS/Sony for a response but at press time, PR head Elise Bromberg didn’t respond to our e-mails]. What do you think Y&R’s creator, the late, great William Bell, who created Drucilla, would think of the state of Y&R these days now that it’s run by fear and committee?

VR: I think what made William Bell such an extraordinary and unique writer is that he embraced the natural, raw gift that an actor brought to the table. He was masterful at extracting the natural nuance of the character and actor at the same time. What do I think he would think of the show right now? I haven’t watched Y&R since I left because I’ve been on the road on a book tour for 200 days.

TVG: Currently, Drucilla is being mentioned on the show: Neil is dating Karen, played by Nia Peeples, and LML (Latham) is teasing viewers with passive aggressive insinuations that somehow Drucilla is haunting the relationship or she is, at the very least, somehow related to Karen. It feels rather manipulative and mean to me since you’re not coming back to the show. It’s like they’re just teasing us and capitalizing on your popularity just because they can. LML is pouring salt on our wounds.

VR: I heard Nia was on the show, yes, but I can’t comment because I haven’t seen any of it.

TVG: So the big question: would you consider coming back to the show in the future?

VR: Clearly, I needed to take a break because the show wasn’t making sense. But I must say, for the first time in my career, I’ve been on the road with Y&R fans all over North America and I can’t tell you how wonderful and educational it’s been to interface with the viewers, who have watched me for twenty years in prime time, daytime and film. To look people in the eyes and hear what they really think [and not through focus groups]. I never said never about daytime. It’s a medium that has been loyal to me. I’m coming to the end of the book tour and as I said, a little birdie told me that I had to be voted back on the show, which I will say is stunning.

TVG: It’s unbelievable.

VR: So, let’s summarize — I can’t be voted on an Emmy ballot, and now I have to be voted back on the show! You do the math. That’s the latest. Quite frankly, I find this insulting. To answer your question, I would always give Y&R first dibs, but I certainly won’t wait to be voted back on a show that I’ve given 14 years of my life. And in addition, helped present storylines that reflected what is really happening to America by encouraging the soap to tell stories like the 2007 Emmy-winning foster care storyline that I spearheaded — which also won congressional recognition, by the way. And then in the same breath, be told I had to be voted back on the show. Before I do that, I would open up communication with other soaps about creating and playing a new character.

TVG: Do you remember Eric Steinberg (ex-Ji Min)? He was one of the first successful leading Asian men on daytime only to be murdered off in a hackneyed plot that didn’t resonate with viewers… is daytime still racist post-Rowell? Sadly, the daytime canvas is more whitewashed than ever since your departure.

VR: Yes, I remember Eric! He was wonderful — they fired him? Oh, don’t get me started. When Y&R was at the top of its game, our soap boasted daytime’s only racially diverse cast on TV. Once upon a time, we had about eight front burner black actors — recurring and contract — albeit mixed race because that’s what daytime could only handle at the moment. And I’m of mixed race, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but Sony/CBS refuses to admit that Y&R’s primary audience is black. And now the show has what? Two black actors — which adds up to one because they are mixed! Listen, daytime hires actors of mixed race because the network thinks that will make viewers comfortable with that amount of blackness — let’s put that all on the table, shall we? Why is this the case? To me, it’s quite anemic. The number-one watched show in daytime is predominantly watched by African-American people — and they know it, believe you me! There is no way of getting around that. They are getting away with it — Sony, to be specific — mainly because their heads are buried in the sand. Sony and CBS know their [older] black audience don’t own or use computers and therefore are not counted in terms of measurement when it comes to opinion or commentary online. Just look at the soap magazines, the top five actors are all white. It’s a no-brainer: we depend on our black, predominant audience to watch our show and make it number one — so they can sell ad space to Pine Sol and XYZ — but we’re not going to support that population of audience, tell their stories, cast accurately, recognize us on the Emmy ballot? To them blacks, don’t count.

TVG: And clearly, neither do we.

.............this damn show.........disgraceful.....

I just can't believe VR would have to be voted back in. That is the most insane thing I have ever heard. So true about Ji-Min as well.

Very interesting article. I really wish B&B would step up to the plate and offer Rowell a new character, which she is open to. I'd like to see her in a love triangle with the new son of detective Baker and Storm Logan.

So true about Ji-Min as well.

How ironic that the classic Christmas episode featured Keemo and Luan, 2 characters without a mention in years, in addition to other examples of past diversity VR recalled.

Who's the devil? LML!

Who's the devil? LML!

Who's the devil? LML!!!!

I'm glad that at least one person associated with daytime can talk about the lack of diversity. I don't watch OLTL but I heard that they have several established African American and Latino characters. Daytime (and tv overall for that matter) need to realize that simply having underrepresented characters in the background or not at all, isn't going to cut it. But I guess you would have to change who is in control at the top to see that happen because it certainly isn't happing now.

When Y&R was at the top of its game, our soap boasted daytime’s only racially diverse cast on TV. Once upon a time, we had about eight front burner black actors — recurring and contract — albeit mixed race because that’s what daytime could only handle at the moment. And I’m of mixed race, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but Sony/CBS refuses to admit that Y&R’s primary audience is black. And now the show has what? Two black actors — which adds up to one because they are mixed! Listen, daytime hires actors of mixed race because the network thinks that will make viewers comfortable with that amount of blackness

Now I know there were talented black young ladies. But they wanted CK because she more exceptable to the white viewers. I still can't get into CK Lily.

People may say what they want, but working climate at Y&R is freezing cold...

I'm not just talking about THE DEVIL© but also the grouping of the cast. Read between the lines in Rowell's interview; I suppose that Slezak hint was also a criticism on the likes of Michelle Stafford and Jeanne Cooper for entering the LEAD ballott when they were sh*tty supporting at best.

And so much word to many of her comments. She really talks about the big picture; re: Y&R's audience and so on. Still think La Rowell has a HUGE ego but she has enough class to dress her comments into positives or "I won't comment about sth. I don't follow"-etc.