Victoria Rowell Goes Nuclear on Y&R

[Chris B]

Happens all the time in primetime, why not daytime? For example, former Y&R star/writer James Houghton wrote for Knots Landing while he was on the show. William Devane also wrote several episodes and he was one of the most important characters on the show. Why not even allow Victoria to write test scripts and train? It seems to me that she was completely shot down which I don't understand. See what she can do first. That'll make her happy and who knows? You might find a good writer.

Something interesting in Sara Bibel's blog was that she said Dru was as popular as Victor according to Y&R's research. It's a shame a character that important probably will never be on the show again. At least played by VR. It helps me understand even more why she's upset and speaking out. Her character is very important to the show and she clearly gets no respect on that show for it. Certain things like fighting for African American hairdressers is VERY important, but to her Caucasian cast members with easy-to-handle hair, it probably seemed like petty bitching. Her downfall is clearly carrying for the legacy of minority characters overall and not just her own. Hell, not just on her own she even.

[Sinny]

I agree.

[Dr. Jay S.W.]

I suspect sexism!!

[MoTheGreat]

People who make less then what actors & actress make have to work with people they don't like everyday. Why should the people who played Jack & Phylis get special treatment?

They better suck it up because as soon as Dru left & the shitty writing cause the low ratings.

[marla0518]

Sorry but I would never put Victoria in the same playing field as Tony and Genie!!! Luke and Laura revolitionalized Soap Operas and brought in millions of viewers and have DECADES in the business...what has Drucilla done for soap operas???

[marla0518]

Peter and Michelle are both highly regarded in their field by their co-workers, the only thing we have ever heard that could be misconceived as questionable was PB's fisticuff's with EB, but nothing else, and Michelle has always been praised by anyone and everyone that works with her and you always read about co-workers who WANT to work with her. Michelle and Peter may get better treatment because they DON'T cause production slow downs and act like DIVA's with their bosses, co-workers and production and non-production staff!!!!

So you are now blaming bad writing on Peter and Michelle??? what about Doug and Jeanne???? and why have Bryton, Christel and Kristoff not been out canvasing other castmates for VR to come back???...could it be that they don't want her back either???

[MarkH]

I don't see this as either or. Everyone in this post is talented, and Stafford/Bergman have been beyond brilliant at times.

But in organizations, you can easily get "in groups" and "out groups". The existence of such cliques can exacerbate personal problems, because (above and beyond the "facts" of whether someone is difficult) you may be less tolerated or supported if you are in the out group.

[marla0518]

Like I said before, how can everyone else be wrong and be in "the wrong" or in the IN group and VR be the only one on the other side or in the OUT group??? Trust me if others were as dissatified as VR they would not be still working on the show.

No one is questioning her talent or the other actors talents, it is their work ethic that has been brought to the forefront...has anyone else said that MS or PB or DD or JC do not have a good work ethic, that they don't want to work with them and best of all why if MS hurt VR's feeling so bad and insulted her with this so called spitting incident, why would VR go out of her way to praise MS's talents or invite her to her charity event AFTER the so called incident????

[marceline]

It always makes me sad to read comments like this because this kind of myopia is part of what's killed soaps. Given how broad the soap audience is you'd think people could realize that people watch for a lot of different reasons. Hate the character if you want but don't dismiss her impact. Dru and the Winters family have a real place in soap history. They brought a lot of minority viewers to Y&R and helped set the show apart from other soaps in a way that it continues to benefit from today.

Does anyone else remember the "Clarence Update?" It was a syndicated radio feature where "Clarence" would recap what happened on the show the day before. It was done in a decidedly urban style and quite funny. I used to listen to the Clarence Update on my way to work and I didn't even watch Y&R. There's a reason Y&R created that kind of buzz and energy. Dru was a part of that.

[DeeeDee]

Amen.

[detroitpiston]

Exactly!

Like it or not, Victoria Rowell did bring a lot of African American viewers to Y&R. Myself included.

[MarkH]

Can I ask you more about this? This fascinates me...because it coincides with what has been written in the press (i.e., that Rowell and Shemar Moore brought African American viewers to the show). These questions are asked with pure respect, with the goal of understanding! First, my story for context:

So, I have loved Y&R since the beginning. I watched other shows in the 70s and 80s most because relatives in my family had it on. In 1987, I started with B&B (sporadically at first) because of my affection for Y&R, and my hope that the Bells would create more of the same.

I sampled other new shows as they were created...but never for more than a few episodes.

When favorite actors of mine have moved to other shows, I have not followed them.

I watch Y&R out of habit and out of family tradition and because I now love Genoa City and it feels like home. This is helped by the fact that -- even in the LML era -- for the most part the characters and actors and settings stayed largely stable (more so than any other show, except B&.

I could not imagine coming to a show for a character. And I certainly could not imagine coming to a show because of the ethnicity or race of a character. Of course, I have it easy...I am white, and so is most of daytime.

But why would the ethnicity and race of a character bring someone to a show?

I'm going to speculate that the answer might be related to this: Some people flocked (at least for a while) to ATWT because of Nuke (and Luke more specifically)...because finally some aspect of "their experience" was being shown on their show/a daytime show.

Is the attractiveness of Rowell and Moore to African American viewers not race but authenticity? That is, they seemed to genuinely reflect some of the community they were from, and that they were representing? Is that why Neil and Olivia never grabbed the public consciousness in quite the same way?

I loved Dru, but not for color or culture...but because she had a well written through line that served the character well almost to the end. Obviously, Rowell gets a lot of credit for that.

[detroitpiston]

It wasn't just because they were black(at least not for me), but because they actually acted like black people I knew. Drucilla reminded me so much of my sister(although, she isn't nearly as nosy or crazy lol).

I guess people could just relate more to Malcom, Dru, and even Nathan then they could to Neil or Olivia.

[SFK]

I totally remember the Clarence Update, we listened to it on WKYS every morning in the car on my way to elementary school. I remember when it was the All My Children update, but apparently that deal went sour and Clarence switched over to doing Y&R. Come to think of it, iirc the change occurred after the Hubbards/Baxters and their satellite relations were faded out and Y&R became the top soap featuring the most African American characters. With Generations' passing, Y&R would soon get Kristoff, Tonya, and later Vivica.

It's obvious that a lot of people look at VR and see ABW. I don't believe that some fans realize just how frustrating it is to be a. an actor who truly has an artist's spirit and deeply cares about the work (not just some model who sees the soaps as a stepping stone to the movies), and b. a minority actor on top of it. I mean, can't you FEEL her frustration when you read or listen to her interviews? She should not be dismissed as some fussy/difficult soap diva, we are not talking bigger dressing rooms, outrageous salary demands, or even more storylines as much as we are talking about more authentic storylines and portrayals of African Americans... the same AAs who have been faithful to Y&R since BEFORE Dru even came on the scene.

It is a HUGE blessing to be a working actor, an even huger blessing to be a working actor of color. They just don't write enough parts. Yes, a black actor should be thankful to be working, but that doesn't mean that she should just sit happily in a corner savoring whatever bones that get tossed to her. VR has vision and she's a strong, determined woman. Acting alone is not enough for her. BET or TV One needs to take advantage of minds like hers. She needs to be in the board room creating and consulting about original programming that satisfies that need for black viewers to see themselves represented on screen.

[marceline]

Complicated question. Here's my attempt at a simple-ish answer.

You're right that Dru was more than her race. Y&R made an investment not just in Dru but in the Winters family. They wrote for them and made them a real part of the canvas. That's what keeps people coming back. It not that IMO she was "authentic" because that sends us careening into the territory of trying to portray "the black experience." There isn't one. Neil is just as authentic for some black people. So was Mamie. And Olivia. Dru took off the way she did for the same complex mix of talent, writing, timing and celestial positioning that no one can predict but we know it when we see it.

It isn't about "wow she looks like me" although its nice for the show that sells my eyeballs to advertisers to acknowledge that I could possibly exist. My position when it comes to diversity is that I don't need everyone to look like me, I just need them not to all look the same.

I'm not Latino but I used to love the Latino presence on OLTL because it simply made more sense in the world we live in and because at the time they Vegas were written as fully fledged characters. It goes back to the type of stories I like to watch. A bunch of pretty, rich, white people all screwing each other stopped being interesting to me a LONG time ago.