Victoria Rowell Goes Nuclear on Y&R

[Y&RWorldTurner]

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.

Were James and William long-term writers on KL?

As Sara. A Bibel said, several actors, not just Rowell, submitted story ideas. If they let her join the writing team, then those other actors might want to join as well. That would create big problems. Every actor wanting to write their own storyline? Where will that happen?

As someone else mentioned, when Meg Bennett joined the Y&R writing team, Bill Bell wouldn't even let her write for her character, Julia. This was to avoid potential conflict of interest claims. Rowell explicitally said she wanted to write for Dru.

Rowell wanted it all it seems - to write, direct, and act. Unless she creates a show of her own, she'll never get a deal like that. Also, if her castmates already don't like her, can you imagine how they'd react if she were given that much creative power on the show?

An actor is there to act, nothing more. It would be a completely different story had she left the show as an actor and joined as a writer/director.

[MarkH]

I think she ought to get a shot at a cable soap. Maybe a 13-week Night Shift type deal for Soapnet. And let's see what happens.... It could be the greatest thing, or it could be a disaster. I would DEFINITELY support her, and I think it could be a real shot in the arm for the whole genre.

[kalbir]

I would think Y&R's African-American audience first increased in the mid-1980s, during the Nathan/Amy/Jazz/Tyrone era, but then really took off in the 1990s when Victoria Rowell and Shemar Moore joined the cast.

[MarkH]

I personally liked Jazz, but didn't miss him. I didn't care for Tyrone's mob story (and "passing as white") at all.

But Amy Lewis...MAN I loved Amy Lewis. She was always under-used. I think she could have been a major contender, and I'm sorry she was dropped.

On a side note, I am very sorry they didn't at least keep Aunt Mamie around at an "Esther" level...and I actually liked the first actress who played her even more than the second.

[marla0518]

Sorry but I have been watching soap operas for over 45 years....and Dru and the Winters did not bring in the minority veiwers....of course I go back a ways, probably before a lot of you, but Ellen Holly and Al Freeman Jr. and Lillian Hayman and Morgan Freeman were all blazing the trail for other African American actors to follow, they are the ones that were not making the big bucks and they were the ones the made it so actors like Victoria Rowell got equal billing and equal pay.

Personally I don't look at an actor and see a skin color or an ethnic background...I see someone who gets paid more in one year then I do that does their job. You would think that this is 1958 instead of 2008.

By the way, I don't see enough Mexican American/German/French/Italian/Spanish actors or actress's (my racial background) on Soap Operas but I don't moan and groan about....I watch the shows for entertainment, not for a lesson in morality or ethnic profiling. It is sad that in this day and age someone has to play the race card to get attention and to say "they did me wrong"......my mother anglinized herself in order to "fit in" the white world in order to get a job, get an education and raise her ten children with my father and to be proud of our heritage but never use it get sympathy because of the color our skin. My parents would have loved to have the money to do the things I am sure VR gets to do because of her talent, it is sad that her talent is not what she will be remember for, but for sour grapes and historonics.

[bandbfan]

Lesson from this, don't spout off your ideas "freely" if you want credit. Why does SHE want credit? If an actor/actress changes a line, does their name appear in the scriptwriter's section? No.

And about SF and VR directing.... IMO SF has a much more selfless attitude, as well as the other qualities mentioned.

[miajere]

I'm sorry, but the character of Dru was a great for AA television watching- she was non stereotypical, and many identified with her character- but no AA character on daytime has offered some universal AA experience to a show- not even Ellen Holly. There is no universal character for an entire ethnic group, which is why diversity in daytime should be addressed more seriously instead of sprinkled onto our screens. But yes, she and the Winters did bring in an audience!

As for the other ethnicities on television- they're there, they just write them as caucasian, or don't address their ethnicity at all. OLTL is probably the only soap that portrays a Latino family, but they run a diner that sells burritos? WTH is that?

I find with many of the Latino characters, they start writing them as brunettes or the actors are sometimes replaced by Caucasian actors-" that does not diversity make". Thalia was supposed to be middle Eastern- they gave her makeup. I guarantee they could never do that for an AA character.

The networks have created this problem, because back in the day, if one AA character was booted there were plenty of other shows one could watch and not have to feel left out of the television watching experience. But now that there are practically no AA actresses in daytime people are clamoring for Dru back!!!You can call ethnic profiling- but I call it a slice of the American dream...everyone wants to be represented in television and the AA presence is a unique one, that can be valuable to the television shows identity. Most AAs run just as long generation-wise as anyone else that has been here while this country was formed, why we are the last to be represented in television will be a mystery to me.

Maybe if the American television industry wasn't historically known for profiting off race, and not giving back to those races, I could negate where VR was coming from...But after so many testimonies given by plenty of actors white and black alike, have stated that the race relations in the entertainment industry was far from favorable,how is this woman's testimony negated because her co-workers found her difficult to work with?

And I don't think this interview takes away from her talents in anyway- this is not how many will remember her.

[miajere]

VR didn't just change her lines- In past interviews she's talked about the storylines she contributed to....If you're not a fan of her personally that's one thing, but don't dispirit her talents. I can't think of a Y&R board or DC column that didn't have a majority call for this woman's return. There are alot of actors I probably wouldn't like personally, but afterall I'm not watching reality TV, it's a character they portray.

And if any actor wasn't credited for their work, they should be- and not because they are extremely well liked, but because they worked hard and earned it. She certainly has, and in an industry known for people calling it in, I've never once seen her take a scene and not run with it heart and soul.

I also don't see how anyone on this board can speak for everyone and account for the viewers she brought in- that doesn't seem fair or accurate...Especially if one wants to speak on an entire other ethnicity's television watching habits.

[SFK]

I think previous posters have been referring to Y&R's early '90s rise in popularity with black viewers in particular. I don't think anyone's implying that Dru and company brought minorities to soaps. Black folks were watching soaps even before any of the actors you mentioned were on the scene.

Marla, whether we realize it or not, each time we tune into a soap opera we are seeing caucasian faces of German, French, Italian, and Spanish extraction. That's not the point and I think you know that. We are talking about people who are black, brown, and yellow (my GOD, do we EVER need to see at least one fully realized asian family on a soap!). You mention your Mexican heritage, I would also like to see greater daytime representation of Mexican families like the Andrades, Lopez-Fitzgeralds, Santoses, and the Puerto Rican Vegas. The story of your mother anglicizing her name is the the type of slice of life story from the ethnic community that someone like Victoria Rowell has fought hard to be told in daytime. It's not about playing race cards or trying to drum up sympathy, it's about celebrating the fact that people who are black, latin, asian, pacific islander, mixed, Mormon, Jewish, you name it, have unique stories that have yet to be told in daytime or anywhere else. It's about reflecting the world we live in and the people of all races who buy soap and devote hours of their lives to these programs. Yes, we watch for entertainment purposes, but why should we, actors, or the industry as a whole just sit back and accept this idea that people at home only want to see stories played out by white faces? That is absolutely absurd, and it IS racist/prejudiced no matter what anybody says, because if it was such a non-issue there would be a hell of a lot more faces of every color on our screens from 12:30-4:00.

[bandbfan]

But she wasn't being paid to be a writer. If she really wanted credit at the time, that should've been an issue then, not now. She should've asked for contribution credit. If they said no and it was that big of deal, she should've stopped after the first time. It's like working for free and not minding at the time and then realizing later on what you want credit.

[marla0518]

Sorry but I don't watch soap operas because everyone is white or they are not. I don't see a person and say "he is black" or "she is asian" I see a human being, same as with the actors and actresses on TV. I don't look at my great nephew in law and see a black man, I don't look at my neice in law and see an American Indian.

My mother's choices came from wanting a better life, but never forgetting who or what she was, but one thing she did teach all of us, it is not the color of our skin that makes us who we are. And on job applications, I don't check any of the classifcations I see listed...I write off to the side AMERICAN....you see I could use my ethnic background to get a job because they have to hire so many minorities...but I do not agree to racial profiling.

VR needs to be thankful for what she does have and move forward in her life instead of looking back and putting her credibility with others in the business on the line.

[miajere]

No, it's like doing more than you're paid to do- going above expectation, lending a hand in areas that need a hand---I think we all do this at work. But it would suck if those extra tasks are not considered in your yearly review, and all they could remember was that day you were late.

Maybe it's not about what she wasn't paid for, because I doubt she tackling dollars and cents. maybe it's about walking away from a job , and knowing you did your best. That's all anyone can ask, and in VR's case, that made her unpopular on many occasions when it came to considering her co-workers, and she didn't leave with any BFF's.

I'm sure she's not the only one with honesty to speak, but most actors keep in clean so in the event they would like to return, they can. She obviously could care less. They're either going to ask her back to do her job, or not at all. If you've listened to her past interviews you would know that there was no way she was going to back peddle and say nothing.

As for her role in writing- Bill Bell welcomed her ideas as he knew she had a knack for addressing issues she felt were in the AA community, and were important and responsible for many of her fans. In a time such as this, writing story lines for AA characters seem to get brushed under the rug, and I'm happy someone was considering minority fan viewership.

As for watching to identify with what's on television- I once again feel that is apart of the idea of the American dream, and the soap form of television watching- the canvas should aim to reflect the world around the viewers. That's not what's on television right now. But in the 90's it would have been easy to find another network more representative of diversity in America. And yes, I do like to watch for different people's unique experiences wether that be black, white, latino, rich, poor, healthy, or unhealthy. Lose those unique point of views and you will fail to showcase a unique vision of life. Soaps are a serial drama presented five days a week an hour each day- they still have a hard time showing more than a few points of view in a given year.

I don't think VR need be thankful of anything- nothing wasn't handed to her....And yes, the color of our skin does provide a unique experience for each of us, like our body types, and religion. Some people do live in a world where this is a reality, are they crazy? Race shouldn't be used as a crutch for anyone, and many people still go through hurtful experiences in America. No one has to hire you because of race- they should consider you for your talents regardless of race- some places don't.

[Y&RWorldTurner]

But again, it appears one of her big reasons for asking to be let out of her contract was because they didn't let her join the writing and directing teams. As Sara A Bibel, who wrote for Y&R and was there when Rowell left said in her blog, many actors gave the writers storyline ideas when she was there, it's nothing unique.

Maybe I'm the only one who sees the potential problems of letting an employed actor of a particular show getting writing and directing privileges.

She, like the other actors who gave the writers storyline ideas, were hired to act, not write or direct. If the writers went with some of her ideas, then great, but since they were the ones who crafted the storylines and actually wrote it, they're the ones responsible for its potential reception.

I'd love for Rowell to cite someone in the daytime industry who acted, wrote, and directed for their patricular soap at the same time. No one actor gets that type of power, at least not in daytime thus far. It seems ridiculous that any Executive Producer or network executive would like an actor get that much power.

[boldfan01]

Jazz to me seemed like an attempt to cash in on Mr. T's fame at the time from being on "The A-Team." He was the big, bald, brooding African-American guy who was there to provide the muscle when Paul and Andy needed it. And I have to wonder if maybe that's why he was phased out when Kong/Nathan was introduced, since there was so much more to Nathan, including more meaning to his connection to...

Me, too. I especially liked her once Nathan came on since it give her a chance to be more than just the source of competition between brothers Jazz and Tyrone.

And supposedly, it was the shift of Mamie from the Abbott family's devoted housekeeper to the mother figure in the Barber family that brought on the recast of the character. I wonder what it was that had TPTB thinking the original Mamie couldn't handle the greater depth to the character?

[boldfan01]

It was a pretty big gap between VR and Shemar, so I think the audience might have been in place already by the time Shemar joined. When VR joined in 1990, Nathan Purdee had just returned as Nathan (he had been off the show for a while or maybe recurring) and they had just recast Mamie to move her from Abbott housekeeper to beloved Aunt of Dru and Liv. Shortly after VR came on, Tonya Lee Williams came on as Olivia, and Kristoff St. john came on as Neil the following year. That was pretty much Y&R's African American core for a while, until they added Shemar as Malcolm in 1994.