Doug Davidson Interview, Victoria Rowell Comment Made

[Y&RWorldTurner]

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/olivia/2008/0...ia-wilder-times

The Victoria Rowell comments start about 55 minutes in.

Someone brought this interview up on another board, it's an interview that Doug did in June, but somehow never got any notice until now.

The interviewer says, "Everyone wants Dru back."

Davidson replies, "Everyone would be a gross exaggeration, she (Victoria Rowell) made it very difficult for production to get work done. You know soap budgets are striking, so we have to get as much work done as easy and as fast as possible. With her there, that wasn't the case. Now we're able to do a lot more and do it a lot quicker."

He was as nice as possible about it and insinuated that everyone had to be team player in the current environment, but he didn't feel like Victoria Rowell was a team player.

Keep in mind that Paul was hardly in any scenes with Dru, Rowell's problems with production has to be the reason many behind the scenes people and castmates don't like her.

[a2sassy]

And if I had a co-worker that made it so I had to stay late at work, I wouldn't care much for them either so I don't blame the cast for how they feel about VR. It's hard to work with diffcult people.

[MTSRocks]

Wow, that was quick lol

[Roman]

I bet that was the talk of the day at Y&R studios. I would love to have been a fly on the wall when the cast and crew heard her comments.

[Ann_SS]

Does Doug have schizophrenia also? Ummm, yep it is everyone else and not Victoria. I just hope that she is financially secure because goodness knows when she is going to get another steady job in this industry, maybe something will work out in prime time eventually. She is an actress whose work I enjoy. It is unfortunate that she allowed the situation to spiral so out of control.

[miajere]

Once again, VR was stating this under the impression that PB and her were friends. She was saying schizophrenia because that comment could not be coming from the same guy who has purchased her kid an expensive gift.

[Ms. Chandler Quartermaine]

Although I feel like VR needs to learn the art of the silent disagreement, I feel she just rubbed people the wrong way because she has a strong personality.

I lost respect for some of the actors on Y&R for never speaking up about the way LML was destroying the show, the Y&R actors remind me of the GH ones...They all never speak up because they get airtime and they don't care about the quaility of the work just that paycheck. I feel like VR stood up and said things aren't working and let the fact she wasn't pleased be known. There is no way she was that bad of a team player during the Bell Years, he would have fired her ass just like he did Brenda Dickson, the one thing Bill Bell couldn't stand was a person who wasn't a team player.

I feel the frustration with VR came about during the LML years, she wasn't happy and let everyone know that. On one level I disagree with the way she talks down about her castmates (thats just unprofessional), but in another way I truly respect her for speaking her mind about how she wasn't satisfied with LML. Just like Erika Slezak, Susan Lucci,Genie Francis, and now Victoria Rowell these women spoke up when no one else would. They cared about the integrity of the work rather than the 00's in their paycheck.

Should actors risk their jobs just to speak their mind, no not always, but when fans are running away in crowds and there is no sign of something better in sight...I think they should speak up, cause they and only they are the ones who are gonna get TPTB to listen.. cause they sure don't listen to fans anymore.

And about Doug Davidson, not its NOT a gross exaggeration..more people would tune in to see VR watch paint dry than watch his boring ass anyday.

[MTSRocks]

^^^Doug Davidson is a great actor, but just severely underwritten. That scene last year when he told Heather that he was her father, was one of the best stand-alone piece of acting I've seen all year.

[lmfan]

I don't buy that Victoria left the show as some protest over LML. Her reasons seems to change or at least consist of a number of factors from her supposedly not being allowed to write and direct to her snub of not getting an emmy prenom from her castmates. The fact is that Victoria received heavy screentime under LML. She was one of the favored actors and she may not have liked her storylines but she also was not ignored or treated like a supporting player by LML like other actors were. It also was a strange or maybe convenient coincidence that as soon as she was let out of her contract from Y and R she immediately started a long promotion tour for her new book. No doubt the book was very well received and given many kudos but among Victoria Rowell's many talents is that of a terrific self promoter. There has not been one interview I have read where she does not end with a plug for her book and upcoming projects. It is not bad to self promote but I wonder how far will she go to promote herself? I don't know what happened behind the scenes, but it seems clear to me VR was not the complete innocent victim she would like to portray herself to be and she contributed to the tensions on set.

The sad thing is that she is a talented actress, but she needs to move on and stop with these interviews every month or so saying she would be willing to come back to Y & R, but they haven't asked. If she was truly willing to return to the show she would not continue to stir the pot with these types of interviews in an effort to make the producers and other actors look bad. Even if they wanted to bring her back, how could they at this point because VR is far too divisive a presence. Too much has been said and too many bridges have been burned.

I wish her all the luck and will watch for her in other projects, but it seems to me it is time for the show and Victoria to move on in different directions.

[lmfan]

I listened to that interview which went on for an hour in a half and his comments about VR lasted only a minute or so. Doug tried to be tactful but he was clear that VR's wasn't a team player the last few years on the show which did cause difficulties. Doug has never been a controversial figure and when you add his comments to Jeanne Cooper's last year about Victoria needing to understand that how you act on set will affect how your castmates view you does make it seem that this is more than Victoria having personal issues with a few castmates like Peter Bergman and Michelle Stafford.

[MTSRocks]

For Victoria and Y&R's success, I just hope that Y&R continues to flourish and VR to have a great career in prime time or motion pictures!

[R Sinclair]

The point of this is... what, exactly? I mean, if this is some lame ass attempt to prove how horribly unprofessional and bitter VR was in her DC interview, it kind of backfires -- considering the fact that this is yet another public comment made about her BEFORE the DC interview took place.

This whole VR thing is getting incredibly petty. Unless anybody here was planning on casting her for their own production, WHO THE HELL CARES HOW SHE WAS ON THE SET WHERE NONE OF US WERE THERE TO FORM A LEGITIMATE OPINION?!?

"Ooh, ooh, look! Somebody else hates Victoria Rowell! See?? Look! See??!"

[Y&RWorldTurner]

I think it's beneficial to hear more than one side of the story. We've only heard Rowell's take on why some of her former castmates apparently don't like her and don't pre-nom her come Emmy time. It's interesting to hear what OTHERS, who work on the same show, have to say about her.

Or is Rowell the only one allowed to talk about her former castmates?

[rhinohide]

I have to say, right or wrong, this just confirms for me that the Emmy's are a useless measure of "talent".

[marla0518]

It is amazing that some take everything that VR spewed and swear it is GOSPEL! Sorry but how can one person be right and everyone else be WRONG!!!

You know VR is not the only person that grew up in the Foster Child world, it is a sad thing, but she rose above it. She is not the first African American Actress on Television and trust me she has it alot easier then other Africian American Actors and Actress's had it. She has a good life, she has (had) a talent that made her a good living, she is also an accomplished writer. She probably makes more money in one year then some of us will make in our lifetime.....

Sorry but I do not feel sorry for her, she is the one that made the working conditions so un-bearable for others on the set and behind the set, and evidently it started long before LML (who I am sure will be blamed for Hurricaine Ike soon) was a writer, head writer or EP!! VR is the one that did not associate with her co-workers or the people on the set, people that she was with more hours then her own child!!!! you don't have to bring muffins and bagels, you don't have to plan everyone's birthday, but you do have to be civil, you do have to be on time and be prepared, you do have to TAKE direction and basically do as you are told.....it seems VR was of the belief that her crap don't stink and she makes (made) her own rules. It takes a bigger person to apologize and move on, it takes a smaller person to do a complete 180 after giving kudos and saying what a joy it is to work with someone and inviting them to one of your charity funtions!

So I guess Doug and Jeanne are bad people just because they know VR personally and they know what her people skills are or actually the fact she does not have any.