Clementine Ford Soaps Up on Y&R by Michael Logan March 23, 2009 09:04 AM EST

Is Genoa City ready for Clementine Ford? The actress, who played latent lesbian Molly Kroll on The L Word, will join The Young and the Restless April 1 as the new Mac Browning. Ford is fast becoming as outrageous as her mommy, film and TV vet Cybill Shepherd, and is all the buzz these days due to an interview she gave to the U.K. magazine, Diva, in which she came out as a lesbian and intimated she’d had a fling with The L Word’s Kate Moennig. Or did she come out? Ford gave us the lowdown on her new suds gig and why she now regrets that interview.

Talk about bad timing! Mac, who’s been away doing relief work in Darfur, returns to town just as the love of her life, Billy, says “I Do” with Chloe. But that won’t stop a Billy-and-Mac reunion, right?

They split up when it turned out they were cousins but some new DNA tests [revealed at the wedding] show they’re not related. So I guess it’s obvious where this plot’s headed! [Laughs] When Mac gets the news, she’s going to be very hesitant to go back to Africa. Plus, Mac’s grandmother Katherine is back from the dead so she has another big reason to stay. It’s such a crazy whirlwind. I can’t imagine this stuff happening in real life. Pretty soon Mac will be, like, get me back to the genocide and the suffering!

So you think Y&R is sudsier than The L Word?

Oh, yeah! And in a weird way it’s a much bigger deal, too. When I told people I was going to be on The L Word, they’d say “What’s that?” or “Is that still on the air?” But everybody seems to know Y&R.

How’d you land this gig?

I’ve known Greg Rikaart [who plays Kevin] for years and have a sneaking suspicion he had something to do with this. He’s been so helpful to me. He said, “The great thing about soaps is that you can fumble one day and reinvent yourself the next.” And that’s good because, to be honest, I think I may have done some really bad acting the first week just trying to keep up. But I’m getting the swing of it now.

Has the second-generation-actor thing been a help or hindrance?

When I started out I had a manager who used my mom’s name to get me auditions and I couldn’t act my way out of a paper bag that was open at both ends. I had never even taken an acting class. I blew so many opportunities. I’ve spent years trying to get back in those same doors going, ‘I can act now!’”

Your mom joined the cast of The L Word and then you followed. Nepotism or coinky-dink?

A lot of people think I get roles because of my mom. She did ask them to consider me for The L Word but the show shot in Vancouver and they wanted to hire a Canadian because Molly was only intended to be a one-episode part. She said, “Please, just watch her reel.” That’s all. She could have gotten on her knees and begged but if they didn’t think I was right for the job they wouldn’t have given it to me. And it was the show’s idea to bring me back for Season 5 when Molly became a lesbian. My mom had nothing to do with that. People will probably always compare us, even though we’re very different in our style and look. She’s tall and blond and stretched out. I’m short and brunette and round. Whaddya gonna do?

Let’s discuss this Diva magazine cover story. You sorta kinda maybe came out as a lesbian. Um, right?

[Groaning] I’m sooo glad you asked. The first thing that really upset me was that the cover line said “Clementine Ford Comes Out” which, clearly if you read the article, I did not come out. It was really misleading and full of misquotes to sell the magazine. If someone’s buying it to see that I came out, well, get your money back.

But I did read the article and you do say “The truth is that I’m not technically out yet.” You go on to admit that, even though you were married to actor Todd Hunter for four years, you’ve also dated women. And you perpetuated the rumors that you and Kate Moennig had a thing while shooting The L Word. Are you just a big ol’ tease?

[Ignoring the question] That Diva article also picked up quotes from a podcast interview I did with AfterEllen.com where the interviewer asked me if the sex on The L Word was real and I very jokingly said “Yes, we actually had sex. The L Word is porn. The secret’s out!” And the Diva writer printed it as fact that Kate and I had real sex on camera! I was like, “Oh, my God, I hate you!” I almost wrote a nasty letter and then I stopped myself because I thought, if anyone is stupid enough to actually believe that Showtime would let us have real sex, then that’s not my problem. So that was that. But it made me very angry.

So you and Kate did or did not have an affair off-camera?

I would never say anything about someone else’s sexuality. Ever.

Well, I’m glad we sorta kinda maybe got that settled. Well, good luck on Y&R! You are stepping into a very popular role.

That’s what I hear. The pressure! I don’t want to know what people have to say about the past three Macs. I’m staying away from Google!

TV Guide Magazine Link

Just like her mother...but nicer. I think this bodes well for Clementine.

What a sweet interview... looking forward to the reveal... it only makes me even more impatient to see it.

She seems nice, but I don't like her picture for some reason.

Hope she does great.

I think she could be the girl I could accept as Mac, but I wish they would make her look a bit younger. Mac is not supposed to be 30+ years old. I know, they clearly aged Billy too, but still... But she seems sweet...

I've seen her on the LWord. She is nothing special as an actress, then again the acting on that show isn't award winning so she may do much better on Y&R. She is too old to be Mac and seems older than EH though she may not be. I may peek in to see how she is doing as Mac.

I think Clementine Ford may have a new fanboy. Loved the interview. Can't wait to see her on Y&R.

Love her crazy ass mom, Cybill Shepherd, too.

I hope she's good as Mac cause the last two did nada for me. She does look to old though.

shes a good actress. not great tho, but i could see her becoming amazing. i love how she flat out said her first week or so may suck. fans really dont give actors enough time to find a groove - esp when first coming to a soap. because the pace is insane.

that sucks how that magazine misquoted her. so shady.

also, that pic is awful and make her look far older than how she looks. ive noticed she really doesnt take good photos well, but look at some youtube clips of her on the l word.

She seems nice, but I don't like her picture for some reason.

That is because her eyebrows, hair colour, eyes and lipstick do not match.

Holy eyebrow pencil!

Having said that, her interview has won me over. She seems like a warm, outgoing individual. For a moment there, I wondered whether her work on "The L Word" was the reason why Y&R hired her. There were rumors going for a while when Rachel Kimsey replaced Ashley Bashioum (neither of whom I particularly warmed to) that TPTB wanted to have Mac "explore her sexuality." Cue nuMac banging JT.

I wonder if she's taller than Billy Miller. He's a cutie but he's also a bit wee.

P.S.: Why all the coyness about Katherine Moenig? I could have called it back when she was on that Dawson's Creek spin-off Young Americans.

Cat as Y&R/B&B image consultant! Now!!

Holy eyebrow pencil!

Having said that, her interview has won me over. She seems like a warm, outgoing individual. For a moment there, I wondered whether her work on "The L Word" was the reason why Y&R hired her. There were rumors going for a while when Rachel Kimsey replaced Ashley Bashioum (neither of whom I particularly warmed to) that TPTB wanted to have Mac "explore her sexuality." Cue nuMac banging JT.

I wonder if she's taller than Billy Miller. He's a cutie but he's also a bit wee.

P.S.: Why all the coyness about Katherine Moenig? I could have called it back when she was on that Dawson's Creek spin-off Young Americans.

so you do not worship the ground that Ashbash walks on and remember Young Americans?

Every day it seems i love you more and more...

so you do not worship the ground that Ashbash walks on and remember Young Americans?

Every day it seems i love you more and more...

Bash was total horror, hopefully Clementine will lift that whole sentimental aura dust off of Mac's character and turn her into something digestible.

so you do not worship the ground that Ashbash walks on and remember Young Americans?

Every day it seems i love you more and more...

Babes, you know the feeling is mutual! And yes, I remember Young Americans. I even liked it! It was clear, though, that Katherine Moennig had 1000 times more chemistry with Kate Bosworth in their 2 scenes together than she did with the pretty dude who thought that he was attracted to "Jake."

As for AshBash, she was always miserable. OK, I get that living on the streets may not have been particularly fun but once Mac moved into the Chancellor mansion, you think she would have lightened up a little. I did warm to her when Daniel courted her briefly and she smiled. And when she cut her hair... But then Y&R fired her.

As for Kelly Kruger, all I remember was overwelming blankness. The human equivalent of this smilie:

Mac is almost a cursed role, I'd say. She's so good and does The Right Thing, so much so that it can come across as preachy. Like Lily, she is practically a saint. They tried to give Kimsey's Mac a little raunch but went too far in that direction and Mac became unrecognizable. I'd be curious to see what Ford brings to the table. On the one hand, she's coming back from Saving Darfour. On the other, she is probably still struggling with her feelings for Billy, because she never got closure for that. The key will be her chemistry with BM.

Babes, you know the feeling is mutual! And yes, I remember Young Americans. I even liked it! It was clear, though, that Katherine Moennig had 1000 times more chemistry with Kate Bosworth in their 2 scenes together than she did with the pretty dude who thought that he was attracted to "Jake."

As for AshBash, she was always miserable. OK, I get that living on the streets may not have been particularly fun but once Mac moved into the Chancellor mansion, you think she would have lightened up a little. I did warm to her when Daniel courted her briefly and she smiled. And when she cut her hair... But then Y&R fired her.

As for Kelly Kruger, all I remember was overwelming blankness. The human equivalent of this smilie:

Mac is almost a cursed role, I'd say. She's so good and does The Right Thing, so much so that it can come across as preachy. Like Lily, she is practically a saint. They tried to give Kimsey's Mac a little raunch but went too far in that direction and Mac became unrecognizable. I'd be curious to see what Ford brings to the table. On the one hand, she's coming back from Saving Darfour. On the other, she is probably still struggling with her feelings for Billy, because she never got closure for that. The key will be her chemistry with BM.

I so loved that show. I have it on VHS.

I couldnt agree more. AB just never looked like she was having fun IMHO and KK was just... blahhhh. I loved Kimsey the best, but didnt much care for how they wrote Mac.

If they blend Kimsey's mac with Ashbash's Mac and Ford is as good as she was on the L Word i think the curse may be broken.

Edited March 24, 200916 yr by JackPeyton