Y&R: Shocking Role Recast

[Vee]

No one can explain to me exactly why Chris Engen is a special little snowflake who must be coddled and protected at all costs, whereas every other actor in daytime deals with on-the-fly and sudden writing shifts everyday. Why is Chris Engen more important and entitled to special treatment than Erika Slezak?

What's more, we have no proof the gay storyline was sprung on Engen - in fact, his co-star says they were told well in advance. Given what we're hearing, it seems obvious Engen was told, brooded on the matter for weeks and then began to call out sick to avoid it before finally quitting. That is completely unprofessional behavior.

And no, Engen should not be accommodated to change a story on his behalf based on racial or religious issues. To say "I won't kiss Male/Female X or a person of color" is something where a soap is always going to say, "okay, bye, we'll find someone who will." Television cannot be dictated to by closed-minded viewers or actors.

It doesn't matter whether you like or hate Maria Arena Bell's work, or Paul Rauch. The creative team is not the issue, how they handle the set is not the issue. The fact remains that Engen refused to play a story for unprofessional reasons that do not add up to anything in the daytime industry - where, like I said, people deal with new stories and love interests every day. Coddling his ignorance because of a fan beef with Y&R management is ridiculous.

[KLN]

Because people are regularly applauded when it comes to "taking a stand" against the evil gay agenda. It's the only prejudice still deemed acceptable in today's society. That's not to say Engen is prejudiced or homophobic, but the fact that society is so willing to overlook those two things certainly explains why they're also willing to overlook the un-professionalism of the situation.

[SteveFrame]

Can you point me in the direction of the facts, because I haven't seen any facts. All I have seen are RUMORS and WHAT HE SUPPOSEDLY DID. Did someone get the facts and the truth and not tell me.

So unless I am totally stupid then no you or Cashton or anyone else don't know the facts. You know the gossip but unless you were on the set and saw it all - you can't say you have the facts.

[Vee]

We now have multiple reports on this incident, and there's clearly more to it after 20 pages. I'm sure your standard of proof for whether or not Engen is a bigot is if we can provide grainy webcam video of Chris Engen personally crucifying gay teenagers on a country road. But there's more to homophobia than the most extreme actions. As many have now said, including some actors from the show quoted anonymously, he was dissatisfied with "dark" storylines for a dark character, and the gay turn was the last straw. He's crippled and possibly destroyed his career over something most working actors in this economic climate would not blink at playing as a performer. That is a bigoted attitude.

I don't believe in being Perez Hilton, always taking the most vicious approach to any delicate situation. But what makes me angry here is watching people defend a performer when the evidence is against him, simply by virtue of "those gays can be uppity."

[KLN]

You're right, but then again, everything we hear these days is strictly rumor. The magazines are too afraid to confirm the who, what, when, where and why, and very often the actors are advised not to say anything. We'll probably never have any sort of confirmation regarding this situation. I certainly don't expect CBS to provide video of him walking off the set, and I also don't expect Chris to twitter: "Yeah, I hate homos." If that's what you're looking for as confirmation, I don't think you're gonna get it. I mean, there comes a point where we can figure out that 1 + 1 = 2 without needing the horse (as in: straight from the horse's mouth) to come out and make the obvious even more obvious.

Personally, I tend to believe the story is true. I sincerely doubt that MAB would agree to do an interview with Nelson if he lied about something as huge/controversial as this just for sh!ts and giggles. Who knows, though.

[Sapounopera]

Some people always need to hate somebody. It gives them a meaning in their lives. It can be a gay guy kissing his boyfriend, or a soap actor leaving his role as Victor Newman's son. The one who needs to hate, will hate.

[KLN]

You're right -- and as you expressed, that road travels both ways.

[Vee]

Elsa, I think the one who needed to hate was Chris Engen. He seemed to need it more than his paycheck.

[Sapounopera]

The story I read about CE leaving Y&R didn't make me think of hate at all.

[Vee]

Oh, yes, I forgot. When it's everything else, it's unprofessional bigotry. But when it's a gay storyline, that's just about "artistic integrity."

[Soapsuds]

And what day exactly is MAB interview with Nelson? I am interested to see what she says about the whole matter.

Yup, I read that as well on another board. Co-stars are speaking out about the situation.

[KLN]

I'd be curious to know how everyone would feel if Engen quit his job because he refused to kiss a black woman. What if it made him uncomfortable to kiss her either because he's not attracted to her or because it goes against his belief that interracial relationships are wrong? Would it be as easily overlooked and/or applauded, or would people call him the biggest racist [!@#$%^&*] to ever walk the planet? I'm legitimately curious about that.

I don't care if he's not attracted to guys or if his personal beliefs stand in disagreement of homosexuality. He's not being paid to make out with hot chicks he thinks are attractive. He's paid to act what's on the page, and forgetting everything else involved in this story, the bottom line is that he acted very unprofessionally -- allegedly.

[quartermainefan]

Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhall had a plausible reason: they were actors paid to do the job. Sean Penn and James Franco too. And gay men who probably would be revolted at kissing a woman in their spare time have kissed women in film and TV for decades. As for getting a stunt kisser or discretely panning away as they embrace, I would love to see this 1940s style of filming applied to all of Joshua Morrow's love scenes with his scene partners, and then I think we would see just how unnecessary his fans think kisses are.

[Sapounopera]

Did I ever say these things? I must have forgotten. I as a viewer find the story of a straight character seducing a gay man for his own crazy reasons, a far more interesting storyline than 20-year old Luke Snyder becoming the Florence Nightingale of Oakdale. I am not sure if Adam is the right person for the story though, but that's another story.

[Vee]

Oh, I see, so we must preserve poor Chris for the women.