Peter Bergman Dishes on his 20 Years on 'The Young and the Restless'

On Nov. 27, it will have been 20 years ago that Peter Bergman made his debut on "The Young and the Restless" as Jack Abbott. Now he talks to ET about the rivalry between Jack and Victor Newman (Eric Braeden), soap-opera sluts, the MTV effect and why his soap has been No. 1 for so many years.

ET: When you first joined "Y&R" did you have any idea that you would still be there 20 years later?

Peter Bergman: Not a clue. As a matter of fact, I came from "All My Children," and on "All My Children" when you replaced someone … I replaced Terry Lester on "Y&R" … any replacements on "AMC" didn't work. What I didn't realize was what a success "Y&R" had made of their replacements: Melody Thomas Scott is a replacement; Jess Walton is a replacement. There are a few on the show that have been very successful. I figured I could make the job last six months if I worked really hard at it, and here we are 20 years later.

ET: After playing Jack Abbott for 20 years, what still keeps him fresh for you?

Peter Bergman: I have one of the few characters in daytime that keeps changing every day. On Monday, Jack is a really, really kind and thoughtful brother. On Tuesday, he is the boss you never want to have. He is manipulative, cunning and nasty. On Wednesday, he is the most manipulative brother a sister ever had. And on Thursday, he is making peace with people. It changes all the time. We have a couple of characters on the show that are really the same every day and I don't know how they do it.

ET: Jack's big antagonist has always been Victor Newman. He is returning to the show. Any teases about what is in store?

Peter Bergman: We won't be going fishing together anytime soon, but we will welcome him back. I will look for lots of trouble for him.

ET: How has daytime changed over the more than 20 years you have been a part of it?

Peter Bergman: Let me give you a few examples. When I first started, on every single show there was the town slut. You can't do that post-AIDS. People on television are talking about whether or not they are protected. That stuff never went on 30 years ago. Scenes were longer. Stuff really happened in scenes. Between commercials there would be two scenes, now there are four.

ET: Do you think that is because of MTV?

Peter Bergman: In part because of MTV; in part, America's attention span has just shrunk.

ET: As an actor did you prefer the longer scenes?

Peter Bergman: It was better. More stuff happened in a scene. What happens now over four scenes used to happen in two scenes. We have scenes now that are literally just a page long.

ET: What is the question that fans ask you the most often?

Peter Bergman: Fans ask me most often: Do Eric and I get along in real life? My answer is … next question.

ET: I actually think that most people in daytime get along because there is a team spirit on shows.

Peter Bergman: We all are watching each other grow up. I am watching Christel Khalil on the screen. She got married since she has been here. She was a little girl when she got here. She now has two dogs and a husband and we lived through all that. People have babies and graduate from high school and college, so we all go through it together. It makes for a family.

ET: Why do you think "Y&R" has been No. 1 for so long? Do you think it is the reality of the stories?

Peter Bergman: I think in part it is the reality of the stories. There is something to be said for momentum and people not changing the channel. When you turn on "The Young and the Restless," you know what you are going to see. You are probably going to see Nikki (Scott), or Victor, or Jack, or Ashley (Eileen Davidson) -- the people that you are used to seeing on the show. Some of these other shows, you turn it on and you don't know the characters.

ET: And you know this because…?

Peter Bergman: I always make it my business to watch [other soaps]. I am here at Television City in my dressing room. I watch "Days of our Lives," "One Life to Live," "All My Children," "General Hospital" and "The Bold and the Beautiful." I make my way around a) because I have friends on these shows; and because I can steal stuff.

ET: You mean like acting tips?

Peter Bergman: Right. "Oh, that really worked, I am going to do that. I am going to remember that."

ET: What do you do in your down time?

Peter Bergman: Mariellen, my wife of 25 years, and I are now empty-nesters. We built a house on Balboa Island in Newport, CA, so we are back and forth to there quite a lot. There, I walk the dogs, I sail, I bicycle, and I have been playing piano since I was 20 years old, so I still do that.

"The Young and the Restless" airs weekdays on CBS.

ET: What is the question that fans ask you the most often?

Peter Bergman: Fans ask me most often: Do Eric and I get along in real life? My answer is … next question.

LMAO that is such a "Jack" response

Indeed and it does really not extinguish rumors that PB and EB don't get along to swell in real life as well.

Bergman's comments about CK also reminded of other rumors by a certain actress claiming that some people are pretty cozy and working on preventing her return to Y&R.

I think his EW interview is even juicer.

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2009/11/20/young-restless-peter-bergman-eric-braeden/

EW: What was it replacing Terry Lester, who had previously played Jack Abbott, 20 years ago?

Peter Bergman: He had burned every bridge he could burn before he left. He had alienated pretty much everybody in the building. Had I showed up as anything less than an axe murderer, I would have been welcomed. That said, every lighting guy, every wardrobe person knew more about Jack Abbott than I did. That took some getting used to. Melody Thomas Scott (Nikki Newman) was very friendly to me but Eric Braeden was a big Terry Lester fan so his wasn’t the warmest welcome.

How did you react when the writers said, ‘By the way, you’re going to be seeing your dad’s ghost’?

Oh my God. I’m on the one show that’s based in reality and suddenly I am in charge of the f—ing ghost storyline? Oh, great! But you know what? I was wrong. In the end, it worked. It was Jack’s conscience coming back to him. He had lost his conscience.

I think his EW interview is even juicer.

http://hollywoodinsi...n-eric-braeden/

I like it also how he makes perfectly clear that Braeden caved...just a little dig at the machismo thing.

I like it also how he makes perfectly clear that Braeden caved...just a little dig at the machismo thing.

Yup. He got quite a few subtle digs in there. I was sad to hear that Terry Lester wasn't well liked by the end of his run.

Bergman pointed out what I and others have been saying. All the actors have been asked to take a pay cut.

Bergman pointed out what I and others have been saying. All the actors have been asked to take a pay cut.

LOL. Beyond your crystal ball, all the actors have been in the press saying this has been happening. Doug Davidson and Adrienne Frantz in particular.

So, while I guess Bergman's candor is a good thing, I find it increasingly divisive and counter-productive. Bergman's mouth is a big part of the anti-Rowell press ("not playing with a full deck"), and it sure won't serve the show if Braeden and Bergman are at each other's throats again.

Why can't he just take a positive look at his 25 years of work, and not trash Terry Lester or Eric Braeden or the writers behind Sharon-Jack? Not sugar-coat, but focus on the better parts of his 25 years.

Why can't he just take a positive look at his 25 years of work, and not trash Terry Lester or Eric Braeden or the writers behind Sharon-Jack? Not sugar-coat, but focus on the better parts of his 25 years.

I haven't seen a lot of positive talk from Braeden either, on any subject. I don't know if any of the vets go into happy talk. I guess it depends on their contractual status; Doug Davidson seemed to be attempting a positive spin in his WLS interview. Even some of the women, who don't get away with what men do in the press, are somewhat curt.

This show must be a nightmare backstage.

Edited November 21, 200916 yr by CarlD2

Why can't he just take a positive look at his 25 years of work, and not trash Terry Lester or Eric Braeden or the writers behind Sharon-Jack? Not sugar-coat, but focus on the better parts of his 25 years.

I don't know, but part of me is glad he doesn't even if I know he should. The truth is just so much more fun than the politically correct party line.

Beyond your crystal ball, all the actors have been in the press saying this has been happening. Doug Davidson and Adrienne Frantz in particular.

Then why all the hysterics from you and others on this board when some actors get into sticky negotiations? You all act as if the world is falling because Y&R has asked these people to take pay cuts.

Edited November 21, 200916 yr by Ann_SS

I haven't seen a lot of positive talk from Braeden either, on any subject. I don't know if any of the vets go into happy talk. I guess it depends on their contractual status; Doug Davidson seemed to be attempting a positive spin in his WLS interview. Even some of the women, who don't get away with what men do in the press, are somewhat curt.

This show must be a nightmare backstage.

Yup...total nightmare. All these "clans" that consistently (for example) neglect key players for Emmy prenoms, etc.

Davidson was very positive in the WLS interview, but more forthright in the OurPrattville interview. There, he actually laid it on the line almost as explicitly as Bergman. But somehow it still seemed less prickly to me.

Then why all the hysterics from you and others on this board when some actors get into sticky negotiations? You all act as if the world is falling because Y&R has asked these people to take pay cuts.

I'm not sure anyone was in hysterics. There was a lot more fan outcry for Jess Walton (you'll remember that many here on SON changed their avatars to Walton during that "quit" weekend).

I have joined with many others in saying "maybe 40% across the board cuts don't make so much sense; maybe you should cut as much as 50-60% of the cast...there would be a lot of consensus about which ones...and then reduce the current cast by a much smaller amount". This approach acts as though Eric Braeden has the same value as, say, Michael Graziadei (i.e., that both Graz and Braeden should both take 40% cuts). I personally think eliminating Graz, and cutting Braeden (and many others) by less than 40% would have made more sense.

I think a show where we see the core characters most days of the week, with a smaller periphery, would actually be better. That's the GH (or now DOOL) approach, and I like the idea that every time I turn it on, the same faces show up.