A few seconds ago, I was flipping past The Young and the Restless (just flipping, I swear!), and I saw something that forced me to pause.
There on the screen… was Michael Gross. Michael Gross! When did Steven Keaton join a soap opera?
And he’s not the only 80s staple who’s soaping it up. Betty White has a recurring role on The Bold and the Beautiful.
This is the opposite of how it’s supposed to go. Daytime soaps are the launching pad for future stars, not the crash site for actors whose biggest projects are behind them.
So what’s going on? Is this an increasing trend, or did these actors just want to work, God bless ‘em? Is their presence on these shows a ratings gambit, or were they the best folks for the jobs?
Soap operas are a strange and forbidding world to me, so I appreciate any insight you can give.
10 responses so far ↓
1 Joe Reid // Dec 11, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Mary Gross (Troop Beverly Hills) was just on “General Hosiptal” (though her character just died yesterday.
And Corbin Bernsen was on GH a year or two ago.
2 Tara // Dec 11, 2008 at 3:48 pm
I was about to post, “If only you knew someone who had intimate knowledge of this world,” and…there he is! Hello!
3 Kel // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:26 pm
He’s been on for awhile. He’s actually not bad as a character, but I know he’s temporary. I didn’t see it as stunt casting because, you know, it’s Michael Gross.
Corbin Bernsen was on Y&R, too, but that was probably nepotism-related.
4 Mark Blankenship // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:37 pm
Thanks for the tips, Joe and Kel. Do you think it’s particularly significant that actors like these are doing soaps, or is it just a case of professionals booking jobs?
Also Kel… why would Corbin Bernsen on Y&R be a case of nepotism? Is he related to a producer or something?
5 Kel // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Jeanne Cooper (HBIC Katherine Chancellor) is his mother.
I think a lot of actors can find that soaps are a pretty steady paycheck. Even if they only work 1 or 2 days a week. That’s my own opinion, though. Ted Shackleford is a regular. And they also had Danny Trejo in a recurring part this year. (Though he’s mostly film, I think)
It could just be a case of the best actor for the role and if they’re willing to do daytime, why not take advantage of it.
6 ferretrick // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Corbin Bernsen is the son of Jeanne Cooper, who has played Katherine Chancellor on the Young and the Restless since 1973.
I think its just professionals booking jobs. Betty White was also on Boston Legal last week, Ugly Betty last season, etc. Her career is hardly dead. Eric Braeden, who has played Victor Newman for decades, also has an extensive list of credits on IMDB. So did the late, great, Anna Lee, who played Lilah Quartermaine on GH for decades, but was also one of the nuns who tampers with the car in Sound of Music. Bad reality TV is the cesspool for celebrities who’s careers are dead, not soaps.
7 Joe Reid // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Yeah, Kel echoes my general feeling on daytime actors: the lure of a steady paycheck can be hard to pass up. I think there have been instances of stunt-casting ratings grabs (Roseanne and Elizabeth Taylor on GH spring to mind), but in terms of the actors we’ve been discussing here, I think it’s work when work is needed.
Really, what’s the difference between Michael Gross on Y&R and Meredith Baxter and her Lifetime movies? Corbin Bernsen on “GH” and Harry Hamlin on “Dancing with the Stars”? Technically, they’re all “slumming it” when compared to their career peaks in the ’80s. But also: they’re not getting hired anywhere else.
And besides, I think Michael Gross ran out of “Law & Order” series to guest on.
8 Kel // Dec 11, 2008 at 4:59 pm
Also, Eric Braeden popped up on How I Met Your Mother as Robin’s dad last month.
9 Mark Blankenship // Dec 11, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Very interesting! And you know, good for all of them. Unless you’re one of about thirty actors, getting work is never easy.
I admire Betty White for never retiring. She was on celebrity Password this season, too. Don’t let ‘em slow you down, Rose.
10 Kel // Dec 11, 2008 at 5:32 pm
Betty White and Password are an institution! I mean, that’s how she met her husband.
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