Shark Week has invaded television sets across the country, but those sharp-toothed ocean beasts don't have anything on The Bold and the Beautiful's Rick Forrester (Jacob Young), who is out for blood now that his brother Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) has dethroned him and taken his place as Forrester Creations' CEO. The upcoming battle between the two brothers is sure to go down in B&B history, especially when the waters become extra choppy with the addition of Pierson Fodé's Thomas later this summer. Will the familial clash lead to bloodshed? And how will Rick's relationship with Maya (Karla Mosley) affect Rick and his ability to find true happiness? Check out the chat Soap Central had with Young right before the show took off on hiatus to find out.
soapcentral.com: Hi, Jacob! I hear you're at the airport right now, getting ready to leave Los Angeles. Are you heading out on a vacation?
Jacob Young: Yeah, we're taking our hiatus, which is fantastic. This is my last day, and I'm super duper stoked to be feeling like a brand new boy all over again. It's nice to have the rebirth, just getting that time off.
soapcentral.com: I'll bet, because you've been working like crazy recently and been in a very emotional storyline for the past several months, so you deserve a break. If anyone does, it's definitely you.
Young: Well, thank you. Thank you so much. I've seen my kids [six-year-old Luke Wayne and 22-month-old Molly] like two days, maybe three tops, in four weeks. So it'll be good to be home. I was lucky enough to be able to travel to Europe. I was in Finland and Copenhagen and Switzerland, and of course the festival in Monte Carlo, and hanging with the prince and the princess and all the other cool guys that were out there. But I'm ready to be back home with the young'uns.
soapcentral.com: Especially at their age, because you don't want to miss all of their important moments.
Young: Well, I think I'm actually going to be able to make my son's baseball game tonight, so that's awesome.
soapcentral.com: Oh, good! I'm happy to hear that. And I know it's terrible that you've missed out on a lot of moments with the kids, but we thank you for it, because you've been doing some phenomenal work. So hopefully it's been kind of worth it for you.
Young: Well, I think [the Rick and Maya storyline] is a great stride, not only in daytime, but just in television in general. We're making landmarks right now. We're doing something that's different, and we're stepping outside the boundaries, and I'm just glad that they went ahead to take it to that level.
soapcentral.com: I feel like you had a pretty rare circumstance in soap operas, knowing very far in advance that your character would eventually find out that Maya was born Myron. What was that like, to know those scenes were coming so much earlier than you know about other storyline twists? Was it a heavy weight to carry?
Young: Well, yes and no. The heavy weight was, "Can I tell this story honestly? Can I truly [capture] what it means to love somebody regardless?" And I was like, "Yeah, that's all you've ever wanted, Jacob. All you've ever wanted in life is love." And so somehow, Rick is the same guy. He just wants somebody to love him. And love is something stronger than any emotion out there, so this was his time. I'm honored. I'm really truly honored to be making some groundbreaking steps toward creating maybe a bit more understanding in society.
soapcentral.com: When you're getting ready to play such important scenes, do you put in a lot of preparation and start thinking about the scenes pretty far in advance, or do you just kind of take it when it comes and just feel it out in the moment?
Young: Well, with this sort of thing, this is something that manifests. I don't care who you are, if it's this important of a story to play, it's not even about the dialogue. You've got to manifest every part of it. It was something totally unique, and as an actor, as Jacob... I've got to understand what it would be like in that situation, so yeah, there's a lot of preparation that goes into it. And then mentally, it's a thing you fight and resist at the same time. "Can I do it? Can I not do it? Is it going to work? Will everybody end up receiving it the same way that I feel about it?" And this is probably one of the more important stories that I've ever been able to be a part of.
soapcentral.com: The audience was really surprised by Rick's reaction, I think. But were you surprised by how accepting he was of Maya's past as Myron?
Young: No. It's funny, because they all expected Rick to just go to this dark place, you know? And he's gone to these dark places because people have cheated on him, and they've completely disrespected him in that way. Whereas this, yeah, something was withheld, but it's not like she was getting intimate with someone else. So his reaction, of course, I think it wasn't to be expected, but he loves her like nobody else's business. He loves her so strongly. So, if she was to be cheating on him, that would be one thing. But the fact that she just said, "Hey, here's this, and this is the reason why," it was a different situation. And everybody was expecting him to go off the handle, but like I said, it goes back to that love. Love is love.
soapcentral.com: There are people saying that Rick's reactions are making them forgive all of his former transgressions. That's some pretty powerful stuff, because it's not like he's been the most perfect guy in the world.
Young: Yeah, Rick is mixed up. He's a mixed-up guy. He didn't have the perfect childhood -- nobody does. But you also have to understand that he has heart. He's not just a vindictive business guy. Being CEO was one thing, but happiness is a whole other ballgame, and I think from the moment his mother was with Ridge after his father, that's all he's ever wanted for his mom, was happiness. And it's all he's ever wanted in his life. And so he's finally found somebody who actually wants to love him truly, and he's ready to embrace that.
soapcentral.com: Obviously, he has business stuff going on on the side, but when it comes to his personal life, his romantic life, do you think he'll have a moment to be truly happy for a while?
Young: I think there are going to be quite a bit of moments for him to be happy. But I think there are some twisty curves coming when it comes to the business side of things. I imagine that's probably the next step.
soapcentral.com: I'm sure he will! If we know anything about B&B history, anyway.
Young: Of course.
soapcentral.com: I actually really love that The Bold and the Beautiful focuses on characters working, because the other shows tend to show less of that. You have all these rich characters, but we don't really know how they're making their loads of cash.
Young: Well the problem is, they make such generic references, too, on the other shows, about what they do. But on this particular show, this is the show. I mean, this is the fashion business. And that brings me around to the question [some fans have], which is, "Why do they dress Rick the way they do?" And I actually kind of insisted on that. I said, "Just put me in beautiful colors, pastels. Nobody else is doing it, I'm the son of a famous fashion designer, I might as well look fashionable. Let's do it." So totally, I love to envelop myself into the business aspect of the character.
soapcentral.com: Have they ever put you in an outfit, and you're like, "Oh, my God, I can't believe I'm wearing this?!"
Young: Oh, yeah, yeah. Not any of the suits and ties. That's pretty much all good. But there have been a couple of shorty shorts, and I go, "Really, really? Are we in Spain all of a sudden? Where are we? These are a little short!"
soapcentral.com: Ha, that's hilarious. When it comes to Rick and Ridge, do you think they'll ever be able to bury the hatchet? Or is there too much bad history there?
Young: No, I mean, I think they can bury the hatchet on certain things, but I think there is going to be an undertone, always. You can forgive somebody so much, but there have been too many forgivenesses and forgets. And he's just waiting for the next time for him to mess up. That's it. Because it's like, we forgave each other, but then he did it again. So I think it's way beyond that.
soapcentral.com: Okay, and then from your point of view, do you think Rick is a better CEO, or do you think Ridge really is the better CEO?
Young: I think Rick has been the best CEO that Forrester has ever seen! I mean, besides his dad. I think Rick has made the company more money than anybody in history, so why wouldn't you want the all-star player? It's like the starting lineup. Who's going to hit the ball first? He'd be the first batter out. You want the guy who is going to hit the ball every time, and that's what Rick does. He just knows how to make money. It doesn't mean he's a good fashion designer, but he knows how to make money. And that's what it's all about, right?
soapcentral.com: Yeah, the rich guy running around in the short shorts. Gotta love it! And speaking of CEO battles, the show recently announced that Pierson Fodé will be playing the role of Thomas. Have you been able to meet him yet?
Young: I love the guy. He's from Washington state, which is where I'm from. I grew up in Washington, so I already like the guy. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for him, he's really f*#%king tall. He's handsome, very handsome. He reminds me of a good friend of mine that I grew up with. And he's a good actor. I've watched his work quite a bit. I haven't had any scenes with him, nothing yet that can account to anything, but I'm looking forward to having some sparring sessions with him. I think he's the right fit, the right mold, and he's a good-looking dude, so what are you going to do?
soapcentral.com: So when he wears short shorts, because he's so tall, they'll come up to your eyebrows?
Young: Oh, well, I'm kind of looking at his bellybutton [laughs].
soapcentral.com: How does Rick view Thomas? I know he's not in town yet, but how does he view him? Is he threatened?
Young: Well, Rick has got resentment against Thomas. He's got resentment against his brother. He's like, "Why, why, why? Why is Ridge, who's not a true Forrester, still here? Why are they allowing him to be there?" Okay, so he knows about fashion, that's fine. But what does his son have to offer? I mean, you're Ridge's son. So...? And I think there's going to be some resentment there. I think Rick and Thomas will be going head-to-head.
soapcentral.com: Ah, sounds like fun! I have to ask if there's any love left in Rick for Caroline? Or is that totally over?
Young: Well, of course. I think Rick has a soft spot for Caroline. How could he not? Coming back from Paris, it was his first love. But he's jaded, and it's because [he can't understand] how she could even go there with the guy he despises more than anybody. But it's like, I don't want to quote Neil Young, but needle and the damage is done, right? That's how I feel. She took that drug, she went there, and the damage is done. So he loves her, but he goes, "Man, I can't believe you would go there. Why would you do that to me?"
soapcentral.com: It's been quite the rollercoaster to watch. The writers, head writer/executive producer Brad Bell specifically, have been doing such an incredible job. He just knows how to knock it out of the park.
Young: They really have been knocking it out of the park, and [writer] Patrick [Thomas Moran], with this story between Maya and Rick, he just hones right in on it, and I've got to give him props. They've really done a superb job. I was nervous about it, that they wouldn't go there and I'm glad that they did and took it the distance. It's terrible to have a storyline that tests the waters, and they go, "Oh, we're going to pull back." They never did that. They believed in us enough that we could execute it, and for me, I can't give them enough praise. This is truly an astounding time in my life. I'm really happy with it.
soapcentral.com: I almost feel that it was meant to be, because at the same time that this storyline played out, Caitlyn Jenner was all over in the media, and then the landmark moment when the Supreme Court gave the LBGTQ community equal marriage rights. This story couldn't have come at a better time.
Young: I know! I'm going like, "Why? And how? And why?" I keep scratching my head, but I'm so thankful for it at the same time. I'm thankful for Caitlyn Jenner, and I'm thankful for Maya. Brad has his finger on that pulse. He sees stuff, and they took it before somebody could or would. It was so timely and so important, and we're telling such an important story, so thank God that he had the foresight to do that.
Who do you prefer as CEO of Forrester Creations: Rick or Ridge? What are you most looking forward to when it comes to Thomas' return? And do you hope Rick and Maya are in it for the long haul, or would you prefer the characters to be matched up in a different way? We want to hear from you -- so drop your comments in the Comments section below, tweet about it on Twitter, share it on Facebook, or chat about it on our Message Boards.
