It's been seven years since daytime fans saw Guiding Light's loveable Oklahoma-born businessman Joshua Lewis on the screen, and many viewers are itching to see his portrayer, Robert Newman, back in the soap world. But will it happen?
It wouldn't be a surprise if the uber-talented Emmy-nom was snatched up by one of the existing soaps. But it turns out the actor himself might not be too keen on returning to the genre.
"Uhhhhhhh.....boy. That idea just makes me tired," he joked to Soap Opera News about a daytime return.
But in all seriousness, he says it's more a matter of logistics that holds him back from reentering the world of soaps. "First of all, they all shoot in LA and I have no desire to live in LA; I live on the east coast in Connecticut. But if one of the shows came to me with a recurring, short-term kind of thing, preferably a really good bad guy, I'd probably be ok with that. Long term would be a different discussion. I have access to housing out there through my larger extended family so I could make it work, but it would be tough."
He continues, "As far as the concept of taking on another long term role on a soap...sure. I'd think about it. In the same way I revisited Josh and that commitment every 3 years. I'd look at the role, the duration, the money, etc."
As for which show could tempt him to return to the genre, they better get in line, because all four could eventually sway him. "I wouldn't mind doing something on Y&R or GH. Some pretty great actors on those shows. Same with DAYS or B&B," he says. "I really don't know how or if I would fit into any of those shows, but I like working with good people on good material in any format. So again, if there is a strong character for me in one of those worlds, I would be interested."
Whether or not Newman will eventually make his way back to the soap world remains to be seen, but GL fans were at least treated to a Josh and Reva (Kim Zimmer) reunion recently. CBS Daytime show The Talk hosted a reunion special this October in celebration of the network's 30 consecutive years as the most watched network in daytime.
Would you love to see Robert Newman return to daytime? Which of the four remaining soaps could you see him joining? 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.
