Interview Y&R: Eric Braeden Is Righting Wrongs

Eric Braeden has played the debonair billionaire Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for nearly three decades. Now he also has taken on the role of executive producer and star of the feature film The Man Who Came Back, which was released on DVD this past Tuesday.

In the movie, Eric plays Reese Paxton, a Civil War hero who returns to the South after the war, only to discover that grave injustices are still happening toward the recently released slaves. His compassion for the ex-slaves leads to devastation in his family life.

Eric tells me: “When I first read the story, I liked it. What I liked was the revenge part of it. That is what attracted me to the story in the first place, but I wanted to give it some historical context. I wanted to deal with the race relations of that period and the relationship between plantation owners and those who worked for them. Then we found out about a labor strike in the South in 1887, and we went from there.”

Eric can personally relate to Reese on many levels. He confesses: “Personally, I have a deep-seated anger for someone who uses his power arbitrarily. When I see injustices committed, I just get angry. I have an innate feeling against bullies. I’ll fight them. I want to right those wrongs. And that stems from my childhood: I got into a lot of fights as a kid. My father died early on, so my upbringing was rough in that way. And we had teachers who came back from the Second World War, and they had dark eyes.

“So, you know, Reese was wizened by his experiences in the war. He had seen too much killing. He worked behind the scenes as an assassin, and he had seen too much of it. There are two ways to come out of an experience like that: You become worse, or you become better.”

Working on such a powerful story was bound to grab the attention of first-rate actors, and Eric considers himself lucky for the company he got to keep on this film. “It attracted a lot of good actors who were wonderful. They did me an enormous favor by working with me, from George Kennedy to Billy Zane, Armand Assante, Sean Young, Carol Alt and James Patrick Stuart. I’ve never enjoyed anything as much as I enjoyed doing this film.”

As executive producer, Eric had the final say in casting, music, editing — everything. “And I would do this again only under those circumstances,” Eric explains. “I’ve been in the business too long, and one knows too much about it. And I don’t want to be told by the people anymore, you know?

“But I love the whole process, and the people were so kind and so generous, the people I worked with down in Texas. I was impressed by the hospitality there. It was a labor of love, really. The director worked his ass off. A lot of passion went into this film. I’ve enormous respect for filmmakers. The whole post-production part was just as tough, from editing to sound design, music — just everything.”

So, when you rent or buy this movie, Eric has only one request: “I just want you to be entertained. Be entertained and maybe have some thoughts afterward. I want whoever sees this to be emotionally involved and moved. If they learn something, fine, but I want them to be moved.”

Kassie DePaiva Celebrates 15 Years on OLTL

This week marks 15 years that Kassie Wesley DePaiva has been playing Blair on One Life To Live. Those at her official fanclub have made a very special guestbook that they want her to read the week of December 11. Please take the time and drop Kassie a note to let her know what she has meant to you all these years. She just keeps getting better with age.

Here is the link:
http://www.kassiedepaiva.com/15board.html

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OLTL: Such a Tease!

Rex makes inroads with Shane.
Brody puts Jessica at ease when he tells her what Tess did to him.
Jared and Natalie have their hands full watching Bree and Chloe.

Family and friends gather to mourn the loss of Starr’s baby as Andrew presides over her funeral.
Jessica has a big reaction to the news of Hope’s funeral.
Marty reaches out to Cole (Brandon Buddy, pictured).

Nora challenges Todd to do right by Marty.
Andrew gives Marty insight to her past.
Lola asks Langston to hide her so she won’t be deported.

Tea’s going to help Todd whether he likes it or not.
Vanessa has a surprising proposition for Cristian.
Nora throws the book at Todd.

AMC: Such a Tease!

Angie realizes how much she’s missed out on with Jesse.
Jake won’t compete with Brot for Taylor’s love.
Krystal and Bianca (Eden Riegel, pictured) end up snowbound with David at Wildwind.

David sets up an elaborate plan to lure Tad out of town.
Natalia accuses Angie of wanting Rebecca dead.
Bianca suspects Reese is lying to her about something.

Ryan commits Annie to Oak Haven.
Zach and Reese keep their secret alive in front of Bianca.
David questions Krystal about her and Tad’s relationship.

JR tears into Krystal when he finds her with David.
Reese is surprised to see her father in Pine Valley.
Zach demands that David perform a miracle for Kendall.

GH: Such a Tease!

Jason takes the blame for putting Jake in danger.
Sonny wants vengeance for the attack on Olivia.
Jax admits he still has feelings for Carly.

Sam wants to set the record straight with Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn, pictured).
Nikolas is a fish out of water.
Maxie and Lulu make unlikely roommates.

Jason and Sam dodge a bullet.
Claudia grows suspicious of the sudden change in Sonny.
Olivia leaves Sonny with a warning.

Sam puts herself in danger.
Jason and Elizabeth seal the fate of their relationship.
Sonny uses kindness to manipulate Claudia.

Days: Such a Tease!

NEXT WEEK:

* Daniel (Shawn Christian, pictured) shows up at the Horton Cabin and gets an eye full of a teddy-clad Chloe.

* Philip quits his job at Titan.

* Marlena invites John to spend Christmas with her.

* Max gives Theo the toy dog from Trent.

* Sami takes a tumble and worries her baby is in jeopardy.

Thursday – Philip and Stephanie share their first kiss.

Friday – Dr. Baker shows up at the DiMera Mansion demanding money from Nicole.

B&B: Such a Tease!

• Ridge is the bearer of grim news.

• Rick’s innocence is in question.

• Grief pushes Steffy to the edge.

• Brooke learns the truth about Rick’s misdeeds.

• Stephanie seeks justice for her granddaughter’s ("Phoebe," MacKenzie Mauzy, pictured) death.

Y&R: Such a Tease!

•Chloe (Elizabeth Hendrickson, pictured) ends up in the emergency room after a confrontation with Lily.

•Billy learns the truth about Chloe’s baby, but will he keep it to himself?

•Will Phyllis admit what she witnessed in Paris when Nick finds out she was there for a photo shoot?

•Jeff creates a scheme to bring Gloria down after seeing her testify on River’s behalf.

­­•Victor gives Adam one last chance to save himself -- will he take it?

GL: Such a Tease!

• Dinah seeks out the true identity of her new confidant.

• Eleni returns to Springfield to surprise Marina.

• Coop divulges his affair to Buzz.

• ­Lizzie hires Cyrus (Murray Bartlett, pictured).­ ­

ATWT: Such a Tease!

•Dusty is surprised by Craig’s offer.

•Carly has a hard time as Jack and Janet’s wedding day approaches.

•Josie tells Meg the truth about Paul.

•­Luke (Van Hansis, pictured) meets a woman from Brian’s past.