Just caught this interview and wanted to post over here for you guys to read.

Exclusive: Eric Braeden Speaks Out About His Y&R Exit

Discuss.

You can bank on the fact that Eric Braeden will
not be singing Viva La Vida anytime soon.
He's a man of immense talent and integrity.
For SONY to treat him as if he were some
green neophyte is insulting. Granted Y&R was
a hit well before he joined the canvass, but
he and MTS defined that show and gave it an
identity. He deserved much better than that.


Rock on Eric Braeden. They are fools and know
not what they are doing.

This is a good interview. I like that Braeden is clear in that he understands the need for pay cuts, but was greatly insulted by the way he was approached about it.

Loved this. They need to come up w/better ways to handle this contract business w/o it getting ugly. The last resort isn't cutting your vets who made this show what it is. Sign of the times and I fully support Eric's decision to stand by his guns even though he may be jobless for awhile.

I'm with Braeden and love the fact he will not stand for being treated like he's been on the show 3 months. Genoa City will not be the same without him and not sure I'll stick around if he stays gone.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: FishBiscuit,

I didn't know about this and haven't watched the show since forever but there is no Y&R without him. How stupid are they? The fans should boycott on his behalf. So dumb. And he should definitely move on and do more movies/TV.

I have ALWAYS loved Braeden, both as an actor and as a person. He minces no words and kisses no ass, unlike so many of his fellow castmates.

He is dead on when he says how infuriating it is when yopu give 30+ years to an employer, and you get treated no different from some newbie who has been on the show for a year. Sadly, it happens in almost every place of employment in the world.

It's all about the mighty buck and years of dedication and loyalty to one's workplace mean crap anymore.

Mark my words, i am shooting CBS/Y&R a scathing email as we speak. If they let Eric go...i am gone, as well. I will not watch this piece of **** without Braeden.

Even before Mary Jane - Victor was a cancer to this show. The way that EB monopolizes the stories has affected the overall structure of Y&R for quite some years now. That I will definitely not miss. Quite frankly, the show can go on without Victor; (even before this story I think viewers are tired of his God-complex, and never losing) the only problem is that right now the show is so uneven that I'm afraid his leaving would just do more damage. Lastly, less we forget that during Braeden's annual vacations, the ratings never went down, and on some occasions it went up. We all know EB will come back eventually.

Should Eric Braeden be treated with respect? Most definitely.

However, I think others character can finally flourish with his departure.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: MTSRocks,

It's awful the way the vets are treated although it's refreshing that it's a man whose receiving the brunt of it this time. Part of me thinks, "Now, you know how the actresses feel bring treated like dirt."

It's a BIG mistake for the show to do this especially on a show where a majority of the characters are expendable. I'm not a huge Victor fans (sort of in agreement with MTSROCKS), but Victor is such an integral part of the show. I'm all for paring down the cast to the essentials to save money, but I think Logan is on to something. Sony is using the "economy" to go after the salaries. I also wonder how much of this is because Braeden is not a kiss ass like Bergman. I'd be curious to see if Bergman has or will undergo the same treatment.

Victor is like Sonny Corinthos. Both hold there shows hostage. Y&R may not be able to lose EB in its current climate, but I've grown tired of the Victor propping, and emasculation of other characters over the year to serve his pompous ego. It's hard for me to feel empathy for EB in particular when he's had such a creative hold on this show for years, much like Lauralee Bell did.

I loved this interview. It's probably one of Logan's best interviews ever. How intelligent does EB sound? He talks the way someone would write. He's very articulate. And the content, what was uttered, revealed and what he held back, all were very fascinating. Anyone notice when asked about Moonves and Bloom, he only talked about how much he respects Moonves? So what is the deal with Barbara Bloom?

He praises MAB, but if this was such a calculated move for his ouster from the higher ups by demonizing Victor when his cycle is up for renegotiation, then doesn't that mean the writing team had to have been in on painting Victor into a corner and getting EB out?

He also mentions how Jack was redeemed and it's interesting how he doesn't comment on Munhey's Adam taking his place. Did the in crowd at Y&R have a say in this? I liked how EB mentions they're not a family and don't all get along instead of this BS.

Stop the madness Y&R! Ax Deacon, Amber, Kevin, Jana, Daniel, Chloe, Michael, Gloria, Jeff, Victoria and JT so Y&R can keep the vets.

Y&R and B&B are both run by Bells. Say what you want about Brad Bell's atrocious writing and the terrible acting hogging the show, but they never have these public disputes where a major star walks off B&B. Y&R has had Rowell (yet favored Khalil?), Walton, MTS and now EB. It's interesting how the ratings will be affected if EB does not return. Will B&B overtake Y&R, or will the ABC or NBC soaps steal the lead?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bottomchef,

quote:

Originally posted by Crystal:
It's awful the way the vets are treated although it's refreshing that it's a man whose receiving the brunt of it this time. Part of me thinks, "Now, you know how the actresses feel bring treated like dirt."

It's a BIG mistake for the show to do this especially on a show where a majority of the characters are expendable. I'm not a huge Victor fans (sort of in agreement with MTSROCKS), but Victor is such an integral part of the show. I'm all for paring down the cast to the essentials to save money, but I think Logan is on to something. Sony is using the "economy" to go after the salaries. I also wonder how much of this is because Braeden is not a kiss ass like Bergman. I'd be curious to see if Bergman has or will undergo the same treatment.

everyone is using the economy as an excuse these days it's affected my job i can tell you that

i'm counting down the days to when braeden comes back because he will.

GH or AMC should offer a EB a part, even if all they can afford is a short-term high profile gig. GH, especially, has been on fire with their casting coups. EB would be AMAZING as a Cassadine or the long-lost father of Sam. It would be soap heaven to watch him mix it up with NLG and TG. Another possibility is casting him on AMC as love interest for Erica. Maybe even Dmitri Merick?

I am not sure what becomes of Y&R if EB is gone for good. I don't see anyone on canvas with half of EB's star power. The closest they have is Peter Bergman. He's a great actor but I am sorry he does not have EB's charisma. No one on the show does.

I think MTSRocks makes a good point about the state of the show right now. I was one of many who thought that the ratings on DAYS would tank when Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn left, but they didn't. DAYS has, however, gotten itself together creatively. I wonder if Y&R would sort of cave in on itself without Victor to write around. He's the center of the show, even when he is on vacation. Y&R filled weeks last year with hoopla surrounding Victor's whereabouts, Heather searching for him, Jack and Adam forging the diary, Nikki trying to track him down, etc.

The MAB praise is another interesting thing. From recent interviews, with various complaints and comments and no one having a bad word to say about MAB, the apparent conclusion is that she's neither writing NOR producing the show right now. It makes me start to think she's more of a figurehead with her hands tied while the show is actually run by Rauch, Sheffer, and Hamner.

You knew eventually someone big at Y&R wasn't going to back down and would leave the show over these paycuts mid-contract, and it seems like its going to be Braeden. Sony obviously doesn't care or they wouldn't have let it get this far to begin with, and Braeden doesn't seem like he's willing to put up with their disrespect.

If I were him and I could afford not to, I wouldn't go back. No matter what your line of work is, if you feel that your bosses have no respect for you and what you bring to the table, its not worth it to be there if you don't absolutely have to be.

quote:

Originally posted by ad-girl:
He's a great actor but I am sorry he does not have EB's charisma. No one on the show does.

That's not true whatsoever. But just to clarify when you say no one, or speaking of only the male actors or both male/female?

As for charisma, the closest to EB among the males in the current cast are PB, CLB and BM and they are all pale shadows. As for the women, I'll grant that MTS and JC have star power but I would still say they don't match EB. Along with Susan Lucci and Tony Geary, EB makes up the holy trinity of daytime icons. They are the only three actors/characters (outside of GF's now departed Laura) who are universally known. Many tv watchers know Nikki but just about every tv watcher knows Victor. It's a whole other level of icon.

^^^I agree for the most part, but I believe I misinterpreted your post. I thought you meant Eric Braeden's Victor was the most charismatic character on the show. That's why I was like, hold up a minute, LoL.

With the state of the show right now, I'm wondering if Y&R will use this as an opportunity to grow creatively and become even more of an ensemble, the same way GL experienced a creative renaissance after the departure of Kim Zimmer (who I love) in 1990.

As integral as EB is to the show, if the show doesn't get miles better after his departure ala GL, then the whole thing is wasted.