Q & A with Jerry Douglas
(John Abbot, The Young & The Restless)

The Young and the Restless wasn't kidding around when it decided to rejuvenate the Abbotts last year! Eileen Davidson made a much-heralded return to the role of Ashley; Billy was aged to a teen; Traci, Steve and Mamie now make periodic visits; and Jack made a deal to win the family company, Jabot Cosmetics, back from Newman Enterprises. The celebration to honor that deal wouldn't have been complete without the presence of family patriarch John Abbott, played by Jerry Douglas, who left the show in 1998 after a 16-year run.

The best news is that Douglas, who can be seen in Y&R's jazzy new opening sequence, appears to be staying on the show. At a time when soaps are showing beloved veterans the door, top-rated Y&R continues to stick to the basics by focusing on its long-running families. In his dressing room, Douglas discussed what he did during his time away from Genoa City, the joy he feels working with Davidson once more, and how long he'll be staying on the soap this time around.— Michael J. Maloney

How great is it to be back and to have the Abbotts be on the front burner?

I feel like I did when I first came on the show. You're really only as good as your family on daytime. When I saw that the show had rehired Eileen and [hired] David Tom to play Billy, I felt very excited to come back. I hadn't been contacted right away, but just the possibility that it could happen was exciting. I truly felt that it was impossible to replace Eileen. She brings great strength and dignity to the character, while at the same time she's very vulnerable and feminine. That's very hard to do. I already knew what strengths Peter [Bergman, who plays Jack] has and it's great that Beth Maitland, Greg Wrangler, and Veronica Redd (Traci, Steve, and Mamie) have all come back for visits, too.

Showbiz is full of empty promises, so it was nice to see that Y&R held true to its word when you (and the press) were told that John would eventually be brought back.

I always thought there would be a good chance that I'd be back, but when you leave you have to decide that you're going to go on to different things. I thought Bill (Bell, Y&R's senior executive producer and former head writer) did a phenomenal job taking John and Jill from the birth of a baby (Billy) to the wonderful twists and turns he did. But after five years, you can't keep running the same song. He really got into a place where he [decided to give the Abbotts a rest]. I think a good part of that could have been averted had Eileen been there. Shari (Shattuck, who played Ashley from 1996 to early 1999) is a very good actress and a very dear girl. I think it was hard for Bill to let her go. In the interim, he had no writing for me. It was silly to keep me under contract when they weren't using me.

A lot of people were happy about Eileen's return.

I remember my screen test with her. In the scene, Ashley came running into her college dorm room and her dad was there to pick her up.

Weren't there some other well-known actresses who tested for the part along with Eileen?

Yes. Catherine Hickland (Lindsay, OLTL) and Leann Hunley (ex-Anna, Days) did and they were both excellent, too. I don't mean to make a long story about it, but imagine what would happen to the Newmans if Melody (Thomas Scott, who plays Nikki) left? That's how much Eileen meant to the Abbotts. I have to say that I think David's a terrific actor, too.

What kept you busy after you left the show?

I did a TV-movie called A Christmas Wish with Debbie Reynolds. It was a great script and we had a terrific director. The ratings were really great, too. I'd also done some episodes of Melrose Place and there was talk of that role going to recurring, but then the show got canceled. It was a good role, too — a Victor Newman-type character. I did a few singing concerts. I put together an act with my conductor, Steve Haberman, who used to play for Patty (Weaver, who plays Gina) on Y&R. We did shows in Vegas, Seattle and Vancouver. I did about 15 songs during the show and we got standing ovations everywhere we went. [My wife] Kymberly and I sold the house and we bought a new one. That keeps people pretty busy. She's doing great, too, and has done some segments [as an entertainment reporter] on shows like Donny & Marie.

Have you been able to do other projects since being back?

Well, it's hard to get out and do a lot while you're on a soap. I've seen some people who came from daytime when they were young and they don't know how to work in nighttime. It's much more subtle in prime time. Everything's [edited together] and you either catch it or you don't.

They say daytime's a training ground, but it only trains you for daytime.

Yes. Daytime's much harder to do. Film work is more subtle in terms of acting style. Daytime is closer to stage. You can really go big and let the instrument go, so to speak. Peter and I had a demanding scene where he told me that he got Jabot back. That kind of scene is easy in that once you do it once or twice and hit the emotional levels, then the director has the scene in the can. In film, it would have to be done several times to get all the different angles. There would be master shots and close-ups.

John was re-introduced slowly and had no idea what Jack was up to.

Yes. I did a few setup scenes, phone calls where John spoke with Jack and Ashley, letting them know that he was back in town to pick up Billy. The writers really set it up beautifully. Jack and Ashley got him to come back. John wasn't angry, but he was just a little bit edgy about having to stay over with his two grown kids. It's assumed that they saw him off-camera during the time he was living in New York. The writers really haven't wasted anytime in getting the Abbotts up front. Getting the company back makes a major, major difference for the Abbott family.

Fans waited 10 years for it to happen.

It's great. The two family businesses — Jabot Cosmetics and Brash & Sassy at Newman Enterprises — are competing for the same market place [with teen cosmetics]. It's leading to tremendous conflict between the two groups. And Jabot being owned by the Abbotts again has the two families on equal footing. Newman owns 5 percent, but that's just to make it interesting.

How long are you back for?

Let's just say I have a contract. I wouldn't have come back without one. They signed me and I hope it's for a good, long run. I have a great love for Bill Bell and I mean that sincerely. I have the greatest respect for him and I'm 10 times more excited about being here than I used to be with Eileen back. It gives the family a balance that it had been missing for a long time. I have always loved Eileen. She's one of the nicest human beings that I've ever met not only in the acting community, but in my own personal life, too. The same can be said for Peter. He's one of the most genuine, fine human beings that's ever lived. That makes it easy to get into an intimate relationship [with both of them] in terms of acting.