Eric Braeden Feels Daytime Television Is the ‘Hardest Job for an Actor’ in Show Business
Eric Braeden has played Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless for 42 years. He’s an icon in the soap opera world. The actor has won numerous awards for his portrayal of the power-hungry character. Newman is ruthless not only in business but also in all aspects of life. He even once threw his ex-wife out of an ambulance. Newman is one-half of a super-couple with Nikki Reed, played by Melody Thomas Scott. The two characters have been on-again/off-again for three decades.
Braeden isn’t just one of the most iconic soap opera actors. He has also been on Broadway and in movies. But the veteran entertainer says daytime TV is the “hardest job for an actor.”
Eric Braeden believes daytime TV is the ‘hardest job for an actor’
After decades of acting in television, movies, and Broadway productions, Eric Braeden believes his daytime gig is the most challenging.
The 81-year-old recently appeared on General Hospital star Maurice Benard’s State of Mind podcast, where the two touched on many topics.
When the subject turned to The Young and the Restless, Braeden had some strong opinions about soap acting.
Asked how it feels to have the same job for so many years, Braeden said, “You know that I had to really work hard at accepting the medium. When I came in, at first, I loathed it — the amount of dialogue, the speed at which they worked, and the lack of respect [for soap opera acting].”
He added, “What I feel in daytime, people who work in daytime, they feel a kind of disdain for their own medium.”
The Y&R veteran wants daytime actors and everyone else to respect what soap stars do. “What you and I do on a daily basis is the hardest job for an actor in this town,” he told Benard.
Asked his thoughts on the “stigma” of soap acting, Braeden said, “That is based on ignorance, on not knowing what we do … This is the hardest medium in the business. So actors who are in it, be proud of it!”
The ‘Y&R’ star speaks from experience
After 42 years in daytime TV, Braeden knows the inner workings of the medium. He also has extensive experience in theater, film, and primetime television.
Although he is best known as Y&R’s Victor Newman, the actor began in nighttime TV in the 1960s when he starred in The Rat Patrol.
Then came the 1969 western 100 Rifles with Raquel Welch and Burt Reynolds. Other movies followed in the ’70s, as did TV series such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Gunsmoke, The Six Million Dollar Man, and Wonder Woman.
In addition, he played John Jacob Astor IV in Titanic, one of the biggest blockbusters of all time.
When Braeden says daytime is “the hardest medium,” he knows what he’s talking about.
Eric Braeden doesn’t ‘give a s***’ what others think about soap actors
During the interview on State of Mind, Benard said he would like the outside world to have more respect for soap actors.
Braeden’s response? “To hell with them! I don’t give a s***! I don’t care what Hollywood thinks. I really don’t.”
He just wants all actors to embrace and respect what they do.
