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Thomas Forrester is a character on The Bold and the Beautiful that most viewers are not fans of. However, it wasn’t always like this before the character, currently portrayed by Matthew Atkinson, took some dark turns on the show.

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Matthew Atkinson
(L-R) Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, Matthew Atkinson | Leon Bennett/Getty Images, Rachel Luna/Getty Images

Four different actors have played the character of Thomas Forrester

The character of Thomas is one of the most recast characters in The Bold and the Beautiful. Four different teen/adult actors have played the character since he was first born and introduced on-screen in 1988. Drew Tyler Bell was the first, playing the role as a main cast member from 2003-2004. He was a recurring cast member from 2005-2009.

Adam Gregory stepped into the role in 2010 and the character was again a main cast member on the show. Gregory appeared as a series regular until late 2013 and then he was also moved to recurring status on the series. He left the show completely in 2014.

In 2015, Pierson Fodé became the third actor to play Thomas. He portrayed the character until 2018, leaving the show to pursue primetime roles. After leaving the show full-time, he returned for multiple guest stints as the character. In 2019, with Thomas being brought back to the show full-time, Matthew Atkinson was cast, becoming the fourth adult actor to portray Thomas.

This was Atkinson’s second daytime role. He portrayed Austin Travers on The Bold and the Beautiful‘s sister show, The Young and the Restless, from 2014-2015. On joining the show, Atkinson told Soap Opera Digest, “It was actually a long time coming. I remember this role coming around a few years ago. When it came around this time, [having worked at Y&R], I knew everyone there. I had met Brad [Bell, executive producer/head writer] before, and I couldn’t say no … There’s something very comforting now about being back in the same building.”

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood talks about the character of Thomas

With Atkinson’s casting, the character of Thomas took a dark turn and was written and depicted as menacing. While the character wasn’t necessarily a glowing good guy, it was a stark change to the previous versions of the character.

Jaqueline MacInnes Wood, who plays Thomas’ sister, Steffy Forrester, spoke to Soaps in Depth about the character.

“It’s wild when you think about how many ‘brothers’ I’ve had,” said MacInnes Wood, “but they’ve all brought something different to the role.”

Talking about how villainous Atkinson’s version of the character is, the actress added, “He definitely brings something different and edgy to the part,” Wood concurred. “This is one of the darker Thomases we’ve seen, and it does make it interesting. It’s been great working with him, and getting to breathe some new life into their relationship is fun!”

The Bold and the Beautiful airs weekdays on CBS, though new episodes are postponed until the show can resume filming after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

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