‘The Young and the Restless’ Star Eric Braeden Walked Out of an Interview With the ‘Titanic’ Casting Director
Eric Braeden is best known for his portrayal of Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless. However, before he began playing the wealthy businessman, Braeden appeared in several film and TV shows.
One of Braeden’s biggest roles was in James Cameron’s Titanic, where he played a wealthy man. Recently, The Young and the Restless star shared that he walked out of an interview with the Titanic casting director.
Eric Braeden walked out of an interview with the ‘Titanic’ casting director
Braeden plays the menacing owner of Newman Enterprises in Y&R. Before appearing in Titanic, he’d already given the character a go and almost took him everywhere. Braeden recently narrated to TV Insider a bad audition with the movie’s casting director.
The actor informed the outlet that he has never been one to beg for a job, even if he needed one. When he went in to try out for the part of Astor, he felt disrespected as the casting director came in late. He said, “I was there at 11 am [the appointment time]. At five past, I said, ‘One more minute and I’m out.”
Braeden reasoned that everything in Hollywood is a power game, and the director knew it. When the casting director didn’t show up, Braeden walked out but met them on the way out. He said he left the audition and instructed his agency never to send him to the audition again.
The power move seemed to work. Braeden recalled receiving a call from the casting director a month later begging him to return for an interview.
Eric Braeden’s role on the ‘Titanic’ was similar to his role on ‘Y&R’
Braeden appeared in the 1997 movie Titanic, directed by Cameron. The real-life Titanic sank in 1912, killing more than 1500 people with it, including John Jacob Astor IV, who Braeden played in the film.
During his time, Astor was considered one of the wealthiest people on the planet, with some considering him American royalty in some parts of the country. Braeden revealed he’d read up on Astor before his audition and got an idea of whom he was about to play.
During the interview, he was asked to read two lines and, after, decided to give the director a rundown of who Astor was. Braeden’s appearance on The Talk revealed he almost passed on the part when he got it.
He said, “It just wasn’t that big enough of a role. I went down the drain in that damn thing.” Having done his research on the wealthy man, Braeden imagined he’d have a bigger part in the movie, so he almost didn’t take it when he learned that wouldn’t be the case.
Eric Braeden’s acting career
Braeden emigrated from Germany to the U.S. in 1959. During his first two decades in the country, he guest-starred in over 100 projects. Some of his work in the ’60s include an appearance in Morituri alongside Marlon Brando, The Man From U.N.C.L.E as Mr. Oakes, The Rat Patrol, and 100 Rifles.
Born Hans Jorg, Braeden adopted his stage name Eric Braeden when he landed his first starring role in the 1970 movie Colossus: The Forbin Project. Throughout the ’70s, he appeared in Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, and guest starred in Wonder Woman and The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
In 1980, he landed the role of Victor Newman in Y&R for a 26-week run. However, audiences loved his performance, and he became a regular character on the soap. According to IMDb, Braeden has 93 acting credits.
