This week, Braeden is celebrating his 40th anniversary on the No. 1 daytime drama, The Young and The Restless, for playing the role of Victor Newman. “That feels good and strange,” he admitted. “40 years for heaven’s sake. My God all mighty. This is just incredible, really. What a lucky man am I.”
He is also grateful that the hit CBS soap opera has gotten renewed through 2024. “Isn’t that amazing?” he said.
When asked to look back in a rear-view mirror over the last four decades, he said, “I was in the business long before. I have been an actor since 1962. I feel a sense of gratitude. Once I did this job and I liked it and enjoyed playing my character, I had the wisdom to say that ‘I am going to stick with this. I did not leave it and I stayed with it.’ Victor is the best character that I’ve ever played.”
Speaking of his character Victor Newman, he is drawn to his character for many reasons. “Obviously, I like his vulnerability and at the same time, he kicks ass. The thing I like the least about Victor is his attitude towards his children at times. He can be too cold and he is putting one child against the other,” he said.
When asked how he handles being dialogue-heavy on The Young and The Restless, he noted that he has gotten used to it. “The show shoots over 100 pages a day. You deal with it. You take it from scene to scene,” he said. “The brain is a muscle. Practice makes perfect, and repetition is another wisdom. Those are sayings that I learned early on and they are so true.”
On February 15, Braeden is looking forward to the book signing of his memoir I’ll Be Damned at Eggemeyer’s General Store in San Angelo, Texas, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. “This event will mostly be a signing and perhaps a Q&A with the fans,” he said. “It is already sold out. People are coming from everywhere.”
He revealed that his proudest storylines in life were the ones with his mother and his father. “Those stood out,” he said. “I lost my father early and I can identify with him very easily.”
Braeden is excited about the two new films that his son, Christian, is making. “He is doing Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and he is doing another motion picture called The Plane,” he said. “My son is also writing Mafia X, which is very interesting. He is a great writer.”
On his career-defining moments in the acting profession, he said, “When I first did Gunsmoke. I enjoyed that and I was veering away from the projects that I had done before. Being in Gunsmoke was very important in my career: I enjoyed doing them and I enjoyed playing the characters that I played. Another defining moment for me was The Young and The Restless in a major way: Victor is the best role that I ever played.”
Braeden opened up about being a part of the “U.n.I (You & I)” lipsync challenge for UNICEF. “Wasn’t that hilarious? They did a very good cause and it was for a very good cause,” he said.
For young and aspiring actors, he noted that they “need to be absolutely sure that they want to do this.” “First, act in plays. There is no way around it. You need to jump into the ice water. That’s the only thing I can say to aspiring actors and actresses: do plays and find out if you really like it,” he said.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Onward and upward.”
He also shared his thoughts of this year’s Super Bowl LIV, noting that it was a “great game” and he was very happy for Andy Reid, the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs. “Andy has been around for many many years and he never won the big prize until now,” he said. “I enjoyed seeing all of the old players. That actually brought tears to my eyes. I have been watching football since 1961.”
The veteran actor also took the time to pay homage to the late but great Kobe Bryant. “I must say, a part of Los Angeles died with him,” he said. “Kobe really affected a lot of people with his death and afterward. It hit us all very hard.”
Braeden defined the word success as follows: “When you have money in the bank” and “when all has been said and done, success is about the basics in life: health and enough money to enjoy it. In return, that gives you peace of mind.”
His book, I’ll Be Damned: How My Young and Restless Life Led Me to America’s #1 Daytime Drama, is available on Amazon.
To learn more about Emmy award-winning actor Eric Braeden, check out his official website and his official Facebook page.
