Actor Rory Gibson chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about playing the role of the new Noah Newman on “The Young and The Restless” on CBS.
Noah is the son of Nick Newman (Joshua Morrow) and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) on the hit CBS daytime drama, which has been the No. 1 daytime soap opera for nearly 33 years.
On being cast as the Newman heir, Noah Newman, he said, “It has been awesome, so far. I have been filming for over a month now and everyone has been super welcoming and cool.”
“I landed the role in a bumpy fashion,” he admitted. “I sent in a tape for Noah and they got back to me pretty quick and they told me that they weren’t crazy about it. My agent told me that I played him a little too intense and angry while Noah is a chill, nice dude. They gave me some notes and luckily enough, they asked me to come back for the callback.”
“Once, I did the callback, I changed him up and then, I had a test session, and I found out that I got the part,” he added.
Gibson is drawn to Noah for many reasons. “Noah is very chill but he’s very deep, he has some intense qualities to him too. I feel like he is one of the few characters that is very different in the sense of drama, he likes to play the mediator a lot. Noah doesn’t stir the pot or anything, he is there to resolve as much as he can for as many people as he can. It’s nice to play a good dude,” he said.
The role of Noah affords him the opportunity to work with his on-screen family Joshua Morrow and Sharon Case, as well as Mark Grossman (who plays his uncle Adam Newman) and Amelia Heinle (his aunt Victoria Newman). “Sharon and Joshua are both so awesome, they are both very chill,” he said. “Joshua was actually in my test session, and I picked up right away that he is a nice dude. Also, every time I see Sharon on the set is a joy.”
Gibson praised Mark Grossman for being “awesome.” “Mark is such a chill dude, unlike his intense character Adam. In real life, he is so different from his character and he takes his acting really seriously,” he said.
“Amelia has been nothing but friendly and so cool,” he added.
Most impressive is the fact that he plays the grandchild of Victor Newman (played by the iconic Eric Braeden). “I know, that is so crazy,” he said with a sweet laugh.
Regarding the title of the current chapter of his life, he said, “Transition or Bliss.”
The digital age
On being an actor in the digital age, he said, “It is pretty wild, actually. This is the first project that I’ve done that is on a streaming service as well. It is interesting to be able to tell people that if they missed it, they can go and stream it. All the fans have been so cool about it, there are so many people watching it, it’s a very beloved show.”
Advice for hopefuls in the entertainment business
For young and aspiring actors, he said, “Only do it if you are 100 percent in it. Make sure it’s the only thing that you want to do and the only thing you can do because it’s a very hard profession, for sure. There are a lot of ‘nos’ and there is a lot of waiting.”
“The acting profession is very rewarding though. The past month of my life has been so surreal. Stick with it, be diligent, and work hard. It’s not a passive career so work at it,” he added.
‘Twisted Twin’
He also portrayed Damon in “Twisted Twin” on Lifetime, where he worked opposite Lauren Swickard, who played both of the twin roles. “That was one of the best times that I’ve had on set since it was the first time that I played a bad guy,” he said.
“Lauren [Swickard] was the best. Seeing her on set do both parts was unreal. She worked so hard on that. She created two wildly different characters and she played them both seamlessly on the same day,” he said.
“That was cool since I got to explore a little more and I got to be more intense and scare a few people while filming of course. I loved every second of it,” he added.
Alternate career choice
If he weren’t in acting and entertainment, he would work with a nonprofit organization that works with dogs as his alternate career choice. “I’m a die-hard dog guy,” he said. “My three passions in life are film, dogs, and fitness.”
If he were to do any track and field event, he listed the 100 and 200 meter dashes as his favorite events, along with the triple jump. “I am pretty decent at sprints but count me out on anything long-distance,” he said.
In swimming, he picked the “freestyle” as his favorite stroke.
Success
Gibson defined the word success as “happiness.” “If what you do makes you happy, then you are successful,” he said.
For his fans and supporters, he said, “It has been really cool. Everybody has been so welcoming and it has been great to see everyone with positive comments.”
To learn more about actor Rory Gibson, follow him on Instagram.
For more information on “The Young and The Restless,” or to stream the show online, visit the official CBS website.
