Y&R stars weigh in on Eric Braeden stalemate
by Dan J Kroll
Posted Friday, October 16, 2009 9:47:11 PM


Now that Eric Braeden has had his say about his ouster from The Young and the Restless, some of his former co-stars are also breaking their silence on the contract mess. While their opinions of the situation may vary, all seem to agree that Y&R would definitely benefit by keeping Braeden on board.


As Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) makes the rounds to various media outlets to discuss his writing-out from The Young and the Restless, the actor's former co-stars are also breaking their silence on the situation.


Several stars of The Young and the Restless attended this year's World Magic Awards. Along the Red Carpet, the stars talked with soap journalist Michael Fairman about various soap twists and turns -- including Braeden's exit.


"I think that no comment is the best policy to take when other actors are going through contract talks," said Kristoff St. John (Neil Winters). "I don't believe Eric Braeden will leave the canvas as the character of Victor Newman, but if he does, it would be sad to see him go at such a critical time in the show's history. We have a guaranteed two years left on network television. I think in order to survive and to get another contract and licensing agreement out of CBS, the wise decision would be to get him back. Is it the wisest decision for Eric to accept the terms of the contract? I don't know, and I cannot comment on that. It would be a huge loss to the show and the audience worldwide."


"It is tough for the actors and the shows, too. Because of the economy and how all the shows are doing on television, the shows are having to make a lot of budgets cuts, and they need to figure out where to make those cuts, and where not to," Sharon Case (Sharon Newman) added. "That is what is important. I think cuts need to be made, but I think where and how the cuts should be made is important to the show, but also keeps the people on the show that the fans want to see."


Opting not to wade in trouble waters, Daniel Goddard (Cane Ashby) remained diplomatic when asked about the impasse.


"I don't have an opinion on what is going on with it, but I am certain whoever is reading the contracts knows what they are doing, and so I don't think they would do something that would be morally or ethically wrong," Goddard offered.


Meanwhile, Emmy winner Adrienne Frantz (Amber Moore) took a decidedly different stance on the Braeden situation.


"They are cutting contracts all around. I mean everybody has to bite the bullet. It's not like anyone gets special treatment. If you don't want to play fair with everyone, then don't play," Frantz remarked. "If you want to step out… everybody is dealing with the same stuff. So if anybody thinks they are better than anyone else, then they should leave if they want to. It's a cast. We are all working together. We are all working our hardest to make it go, and if you don't want to work with everyone than you are not helping."


Elsewhere, Victoria Rowell (ex-Drucilla Winters), who herself has recently been involved in purported Y&R upheaval, tells TVGuide Canada that she sides with Braeden in the brouhaha.


"I stand by Eric, of course, but I am seriously worried about Y&R's future without the Emmy winner," Rowell sighed.

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Related Information
News Archives: Eric Braeden receives star on Walk of Fame. [Jul 25, 2007] About The Actor: Learn more about Eric Braeden. Who's Who: Read a biography of Victor Newman. Family Trees: Scan the many branches of the Newman family tree. More Archived News: Review more past Y&R news headlines. News and More: Return to soapcentral.com's Y&R FrontPage.