Post by jag11 on Aug 12, 2007 8:37:14 GMT -5
August 21, 2007 CBS Soaps In Depth
"I'm very good friends with [Y&R's executive producer/headwriter] Lynn [Marie] Latham," Warlock shares. "She called me and said, 'I've got that I'd really appreciate you coming in to play... because I think you could really bring something to the role to make it a lot more interesting. Would you do this favor for me?' I said, 'Absolutely. As long as the role is short-term, that would be great.' And that's what it was. It was set up from the beginning to be short-term."
The actor says that even though he signed up for a typical 13-week cycle, many people expected him to stay longer. "People would come up to me and say, 'So you're on the show!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but I'm just passing through.' And they would all say, 'No, no!' But I'm like, 'Yes, really!' It was set up that way, so when I see magazine covers that said, 'Fired! I'm like, 'Fired?' I was never meant to be on for very long."
Still, Warlock enjoyed playing the high-strung politico. "This was the first time I could do whatever I wanted to do in daytime, with the exception of Frankie on DAYS OF OUR LIVES in the '80s. Ben was a guy who needed to back off the caffeine," he laughs. 'I wanted to have as much fun and bring as much energy to the role as I could. If I left any scenery on the set [unchewed], then I didn't do my job!"
While Warlock has already expressed interest in landing a role on a New York soap and pursuing theater there, he hasn't completely ruling out a return to Y&R. "He's Jack's chief of staff... in Madison. The last show I did, Jack and Ben had words, and it was basically left with the question mark: 'If you don't like the way I do things, maybe you'd better find someplace else," he reveals. "But it was not, 'You're fired!' So it was left wide open. Could the character come back? Absolutely! Would it be something I'd be interested in doing? It would depend. I've made it clear that I don't want to trickle in there like I did, but Y&R is an incredible show. I had a blast."
While Y&R doesn't comment on actors' contracts, look for Warlock to take Ben out of Genoa City in mid-August.
Warlock Speaks Out!
Having taped his last Y&R scenes on July 12, daytime vet Billy Warlock (Ben) wants to set the record straight on his decision to play Jack's high-energy campaign manager, Ben, and all those splashy headlines that his upcoming exit has generated!
"I'm very good friends with [Y&R's executive producer/headwriter] Lynn [Marie] Latham," Warlock shares. "She called me and said, 'I've got that I'd really appreciate you coming in to play... because I think you could really bring something to the role to make it a lot more interesting. Would you do this favor for me?' I said, 'Absolutely. As long as the role is short-term, that would be great.' And that's what it was. It was set up from the beginning to be short-term."
The actor says that even though he signed up for a typical 13-week cycle, many people expected him to stay longer. "People would come up to me and say, 'So you're on the show!' And I'm like, 'Yeah, but I'm just passing through.' And they would all say, 'No, no!' But I'm like, 'Yes, really!' It was set up that way, so when I see magazine covers that said, 'Fired! I'm like, 'Fired?' I was never meant to be on for very long."
Still, Warlock enjoyed playing the high-strung politico. "This was the first time I could do whatever I wanted to do in daytime, with the exception of Frankie on DAYS OF OUR LIVES in the '80s. Ben was a guy who needed to back off the caffeine," he laughs. 'I wanted to have as much fun and bring as much energy to the role as I could. If I left any scenery on the set [unchewed], then I didn't do my job!"
While Warlock has already expressed interest in landing a role on a New York soap and pursuing theater there, he hasn't completely ruling out a return to Y&R. "He's Jack's chief of staff... in Madison. The last show I did, Jack and Ben had words, and it was basically left with the question mark: 'If you don't like the way I do things, maybe you'd better find someplace else," he reveals. "But it was not, 'You're fired!' So it was left wide open. Could the character come back? Absolutely! Would it be something I'd be interested in doing? It would depend. I've made it clear that I don't want to trickle in there like I did, but Y&R is an incredible show. I had a blast."
While Y&R doesn't comment on actors' contracts, look for Warlock to take Ben out of Genoa City in mid-August.