Todd Bridges Interview

[DarleneIllyria]

I found this at etonline.com and figured Todd fans would like to read it.

Todd's TV Comeback!

July 11, 2002

Starting this week, former primetime player TODD BRIDGES is back in front of the cameras playing a role on CBS' daytime sudser, "The Young and the Restless." He's "Juice," a shady scoundrel described by exec producer DAVID SHAUGHNESSY as "a real out-and-out bad guy bent on revenge." (Gee, what would Mr. Drummond say?)

ET chatted with the former "Diff'rent Strokes" and one-time "Celebrity Boxing" sensation about the perks of being a soap stud, and what it was like to whoop "Boxing" opponent VANILLA ICE. Tune in tonight to hear Todd's hilarious remarks!
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ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT: You're on "The Young and the Restless." Now, how did that come about?

TODD BRIDGES: My friend KRISTOFF ST. JOHN is on the show. He plays Neil. He called me and told me I should call for an audition. I called and then I got an audition, went in and I got the job.

ET: Were you ever a "Y&R" fan? Did you ever watch the show?

TODD: Yeah, because Kristoff was on it, I've watched it a lot. My niece also, BROOKE BRIDGES, was on it. She played Kristoff's daughter.

ET: You play a guy named Juice?

TODD: Yes. He doesn't get a last name until he gets a contract probably, so my name is just Juice right now.

ET: Juice, in the underworld, means bad or interesting?

TODD: He's a bad guy with a good conscience sometimes.

ET: What does that mean exactly?

TODD: He just he feels like he's gotten done wrong by Neil, so he wants to seek some revenge.

ET: Do you have any hesitation about playing a villain?

TODD: It's just a role. You do the best you can -- make it as believable as you can.

ET: Considering what you've done in the past, what's the soap opera routine like?

TODD: A soap opera is a lot more work. Primetime is a cushy job. You have days of rehearsal. Soap operas, you don't have much rehearsal, and you got to get your dialogue learned. If you have a lot of pages, you've got to get it down. [We] all work together to get your lines down and then they tape fast. You have to be on top of your game. Thank god, I memorize pretty fast.

ET: This whole "Celebrity Boxing" thing. You really kind of made the most of it. Was that a positive experience for you?

TODD: It was a fun thing to do because I had a chance to work a little bit. I think that I felt bad after beating up VANILLA ICE. I thought that I would feel like "Yeah, Yeah!" But, no I don't want to beat anybody up. That's not what I really want to do in life.

ET: If asked to fight winner DANNY BONADUCE, would you?

TODD: If the show definitely would say it would be okay? Yeah, for sure.

ET: You're taking over a role that was played by somebody else. Is that kind of a good thing, or do you feel handicapped?

TODD: No. One thing about people who watch daytime, it happens all the time. They want you to be who you are. That's the good part about daytime. They can kill you off and bring you back and say this is his twin or the DNA was not exactly his, it was someone else's. They switched it at the hospital.

ET: When your character comes back, what kind of trouble are you going to cause?

TODD: You got to watch and see! Who knows the kind of trouble I'm going to create?

ET: Have you heard about "The Rerun Show"? A new show that reenacts episodes from America's favorite sitcoms, such as "The Partridge Family," "The Facts of Life" and "Diff'rent Strokes." They're using some "Diff'rent Strokes" scripts. So the question is: Do you have any advice for whoever's going to play Willis?

TODD: Hope they play it well.

ET: What do you think of the concept?

TODD: I think it's hilarious. I've seen excerpts of it. It's probably going to be a very funny show for NBC.


Link:
http://www.etonline.com/celebrity/a11330.htm

[JethroSimpson]

That was interesting, thanks for putting it up.