Doug Davidson Looks Back at 42 Incredible Years on Y&R (EXCLUSIVE)

“Soap operas and wedding are kind of synonymous,” Davidson said of Paul’s first wedding to Christine with attendants Nina and Ryan. “As soap weddings go, this one wasn’t horribly extravagant. Christine had been married before, and I think her wedding to Danny was a bigger deal.” Still, Davidson says that it was what happened leading up to the wedding that was the bigger drama — with Phyllis running down Paul and Christine with her car, which for a time left Paul impotent. “I remember being at a Christmas party at the Bell house and Bill Bell goes, ‘I’m so sorry,’ And I went, ‘Yeah, I know, it’s a pity that this whole O.J. thing really hindered our ratings and they ended up canceling THE PRICE IS RIGHT,’” recounted the actor of when he was hosting the game show’s nighttime version. “He goes, ‘No, no, no. I’m talking about making you impotent!’ Here I thought he was being sympathetic because my nighttime game show was cancelled and he was being sympathetic because he made Paul impotent from the car accident! But that was typical of Bill — his mind rarely diverted from the show!”

“I had no idea that Lauren had submitted my picture to Contemporary Woman magazine, and found out here when my mom shared it with me!” laughed the Emmy winner. “They were teasing my dad at the police station and posted the centerfold up in the locker room of the GCPD. I had to track down Lauren, which led to a huge argument that ended with passionate lovemaking!” Working with Mary’s portrayer, [the late] Carolyn Conwell was fun, he adds. “She was absolutely nothing like Mary! She would come into work from Long Beach in white tights and ballet outfits and looking a bit saucy for her age,” he smiled. “She was great! In all the years that I worked with her, there was never a phony line out of her mouth. She had some doozies, but she made them all believable!”

“What occurred to me when I first saw this photo was that Tricia [Cast, ex-Nina] was a child actress — she was in the BAD NEWS BEARS with [the late] Kristoff [St. John, Neil] — and she is the consummate professional, because she is keeping her hair off her face during the take!” laughed Davidson. “I still keep in touch with her!”

Eric Braeden (Victor) chose Davidson to host his recent 40^th anniversary celebration because of their long history and friendship, which, Davidson says “is completely based on mutual respect. When the show went to an hour, he was the older leading man and I was the younger leading man. And we were both given emotional scenes, which I don’t remember a lot of men being asked to play such an emotional range as he and I did. That’s changed obviously, but in the early ‘80s, it was totally different. We bonded in that environment and would talk to each other about our scenes, try to make them believable, and the scenes breathe. Eric and I didn’t always agree but we always respected each other. It’s just a really solid relationship.”

Davidson says that he loved shooting on locations, here with Braeden and Steve Ford (ex-Andy). “I know this looks like southern California, but it was St. Croix! I was one of Bill’s favorite location guys. I went to Nevis, Bermuda, Hawaii, Malibu, San Francisco, and in the beginning with Melody [Thomas Scott, Nikki], the Hollywood YMCA!” he revealed with a laugh. “This storyline was with Rick Darvos kidnapping Nikki, and Paul, Andy, and Victor raced to save her. They built an entire town square in the middle of Stage 43, equipped with a full-on rainstorm. It was pretty fantastic. It was such a great time to be in the Golden Age of soap operas. When you look back and wonder what you would change, it would only be my perception at the time, because sometimes you don’t realize what you have. A lot of it I did, but in the day-to-day things, I probably didn’t realize how great it was!”

“This is where Paul and Christine were supposedly in Vietnam — but it was actually shot in Hollywood,” Davidson revealed. “We shot there for about a week, to two weeks. We were looking for Keemo, who was Jack’s illegitimate son [that he fathered] while in Vietnam. This was another story that might have [tweaked] history, because I don’t know if Jack was ever in Vietnam, let alone old enough to be there!”

“She was a kick in the pants!” Davidson said of working with Eva Longoria when she played his love interest, Isabella. “She had a great sense of humor and we’d always end up giggling and having fun. A good portion of that was before her character went crazy. That is a soap thing they do. As soon as something is going too smoothly, they make somebody crazy! But Eva was great. I got to know her and her family and learned a little Spanish along the way. She was written out [of the show] without too much ceremony, but she got [DRAGNET with Ed O’Neill] in four months, and after that DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.”

Davidson credits his wife, Cindy, for his success. “She is the backbone of this family and my support,” he smiled. “It’s not always easy to be the woman behind the man — although there have been plenty of times when I’ve been the man behind the woman. But it’s been undying support, undying love, and a great mom. I know God loves me because he gave me Cindy Fisher!”

“Cindy actually played three characters on the show. The first time, she stole Victor Newman’s car. The second time, she was one of the leaders in the cult storyline. And this time, she’s playing a librarian [named] Dana. My mom set me up with a nice girl, and this is how she showed up, but then she goes in the bedroom and comes out in a negligee with big ‘80s hair and is like this sex siren!” he chuckled at the memory of working with his real-life wife. “What I remember about this picture is that I had just had a mole removed from my neck. Ed [Scott, then Y&R’s producer] kept trying to take my bandage off. He’s like, ‘I hate the bandage on your neck!’ But I didn’t want to take it off because then they’d take their dirty makeup sponges and rub it in my wound!”

“I’m guessing this picture was Valentine’s Day when Paul and Nikki were rekindling their romance, which was probably ill-advised!” Davidson said of the characters ultimately doomed love affair. “But I can’t say enough good things about Melody. She has remained strong and stalwart, vital and relevant through all of life’s ups and downs. She is so solid and incredibly smart! She has taken Nikki on twist and turns from the beginning, and it’s been terrific watching her and working with her, and knowing that we’re together on this long, winding road. It’s quite an honor for me!”

Originally, Patty was not crazy, reminded Davidson. “I don’t know at what point they decided to make her crazy, but when she shot Jack, it was a crime of passion because she found out that he’d been sleeping around. But working with Stacy [Haiduk] was fabulous. Once again, I was given an actress with real depth and compassion and it was incredibly satisfying to play,” he shared. “We had great material dealing with Patty’s wounds.”

While fans probably demolished dozens of tissues when they cried over the tragic ending to Paul’s love story with prostitute-with-a-heart-of-gold Cindy Lake (DeAnna Robbins), Davidson revealed that initially his alter ego was supposed to fall for her BFF, prostitute Pam Warren (played by Kristine DeBell). “I think she cherished the job and played it too safe, which wasn’t enough for Bill. So, they gave her notice, and once that happened, she started performing! But by then the train had left the station, and they had given the role over to her sidekick, Cindy,” he shared. “Paul and Cindy were supposed to get married but Tony DiSalvo tried to shoot Paul and Cindy jumps in front of me and takes the bullet. This is the emotional climax to the relationship when I bring a ring and propose. As you can see, I’m holding the hand with the ring I just put on, and she dies shortly afterward. I’m breaking down and holding her in my arms. It was one of Bill Bell’s classic episodes!

The scenes that Davidson had with Peter Porte, who played Paul’s son, Ricky, helped garner him a daytime Emmy. “It was the first time that they had really committed to a story of mine in a while, and I thought it was well done in all aspects,” he said. “They built sets, hired supporting people, and really told a story that ended with an incredible decision that would be difficult for any person — having to shoot your own son to save an innocent girl’s life. The stakes were pretty high!” In fact, Davidson said that instead of driving the long distance to his home near Santa Barbara, he chose to stay at the studio. “I pretty much lived there even after the shooting to the incarceration, to the trial. It was pretty interesting to be essentially in solitary confinement in the studio at the same time my character was dealing with this. I didn’t leave it for a moment, and that was really intense… and really great!”

Davidson admitted that he has a similar Emmy picture on his desk. “It just captured the moment for me. I can look at it and remember that night. I walked from receiving the award across the stage to have an interview on a couch. It was the strangest thing! But it was a fantastic night, one I will never forget!” he stated. “I felt that it represents some of my best work and to have it recognized was truly an honor. I was against some pretty nifty competitors, so it was gratifying. I had some difficult days afterward, so it was a nice hat rack that I could put my acting hat on the wings of an Emmy!”

The soap vet said that the storyline where Paul became involved with Cassandra (played by Nina Arvesen) propelled him “from younger leading man to older leading man. Paul was given a new office in Newman Towers, a secretary, a new wardrobe, new sets… Bill [Bell] made Paul Williams a private investigator with a gold card. He really jumped with both feet into this mystery woman storyline. In it, I had the No. 1 TV Q and the show went to No. 1, so for me, it was probably one of the more significant periods in my 42-year career. Bill brought in a new character, Adrian, played by Mark Derwin… and this picture was for a huge ad campaign that they did.”

Before Paul’s love affair with Cassandra, he ended up marrying Lauren. “Out of the blue, Bill came to me and was like, ‘I’m going to put you and Lauren together,’” remembered Davidson. “Lauren was part of the Danny and Cricket group, and I was like, ‘Really?’ But once again, he took a chance and it worked out incredibly well! Lauren was a firecracker, always breaking the rules, doing things she shouldn’t have done, stepping out when she shouldn’t have stepped out. Paul and Paul’s mother, Mary, held her responsible for it, but no one else seemed to. A lot of viewers don’t go back that far, but it’s fertile ground to play whenever I have a scene with [Tracey E. Bregman].”

“I still talk to Michael [Damian, ex-Danny] to this day,” said Davidson, here with Damian and Lauralee Bell (Christine) “They originally brought him on during the writer’s strike. Then he left to do Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat, then he came back briefly. This photo is the last time he was back for a short stay, where Chris didn’t know whether she loved Danny or Paul.”

“I don’t know what I’m so upset about here, but I’m sure it was something that [Christine and Michael] did!” he laughed. Davidson does remember this set, which the show built for Paul and Christine. “It was a bit of a nightmare to shoot in because all the rooms were separated by glass. They were all angled downward, but it was still kind of tricky. All the rooms were accessible and visible from the front door to the kitchen to the dining room to the balcony, so it was really a fantastic set!”

Davidson admitted that he thought that the romance between Paul and Maggie (played by Tammy Lauren) came out of the blue. “Tammy was a spitfire, and we got along, but the characters’ romance was more plot-driven… and Y&R has always been a character-driven show.”