Peter Bergman Recalls His First Day at THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS (EXCLUSIVE)
When Peter Bergman joined the cast of THE YOUNG & THE RESTLESS as the new Jack Abbott back in 1989, he had just come off of a nearly 10-year run as Cliff Warner on ALL MY CHILDREN, which was taped in New York City. So when he landed the job on Y&R, he had to leave his wife, Mariellen, and their infant daughter, Clare, behind when he flew to California to report to work!
“My first day on Y&R,” Bergman recalled to Soaps in Depth. “You must understand that I left my wife with our three-week-old daughter in New York City to come out here, live at her parents’ house in the San Fernando Valley in Encino for a few days before I race back to New York!”
Which added a little extra level of pressure to that first day at work alongside getting to know his new castmates and crew. Not to mention the fact that Bergman was taking over the role of Jack from another actor, Terry Lester.
“I had scenes with Jess Walton (Jill) and scenes with Jerry Douglas (ex-John),” he revealed. “Jess was this wonderfully eccentric actress and character. I was reminded of my life in the theater dealing with Jess.
“And Jerry Douglas, you know, was a sweetheart of a guy,” Bergman added. “Jack’s arrival was something that benefitted him if it worked out well, so he was cheering me on. But he was also cheering me on because I was an actor. Because I came in to replace somebody who’d been there for a while. And he knew that was a hard thing. So he was very, very generous and very sweet with me on my first day.”
It took almost a year before Bergman and his family actually settled in California, but now — over three decades, 22 nominations, and four Daytime Emmy Awards later — it’s clear that the chaotic start in Genoa City was just the start of something wonderful! Here’s to 30 more years!
