The Young and the Restless stars Lauralee Bell (Christine Blair) and Michael Damian (Danny Romalotti) will cross over in character to The Bold and the Beautiful in scenes airing August 13 and 14.
Here, the actors preview what their characters will be doing in Los Angeles.
How did the B&B gig come about?
Michael Damian: Danny [a singer] and Cricket are on tour and it’s like Taylor [Swift] and Travis [Kelce]. They’re doing all these shows and they were in Paris [on Y&R], and what happened when your brother saw us in Paris?
Lauralee Bell: Brad [Bell, B&B’s executive producer and head writer] saw that were in Paris and thought, “Oh, that’s cool — you guys are doing a world tour.” So he called and said, “Where do you go next?” and I said, “I don’t know,” and he said, “Well, OK, because I’ve been thinking that it would make total sense for Danny to come to LA and play multiple days, so maybe there’s a story point that I’m thinking of where this could work out perfectly.” We talked and it was very brief, but I said, “Look, if it works, that’s so great.” We did touch on my dad [Y&R and B&B’s co-creator William J. Bell]. Everyone wants a fun summer moment and we both knew what we were saying, and he said, “Yeah, I want to see if I can make this work.”
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Damian: And then Brad sends me an email and says, “You’re going to sing ‘Rock On’ [Damian’s No. 1 hit from 1989] on Bold and Beautiful.” I didn’t know they were going to do that and what’s really crazy is that I was, at the same time, working on a “Rock On” remix, a new version. It’s all spruced up and a little more modernized, so it worked out perfectly and the timing was great.
Bell: And then once we knew “Rock On”, once we knew we were going to be at a party with the Forresters, as a fan, I could envision, “OK, how do these worlds collide? How does it happen?” Not only was it written and done so well but it was so much fun. It was so fun to look over and see Brooke [Katherine Kelly Lang] and Ridge [Thorsten Kaye] bopping to “Rock On”. When does this happen? Never? It totally worked.
Damian: It really was. Great energy, great vibe. There’s a fan aspect in the storyline, which is fun. They surprise Danny with a question and an offer about something and of course, he has his lawyer with him, which is fantastic.
Bell: We seal the deal.
Damian: What’s so great about it is Cricket passed on a big case to come on tour — a big sacrifice — and now she’s going to do legal work for him. She negotiates a hard bargain. We have a whole scenario: Danny and Cricket were on Rodeo [Drive] and spent all the money he got paid. But it was great energy, great feel, a lot drama in the background with the other storylines that Danny and Cricket are not a part of.
Bell: The one thing I said to Brad is, “I don’t know what you’re going to do, but just remember, Christine represented Ridge all those years ago [in 2007]. The fans will catch if you don’t acknowledge with a, ‘Good to see you again.’”
Damian: I was surprised!
Bell: We played it like, “I couldn’t come to LA without seeing you, Ridge.” And, of course, rehearsal was hysterical because you could play all the double entendres.
Damian: We had a laughing fit and it wasn’t me, it was Thorsten. Thorsten did something — we don’t remember what it was and it’s part of the dialogue! — it was so funny.
What was it like to be on a different set, even though it’s just across the hall?
Damian: We got lost going to the set because I’ve never been over there. We finally found the set and we rolled fast.
Bell: We went onto The Price is Right [set] and through the bathrooms. But there’s the pressure of if you’re invited over it goes well, so I think even though our lines were fun and on the easier side to learn, you don’t want to be the one to screw up. I didn’t want to have that reported back, like, “Well that was good but that’s never happening again.”
Damian: You were singing, dancing and you were rocking out.
Bell: That might be where there’s a fine line between real life and that because Katherine Kelly Lang and I had so much fun. We were acting like we were besties from the last 30 years, dancing together. We’re taking it on the road. We’ll be Danny’s backup!
Bill Inoshita/CBS
Lauralee, what does it mean to you to be on the show your family created?
Bell: Honestly, I did personally smile at home when I was practicing my lines when I had to say, “Forrester Creations”. I don’t think I ever said Forrester Creations and I can clearly remember my dad when B&B started and that whole cast came to the house and he was telling all the names and stuff, so I was like, “Ooh, I get to say Forrester Creations.” Seems so silly but there was something very oddly sweet about it.
Would you want to go back to B&B again?
Bell: 100 percent.
Damian: 100 percent. If we can drink champagne and rock it out and have fun at a party? Those party shows are usually not fun to do. The mechanics of it … it’s a lot of vignette-y stuff, stop and starty.
Bell: I have never heard you say “starty”.
Damian: Yes, stop and starty. So it’s hard to create a rhythm in all that. But once we got it down technically, we started having fun and it was great.
Was there anyone you met that day that you hadn’t before?
Bell: I hadn’t talked to Alley Mills [B&B’s Pamela Douglas; General Hospital’s Heather Webber] before, which is so strange. Anytime I have seen her in the hallway, Christian LeBlanc [Michael Baldwin, Y&R] was all-encompassing of her space so I’d be like, “I shouldn’t interrupt; they’re talking theater,” and I would zoom by. So I blamed it on Christian and said, “I would have come up to you sooner, Christian takes all your time.” Now we have to hope that anyone who doesn’t watch Bold and Beautiful will come watch that show. It’s so easy — just keep the TV on. Stay seated! We take it up a notch in terms of our appearance. We definitely come off very Hollywood.
Damian: I did my hair really tall. I wore the most expensive jacket I’ve ever worn ever. I saw the price tag. I was like, “Are you guys crazy? is this for me? Come on!”
It seems like you’re having a lot of fun now that you’re working together again.
Damian: She can’t stand working with me. She gets hazard pay when she does a scene with me. I have to pay extra to work with her. It’s weird. [Laughs.] No, we have a good time. It’s fun. I do torture her. She’s sick of my humor. Most of the time, I say something and you’re like, “I know that joke already.”
Bell: As long as we’re together, we’re good! I’m having the time of my life.
