When Eric Braeden first learned that an iconic set from “The Young and the Restless” would be making a comeback for the show’s 13,000th episode, he never expected to have such an emotional reaction. Then he visited it in person for the first time.
“I thought, ‘Well, big deal.’ And I saw it, and I must say, I was overcome,” he tells TODAY.com in a recent interview.
Braeden, who has portrayed business tycoon Victor Newman on the hit CBS daytime series for almost 45 years, plays an important role in the special episode.
Unbeknownst to his loved ones, Victor has been rebuilding his family’s original home, which burned down in 2012. The new build is a surprise for Nikki Newman (Melody Thomas Scott), Victor’s longtime wife, and is located on the Newman family’s expansive ranch property.
During the Nov. 8 episode of “Y&R,” Victor surprised Nikki with the home, and the couple reminisced on all the wonderful moments they shared in the original house. Seeing the set once again also made Braeden feel a bit nostalgic.
“I was really, really touched, I have to say, because it brought back so many memories. And it really means a great deal to me that they went to the extent they did to rebuild that set,” he says.
When asked if the set looked the way he remembered it, the 83-year-old says, “It looked the same but better — more expansive and more expensive.”
The 13,000th episode will feature a celebratory moment as Victor’s daughter Abby Newman (Melissa Ordway) marries her fiancé, Devon Winters (Bryton James), at the newly rebuilt home.
After the couple’s wedding venue fell through, Victor recently told the two that he had the perfect spot for them to say “I do.” On Nov. 8, they saw it for the first time and were thrilled.
Abby’s mother, Ashley Abbott (Eileen Davidson), has been noticeably absent over the last few months while seeking treatment for her dissociative identity disorder, but she will be back for the celebration.
Jill Abbott (Jess Walton), a veteran character who occasionally appears on the show, will also return to Genoa City for Abby and Devon’s nuptials. Jill is the mother of Billy Abbott (Jason Thompson), aka Abby’s uncle.
“I was happy to see her. She’s a wonderful actress,” Braeden notes.
Production on the set of a soap opera moves at rapid speed, so Braeden and his castmates only had a short time to savor the moment before they were off to work filming the next episode.
The daytime veteran notes that the cast does “over 100 setups a day” and “anywhere between 15 and 60 pages (of dialogue) a day.”
Even an esteemed director was once surprised by the pace on set.
“Francis Ford Coppola was here for a while. He observed the show for about two weeks or three weeks, and he just shook his head. He said, ‘I can’t believe what I’m seeing,’” he recalls.
“Y&R” first premiered on CBS in 1973, meaning the show has been on the air for over 50 years. Braeden has been with the show for nearly 45 of those years and has had the opportunity to work with many of his colleagues for several decades, including Scott, who celebrated her 45th anniversary with the show earlier this year.
“I adore her and we respect each other and she knows how to deal with me. She knows how to handle me,” he says, adding that he’s “very lucky” to work with Scott.
Braeden, who announced that he was cancer-free in 2023 after sharing his bladder cancer diagnosis earlier in the year, is counting his blessings in his personal and professional lives these days.
On the work front, the actor continues to be amazed that “Y&R” is such a popular show, and he attributes the show’s success to the “confluence of writers, actors and producers.” Well, that and the soap opera’s dedicated fans.
“I am deeply touched, I really am, by some fans coming up and saying they’re the third generation in their family who has watched the show. That’s very touching. It really is. And so it means everything,” he says.
