HOLLYWOOD —This week’s leading male gold standard goes to Eric Braeden, who portrays Victor Newman on CBS’s “The Young and the Restless”; new kid on the block Zack Conroy as Oliver on “The Bold and the Beautiful” and “B&B’s” popular star Ronn Moss, who portrays Ridge Forrester. These three men play characters who all had an opportunity to hesitate this week. As for Victor Newman, there is never any hesitation, with Ridge, he is the king of hesitance, especially when he’s caught between the love of two competing families and Oliver is a character Bradley P. Bell’s recently introduced us to, and so far he’s a keeper.
Victor was faced with major betrayal this week. He realized that his son Adam had been lying to him and everyone else and was behind the emotional torture of his ex-wife Ashley during her pregnancy last year. Victor will never tolerate betrayal and he joined league with his ultimate opponent Jack Abbott, who agreed to help Newman bring down his disloyal and deceitful son Adam. Previously Adam made the mistake of threatening his father. No one does that and get away with it. Fans loved Braeden’s delivery of the line, “I was put on the doorsteps of an orphanage when I was 7 years old and I had to make my own way in this world, do you think someone like you could scare me?” Adam bluffed his father with the fact that he had become an mole inside Newman’s enemy’s company, but Victor, never one to be blackmailed, only decided to destroy Adam before he had the opportunity to do the same to him.
Eric Braeden may have taken a few months off of “Y&R” late last year, but he remains in prime condition both physically and as an actor to take down anyone who is in a scene with him. Viewers loved seeing Victor plotting this week to bring destroy his son Adam and when he found out the depths of Adam’s lies and duplicity Victor became even more dangerous. Eric Braeden portrays the character of Victor Newman with such intensity and multi-faceted appeal. At the end of each episode of “The Young and the Restless” the question is, what will Victor do next? Whatever it is, Braeden does it with greatness.
Zack Conroy is the new kid on the block so to speak. The young actor who now portrays Aggie’s baby brother Oliver has such great chemistry with both of his leading ladies. I, however, like him best with Steffy (Jacqueline Wood-MacInnes). This week Oliver was still torn about what to do with the videotape he had of Bridget Marone sleeping with her husband’s step-father Owen Knight. Before he could make a decision it was taken away from him. Steffy Forrester, much like her grandmother, soon became aware of the video and anything Zack has in mind is now out of the question. Oliver blinked, he took time to decide what to do with a piece of evidence he had that is potentially explosive to so many people. Zack Conroy however did not blink; he never hesitated, and he was dead on in all of the scenes. This is a good idea for a young actor on a show that is known for veteran actors who are brilliant and fast on their feet.
Speaking of one of the veteran stars of “B&B.” Ronn Moss as Ridge is sublime. Ronn being the opposite of his character, Ridge is such a self-absorbed playboy, who cannot decide which family he wants to be with. Does he want to be with Brooke and their kids or Taylor and the kids they share? Ridge was placed squarely in the middle of a battle this week between his daughter Steffy who had mother Taylor and grandmother Stephanie in her corner and his wife Brooke, who had her sister Donna and daughter hope on her side. Ridge didn’t know at first what to do, whether he should side with Steffy, who he owes his future to. After all, Steffy was the one who outsmarted Bill Spencer and gained control of the company from him. However, he’s married to Brooke and realizes that she feels isolated now that Stephanie, Taylor, Eric and Ridge own the company she once had controlling interest in.
Ronn Moss has the innate ability to play scenes with such originality. He’s never boring and never just plain Ridge. He’s the Ridge we all love and sometimes love to hate. That’s what makes these three leading men of daytime so superior. Zack Conroy should consider himself in the league with greatness. Ronn Moss and Eric Braeden are daytime legends and all three men are superb in their roles.
“B&B” and “Y&R” air weekdays on CBS.
