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Commentary by Brent Kellogg

October 9, 2009

In a published interview, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman) bares his soul. He tells how it really is in SoapLand and it ain't pretty. Of course he thinks Y&R is still the best thing since Swine Flu, but old people have a tendency of being stuck in the past which Y&R is quickly becoming if viewer dissatisfaction is any indicator.

Pretty much fired at this point, his contract up for renewal, Braeden says he's considering other career moves especially considering the ways he's been treated by Sony and other powers that be.

"It's not that one isn't willing to acquiesce [paid less], but it is the way in which I was approached. I was dealt with in a cold, deeply insulting and unconscionable manner and I'm a defiant bastard. I feel a great loyalty to the character and to the show, but that loyalty is not reciprocated. The daytime business has become cutthroat."

As for contracts, Braeden says, "the contracts you sign are not worth the paper they're written on. [...] It's a joke. Our union ought to be ashamed of itself."

Thirty years of loyalty apparently not rewarded, Braeden said that his being asked to take a pay cut was like being hit with a sledgehammer.

"What is sad is that they are playing with and easily disregarding the contributions made by a lot of the actors who have been on the show for a very long time, and it seemingly makes no difference to them. As a result, there is an enormous feeling of emotional upheaval on the set. And that was the intention, of course. It's all about intimidation. It's all about leaking things to the Internet before I even knew I was going to renegotiate. [...] There are obviously leaks coming from the inside, all there to bludgeon you, to intimidate you."

So who's swinging the hammer? Braeden won't name names.

"It's not that I'm not cognizant of these difficult economic times ... but now it's sledgehammer time. When you put your ass on the line for this show for thirty years, I still sell more magazines than anyone in this medium."

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