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The Victoria Rowell Interview

April 20, 2007
by Jon Burrows

GCN: Foster parenthood is obviously very important to you. Were you pleased how it was worked into the storylines for both the Young & the Restless and Diagnosis: Murder?

VR: Absolutely because I put it there. I pitched both storylines for adoption, and was very happy about that. I didn't imagine the life of the storyline on Young & the Restless but was very happy that it's now in its fourth year and has since received congressional recognition.

GCN: What do people need to know about foster parenthood that might lead them to consider it?

VR: That you need to be willing, and have a heart and have a robust bank account. And that you don't need acres and acres of land. You do have to be licensed and you do have to have adequate space. But the most important thing is that of being willing to give love and consistent care.

GCN: Let's talk about the show. What's it like to see your own funeral?

VR: I haven't watched. I haven't watched the show in the last two months. I know what I did and I knew when it was going to air, but I haven't seen it. I've heard a lot about it, and on my book tour I've been getting an outpouring of feedback on it.

GCN: Dru's death was remarkably similar to Malcolm's in that they fell in the water and their bodies weren't found. Couldn't TPTB have come up with something a little more original?

VR: You mean other than falling off a cliff? You'd have to talk about Lynn Marie Latham about that. I don't know how to answer that question. I wasn't in on that.

GCN: Well then, if you could have written Drusilla's demise how would you have done it?

VR: Good question. I loved the storyline we were doing with Carmen and spiraling effect and then the whole scene where she became unraveled and thought she was imagining seeing Carmen. And then we had the whole going into the psych ward. This was high drama. And I would have liked to have fleshed that out some more. Dru should have been in that psych ward and we could have played that Frances Farmer moment forever. And I would have liked Dru to have escaped.

GCN: At the same time, they're not recasting the role. Isn't that kind of an honor for soap actor?

VR: More than an honor, it's smart. The production knows what I bring to the table and so does the audience. More so than the brass. The audience won't have it. And the audience is very, very attached to Drusilla. And I think enough fans have told the brass from the last time that they're not interested in seeing that particular role recast.

GCN: The story was that you wanted to become part of the writing team. Why didn't what work out and did it play a part in your departure?

VR: Well, it's not any one thing. When I re-signed I did ask to be considered to become a staff writer and certainly wanted to be given an opportunity to learn, because I needed to grow. I needed to learn how to write and how to direct. I've long admired Susan Flannery on Bold & the Beautiful to both act and direct. But I was not afforded that opportunity. So I shopped my wares elsewhere and Harper-Collins picked me up.

GCN: You're little comeback lines and sassy sayings were always a highlight of the show. How much of that was ad-libbing?

VR: All of it. I tweaked every script I got. And that's what made her so authentic and unique.

GCN: Did you have a lot of input into how Dru dressed and did you get to keep the hats?

VR: Absolutely. Most of the hats were mine. I loaned them to the show because I believed in the integrity of the character. I spared no expense to bring the character to full bloom. I had a big say in how Drusilla dressed and sometimes I had to fight for what I thought she should be framed in. But I believed I was right in all of those decisions, because the audience spoke.

GCN: Are you secretly pleased that Neil is so broken up over losing you that he's drinking again?

VR: I just think that was such a clever move to make. It's a great hook. We'll see where that all leads.

GNC: Race is hardly ever mentioned with Dru and the other African-American characters. Should it be more of a factor on the show, such as Daniel and Lilly having an interracial marriage?

VR: Absolutely. If you knew how much race was a part of the behind scenes with Victoria Rowell and bringing more diversity to the Young & the Restless you would have an idea of how important this issue is and how important it was to me. If you do an accounting of all the actors on the Young & the Restless at any one time, we've had 16 black actors. Now we're down to three. And race should have been discussed with Aunt Mamie or with my mother and my father. But for some reason, it wasn't important for Drusilla to have parents or relatives or whatever to discuss that my daughter is going into an interracial marriage and am I sure if I am able to handle it.

GCN: Maybe that's not they perceive soap opera fans as wanting to see.

VR: I don't think we should dummy down the fans or the expectations. I think that fans do want to see it, especially when the predominate audience is African-American.

GCN: How much are you going to miss being Dru?

VR: Well Dru is Victoria Rowell. I bring a lot of Victoria Rowell to Drusilla. Not in every incidence, of course, but I give a lot of myself to Drusilla. I bring a lot of women who've raised me into my character. That character is multi-dimensional about being on the show.

GCN: What do you miss most about being on the show?

VR: Local 33. It's the union there and they are so phenomenal. I'm a worker bee. I'm a farmer first. And they have that farmer ethic. They lifted the tree. They moved the furniture. They got you the props. The local was amazing.

GCN: What do miss most least about the show?

VR: The lack of pro-activism, especially around a pathetic pre-nomination balloting system. That and the general lack of diversity.

GCN: It sounds like you did not leave on the best of terms.

VR: I left on fantastic terms because they were my own. They were business terms. I resigned. And who knows? Maybe one day the No. 1 daytime show will find it important enough to diversify not only in front of the camera but behind the camera as well.

GCN: Forgive me, but I read somewhere that you'll turn 48 next month. How do you keep in such great shape?

VR: Forgive you? I am so proud of that. I have very good attitude. I take care of myself. Yes, I exercise but more than anything I am so grateful for my powerful life.

GCN: You have a movie coming out, Home of the Brave with Samuel L. Jackson. Did he have one of those Snakes on a Plane moments and cuss you out?

VR: No. I actually cuss him out in the movie. It's about the Iraqi war. He is my husband who comes home. I am the mother and I've just had it. And it's about lack of mental health and medical health and families not knowing what do to. It's about what's in the papers today about Walter Reed. And I get to go off on him.

GCN: One last question: Is Dru really dead?

VR: (Uncontrollable laughter).

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The Women Who Raised Me
Victoria Rowell's book is available at Amazon.