As the noose has insidiously tightened around Bo's neck, viewers have watched his once perfect life deteriorate after he was broadsided by a determined psychopath who, even in death, seems to be having the last laugh. Thanks to Georgie's machinations, Bo's marriage, career, reputation and freedom are all at stake. For his masterful performance as a man struggling to cope as his world has been turned upside down, Soap Opera Magazine names Robert S. Woods its Star of the Week.
"The stakes don't get much higher than this," says Woods. "Even my (character's) son, Drew, is coming back to town now." When Jill Farren Phelps took over as OLTI’s new executive producer at the beginning of the year, she told Woods his character was at long last going to get a front-burner storyline worthy of the actor's leading man talent. But given his track record of broken promises by producers past, Woods was cautiously optimistic.
"When I first met with her, she said, 'Well, you're going to have a lot to do.' And I thought, 'What could that mean?' I've been told a lot of things over the years, and I'd certainly heard that before," he admits. But to Woods' pleasant surprise, Phelps -- along with new head writer Pam Long -- delivered on the promise.
Bo's new storyline has revitalized the character, along with the entire Buchanan family. "This story really brings the Buchanan family back together -- which for years hasn't been happening," says Woods. "Fans joke that the Buchanan men are just three guys with the same last name because there hasn't been any sense of family."
Until now. Some of Woods' best scenes during the crescendo of this storyline are ones in which Bo had to swallow his pride and turn to his pa, Asa, for help. "Phil (Carey, Asa) and I haven't had good scenes together in over six years -- not since Paul (Rauch, former executive producer) left," reports the actor. 'And I had scenes with Erika (Slezak, Viki) recently, as well -- the first in a very long time."
Woods is also proud of his work with Jennifer Bransford (ex-Georgie) and is quick to credit the actress with the success of their scenes. "Jennifer gets tons of credit. If she didn't do the job she did, this stuff just wouldn't fly," he asserts. "She just blossomed as an actress as this story unfolded. She's got these big brown eyes and can do these subtle things that just make a scene work."
But pulling this off has been hard work for all involved -- especially Woods, who has been clocking long hours at the studio, sometimes past midnight. "Last night I just crashed here on the sofa in my dressing room," says the actor. "This has been exhausting -- but well worth it. To have something like this, the way it's all woven together, is just the greatest," gushes Woods. 'I’ll tell you, I really thought my last great storyline was faux Bo. Hillary (B. Smith, Nora) and I had some great stuff in the beginning, but then I sort of just faded away. So this is a dream come true."
-- Robert Schork (Soap Opera Magazine May 19, 1998)