Inventing The Abbotts
By Robert Waldron
Featured In Soap Opera Digest Magazine
June 20, 2000
Y&R's David Tom, Peter Bergman, Jerry Douglas & Eileen Davidson Dish 20 Years Of The Family Affairs
Digest: What do you think is the key to making the Abbotts real?
Peter: We all come from close families [in real life] So we get the dynamic between siblings.
Eileen: I think Peter's right. I grew up in a household of major teasing. It was how you showed affection. [With Jack and Ashley] it's innate in the way they're written. Peter and I just kind of exaggerate it. Also, I'm the youngest of six children in my family. I know how I was treated. So with [the character] Billy, we torture him a little the way you would with a baby brother.
David Tom: [smiling] I was the only boy in my family. I was raised by my two sisters and my mom [The Teasing] could get pretty fierce!
Digest:David, when Billy joined this family, was it daunting coming into such a seasoned group?
David: In the beginning, I really only worked with Jess Walton [Jill] But I knew beforehand that I would be working with everybody else, so I introduced myself.
Bergman: [teasing] He went around behind the scenes digging up dirt on each of us. So he wasn't slightly intimidated when he got here.
Digest: On the other side, the rest of you had a new actor to absorb.
Bergman: We knew right out of the gate with David. Jess came running to me and said,"He's bright, clear about the work and makes choices. He's terrific!"
Davison: David totally fit the bill. He came in and it seemed as if Billy had already been part of the Abbotts. Having him here broadens the whole family and makes us all better ebcause of that dynamic.
Bergman: We really lucked out. He could just as easily have been a Young Truk who only cared about where his next personal appearance was.
Douglas: I've experiences that with some actors who have played in the famil. Peter has , too. All they're thinking about is the fame, money and chicks. So we do know the difference. Even thought David is very young, he's been working for a long time. he's very experiences and caome in with a beautiful attidue toward the work.
Bergman: The other thing about the family dynamic and how the whole thing works, is not looking in the script for the answer. The script gives us the words, which are important to learn. But then that part is over and you have to make the connections.
Digest: That was also the first time we saw a teenage Billy with all of the Abbotts.
Douglas: I'll never forget it. Davif was standing near me [laughs]. I don't know what the heck made me say it, but I grabbed David and said,"Come here, my baby." And we just started to hug. It was an ad-lib, but it felt right.
Back To Articles
Back To David Tom Online